NADRIGOL’s Melee Bladesinger Guide I’ve been shouting about my opinions of the Bladesinger in both TheBigHouse’s guide and guide and TreantMonks’s guide for guide for a while now. There was a suggestion that I write a guide for the Bladesinger, specifically where multiclassing is concerned (which will be a large focus of this guide). This is my attempt to do so. I hope it helps whoever stumbles stumbles across it.
Please Please Read If you’re going to skip over the stuff at the start of the guide and go straight to ratings, please take a moment to remember this is a melee/gish focussed guide, and to consider reading at least The Bladesinger Spectrum section Spectrum section of the intro materials. I’ve had several points of feedback that don’t seem to take this into account. If you’re not focussing on melee/gish playstyles, the other great wizard guides will likely look more reasonable.
Guide Discussion The primary posting location for this guide, and best place to leave me comments, questions, or feedback is here here..
Late 2017 Update I wrote this guide in late 2016, and with feedback/comments from user's on the En World thread, updated it through early 2017. Shifts in my work/personal life have taken me away from D&D for the better part of 2017, and I don't anticipate a return in the near future. As such, major updates to the guide and thorough responses to new comments shouldn't be expected. I’m still subscribed to the major 5E wizard guide threads, so I am aware of new developments, developments, just not devoting so much time to them. t hem. For those of you interested, in related development, development, I have created a publicly editable version of this guide, guide, where others can post their own content/comments. Please be respectful! Lastly, I wanted to point out a new Bladesinger Guide that Guide that was recently released. It has a very different set of focusses from this guide, but has a lot of great content, and is being actively developed. developed. I recommend you check it out to see what playstyle most appeals to you.
Unfinished Business: These are the bits and pieces of the guide I planned to spend more time on. I don’t expect to do any major work on the guide in the near future. These are here as my last notes on things I wanted to work on so you all know what I consider unfinished. Needless to say, any WotC content from after mid-2017 will also not be included.
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As I continu continue e my playthro playthrough ugh of of my Bladesi Bladesinger nger I will will likely likely have have update updates s for playtested spells. Finish Finish “Bladesi “Bladesinger nger as as a dip” sectio section… n… I know know it looks looks done, done, but I got got lazy lazy at the end. end. The “Math!” “Math!” section section will will probably probably need need some some filling filling out out depending depending on on how people people respond to it. Go throug through h UA content, content, and add missing missing relev relevant ant point points. s.
Color Coding This guide will use the following ratings: (language shamelessly stolen from TheBigHouse who shamelessly stole it from RhaegarT) Red is dead. A trap that you will want to avoid at all costs, either because it's ineffective or Red is because it's thoroughly outclassed by another option t hat accomplishes something similar. Purple is a substandard choice. It might be useful in corner-case situations, but overall it's Purple is not worth the investment. Green is average. You're not hurting your character by taking this, and it might even help in some situations, but there are better choices. Blue is Blue is a good choice. It definitely helps your character character in the majority of cases. Sky Blue is Blue is a fantastic choice. An option you should strongly consider above most others. Gold is mandatory if you want to be optimal. It's a rare rating that denotes something Gold is something that is so good that you must take it, or you can't call yourself optimized. optimized.
The Bladesinger I believe that since the Bladesinger Bladesinger tradition encourages such a different playstyle from a traditional wizard, wizard, it deserves it’s own comprehensive guide. guide. I won’t compare it to the other Wizard Traditions as that is something a Wizard guide would do, and this is not that. I’m going to talk about the Bladesinger as a class here. To that end, I will mimic the style of other class guides, and look at character creation for a bladesinger from every angle I can manage.
What is a BladeSinger Technically, Technically, Bladesinging is an arcane tradition of the Wizard class, published in the first official hardcover rules supplement to D&D 5e, Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide (SCAG). Traditionally, Traditionally, in the Forgotten Realms setting, Bladesingers Bladesingers are elves who master a style of sword fighting which incorporates incorporates magic. In game terms, it often ffeels eels the other way around; Like a wizard who incorporates some sword fighting into his magic. We’ll touch on this some more in the guide, and give you ways to balance your sorcery and swordplay.
Why Play a Bladesinger Play a bladesinger if you’ve previously played a wizard, and felt left out flinging firebolts from the backline. Play a bladesinger if you felt jealous of the Paladin’s gish abilities, but still love the utility of the Wizard spell list. Play a Bladesinger Bladesinger if you really want your character to have both a sword and a ball of fire in his hands. A lot of this guide guide will be convincing convincing you that that Bladesingers Bladesingers are best played played multiclassed multiclassed with other classes, so play a bladesinger if any of the many options I present later on appeal to you.
The Bladesinger Spectrum The bladesinger is a class that can be built many ways, all of which tend to fall along a particular spectrum. On one side, the bladesinging tradition is a great set of abilities for a traditionally built and played utility wizard. You can build for intelligence, stay on the backline, and focus on battlefield control spells (if this is your style, take some time to read TreantMonk’s God Wizard guide). guide ). On the other side, you can embrace your melee combat striker potential. Build for dexterity, jump into combat, and focus on spells that buff your combat abilities, and do single target control and damage. You’ll probably end up somewhere in between, but this guide definitely positions itself closer to the dexterity/striker/combat dexterity/striker/combat role than the intelligence/utility/support intelligence/utility/support role. The ratings in this guide will also reflect that ideal. The spells I rate highly in this guide aren’t great for all wizards, although expect a healthy degree of overlap. I want to point out here that, at high levels, you get access to some crazy reality-altering reality-altering spells that will by default pull you back towards a traditional wizard role. This is ok… and a tad unavoidable. You’ll still have amazing gish potential. Just make sure you stab someone in the face before busting Wish out.
Bladesinger Playstyles There seem to be a few common playstyles for the bladesinger which I’m going to try to quickly outline, so you get some ideas for how the ratings in this guide are derived, and what expectations I have lingering in the background as I write this. These relate partially to the spectrum mentioned previously, previously, but also heavily hinge on multiclassing multiclassing (the details of which will be explored later in the guide). These playstyles attempt to be independent of specific multiclassing builds where possible.
Traditional Wizard As mentioned above, the bladesinger bladesinger tradition tradition is a great great set of buffs for any playstyle playstyle of wizard. This is because it really heavily focuses on compensating for the Wizard’s main weakness: defense. defense. In this build, you plan to stay on the back line, pick up a standard list of Wizard spells, and focus on battlefield control, utility, and the occasional area damage spell.
You probably have a rapier for backup, but you might not even take the SCAG cantrips, and you’re definitely not wandering into melee on purpose. Since you’ll be using your bladesinger features for defense, and avoiding melee combat, many of the specific multiclass options discussed in this guide are going to be rendered null. You might build Bladesinger 20, but a single level of multiclass may still be appealing. As I’ve alluded to previously, this is not the build this guide has in mind when rating things, but it is a completely viable (if not optimized) character build.
Pure Bladesinger This playstyle focuses on the melee playstyle intended for the bladesinger tradition, but without taking any significant detours to improve your martial capabilities further. You’ll wield a rapier, and choose spells as rated by this guide, focussing on your solo striker ability in combat, mixing in a little traditional wizard utility. Accepting the melee combat ability inherent to the class means you can spend more ASI’s on maxing Int and Dex, or throwing in some unique feats to create your own special bladesinging style. Focussing a little less on melee DPR also means your focus might shift slightly more to the utility side during spell selection. One level of multiclassing for combat prowess is still advantageous here (Dueling Fighting Style perhaps?). This build should work well with this guide with very few exceptions.
A side note on Dual Wielding and the Two Weapon Fighting style I mention above that the above build will be using a single rapier. It turns out that even without the two-weapon fighting style, duel wielding shortswords instead of single wielding rapiers sometimes provides better average DPR (usually in combination with Haste). This is especially true at high levels after you get Song of Victory. This is dependent on you taking the Warcaster feat, but many Bladesinger’s were probably going to do this anyways. The Math section at the end of this guide will provide more details regarding this choice.
Dual Wielder Pick up a pair of shortswords son… we’re gonna have some fun. This build revolves around the combination of four things; Multiclassing for the Two Weapon Fighting style, the Warcaster Feat, the Haste spell, and the new SCAG Cantrips. The focus here is going to be maximizing melee DPR while maintaining much of the full spellcasting potential a class like Eldritch Knight gives up. Using TWF to increase the number of attacks per round is a great way to take advantage of Song of Victory in the late game. A key element of this playstyle will be the combination of Haste with the SCAG cantrips, using the extra Haste attack action to proc your off-hand attack. The spell selection will reflect this all-in melee mentality. I should be fair and note that this is the build I’m personally playing, and that a lot of my ratings in this guide will specifically be with this build in mind.
A side note on combining Haste, TWF, and SCAG Cantrips A few people have questioned the RAW for using the Haste granted Attack Action to proc your off-hand attack. The worry comes from Haste specifying that the Attack Action is a single attack. This prevents the use of Extra Attack with this Action, but does not change the
fact that it is an Attack Action, which is all that is requires to proc your off-hand BA attack. Confirmation provided by mister Jeremy E Crawford: https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/836798221464797184
A side note on Dual Wielding and Spell Components Spells have any combination of Verbal, Somatic, and Material components. Somatic and Material components traditionally require you to have a hand free. The Warcaster feat cleanly takes care of the Somatic components for us. The options for dealing with Material components are a little less clear RAW. You definitely can’t use a component pouch without a free hand (keep this in mind for high level spells with costly components that you can’t replace with an Arcane Focus), but the Arcane Focus option might provide us an out. It’s not clear RAW whether you’re expected to dedicate a hand to holding this focus, but the existence of “Crystal” as an option might suggest you can wear this focus. Given that RAW does say a staff focus can also be used as a fighting staff, you could also make an argument for incorporating your focus into your weapon (a wand or rod as the handle of your rapier, or a crystal or orb built into the hilt). If you have a real rules-stickler of a DM, clear this with them before planning your build.
Multiclass Abomination Let’s be honest, Bladesong is amazing. If you can’t think of amazing things to do with it, you haven’t tried very hard. It lends itself to so many multiclass possibilities (which is why that section later in the guide is so bloody long). I obviously will not be assigning a rating to this “playstyle” here, but every dip gets a rating later in the guide.
Class Features We’re starting with Class Features so you know what we’re getting into before I start breaking down character builds. I’m going to take you through the class features of the base Wizard class and the Bladesinging tradition all in one sweep. It’s been done before, but I just love my own opinions so much… Hit Points - You’re squishy. Lowest HP in the game. This is why we’ll be focussing on AC, damage prevention, and damage reduction so much later on. Base Proficiencies - You get the smallest most pathetic list of weapon proficiencies. This matters little, as you’ll be given exactly the proficiencies you need at level 2 when you start bladesinging. You might also start in another class with better proficiencies. Saves - Intelligence saves are a rare save, Wisdom saves are a common save… not much more to say. If you happen to start in another class you might hope for a Constitution save proficiency to help you with spell concentration saves. Spellcasting - Wizards have the largest spell list in the game, which in theory you can eventually have access to the entirety of with your spellbook, and also the ability to choose a
different set each day. You get ritual casting for any spell in your spellbook without having to prepare them. Arcane Recovery - Spell slot recovery during short rests. No associated costs. Just get some spell slots back. Don’t forget you have this. Ability Score Improvement - You get five. The lowest number given out. With two very important stats, you’re going to want to spend four on Dex and Int, and likely have just one leftover for a feat. Not fantastic. Training in War and Song - This gives you exactly the equipment proficiencies you require… and performance proficiency for flavor. Bladesong - This is why we’re here! The benefits… oh the benefits! +Int to AC, +10 speed, acrobatics advantage, +Int to concentration saves, for a full minute (ten rounds). You get it twice per short or long rest, so prepare to train your party to rest every two encounters. The restrictions are going to shape the build we come up with. Nothing beyond light armor, no shield, and no two handed weapons. This does not ban two weapon fighting however, which we’re likely going to abuse later. Extra Attack - This is supposed to be the martial addition to the subclass, but it ends up being a little disappointing as it competes with the SCAG cantrips (as we’ll discuss later). With the right build and a little multiclassing, the extra attack can out-damage the SCAG cantrips at certain levels, which is something. Song of Defense - While bladesinging (read: every encounter) you can burn spell slots to prevent incoming damage. This competes for your reaction (read: other defensive spells), but will probably save your life at some point. Song of Victory - This is the most interesting martial buff you get, but it comes very late in your career. Two weapon fighting will accentuate this by increasing your attacks per round. Spell Mastery - Unlimited at will access to a 1st and 2nd level spell. Incredible. Popular choices include Shield and Misty Step… think about that for a while. Any highly rated spell in the guide is usually a good candidate here, just be sure to think through its utility in such a late level game. Signature Spell - A little disappointing for a capstone feature, but it takes the potential sting out of multiclassing.
Stats Let’s take a moment to figure out how you should arrange your starting stats. Regardless of the method (rolling, buying, etc…) the same guiding principles apply. My numeric suggestions relate to the standard 27 point buy system.
Strength - The Wizard’s favorite dump stat. Bladesingers are so dependent on dexterity that to try to build a Str based Bladesinger would be MAD (see what I did there?). As a Bladesinger you’re not wearing heavy armor, and you’re not optimized for grapple builds, so there is really no reason not to dump this. Make it an 8. Dexterity - Wizard guides usually rate dexterity under intelligence, but for a bladesinger dexterity is as important or more important than intelligence. Initiative, AC, attack rolls, damage rolls, acrobatics, stealth… and the new cantrips will be tied to your attack rolls (Dex) instead of your spellcasting ability (Int). This should probably start at 16. Constitution - As a bladesinger you’ll be on the frontlines often, therefore HP is going to be important. But as a bladesinger, you’ll be focussed on AC and damage prevention. You’re not a tank by any means. You can probably manage a 14 here, and that might not ever change. Intelligence - It’s your spellcasting ability… It determines your spell save DC and attack rolls with certain spells… Therefore it is important. As a bladesinger, you’ll also be adding it to your AC and later on, your attack damage. That almost brings it to parity with dexterity for how many things it affects. As a heavily combat/striker oriented bladesinger, you might be able to avoid spells that require save DCs and spellcasting attack rolls, but you’ll still be dependent on Int for AC and high level attack damage. This should probably start at 16. Wisdom - Tied to perception, likely to be your most called upon skill, and wisdom saves, one of the more common saves you’ll be making out in the field, Wisdom can’t be considered a dump stat. The importance of both will be dependent on your DM and campaign. Regardless, you can safely leave Wisdom around 10 or 12 your whole career. Charisma - This is not an Illusionist or Enchanters guide. If you’re not dumping this, it’s purely to justify roleplaying. Make it an 8.
Race I’ll get this out of the way here… Whether you’re allowed to play a bladesinger as a non-elf is up to your DM. Either way you have great options, but clear it up early in your character creation. Aarakocra (EE)- The Dex bonus is is excellent for you, but the wisdom does nothing, and no Int buff hurts. The fly speed might will be helpful in a different way than traditional wizards. They will be using it to stay out of range of melee assailants. You will be using it to position in fights. Natural fly speed also frees up your concentration for more useful spells in encounters you want/need to be airborne. The armor restriction synergizes well with bladesingers, who will only ever wear light armor. Aasimar (DMG)- Two useless stat buffs, and spells dependent on your dump stat. Next...
Aasimar (Fallen) (VGM) - Cha and Str bumps are the worst. The Frightened effect is based on your Cha, and so is awful. The extra damage equal to your level is very strong, but not enough to validate every other class feature being bad. Aasimar (Protector) (VGM) - Cha and Wis are almost the worst. The flying speed will be very strong in your hands. You can’t use it as often as your Bladesong, so consider its use carefully. The extra damage is very strong. The combination of Flight and damage buff are actually nearly enough to make up for the useless stat buffs. Aasimer (Scourge) (VGM) - Cha is awful, but Con can play to your benefit. The Con bonus however, seems to be balanced with two rounds of your self-harming trait. The trait however will allow you to increase your DPR dramatically, and partially as an AOE. This might be particularly potent with a Ranger dip for Horde Breaker in a campaign you know hordes of weak minions will be popular. Bugbear (VGM) - A small Dex bump. There is one good reason to play a Bugbear Bladesinger (aside from the hilarious visual) and that’s the extra weapon reach. This will allow you to keep your distance while attacking, and move away without provoking OA’s (for creatures without reach themselves). This would be cool in combination with Spell Sniper and Booming Blade. The Surprise Attack damage doesn’t hurt either. Changeling (UA)- The Dex bump will get you to 16, but the Cha bump and Shapechanger are useless unless you’re building a Charisma heavy roleplay wizard, in which case you’re reading the wrong guide. Dragonborn - Two red stat buffs, resistance you can replicate with absorb elements, and an AOE effect you can replicate with any number of spells. Dwarf (Mountain) - The Con bonus is ok, but there are better races with Con bonuses. The strength is wasted on you, as is the armor proficiency (the only reason people ever play dwarven wizards). Dwarf (Hill) - The Wis doesn’t help, but Dwarven toughness on top of the Con bonus makes for the tankiest Bladesinger around. Keep in mind our focus will be on AC and damage prevention rather than tanking… but when you find yourself in a dragon’s breath weapon you won’t mind the bonus hitpoints. Dwarf (Duergar) (SCAG)- The Con bonus is still ok. The spells you gain are decent bladesinger spells, but you could just burn slots on them, and the rest of the class isn’t doing much for you. Not to mention you can’t fight in the sun... Elf (Dark) (SCAG) - Dex is great. Cha is useless. Darkvision helps. Drow Magic is ok, but again… you can’t fight in the sun.
Elf (Eladrin) (DMG) - Dex and Int bumps are great. Misty Step as a racial feature, and longbow proficiency are both great. A very solid Bladesinger choice. Probably the best after variant human. Elf (High) - Same as the Eladrin but with a choose-your-own cantrip instead of misty step. Arguably not quite as impressive, but it’s more of a personal preference. Elf (Wood) - You get Dex and Wis. Giving up Int hurts, and is not worth the 35 f oot base speed, but that doesn’t change the fact you’ll reach an unreal 45 foot speed while singing. If you know you’re going to avoid DC and attack roll based spells to focus on combat, this might be an acceptable trade off to you. Remember you’re still losing AC and damage with the Int loss though. Firbolg (VGM) - The only thing here for us is the temporary invisibility, but it’s a BA and limited per rest. Some situational Wis based spells. Nothing else helps us. Genasi (Air) (EE)- The Con bonus is ok. The Dex bonus is good, but you’re making due without Int. The other features don’t do much for you. Genasi (Earth) (EE)- The Con bonus is ok. Neither Str nor the other features help you. Genasi (Fire) (EE)- The Con bonus is OK. The Int bonus is great, but you’re making due without Dex. Fire resistance will come up a few times, but absorb elements could have gotten you there. Darkvision is nice, but product flame won’t help. Genasi (Water) (EE)- The only useful thing here is the Con bump, unless maybe you’re in a very water heavy campaign. Gnome (Deep) (SCAG) - Int and Dex bumps make this a great choice. Darkvision is helpful, as is Gnome Cunning. Your speed is a little stunted, but Bladesong will help make up for this, if not give you quite the edge it would with another race. Gnome (Forest) - Int and Dex Bonuses from this Gnome as well. Darkvision and Gnome Cunning are just as helpful here. Minor Illusion was probably a choice cantrip anyways, so you’re getting it here for free. Gnome (Rock) - You still get a great Int bump, and Con is ok if not as nice as Dex. The other abilities are pretty situational. Goblin (VGM) - Stat bumps are actually pretty good. Dex is great and the Con is helpful too. Being a small creature will probably be a benefit overall, and you don’t lose any walking speed either. Fury of the small is a great damage buff, but limited to once per rest (Seems like a smack in the face compared to the Aasimar). Nimble Escape will also be very helpful, especially on a single wielding Bladesinger.
Goliath (EE/VGM): The Con bonus is ok, and you might actually use Stone’s Endurance unlike most Wizards. But the rest is wasted on a bladesinger. Half Elf : Choose-your-own-stat-buffs mean Int and Dex hit 16, although the Cha is still useless. The other features are all decent as well. Half-Orc: The Con buff is ok, as is darkvision, but this really isn’t what we’re here for. Halfling (Lightfoot): The Dex bump is great, but the Cha is not. The 25 foot speed hurts, but Lucky could make up for it. Halfling Nimbleness could actually be quite good, especially if you’re considering a swashbuckler dip. Bladesingers are also naturally stealthy which you can play up here. Halfling (Stout) - You still get Dex. Con is better than Cha, making this the better halfing. Resistance to poison isn’t as helpful as hiding behind people though. Hobgoblin (VGM) - Again, nice stat bumps (who would have thought the goblin race had so much singing potential). No dex bump, but Con will give you some tankiness and the Int is a rare bump. The Martial weapon training will be appreciated only if you’re not dipping Fighter and actually want to switch between a rapier and short swords at some point. Saving Face will also be helpful in critical moments. Human - +1 to all stats is actually decent for a bladesinger. Potentially have 16 Int, Dex, and Con if you’re willing to hard dump Wis, which might be worth it. Human (variant) - +1 goes into Int and Dex. The feat is a huge deal, as regardless of how you build your bladesinger, you’re probably looking for at least one feat, and as a Wizard you only have five Ability Score Improvements (ASI’s) to work with. The skill proficiencies are nice as well. Kenku (VGM) - Dex is great and Wis is fine. The bonus skills are decent choices for you, but the traits on this race seem underpowered. It’s as if they forgot that all the roleplay related traits lack mechanical influence. The fogory and mimicry traits would be more interesting on an Illusionist or an Enchanter. Kobold (VGM) - The Dex bump is great and we don’t care even a little about the Str drop. The small size could potentially be helpful and you don’t lose any walking speed. The Grovelling trait is a decent trait, but you’re the one who wants the advantage. Pack Tactics is awesome. As long as you’re not the parties only frontliner (which you really shouldn’t be), then you can expect to get great benefit out of this. The Sunlight Sensitivity is a campaign specific dilemma. Lizardfolk (VGM) - Con is good, and Wis is fine. A swim speed is very situational. Your bite is strength based and an unarmed strike. It will never synergize with your build. The real benefit here is the natural armor, which replaces the need for regular armor or the mage
armor spell slot tax. Minotaur (UA) - The Str is useless, but you can pick an Int bump which is nice. The rest of the traits are useless to a bladesinger. The horns are Str based, and freeing up a hand means nothing when you can’t wield a shield anyways. Orc (VGM) - An Int reduction is so horribly bad, I don’t care what comes next. And what comes next isn’t useful anyways. Aggressive is the only mildly useful thing here, offering some situational repositioning. Shifter (Beasthide) (UA) - The Dex bump is good. Darkvision is nice too. The Con bump and AC bonus are both good for the bladesinger. Anywhere you can pick up an AC bonus is great. Shifter (Cliffwalk) (UA) - The Dex bump is great. Darkvision is nice too. Climb speed is probably useless. Shifter (Longstride) (UA) - The Dex bump is great. Darkvision is nice too. A BA dash is great for repositioning, especially if you might dip swashbuckler, but you have a lot of competition for the BA. Shifter (Longtooth) (UA) - The Dex bump is good. Darkvision is nice too. Str is useless, as is the bite and grapple. Shifter (Razorclaw) (UA) - The Dex bump is great. Darkvision is nice too. A dexterity based BA attack is not bad, but you’ll probably have something better to do with your BA. Shifter (Wildhunt) (UA) - The Dex bump is good. Darkvision is nice too. Wis is useless, and advantage on Wis checks isn’t going to make up for the lack of other racial features. Tabaxi (VGM) - Dex is great, Cha sucks. Feline Agility is great for repositioning in combat, especially if you don’t have Mobile, and plan on spending rounds standing in one spot wailing on someone. You claws are Str based (disappointed anyone else?) and useless to you in combat, although the climb speed could be useful in specific scenarios. The skill pickups are great. Tiefling - The Int bump is good, but the Cha is useless. Darkvision is nice, and fire resistance will come in handy at some point. The spells you get are Cha based, which isn’t great for you. Tiefling (Variant) (SCAG) - SCAG presents some alternative Tiefling racial features very well suited to the Bladesinger. Feral is an obvious choice, giving you Int and Dex bumps. Devil’s Tongue and Hellfire are still mediocre lists of charisma based spells. Winged is a fantastic replacement for Infernal Legacy. The flying speed isn’t as good as Aarakocra gets, but combined with the superior stat bump from Feral it makes the variant Tiefling an excellent choice.
Triton (VGM) - An interesting three stat bump class, unfortunately two of the bumps are your worst stats (Str and Cha), and the last isn’t the best (Con). The swim speed and watery traits will probably only matter if you’re playing a waterborne campaign. Warforged (UA) - Str is wasted on you, but the Con bump and AC bump are decent. That really isn’t enough though. Yuan-Ti (VGM) - A creepy snake person seems appropriate for crazy singing magic. The Cha bump is useless, but we get a small Int bump. The spellcasting is Cha based and a mediocre list of spells. The Magic Resistance is very strong, and perhaps worth it in a caster heavy campaign.
Skills In large part, the importance of each skill is going to depend on your DM, and how often he calls on each of them. Try to get a sense for this when you’re building your Bladesinger. I’m not going to bother discussing which are class skills, as I’m later going to tell you why you might want to start in another class at level 1. I’m not going to do a section on Backgrounds, because you’re just going to pick the one that synergizes best with your class skills to fill out your desired list. Acrobatics - Tied to Dex. Should let you get away with some cool stuff in combat. Animal Handling - Wis based skill. What part of this sounds like a bladesinger? Arcana - This is in your job description… The party is going to turn to you for this by default. Athletics - Not the worst skill in game, but tied to Str, and you can often use acrobatics instead. Deception - Not a useless skill, but you’re not going to be good at it. History - In a similar vein to Arcana, and tied to your main stat. Insight - A good role playing skill, but your Wis probably isn’t great. Intimidation - Your worst skill… just kill someone nearby instead. Investigation - Your main stat, and a great skill in many situations. Medicine - You're bad at it, and someone else can do it better with magic. Nature - It’s your best stat but… It’s Nature...
Perception - The universally important skill. Your Wis isn’t going to support it, but you need it. Performance - They’re going to give this to you for flavor, but you’re still going to be bad at it. Persuasion - Your worst stat… but not a useless skill. Religion - It’s tied to your best stat, but like Nature… It’s just boring. Sleight of Hand - Your dex is great, even if you don’t think of yourself as a thief. Stealth - The Bladesinger fits oddly well into the stealth role. A good pickup. Survival - Does your DM ask you to survive in the wild for weeks?
Feats With the small number of ASI’s you get, you won’t be getting many feats. Probably just one, maybe up to three depending on how you’re building. That being said, I’m going to try to rate these feats independently of how many you can get. I start the section off with some ratings of stat bumps for referencing the feats against. Note that the ratings here don’t necessarily indicate when it is prudent to select each of these options in your level up. ASI (Str) - We dumped this… Why would we raise it now? ASI (Dex) - AC. Attack rolls. Damage rolls. Initiative. It should be obvious why you will want to probably raise Dex until you hit 20. ASI (Con) - This is an option. If you find that despite all of your efforts to position properly, choose the correct defensive spell buffs for each scenario, and only engage in combat when appropriate, your DM is still hammering you with damage, this might be on the table along with the Tough feat. ASI (Int) - AC. Spell saves. Spell attack rolls. Damage rolls late-game. If you’re playing a Striker focussed Bladesinger, this may not be quite as important as Dex, but if you’re playing a less-melee-oriented, cast-focussed Bladesinger this is gold. ASI (Wis) - There’s arguments to be made for not dumping this in your starting stats, but few for raising it with one of your very valuable ASI’s ASI (Cha) - We dumped this… Why would we raise it now? Actor - Nope. This is for lots of other characters, but not yours. Alert - A decent pick for most Bladesingers. Getting your defensive buffs off early in combat is important, and being top in initiative and immune to surprise will help with that.
Athlete - Not a horrible pick if the Dex bonus jives with your starting Dex stat. The stand up from prone will help with general mobility, but is a pretty weak replacement for +1 in a stat. Charger - Expeditious Retreat. Crossbow Expert - I mean, technically you could Sword/Hand-Crossbow but it’s just worse than another another melee weapon. Defensive Duelist - Shield. After level 17, this is +1 better than shield, but that hardly seems worth a feat. Especially at that level when you AC is probably between 22 and 24 before shield, and your biggest threats are save based damage. Dual Wielder - You may be surprised… I was. But here’s the thing. This feat let’s you upgrade from Shortswords to Rapiers, yielding an average +1 damage per attack, and grants you +1 AC. Guess what a Dex ASI or Int ASI (at high level) will do? The exact same thing while also boosting several other boxes on your character sheet. The only time you should take this is when you’ve already maxed Dex and Int (or you really really love Rapiers), or if you are playing variant human fighter 1 and so don’t have the pre-req for Warcaster but also don’t want a different feat. Note: Technically this feat is required to simultaneously draw/stow two weapons. This seems silly to me, but check with your DM, or have your character always walk around with at least one weapon in hand. Dungeon Delver - It’s not useless for every character, but you’re definitely not suited to it. Durable - This is focussed on increasing tankiness. That is never going to be your strong suit. Elemental Adept - You’re primarily focussed on melee damage. Where you do pick up elemental damage spells, you’re not going to be reliant enough on them (especially a single element type) to justify this. Grappler - You do remember me telling you Str is our hard dump stat? Great Weapon Master - We don’t do heavy weapons. Healer - Not for you. Heavily Armored - You can’t wear Heavy Armor. Heavy Armor Master - You can’t wear Heavy Armor. Inspiring Leader - You shouldn’t have enough Cha to take this.
Keen Mind - The Int boost could definitely work depending on your starting stats, but the other benefits are crazy situational. You’ll know if they’ll fit into your campaign. Lightly Armored - You already have proficiency. Linguist - The Int boost could definitely work depending on your starting stats. You’ll know if the other benefits will fit into your campaign. Lucky - Luck points give you a "panic button" when things aren't going well, and since you make a lot of attack rolls you'll be able to get f ull use out of this feat. They can also be very useful making very important concentration saves. Mage Slayer - With access to Counterspell and Dispel Magic (along with Misty Step to get in close) you can use this to utterly shut down enemy spellcasters. The anti-mage mage. A cool character concept. Magic Initiate - The main attraction here is the ability to pick up a first-level spell like Hex, which boosts your damage per round by quite a bit. The cantrips you pick up probably aren’t going to be crazy interesting. Limited use per day makes this less appealing, however. Martial Adept - This is a very interesting option. Adding maneuvers to your kit gives you some real versatility in melee. However, this gives you only two maneuvers, and worse, only one use per short rest. Still viable, but not a particularly valuable option. Medium Armor Master - You can’t wear medium armor. Mobile - This is the Swashbuckler’s Fancy Footwork In a feat! Mobility is king. The extra speed will make you hugely faster than most opponents. If you’re dual wielding, you have a flurry of attacks to avoid opportunity attacks with. You should have complete freedom on the battlefield. Note, if you don’t play on a grid this will be harder to utilize aggressively. Moderately Armored - You can’t wear medium armor. Mounted Combatant - This isn’t for you. Observant - The Int boost could definitely work depending on your starting stats. You’ll know if the other benefits will fit into your campaign. Polearm Master - Technically you could use a quarterstaff… but don’t. Resilient (Str) - Nope. Dump stat, and an uncommon save. Resilient (Dex) - This could jive with your starting stats. Dex saves are often associated with AOE damage, which is one of your primary weaknesses. This could definitely be viable, especially if you have a DM who likes to target character weaknesses.
Resilient (Con) - This could jive with your starting stats, granting some bonus HP. Con save proficiency is one of the great reasons to multiclass. If you’re not starting in another class, picking this up will help a lot with concentration saves. Note, unless you get to a +4 Con mod, the advantage from Warcaster is better. Resilient (Int) - This could jive with your starting stats. Only viable if you didn’t start in Wizard. Even then, Intelligence saves are few and far between. Resilient (Wis) - This is close to a dump stat. Only viable if you didn’t start in Wizard, since wisdom saves are very common. Resilient (Cha) - Nope. Dump stat, and an uncommon save. Ritual Caster - You’re spending a feat on two first level spells… They weren’t important enough for you to pick up with leveling… Just wait to find scrolls of them. Savage Attacker - While you will be making attacks on many turns, your damage output comes from many distributed sources, making this much less effective than on a heavy weapon user. Sentinel - You’re a front-liner. And in many situations (when your defense is solidly buffed, and you’re facing weaker enemies) you could try to direct attacks at yourself. So this is definitely a viable option depending on your party comp. Note that the first benefit of this feat disrupts the Warcaster + Booming Blade combo. Sharpshooter - You might have a longbow, but this isn’t for us. Shield Master - You can’t use shields. Skilled - For a skill monkey with multitudes of Feat/ASI opportunities maybe… but we can’t waste a feat on skill proficiencies. Skulker - While you are a decent stealth character, your main playstyle is anything but. Spell Sniper - We’re not going to be casting many spells of this variety. The one potential use for this feat is if you want to play a whip wielding Bladesinger. This feat allows you to cast Green-Flame Blade and Booming Blade at the 10 foot reach of your whip. This is particularly interesting with Booming Blade for lockdown at range. Tavern Brawler - This just isn’t for you. We sing… we do not brawl. Tough - An extra two HP per level is significant when you’re going to be averaging 5-7 HP per level (depending on Con). That being said, we will be putting a huge focus on damage prevention, and bulking up really isn’t our style.
War Caster - This plays really well with our fighting style. Advantage to Concentration saves will make a huge difference holding on to your concentration buffs, and stacks with our Bladesong bonus (and Con save proficiency if you can get it). The somatic component benefit is critical for dual wielders (at least for reaction spells like shield, otherwise you can just sheathe/unsheathe your sword...). Cantrips as opportunity attacks used to not be such a big deal, but are now huge with the SCAG cantrips. Try using Booming Blade to prevent an enemy from engaging another party member. Weapon Master - You already get proficiency in the one weapon you need (shortsword or Rapier). If for some reason you really want more,this is the way to get it (or a multiclass), but it’s a weak pickup. Svirfneblin Magic (SCAG) - Only available to Deep Gnome characters. Nondetection is nearly useless most of the time, but blur is a great defensive buff, and blindness/deafness and disguise self are also solid spells you can make use of. Doesn’t seem worth a feat though.
Spells So… writing about all the spells in D&D 5e would take a long long time… So here’s how this is going to work. I’ve gone ahead and borrowed the spell ratings from TheBigHouse’s guide. Everybody say “thanks TheBigHouse!” Now these come from a general guide to wizardry, which this is not. So I’ve sorted through these, and adjusted ratings and comments as I see fit to match the bladesinging style. I may be a bit harsh on spells that would be decent for a traditional wizard, just because they’re at odds with the bladesinger playstyle. I’m going to revisit our rating system here on the advice of jgsugden who I recently had some interesting discussion with. This is his proposed rating system (with some small modifications) to take into account that spell selection is also under pressure from a limited number of spells learned, spells prepared, and spell slots (as well as how rituals interact with these). This makes their ratings under the standard system a little finicky at times. These ratings adhere to the same concepts introduced at the top of the guide, but add some distinctions to clarify how I’m judging spells. Included are estimates for how many spells should fall into each category. While I think these make sense, I will not be strictly adhering to them. I have to admit that I feel six categories is too many for spell ratings. When you’re under the additional constraints mentioned above, I feel the Green and Purple categories merge a little. Gold is always, Sky Blue is nearly always, Blue is sometimes, Green and Purple are rarely, and Red is never. However, I hate guides that abandon the normal ratings system… so I’m making it work! Gold: Rituals that will be used nearly every adventure and/or frequently between adventures to great effect. Spells that will be cast between adventures that are very useful. Spells that will always be prepared once available (including those that will be eventually “phased out”
as long as they’re useful for “enough” levels). There should be very few of these, and they should be integral to the playstyle. Sky Blue: Blue: Rituals that will be used on many if not all adventures and/or often between adventures to great effect. Spells that will be cast while not adventuring that are fairly useful. Spells that will very often be prepared once available. The number of spells with Gold and Sky Blue ratings probably shouldn't outnumber the number of spells prepared at a given level (Wizard level + Intelligence distributed by level to correlate with spell slots). Blue: Rituals that are situational and will likely only be used a handful of times but are still Blue: useful. Spells that will be cast between adventures adventures that are situational but still useful. Spells that require prediction to be strong. Spells that are useful for only a small number of levels. Spells that have alternatives that provide similar benefits. The number of spells with Gold, Sky Blue, and Blue ratings probably shouldn’t exceed the number of spells a Wizard can be expected to have in their spellbook (This is harder to predict since it depends on DM drops). Green: Rituals that are very situational and never useful on adventures. Spells that would be Green: used between adventures that are very situational or generally weak. Spells with very conditional conditional uses. Spells with very high material cost for trivial effects. Spells that are useful for only one or two levels. This is the highest tier where any number of spells could fit. Purple: Rituals that seem mostly useless. Spells you could use between adventures that Purple: seem mostly useless. Spells that have alternatives that are objectively better at the same or lower level. Spells that are objectively weak and very situational. Red:: Junk. Red Notation (School | Defense | Damage Type)(R)(C) Using the following abbreviations for schools: Abj=abjuration, Cnj=Conjuration, Div=Divination, Enc=Enchantment, Evo=Evocation, Ilu=Illusion, Nec=Necromancy, Tra=Transmutation Using the following abbreviations for what d efense the target resists with: AC=Armor Class, Str=Strength, Dex=Dexterity, Con=Constitution, Int=Intelligence, Wis=Wisdom, Cha=Charisma, HP=Hit Points (e.g. Sleep) None=The spell automatically hits, “--”=The spell does n ot directly affect an enemy. A damage type in brackets e.g. [Bashing] indicates that the spell does not do damage but an effect caused by the spell does damage of that type (E.g. Bigby’s Hand). “--”=The spell does not directly damage an enemy. An “R” following the notation indicates that it is a ritual. A “C” following the notation indicates it requires concentration.
Cantrips Your unlimited at-will magic. As a wizard your greatest frustration will be figuring out why you aren’t capable of learning more of these… As a bladesinger you will be paying the most attention to the new SCAG cantrips.
Player’s Handbook Acid Splash (Cnj|Dex|Acid) Two targets at a distance. You should be in melee, and if you’re not you can probably do better with a longbow or another cantrip. Blade Ward (Abj|--|--) Trap. Use the dodge action instead. Chill Touch (Nec|AC|Necrotic) (Nec|AC|Necrotic) Situational. The disadvantage effect can be very powerful, and the healing debuff will shut down vampires and many other regenerating/healing enemies. It’s slightly less damage than a firebolt, or a longbow (if you have proficiency from race or multiclass) so it’s probably not a go-to. Dancing Lights (Evo|None|--)(C) (Evo|None|--)(C) Requires concentration, but if you can cast this on enemies and stay hidden, your friends can rain down death on them from outside its range. That doesn’t sound like a Bladesinger though... Firebolt (Evo|AC|Fire) If you can’t use a longbow, this is in the running with Ray of Frost as your ranged damage. A solid general option due to long range and good damage. The only problem is fire resistance is the most common. Friends (Enc|--|--)(C) Makes someone like you, and then hate you. If you can think of 10 uses for that off the top of your head then this is the spell for you. Light (Evo|--|--) Nice for someone in the party to have this, but meh, torches. Consider casting it on a small rock and the ways you could use that (lantern, stow away easily, throw at enemies). Mage Hand (Cnj|--|--) If you ever need to stick your hand into something that is likely a trap, make your rogue do it. If you don’t have a rogue, use mage hand. Mending (Tra|--|--) Situational utility. Message (Tra|None|--) Situational utility. Minor Illusion (Ilu|Int|--) Portable cover, distraction, social tool. Can take the place of prestidigitation prestidigitation in many cases. Poison Spray (Cnj|Con|Poison) If you’re within ten feet, get your sword out.
Prestidigitation (Tra|--|--) Read the description. This isn’t a replacement for minor illusion as many players tend to try to make it. It’s much more of a roleplay spell. Ray of Frost (Evo|AC|Cold) (Evo|AC|Cold) If you can’t use a longbow, this is in the running with Firebolt as a your ranged damage. The slow probably won’t matter often. Shorter range. Good alternative if enemy is fire resistant though. Shocking Grasp (Evo|AC|Lightning) (Evo|AC|Lightning) A way to potentially escape melee without wasting an action on disengage. Can be delivered by your familiar and is one of only a very few spells that can be used for non-lethal damage (since it's a touch attack). On the other hand, you have the AC of a god… why are you leaving combat? True Strike (Div|--|--)(C) Eats your turn so maybe you can hit next turn. If there were some really nasty high level spells that required an attack this might have some value, but nope. It's only your first attack roll, too, so you can’t combo it with scorching ray. There is some possible synergy using it in Ambush scenarios where you have time to cast spells before combat starts. Could also be useful in a smite build, where you know you can lump a lot of damage (SCAG cantrip plus Divine Smite) into a single attack roll.
Elemental Evil Spells Control Flames (Tra|--|--) This cantrip has some interesting utility when compared to Dancing Lights and Light, but you can probably get away without any of them. Create Bonfire (Cnj|Dex|Fire)(C) A (Cnj|Dex|Fire)(C) A damaging terrain terrain cantrip. Potentially Potentially some interesting interaction with lightning lure and booming blade, although when you crunch the numbers it’s not that impressive. If you have teammates who can work with you around this (grapplers, rogues, etc…), it’s value increases increases.. Frostbite (Evo|Con|Cold) (Evo|Con|Cold) This spell is interesting for evokers… but not for bladesingers. bladesingers. Gust (Tra|--|--) Hard to think of a lot of use cases where mage hand wouldn't serve you better. While pushing one guy 5ft doesn’t seem like it’s worth a pick, shoving is a strength contest (you suck at that), so it’s value is dependent on the number of cliff faces in your campaign. Mold Earth (Tra|--|--) Situational utility. Shape Water (Tra|--|--) Water (Tra|--|--) Situational utility. Thunderclap (Evo|Con|Thunder) Read this, then read Sword Burst. ‘Nuff said.
Sword Coast Spells Booming Blade (Evo|Ac|Thunder) This spell has amazing potential damage if you have some way to guarantee the enemy will move. If you have Rogue’s Cunning Action or Swashbuckler’s Swashbuckler’s Fancy Footwork, or the Mobile feat, you can hit an isolated target and then
move away, forcing them to either take the thunder damage or waste their turn. If you have the Warcaster feat, you can cast this as an attack of opportunity! Forcing the enemy to give up their movement, or take additional damage. Green-Flame Blade (Evo|AC|Fire) You’re going to use this a lot as a Bladesinger. You can potentially hit an easy-to-hit target, and use the auto-damage on a harder to hit target. This is often going to be more damage than your normal attack if you can hit 2 targets (more on that later), but consider that you’re lumping all that damage into one attack roll, rather than the two or three rolls you’d have with two weapon fighting and/or extra attack. Lightning Lure (Evo|Str|Lightning) Cantrip forced movement. Great combo with damaging terrain, especially cloud of daggers… or a chasm of some sort. Sword Burst (Cnj|Dex|Force) Force damage is always great. That said, you’re more of a striker than a tank... How many enemies are you planning to be surrounded by? If you find yourself in that position, misty step might be a better spell to use. However, this could be useful at higher levels to wipe up swarms of low level guys without burning resources.
Level 1 You aren’t going to be doing a ton of damage with these spells. Try to focus on utility, disables, and defense, and wait out the low levels of wizard. Your party will be much more impressed by a well timed sleep than a magic missile.
Player’s Handbook Alarm (Abj|--|--)(R) Ritual. This is your first tool for making extended rests a lot easier. If you can spare the slot for it, this can be useful. Could be higher depending on how your DM approaches rests. Burning Hands (Evo|Dex|Fire) One of your first aoe options. Not great damage, requires you to be close, small area (read: close enough to get into melee). Despite all that, it’s not a useless choice since aoe can be very strong at level 1 if setup properly. Charm Person (Enc|Wis|--) Upgraded friends. This isn’t useful in combat, but it’s not too hard to come up with a hundred or so out of combat uses for it. Chromatic Orb (Evo|AC|Choose) Damage is too low to be worth a level one slot, and it doesn’t scale well. Has some utility since it can be any damage type. Color Spray (Ilu|HP|--) I prefer sleep. This only lasts one round, and requires you to be close. Comprehend Languages (Div|--|--)(R) It’s a ritual. This is highly situational, don’t use your level up pick on it, unless you are running a spymaster campaign or something, but it’s not a bad pickup later.
Detect Magic (Div|--|--)(RC) This low level ritual will be useful your entire career. Your party expects this from you. Disguise Self (Ilu|Int|--): Use this with charm person to scam people with no repercussions. Your DM will hate you. If no one in your party has proficiency with disguise kit, this can be better . Expeditious Retreat (Tra|--|--)(C) Bonus action cast makes this somewhat useful. Being able to reposition easily can be very important as a glass cannon. This will be competing for your concentration and your BA, so it’s not always an obvious pickup. You won’t need this if you’re multiclassing rogue. False Life (Nec|--|--) This spell is only good at lower levels. At low levels, your AC will probably feel too overpowered to need this. Feather Fall (Tra|--|--) A situational contingency spell that can save your party’s life. Base this pickup on your DM’s style. Mandatory if you are playing a flying race. Find Familiar (Cnj|--|--)(R) A ton of utility tied into a single spell. No reason to pass on this. Take a look at the owl. It can swoop in, use the help action to aid one of your party’s attack actions, and swoop out without provoking an attack of opportunity. Not to mention you now have advantage on all of your active perception checks. So close to gold. Check if your DM is going to break this for you somehow in advance. Fog Cloud (Cnj|--|--)(C) Will be more useful spell at mid levels, when other level 1 spells aren’t as good. Can act as a form of forced movement if used wisely. Grease (Cnj|Dex|--) Same as fog cloud. You might appreciate this more than most Wizard’s, as you’ll be in melee to collect the spoils. Identify (Div|--|--)(R) It’s a ritual, and it could be nice to have, but I wouldn't waste a pick on it. You get 99% of this spell by just taking a short rest with the item in question. Could be useful if you suspect an item is cursed. Illusory Script (Ilu|--|--)(R) It’s a ritual but it’s way too situational to pick up unless you are doing a spy game. Jump (Tra|--|--) Marginally useful movement buff, but too costly. You will have access to levitate soon anyway. Longstrider (Tra|--|--) No concentration needed. You’ll appreciate this spell more than most wizards. More useful if you can anticipate combat. Can keep you on top if you encounter fast enemies. Consider doing some solo longbow kiting. Mage Armor (Abj|--|--) You might be starting with studded leather armor if you’re multiclassing. Otherwise you’ll probably find some before level 2. Some day you’ll hopefully
obtain magic studded leather, and this spell will be moot. Whether +1 AC is worth a spell slot early on is your decision, but every bit counts when you have so little HP. Magic Missile (Evo|None|Force) Scales alright, auto hit damage. Force is almost never resisted, but watch out for enemies with the shield spell. Not a bad pick for most wizards, but you have better things to be doing. Protection from Evil and Good (Abj|--|--)(C) This is another of those nice level one spells that will stay useful all game. It is likely useless for the first few levels though, unless you are fighting zombies. By the time it is useful, you are likely using your concentration slot for something more valuable. Ray of Sickness (Nec|AC+Con|Poison) Low damage and requires 2 rolls to get to the poison effect. Poison is also the worst damage type. I would pass. Shield (Abj|--|--) +5 AC as a reaction is incredible. You will be casting this your whole career. You will be saving your spell slots for this. You will be saving your RA for this. This is very important to you. Silent Image (Ilu|Int|--)(C) Lots of potential here, but it’s not really what bladesinging is about. Sleep (Enc|HP|--) Gold at level 1. Usefulness quickly drops off as it doesn’t scale that well, Red past around level 5 but it will always be useful against a swarm of low CR baddies (or some tavern NPC’s). Tasha's Hideous Laughter (Enc|Wis|--)(C) Prone and incapacitated is awesome, however the save every round make this inferior to sleep until later levels. Later on, this is an effective crowd control option from a level 1 slot. When it saves from your party hitting it, it’s still prone until it gets a turn, so thats nice. Tenser's Floating Disk (Cnj|--|--)(R) It’s a ritual, so it’s not a bad spell to pick up, but its usefulness is somewhat limited since you can't ride it. Thunderwave (Evo|Con|Thunder) Often a better alternative to burning hands. The push is nice, the damage starts out very slightly lower, but the area is big, and it scales better. The LOUD noise is likely to attract unwanted attention, though. If you want some aoe damage, this is a good choice. Unseen Servant (Cnj|--|--)(R) Being a ritual saves this from being terrible since it’s only a slightly upgraded mage hand, and mage hand is free. That said, if you already have mage hand, don’t waste a pick on this. Witch Bolt (Evo|AC|Lightning)(C) I thought this was going to be great when I first saw it. d12 auto damage? Just get advantage on that one attack then go to town, right? Unfortunately the fact that it ends if you are ever more than 30 ft away makes this one a loser. Also a
guaranteed d12 every round isn’t that useful when fights are generally over in 3 rounds or so, and you could have cast sleep or Tasha’s instead.
Elemental Evil Spells Absorb Elements (Abj|AC|Varies) Elemental damage resistance, and potential damage buff. This is Shield for many non-AC targeting attacks. While not as powerful damage reduction as Shield, you’ll still want this at the ready every day. Catapult (Tra|Dex|Bludgeoning) Tweet confirmed that this spell only does damage if they fail the dex save. With that change, I wouldn't bother picking it up. Magic missile is more expected damage from a level 1 slot and a better damage type. From a level 2 slot you can cast the vastly superior cloud of daggers or scorching ray. Ice Knife (Cnj|AC/Dex|Piercing/Cold) Here’s an ok alternative aoe damage source. However, Thunderwave will do more damage, and scales better, and you usually don’t need to stay at range. Earth Tremor (Evo|Dex|Bludgeoning) This has potential. The damage is low, and you just surrounded yourself with difficult terrain. If you have a way to not care about that (flying?), it could be pretty good to increase your stickiness and control.
Level 2 Much the same as level one, focus on utility and crowd control here, with the potential exception of scorching ray or cloud of daggers.
Player’s Handbook Alter Self (Tra|--|[Varies])(C) It’s actually a decent variety of effects to choose from. The most common use is likely as an upgraded disguise self, so if you found that one useful, you might find this one great. Arcane Lock (Abj|--|--) In a vacuum I would rate this blue, since it can be used to give you free long rests inside dungeons. However, it’s only green because Leomund’s Tiny Hut is available at lvl 3, and doesn’t take a spell slot. Still, if you want to take extra precautions, arcane lock the door and then cast a tiny hut. If your DM still finds a way to ambush you, it was going to happen regardless of your preparations. Blindness/Deafness (Nec|Con|--) A decent Con save disable, which can be great vs those pesky high dex low level monsters. Most importantly, no concentration required! Blur (Ilu|--|--)(C) This spell is rated poorly in several guides due to it requiring concentration and being in direct competition with the objectively better Mirror Image. I’m going to pull a full 360 and recommend this for bladesingers. Because mirror image doesn’t provide concentration, you can cast both simultaneously for a full defensive mode. Enemies will roll at disadvantage just for a chance to hit one of your mirror images.
Cloud of Daggers (Cnj|None|Slash)(C) It is easy to avoid, but works well in a doorway and the damage scales very well. It also auto-hits! Cast at level 4+ this t hing offers great damage, only surpassed by scorching ray. If you have forced movement and/or lockdown in your party (Sentinel feat, Lightning Lure, Booming Blade) you can make the enemy take this damage when you move them into the area, and then as soon as they start their turn. If you or someone is a grappler , you can move them into this and hold them there until they die. If you have any way to get 2 turns of damage out of this it becomes one of your best single target damage spells. Continual Flame (Evo|--|--) A level 2 spell and 50 gp to make a torch? Come on. However, Cast this at level 3 and it will counter magical darkness. Forever. Crown of Madness (Enc|Wis|--)(C) Concentration, humanoid only, saving throw every round. I don’t really like this spell. It seems too easy for the enemy to simply not stand next to any of his allies and make the spell useless. Blindness and hold person seem much more useful. Darkness (Evo|--|--)(C) Might end up hurting you as much as helping, but there are situations where this could really come in handy. Stays useful at high levels. Darkvision (Tra|--|--) Maybe pick this one up later. It’s replaced by a racial feature many in your party will likely have, and unless you are the scout, a torch or the light cantrip does the job fine. Detect Thoughts (Div|Wis+Int|--)(C) Really useful for social situations. Enlarge/Reduce (Tra|Con|--)(C) This might paint a bit of a target on your head, but the extra combat damage will be the best you have until you get Haste, especially if you’re dual wielding. Flaming Sphere (Cnj|Dex|Fire)(C) Efficient spell slot use for long fights, but the damage is pretty bad and it eats your concentration. However, it combos really well with pyrotechnics as a positionable blind/obscure. Gentle Repose (Nec|--|--)(R) Leave it to the cleric. They can do this as a cantrip. But it’s a ritual, so not horrible if you find it lying around. Gust of Wind (Evo|Str|--)(C) Annoy any flyers in the area, or blow away a fog cloud. Not terribly useful, tbh. Hold Person (Enc|Wis|--)(C) Advantage and auto crits for your party. Need I say more? I do… because there are saves every turn, concentration, and a humanoid limitation. Paralyzed is great, but act quickly, and don’t be shocked if it doesn’t work out. Invisibility (Ilu|--|--)(C) Stays useful all game and can be ranked up to target more party members. This can be used to help your rogue sneak in very dangerous situations without too much worry. It is also a great escape spell. You can’t hit what you can't see!
Knock (Tra|--|--) Grab it if you don’t have a rogue. Also, why isn’t this a ritual? Levitate (Tra|Con|--)(C) This is a somewhat useful movement buff and a hard CC spell all in one. Targets float harmlessly to the ground, unless the ground is lava. There’s also no save to end… so a single failed Con save can essentially end an encounter with a big melee baddie. Also, the ability to just fly away from melee enemies this early in the game is potentially broken. However, the inability to move laterally without something to push off of is really limiting in practice. Locate Object (Div|--|--)(C) Really not sure why this isn’t a ritual. Super situational. Magic Mouth (Ilu|--|--)(R) Also super situational, but at least this one is a ritual. Magic Weapon (Tra|--|[Magic])(C) The +1 attack and damage is pretty unimpressive, but having a magic weapon when you need it is invaluable. Pick this up later on if some of your hitters still don’t have them. Melf's Acid Arrow (Evo|AC|Acid) The damage on this sucks for a spell that only does damage. Mirror Image (Ilu|--|--) Great defensive buff that works great without ever needing higher level slots. If you can predict an encounter, this should be cast. Misty Step (Cnj|--|--) I highly recommend this spell. BA teleportation. It has tons of uses, but just being able to disengage, escape grapples, or travel through enemies and still have your action and move is too good to pass up. Nystul's Magic Aura (Ilu|--|--) Disguise yourself as another creature type. Could be valuable in certain edge case situations, but you will likely not get a lot of use out of this. Phantasmal Force (Cnj|Int|Psychic)(C) Lots of fun to be had here, depending on your DM. It’s pretty easy to recognize targets with low int saves. Beasts for one will pretty much autofail this. It's one of about 3 intelligence save spells, so you can hit targets that are difficult to hit with more common options. If you manage to get it on, it takes an action against your DC to have a chance, even when they interact with it. Use it to create illusions of things that you'd like to do, but can't because their saves are high (web an ogre, for example, because he'll bust out of the real ones). Ray of Enfeeblement (Nec|AC/Con|--)(C) If you are going to give them a save every turn, why not use hard CC like hold person or tasha’s? Con is also not often a good save to target. Rope Trick (Tra|--|--) Free short rest. Blue, I guess, if you have a monk, warlock, and/or fighter, and your DM is stingy with short rests. Using a daily resource to refill short rest resources seems like a bad trade until you have more slots, though.
Scorching Ray (Evo|AC|Fire) Grab this, and/or cloud of daggers if you want direct spell damage until disintegrate. Does good damage now, and has great scaling with higher level slots. See Invisibility (Div|--|--) Try to learn it later. It can really help with some encounters, but it’s value is somewhat diminished if one of your allies has Faerie Fire. Shatter (Evo|Con|Thunder) Low damage, small area, but I guess if you are desperate for some AoE it’s passable, but you’re probably in position for Thunderwave or Burning Hands already. Spider Climb (Trn|--|--)(C) Or, you could cast levitate Suggestion (Enc|Wis|--)(C) This looks a lot to me like an 8 hour disable with no save ends condition AND an amazing social encounter ability all rolled into one. It’s also a ton of fun coming up with ways to make your suggestions sound “reasonable”. Web (Cnj|Dex/Str|--)(C) This is your first look at the amazingness of wall spells. Start experimenting with ways to divide encounters into 2 smaller encounters and watch your DM’s head explode.
Elemental Evil Spells Aganazzar’s scorcher (Evo|Dex|Fire) Another decent small AOE damage option. It’s not spectacular, but with the right setup this could put a hurting on a group. Same damage as shatter or Thunderwave, but in a line. Dust devil (Cnj|Str|Bludgeoning)(C) Low damage, but a 10 square mobile push platform could have some really fun uses and Str saves are really rare. Unfortunately, creatures have to end their turn next to it, so it will probably not get that much action. Still has some use for area denial. Earthbind (Tra|Str|--)(C) So, your DM is throwing flyers at you when you are level 3? This will show him! Honestly, it’s not a terrible pick up at any level. In many cases it will be easier to bring that flyer down to you than to fly the whole party. Strength save so don’t expect this to work on dragons. Maximilian’s earthen grasp (Tra|Str|Bludgeoning)(C) Poor man’s bigby’s, but quite good. Access to a ranged restrain will be useful your whole career, and sometimes you don't want to spend that level 5 slot on a Bigby’s even when you get it. Pyrotechnics (Tra|Con|--) A 10-ft radius blind, and all you need is someone to throw a torch (or cast bonfire). Combo this with flaming sphere and you have a mobile 10ft radius blind platform rolling around the battlefield. This seems really good! I bet you could find some uses for the smoke too.
Skywrite (Tra|--|--)(R)(C) Huh. Well it’s purely utility so I’m going to leave it Green but, this could be pretty hilarious and useful. Easily send messages over long distances, make ill omens for your more tribal enemies, stuff like that. Also ritual! Yay! Snilloc’s snowball swarm (Evo|Dex|Cold) Another decent AOE, now in the cold variety. This is probably a better pickup than Aganazzar, since the 3x3 is easier to set up than the line, and its cold instead of fire, which you already have a ton of. It is less damage, though.
Level 3 Okay. Things just got real. Level 3 is when you start to come into your own, and start showing the party why they brought a wizard. Lots of great spells here, and you can really start to dominate encounters.
Player’s Handbook Animate Dead (Nec|--|--) Your first army of undead ability. No concentration needed, and when you first get this zombies are still pretty strong. If you want to take full advantage, try to get your 4 or 5 zombies during down time, and cast this once a day to “reassert” control. Also, have your zombies use grapple to restrain the enemies for you, or use help to give you advantage. Bestow Curse (Nec|Wis|Necrotic)(C) The effects are okay and no save ends condition, but it’s touch range, and requires concentration, and there are so many good options at this level. Your familiar can cast it for you, though. Blink (Tra|--|--) The best defense is... not being in the same plane of existence as the enemy. Combine with Mirror Image for near immunity to attacks. Combine with Mirror Image and Blur for the silliest level of defense ever… 50% chance you’re there to hit. Disadvantage to hit. Probably hit a copy. Clairvoyance (Div|--|--)(C) This is the spell I usually think of when I think Divination. It requires a costly focus (but at least it can be reused). Basically a spy spell, useful for gathering of info, but uses a pretty high level spell. Is knowing what is on the other side of that door worth a 3rd level spell? Sometimes. Counterspell (Abj|--|--) This would be gold if it weren’t a prediction based spell. You’re likely to go through a few dungeons without encountering a spell to counter. But when you do, stopping an enemies caster’s spell with you RA is incredible. Check with your DM about using an arcana check to ID spells or spell level. At higher levels, this is less useful if you’re going to waste a spell slot and an RA to accomplish nothing because you guessed the spell level wrong. Dispel Magic (Abj|--|--) Tons of utility here. Get rid of those annoying buffs the enemy caster has, or remove magical effects, traps, etc.
Fear (Ilu|Wis|--)(C) 30 foot cone of terror with a forgiving save ends condition. Just be aware many creatures are immune to fear. I think hypnotic pattern is better, though. Clarify with your DM if this triggers Booming Blade. Feign Death (Nec|--|--)(R) I’m having a hard time thinking of a use-case for this. So many other choices at this level, this is just totally out of place. Very roleplay oriented. Fireball (Evo|Dex|Fire) Finally some real AOE, right? When you pick up fireball at level 5, it can simply end encounters on its own. Damage falls off a bit as you level though, so be prepared for that. Fly (Tra|--|--)(C) Lasts a long time and trivializes certain encounters. Gaseous Form (Tra|--|--)(C) Situational uses. If you have to chose, Fly seems more useful. Glyph of Warding (Abj|Dex|Choose) Should be a ritual, imo. You can make a trap. There might be some uses but it's hard to justify vs the other options. Haste (Tra|--|--)(C) Gold if you are dual wielding (The attack action this grants can proc your off-hand attack, allowing you to get attacks in with both weapons on top of a spell). Now aside from buffing yourself, anyone with really strong single attacks makes a particularly good target for this. Stays useful in a level 3 slot your whole career. Hypnotic Pattern (Ilu|Wis|--)(C) Hard CC with no save ends condition in a 30 ft cube. This is your upgraded sleep. Stays useful in a level 3 slot without needing up-rank. Leomund's Tiny Hut (Evo|--|--)(R) Nearly a free extended rest, and it’s a ritual. Cast this every time you rest outside of an inn. Or inside an inn. Or at your house. Why not? Lightning Bolt (Evo|Dex|Lightning) Harder to use than fireball, but at least it’s not fire damage. Magic Circle (Abj|Cha|--) Situational since it takes 1 min to cast. If you manage to set it up in advance, though it will trivialize encounters with that enemy type. Major Image (Ilu|Int|--)(C) Full on illusion. Basically a win button vs non-intelligent creatures. Not really our style though. Nondetection (Abj|--|--) I mean, this is a useful spell, but you just have too many other choices at this level. Phantom Steed (Ilu|--|--)(R) Just get an actual horse. Way too many other choices here. Protection from Energy (Abj|--|--)(C) Would be great, but it's only one target and requires concentration. That said, still useful if you know you are going to be fighting dragons, but potions of resistance are better.
Remove Curse (Abj|--|--) Good, but leave this to the cleric. You have other things to choose from. Still, it's not a terrible thing to have in your book if you happen to find it lying around. Sending (Evo|--|--) Seriously? 1 message as a level 3 spell? This would be marginal utility at level 1. Sleet Storm (Cnj|Dex|--)(C) Slightly upgraded grease that hits flyers. Good, to be honest, but it can’t compete at this level. Slow (Tra|Wis|--)(C) Cast haste (or an actual crowd control) instead. Stinking Cloud (Cnj|Con|--)(C) Con AoE crowd control. Plenty of things this won’t affect, though. If they save once, they will move out of the zone, making this worse than fear or hypnotic pattern without some kind of specialized setup. Tongues (Div|--|--) If you are running an all social game, maybe? Comes in handy when combined with disguise self. Vampiric Touch (Nec|AC|Necrotic)(C) The damage isn’t incredible, but half damage returned as healing should have a substantial impact on your HP. If you can get some defensive buffs up, you can probably use this to heal for more damage than you’ll be taking. Water Breathing (Tra|--|--)(R) Grab it if you are doing an aquatic campaign, I guess. At least it's a ritual.
Elemental Evil Spells Erupting Earth (Tra|Dex|Bludgeoning) Okay, this is interesting. It’s about half the area of a fireball, and less damage starting off, BUT it scales better. Cast at level 6 this will do more damage than a level 6 fireball (assuming you aren't an evoker.) Cast at level 8, this will do more damage than a fireball even if you are an evoker! It also surpasses cone of cold at level 7 for non-evokers. Suffice to say, this is a solid pickup that will get stronger as you go, and a great damage option for non-evokers, as the smaller area can actually make it easier to target without hitting your allies. Flame Arrows (Tra|[AC]|[Fire])(C): Pretty unimpressive. If it didn’t take a concentration slot, it would be much better. As it is, this has to go directly up against haste, (and MMM, below) and it doesn’t compare favorably under most conditions. At higher levels, if you have a ranged fighter making 3+ attacks per round, it gets better . I still prefer front loaded damage, though. Melf’s minute meteors (Evo|Dex|Fire)(C) So Melf finally came up with a good spell for this edition. Compared to flame arrows, this is way better, 4d6 in an aoe as a bonus action for 3 rounds. The damage on the round you cast it won’t be as strong as your melee, but the BA compares favorably to your off hand weapon attack, and is a great option for single rapier
bladesingers. Cast this before the fight starts whenever you can and, in general, don't bother upranking it. Tidal Wave (Cnj|Dex|bludgeoning) A bit of damage and an aoe prone can be very nice if you have a melee heavy party to take advantage of it. It’s a pretty decent size area, and should be pretty easy to line up. Wall of Sand (Evo|None|--)(C) This could be okay depending on your party setup. If you have a phalanx, you can place this right on the enemy battle lines and blind them all with no save allowed. That said, they can simply fall back to the other side and benefit from the same protection. Decent for shutting down ranged attackers, but fog cloud might serve just as well, and is only level 1. Wall of Water (Evo|--|--)(C) Suggestions are welcome here, but I just don't see this spell stacking up well in most situations. Maybe if you know an enemy will be sending fire spells in a particular direction, but it is inferior to wall of sand for blocking ranged attacks, inferior for restricting movement, and the frozen effect is difficult to take advantage of for fairly low effect.
Level 4 Level 4 is full of great choices, again. The list is shorter now, but no less powerful. At this point you can freely choose specialized abilities, as you should have a solid base of useful stuff available from level 1-3.
Player’s Handbook Arcane Eye (Div|--|--)(C) This spell is still broken. Map out an entire dungeon, including bad guys, with one spell cast. Most doors have a one inch gap at the bottom or at a peep hole. Banishment (Abj|Cha|--)(C) Cha save or die for some enemies. 1 min of removed from play for others. Blight (Nec|Con|Necrotic) Better damage than scorching ray when you get it, but scorching ray scales better. Crossover point is at level 7 slot. Won’t benefit from any evocation features for you nukers out there, but can offer some nice healing for necromancers. Confusion (Enc|Wis|--)(C) This is a decent size area that will generally turn deny enemies and create chaos, but it’s not more effective than hypnotic pattern in most cases, and has a save ends. Also does not add that tasty incapacitated status. Conjure Minor Elementals (Cnj|--|--)(C) This spell ranks up nicely and offers some serious presence on the field. Control Water (Tra|--|--)(C) Can't really rate this one. It’s your first “alter landscape” level of power spell, and could be amazing if you spend a lot of time near water. Useless if your campaign isn't near large bodies of water, though.
Dimension Door (Cnj|--|--) The ultimate in tactical teleportation. Too bad it takes an action. Evard's Black Tentacles (Cnj|Dex+Dex/Str|Bludgeoning)(C) Well positioned, this spell can turn the tide, but it requires some good placement. You need to hit them 3 rounds in a row to get past lvl 3 fireball damage, so you are really here for the restrained condition, but restrained is really good. Fabricate (Tra|--|--) A potentially great utility spell that is impossible to rate. 10min cast time means no making walls or unmaking bridges during combat. Fire Shield (Evo|--|Fire/Cold) Low damage and a resistance that can be gained from a level 3 spell, doesn’t require concentration though. This might be worth it if you could give it to the party Barbarian who actually takes hits, but you’re not going to be taking hits very often. Greater Invisibility (Ilu|--|--)(C) Put it on the rogue. Laugh. Also a great escape spell. Hallucinatory Terrain (Ilu|Int|--) Hard to rate this. Potentially has some game changing consequences, like luring an enemy army into a swamp or some other trap. Ice Storm (Evo|Dex|Bludgeoning+Cold) Low damage, but hits flyers and makes difficult terrain. An okay way to diversify damage types for evokers, but I would just hold off for cone of cold. Leomund's Secret Chest (Cnj|--|--) I’m not saying this spell is useless, but, it requires a hugely expensive component, isn’t a ritual, and is really niche. It also isn’t terribly useful. Locate Creature (Div|--|--)(C) Get ready to scry and fry. Want to know exactly which room that dragon or necromancer is in? 1k feet should cover most dungeons. On the other hand, Arcane Eye is better in most cases. Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound (Cnj|AC|Piercing) A higher level version of alarm that’s not a ritual, and can attack things but can't move. Meh. Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum (Abj|--|--) Can enhance the safety of your long rests. Save a cast for this if you think tiny hut won’t be sufficiently safe. Also really useful for spy campaigns so you can talk in private without worrying about scrying. Otiluke's Resilient Sphere (Evo|Dex|--)(C) Dex save to get an enemy off the map for 1 min. Could also be used to protect a wounded ally. Phantasmal Killer (Ilu|Wis|Psychic)(C) Phantasmal Killer, oh how you have fallen. As of the errata, the target only gets one save now, not two, but it’s still just frightened and some low damage and requires concentration. Still a pass.
Polymorph (Tra|Wis|--)(C) Woah. Honestly, I’m tempted to go gold here. The fact that you basically get free HP out of the transformation is incredible. At level 8, you can transform into a T-Rex. Yes. You can be a T-Rex. Do I really need to say anything else? Admittedly, there's no higher level beasts, yet, but this spell will still have utility for the free HP or the crowd control aspects. If you plan to turn yourself into a T-Rex often, you will want to look at the war caster feat, so you don’t lose concentration. In general it’s probably better to polymorph an ally. Stone Shape (Tra|--|--) Maybe it’s because I just read polymorph, but this seems kinda unimpressive. Stoneskin (Abj|--|--)(C) This isn’t usually the Bladesinger’s problem area for damage. This will really make those fights with hard hitting brutes easier, but watch out for the component cost. Wall of Fire (Evo|Dex|Fire)(C) Your first real wall spell. Good positioning of one of these will end a fight real quick. Try to make it so the enemies can't escape the damaging area, or make it so that low hp creatures won’t want to come near it, letting you deal with them at your leisure. It's less upfront damage than a fireball, but if you can get more than one round of damage out of it, it’s an amazing pick. It also lets you control positioning, which shouldn’t be underestimated.
Elemental Evil Spells Elemental Bane (Tra|Con|Varies)(C) Feels more geared toward a sorcerer, but if you feel yourself falling into the trap of only one element, this can be a good pickup to deal with that problem. It’s not worth using just for the extra damage, unless you have some sort of way to get your whole party doing the same damage type. Note that the extra damage is once per turn, so you can’t cheese this with scorching ray. Storm Sphere (Evo|Con/AC|Bludgeoning/Lightning)(C) Big area of difficult terrain and damage that’s not fire. The real selling point is the potential to have 3 attacks per round on subsequent rounds. 1 attack from the storm for free, the bonus action lightning bolt (potentially with advantage), and then your normal action. Vitriolic Sphere (Evo|Dex|Acid) Acid is a great damage type, so this could be worth picking up for that reason alone, but the damage is also really good, although slightly backloaded. It also scales slightly better than fireball, so if you plan to up-rank, it’s a great choice, regardless of spec. Watery Sphere (Cnj|Str|--)(C) Very similar to Evard’s, but strength instead of dex, and no damage. Still, AoE restrain is very useful. Unlike Evard’s this can be repositioned, and move its restrained victims with it. Also note that while Evard’s uses up an action to escape, this grants a free attempt at the end of every turn.
Level 5 Honestly, level 5 is a weird grab bag. There’s a lot of stuff in here that's hard to rate. I can’t really directly compare a spell like scrying to conjure elemental, but I try to rate them relative to similar spells that are available. This is the highest those silly half-casters will ever get to, but you are just getting started.
Player’s Handbook Animate Objects (Tra|--|--)(C) These objects in general will have better combat stats than the minor elementals you can summon, but there are some drawbacks. Carry a bag of 10 tiny objects with you, use your free action “interact with object” to dump them on the ground. You now have a horde of flying attackers with 10d4+40 total potential damage, and opportunity attacks. Wow. Oh, also they have blindsight 30, so cast darkness on them and watch (or don't because you can't see) the carnage. A solid use of your concentration and your BA. Bigby's Hand (Evo|[Varies]|[Force])(C) This is blue because it gives you a way to turn your bonus action into damage or crowd control. A 6 square push is no joke, and the grapple is also great. Cloudkill (Cnj|Con|Poison)(C) So, this lasts for a really long time. If you can find a way to trap the enemies with it, it's game over, otherwise, the damage is kinda low, and enemies will just leave the area. Also Poison damage is terrible. Cone of Cold (Evo|Con|Cold) Ah, cone of cold. Huge area, good damage, not fire. Much to like here. Conjure Elemental (Cnj|--|--)(C) Keep in mind there are other “elementals” such as Salamanders, Xorn, etc. which qualify for this. That said, the generic elementals are likely your best choice. They are really strong and come loaded with nice abilities. This is a safe bet with your ability to make concentration checks. Otherwise, it's risky since losing concentration means you just added a nasty hostile creature to the map. Very strong if you can control it. Earth Elementals notably have tremor sense, which makes another nice combo with darkness. Avoid this spell if your DM controls what comes out and is going to screw you (Sage Advice Jul 2015). Contact Other Plane (Div|--|--)(R) Hey! A high level ritual. Try not to go insane, but this can potentially be game breaking in the right hands. It really depends on how much you DM is willing to let you abuse this. Creation (Ilu|--|--) I should probably refrain from rating this, but for a 5th level spell it seems too limited in usefulness. Dominate Person (Enc|Wis|--)(C) Honestly, suggestion will probably suffice 90% of the time. When you really need fine control, this is the spell. Interestingly, it doesn’t say that they know they were charmed. This is mainly non-combat stuff, but it is basically a win button in that
case. Keep in mind that dominating the king will likely get you into a lot of trouble (if they find out). Dream (Ilu|Wis|Psychic) Well. There’s no way I can rate this. It sounds like fun to mess with people, but I’m not sure how useful it would be. Combine this with geas to increase the potency of the damage they take when they disobey by removing their ability to heal during a rest. Geas (Enc|Wis|--) This appears to be suggestion with a 30 day duration and no concentration. However it seems to be more useful in out of combat scenarios… The wording of geas implies that a tanky enough enemy can choose to just ignore the command and only take the damage once per day. Still has it’s uses on more role-play oriented targets (a low level NPC with political sway?) Hold Monster (Enc|Wis|--)(C) Hold Person for non-humanoids. Suffers the same limitations otherwise. Legend Lore (Div|--|--) Neat but ultimately way too situational. If you need this spell, go seek it out, but it’s not one of your free picks, that’s for sure. Could be useful if you think an item might be cursed. Mislead (Ilu|--|--)(C) You can recreate this effect with invisibility and a familiar, or an arcane eye, etc. Does have some use when combined with contingency. Modify Memory (Enc|Wis|--)(C) So you ended up charming, ripping off, and/or killing too many people and now everyone hates you. Well, you are in luck. Here’s your out. Passwall (Tra|--|--) Annoy your DM by walking through walls and destroying his dungeon design. Some small potential to create holes in the floor under your enemies of windows to throw them out of. Planar Binding (Abj|Cha|--) This spell can get you a long term, if not somewhat disobedient, pet. However it costs a lot, and likely requires Magic Circle and a Conjure X spell. Rary's Telepathic Bond (Div|--|--)(R) This makes your party a tactical powerhouse if used correctly. Then again, some parties play as if they have this regardless. Scrying (Div|Wis|--)(C) Good ol’ scrying. Used the world over to frustrate DMs. Recurring villains beware. Seeming (Ilu|Cha/Int|--) Awfully high level for mass disguise self. You know if this spell is good for your party. Telekinesis (Tra|Str|--)(C) Lots of abuse potential here. Moving 1k lb objects gives me plenty of ideas. Also, move your enemies off ledges or just straight up in the air. And you can keep retrying every turn. It’s worth noting that this is a spellcasting check vs their strength check.
By this point you should succeed pretty regularly with that unless it’s a dragon or something. Also useful as a ranged disarm. Teleportation Circle (Cnj|--|--) Certainly convenient, but I don’t think a DM will expect you to have this. There are generally other ways to get around. Wall of Force (Evo|--|--)(C) Cut an encounter in half. If none of the enemies have disintegrate this just works, and that’s incredible. Wall of Stone (Evo|Dex|--)(C) 9 times out of 10 wall of force is a better choice, but this offers some flexibility that wall of force does not. You can make it permanent, you can also make battlements or murder-holes for your ranged friends to shoot from. You can also build your own castle
Elemental Evil Spells Control winds (Tra|--|--)(C) A cool collection of effects, and the ability to seriously hamper ranged attackers in a huge area has some great potential. Downdraft has the potential to seriously dominate dragons or other flyers. Surprisingly, this is a solid pick. Immolation (Evo|Dex|--)(C) Ick. No. Single target damage that only gets to level 5 fireball damage after 2 rounds and 2 failed saves, and no scaling. Would be slightly better if it didn’t eat your concentration, but even then, unimpressive. Transmute Rock (Tra|Str/Dex|Bludgeoning) Rating assumes you spend a lot of time in areas with rock, such as caves or dungeons. In this case, wow. 40ft cube of shut down everything, and it doesn’t even require concentration. One of the few spells that can almost compete with wall of force for battlefield control.
Level 6 Congrats! Your first level of spells that those silly half casters will never see. At level 6 your spells should be dominating at least a single encounter such as removing a large number of monsters at once from the fight, dealing an absurd amount of damage, or turn denying a legendary creature. There's some clear winners in that regard here.
Player’s Handbook Arcane Gate (Cnj|--|--)(C) Unfortunately, both portals have to be on the ground, but 500ft is a long way. Have your fighter shove the enemy into the portal, then close it. Assuming they have to run back to you, you just bought yourself 6 or so turns to deal with his friends. The spell is really blue, though, because of its ability to aid your mobility in and out of combat. There’s also nothing preventing you from putting the portal at the edge of a cliff, and pushing someone through. You really have to try hard for this to be worth a sixth level slot though. Chain Lightning (Evo|Dex|Lightning) “Choose up to 4 targets” is the main draw here. It is more damage per target than a fireball at this level. Not a terrible choice in any case.
Circle of Death (Nec|Con|Necrotic) This is a huge area, but the damage is really low. Even for dealing with massive hordes, this isn’t worth the pickup. Contingency (Evo|--|--) As a Bladesinger you have so many “hope you can predict combat” spells. This lets you break action economy and save a spell for when you really need it. You can cast this up to 10 days in advance, so it also saves you spell slots. Keep in mind that using a contingency spell with concentration will end any spell you are currently concentrating on. Create Undead (Nec|[Varies]|[Varies]) These creatures are not strong. They are going to get destroyed by the enemies you face at this level. If you can get your army going in advance of the adventure, there are some uses, though. Ghouls can do paralysis, ghasts have that and a poison aura, but the big seller is wights. Each wight you control can raise up to 12 zombies themselves. Now you’re thinking with zombies. Consider using your control undead or Geas on the wight so you don't have to keep recasting this. Disintegrate (Tra|Dex|Force) Even adjusted for the zero damage on miss, this is the highest damage single target spell available. However on a miss you get nothing and at level 6 your action might be better spent on something besides damage. However, this is gold if you have a reliable way to make enemies auto-fail Dex saves, such as a monk’s Stunning Strike. Note: Don't use this on legendaries that have auto-saves left, unless you just want to force them to burn one. Since this does no damage on a save, you really need to choose your targets well to make best use of it. Also, don’t cast it on baddies who carry their piles of gold on their persons. Drawmij's Instant Summons (Cnj|--|--)(R) Not a bad spell to cast on your spellbook and magic items. Also a ritual, so not a bad pickup if you find a scroll or spellbook with it. This won’t be useful to you until you’re swimming in sapphires, and you have items worth summoning, probably several levels later than you have access to it. Eyebite (Nec|Wis|--)(C) I feel like over the course of most fights you will get better results out of a level 3 hypnotic pattern. Most fights are over in 3-4 rounds, so if you could target that many with your hypnotic pattern, you are better off with that. On the other hand, this works on targets immune to illusion. Flesh to Stone (Tra|Con|--)(C) This is blue because the save ends condition isn’t that meaningful. If you land the initial attack, the creature is restrained for 3 rounds, minimum. Thats enough to end most encounters. If you managed to actually petrify them, it’s just a bonus. The number of saves involved make this more appropriate for a Bladesinger prioritizing Int over Dex. Globe of Invulnerability (Abj|--|--)(C) Most NPC spellcasters are going to throw their best stuff at you first, making this slightly less useful, but there are certainly a lot of scary things at level 5 and down that you don't want to be hit with(even when cast with higher level slots!). The reason this isn’t sky blue is that it is immobile, and you’re playing a bladesinger.
Perhaps you use this with your other frontliners to take down that enemy tanks while ignoring the casters in the back? Guards and Wards (Abj|[Varies]|[Varies]) Do you have a keep or tower? Ward it up like a real wizard. Otherwise... Magic Jar (Nec|Cha|--) This complicated mess is basically possession. Yep, that could be useful. With a bit of creative shenanigans you can turn this into a save or die spell. Mass Suggestion (Enc|Wis|--) The first thing I should mention, is that unlike Suggestion, mass suggestion does not require concentration. This is a big selling point. The second thing I should mention is that the duration is a very generous 24 hours. You can suggest up to 12 creatures (who receive a Wisdom save naturally). This spell might have been garbage, but the no concentration factor really turns this spell into a great choice. Move Earth (Tra|--|--)(C) Um? It does what it says. It's certainly an impressive effect but i'm not sure what you want this for at this level, maybe you could reroute a river or something. Otiluke's Freezing Sphere (Evo|Con|Cold) This is basically a 10d6 kaboom spell (35 average cold damage – save for half), which is pretty awful for this level. The only saving grace of this spell is you can cast it beforehand and someone else can throw it instead up to one minute later. This gives some options for a Nova of your party engaging a combat with multiple kabooms at once. Otto's Irresistible Dance (Enc|None/Wis|--)(C) The target doesn’t get a save unless they spend their action. Otherwise, no movement, disadvantage on attacks, and all your allies get advantage on them. This is extra potent vs legendary creatures auto save feature. Even if they use the auto-save, it still wastes their entire turn. That’s pretty good. Programmed Illusion (Ilu|Int|--) This is marginally more useful than a major image, which is a level 3 spell. I dont think its worth a pick, personally. Sunbeam (Evo|Con|Radiant)(C) Damage is lowish at this level, but the blinding rider is nice. The real draw is the ability to keep casting this every turn. You have better things to do round after round in combat, so save this for those scenarios you feel you can’t be in melee. True Seeing (Div|--|--) You will likely wish you had this before now. There are encounters where this is a godsend. Wall of Ice (Evo|Dex|Cold)(C) Not a bad spell on its own, but why would you use this instead of wall of force? The damage alone doesn’t justify the wall’s fragility in my opinion.
Elemental Evil Spells All of the investiture spells should probably be bonus action to use their ability, but the introduction of bladesinger has made them slightly more attractive.
Investiture of Flame (Tra|Dex|Fire)(C) Meh. Not enough damage to spend an action on at this level, and the level 6 slot is too much to pay for resistance. The line attack is far from worth your action. Investiture of Ice (Tra|--|--)(C) It’s been suggested that this is a decent pickup for the gish/bladesinger type. I don’t see it. It does provide a form of battlefield control that travels with you, but at this level imposing halved movement speed on enemies hardly seems worth the spell slot. Likewise, the other benefits of the spell are unlikely to be of much use. Investiture of Stone (Tra|Dex|--)(C) The earthquake is what makes this worth it for you. The resistance is nice too, but maybe less valuable at this level. Prone enemies are less of a threat to you, and more susceptible to you slicing them up. Investiture of Wind (Tra|Con|bludgeoning)(C) The combination of fly speed and disadvantage on ranged attacks against you is decent. Could be useful in combat with many ranged enemies. The action likely won't get used that often, but this is at least an okay defensive choice.
Level 7 Even more than level 6, your tactical level 7 spells have the ability to dominate a single encounter. More than that, though, your strategic spells really come into their prime. Spells such as Mord’s Mansion, Etherealness, and Simulacrum have the ability to completely alter the game balance in your favor.
Player’s Handbook Delayed Blast Fireball (Evo|Dex|Fire)(C) The base damage is the same as a level 7 fireball, but in theory you can get this thing up to 22d6. That has some serious potential, but it requires some forethought to make it worthwhile. In any case, it’s never worse than a fireball. Etherealness (Tra|--|--) So this spell basically turns you insubstantial for the duration. You can’t affect or be affected by things in the material plane. You can fly around and float through walls, which is a strong but circumstantial utility. Concentration is not required, unfortunately the spell is self only. Finger of Death (Nec|Con|Necrotic) Worse damage than disintegrate on a hit and no scaling, but this does damage on a miss, unlike disintegrate. Necrotic is slightly more commonly resisted than force (don’t use against ghosts, etc.). 1 zombie is pretty unimpressive at this level, unless you can convince your DM its a zombie version of the creature you killed, rather than a MM “Zombie”. It still has uses as a scout or to set off traps. In general, use this instead of disintegrate if you think the monster has a decent chance of dodging your disintegrate. Forcecage (Evo|Cha|--) Upgraded wall of force. No escape, and you can shoot at the trapped stuff. Cheese on the highest level vs targets with no ranged options. You can also use this creatively for a guaranteed push effect.
Mirage Arcane (Ilu|None|--) A bigger and more effective version of hallucinatory terrain. Not a real rating for this. If you need this type of effect, you will know by now. Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (Cnj|--|--) The be-all end-all of safe long rests. Cast this at the end of the day if you want to be assured you won't be ambushed. Also a great way to entertain dinner guests. Mordenkainen's Sword (Evo|AC|Force)(C) Some extra bonus action damage on subsequent turns, but not impressive. You should be ending encounters with a level 7 spell, not getting a bit more damage on your next turn. Plane Shift (Cnj|AC+Cha|--) Get out of jail free card. Just teleport to the plane of free beer and wenches when things turn south. The offensive use isn’t great since it requires an attack roll and a failed save. Prismatic Spray (Evo|Varies|Varies) Less damage than a cone of cold unless you roll an 8. The effects are ok, but you can't rely on them. Project Image (Ilu|Int|--)(C) Major image covers 90% of what this spell does, and allows you to make images of things that aren’t you. Don’t get this unless you specifically need an illusion with 500 mile range. Reverse Gravity (Tra|Dex|--)(C) 50 ft radius crowd control ending with a fall and only allows a save if there is something to grab hold of. My abuse potential radar is going off. This might be a hilarious way to make use of one of those hallucinatory terrain spells. Look, the forest is now a wide open field with nothing to grab. Sequester (Tra|--|--) I’m leaving this green but this is more of a storyline dependant spell. I don’t see you getting use out of this every day. Simulacrum (Ilu|--|--) Wat? You just gained another party member, congrats. Make another you. The Simulacrum can't regain spells, but who cares, you now have double your spell list for one day. Make another tomorrow if you need to! If you don’t want to spend a lot of time (and money) making new simulacrums, or repairing them, consider making a copy of a ranged character, like a rogue. Keep him out of trouble and it will provide a consistent source of damage with very little maintenance required. 1,500gp is nothing to pay for this kind of power. Before you pick this up, though, consider if you will have access to the materials and downtime required by the spell. In pre-made adventures, in particular, these factors could make the spell impossible to use. Symbol (Abj|Varies|Varies) Upgraded trap spell. Not a lot of daily use for this. Teleport (Cnj|--|--) Good utility here and abuse potential when combined with scrying. Not light blue only because etherealness also covers most of your scrying abuse needs, and works every time, unlike this.
Elemental Evil Spells Whirlwind (Evo|Str+Dex|Bludgeoning)(C) This spell just seems fun to use. It does require 2 failed saves to get them inside the whirlwind, but once they are in it, they are going to have a bad time. The damage is okay, and it’s mobile, making it a good choice for longer fights. The ability to move this around and potentially restrain a number of characters, and then drop them 30ft makes this a solid choice.
Level 8 Oddly, level 8 is in some ways less impressive than level 7. Since you only get one of these per day, feel free to go back and pick up some other lower spells if you like.
Player’s Handbook Antimagic Field (Abj|--|--)(C) If you managed to get a grapple wizard all the way to level 8 spells, this is what you came for. Just grab the enemy wizard and turn this on. Game over. For everyone else, this is an excellent contingency spell. Antipathy/Sympathy (Enc|Wis|--) There are some potentially powerful ways to use this to control an encounter, or even a day’s worth of encounters, if you know you will be fighting a lot of a specific creature type, you can basically have an aura of fear. The fact that you can even cast it days in advance of needing it bumps it up 2 ranks in my opinion. Here’s a fun trick: cast sympathy on a rock. Have your rogue sneak up and throw it into a crowd of baddies. Once they all gather ‘round, delayed blast fireball. Pick up the rock, wipe of the scorch marks, repeat on the next room. Clone (Nec|--|--) A solid life-insurance policy. You could do worse than casting this on your whole party. It also appears to let you unnaturally extend your lifespan. Neat. Control Weather (Tra|--|--)(C) Cinematic effects that might have some practical application depending on your story. Can’t really rate this effectively. Demiplane (Cnj|--|--) There is some potentially fun shenanigans here. Think of all the nasty things you can trap inside your demiplane, and then release at opportune times.More for fun than effectiveness at this level, though. Keep in mind that if you are stuck inside, you can’t create a door to the outside, so you might want to keep a copy of plane shift in there. BrunsenBrurner points out that this is a great place to store your clone, along with all the toys you need to recover from a TPK, such as a copy of your spellbook, sapphires used to trigger Drawmiji's instant summons on your magic items, etc. Just make sure you have a way to get out. If you want to go through all that trouble, the spell is much better . Dominate Monster (Enc|Wis|--)(C) As with dominate person, it gets a save every time it takes damage. This might be an okay way to turn deny one big evil guy, but other than that it's mostly for non-combat purposes. Im rating this lower because at this tier such a spell is less impressive.
Feeblemind (Enc|Int|Psychic) Might as well be int save or die for casters. Since it’s an int save use this on any caster except wizards. Necromancers can combine this with command undead to gain permanent control over more intelligent undead. Who wants a pet death knight? Incendiary Cloud (Cnj|Dex|Fire)(C) Good damage, but small area and generally you won’t hit more than once with it. If you have a way to trap enemies in a damaging terrain, there are lower level spells that will generally work just as well. Try wall of fire or cloudkill. At this level just doing some damage in a small area is not enough. Maze (Cnj|None/Int|--)(C) It automatically hits. The creature then has to spend at least one round trying to get back. Also there are plenty of scary things that will never make a DC20 int check (it’s not a save). Used correctly this is really good. Mind Blank (Abj|--|--) This could be really useful if you could cast it on your whole party to be immune to charm effects, but you only get 1 level 8 spell per day. Marginal at this level, but it might be much better for you socialites. Power Word Stun (Enc|HP|--) Bleh. If it has less than 150 hp, just kill it. Also, your monk can do this 10 times per short rest by now. Purple if, somehow, you know exactly when the enemy has 150hp or less. Sunburst (Evo|Con|Radiant) Slightly less damage than fireball, but huge area and a blind condition. A go-to spell for clearing large numbers of enemies off the field quickly. Telepathy (Evo|--|--) While this has some really interesting flavor implications, since you can make an int 1 creature understand your thoughts, it likely has limited practical use over telepathic bond. Trap the Soul (--|--|--) This is a typo and is not actually on your list.
Elemental Evil Spells Abi-Dalzim’s horrid wilting (Nec|Con|Necrotic) Damage is on par with a level 8 fireball. Its necrotic, which is a nice damage type… but the area is a bit small. You’re not a necromancer so...
Level 9 We finally arrived. The big game changers. At this point, if your spell isn’t trivializing an encounter or making the DM bang his head on the table, what are you doing?
Player’s Handbook Astral Projection (Nec|--|--) Go to the astral plane. If you need this, then you need it. Otherwise, skip it.
Foresight (Div|--|--) For 8 hours, one party member (you… you’re a Bladesinger… be selfish) is unstoppable in combat. At any other level, this would be gold, but this is level 9. Gate (Cnj|None|--)(C) Some decent utility. Abuse potential involves pulling a powerful creature into a force cage and casting planar binding on him repeatedly. Imprisonment (Abj|Wis|--) There are a million ways to abuse this, but the fact that you only get one try makes it a little less impressive. Still, try to capture something really powerful and unintelligent, and then let it loose on your enemies. Also a good way to deal with pesky villains that keep coming back to life. Still, it would require a specific opportunity to make the best use of this. Meteor Swarm (Evo|Dex|Fire+Bludgeoning) Light the world on fire. 1 mile range, stupidly large area, and nearly 3x the damage of a level 9 fireball.You can’t hit a creature with more than one meteor now, so it's not as amazing as it once was but it’s still really serious. Power Word Kill (Enc|HP|--) Seriously? Meteor swarm does an average of 140 damage on a hit, spread across a billion squares. I need a rating worse than red. Prismatic Wall (Abj|Varies|Varies) 50d6, petrify, blind, and banished for anything that tries t o walk through. Also it’s huge and lasts 10 min. If it fails that first petrify save it might take that every round (it's not clear on this point). Ouch. Surrounding a legendary with this could be a great way to burn through some of those legendary saves. Shapechange (Tra|--|--)(C) Change into an ancient brass dragon, and when they finally get through your hp, you just come out at full health and with all the rest of your spells ready to go. No spellcasting from your new form nerfs this a bit, but it is still incredible. Time Stop(Tra|--|--): Now neutered, Time Stop is basically suck. You can only use it to buff yourself or run away. Instead of spending Time Stop + buff spells, how about just turning into a dragon. True Polymorph (Tra|Wis|--)(C) Shape change is more powerful, but this one lets you turn your friends into dragons. Permanently, if you like. Animating creatures, turning the bbeg into a bunny. So many options here. Weird (Ilu|Wis|--)(C) Low damage and a weak crowd control effect. Nope. Wish (Cnj|Varies|Varies) Gold just for the basic function. Any 8th level spell or lower. From any list. Yup. All the other effects are gravy, although the consequences are pretty stiff. Also, I'm gunna quote MelloRed here: Wish -> Simulacrum: 1 action, no component cost.
Pure Bladesinger You could play your Bladesinger all the way to 20. However, there might be better ways to spend your level up. To look at why this is, let's look at what you give up as you trade in levels of Wizard. One level of multiclassing loses you the Wizard capstone, Signature Spell. This feature doesn't have a huge impact on your play style or power, especially as a bladesinger. For you this might mean a free daily cast of Haste or Blink. In most cases, a level of something else is going to be more useful. You also give up a level 7 spell slot, and two spellbook spells (of up to ninth level). A second level of multiclassing loses you your fifth ASI. This is a bigger deal. With only five to begin with, and two stats to ideally reach 20, giving up one means no feats, or not maxing both Dex and Int. This is a bigger problem for a bladesinger than most wizards. Whether this is worth it probably depends on what class your first level of dip was in. You also give up a level 6 spell slot and two spellbook spells (of up to ninth level). A third level of multiclassing loses you Spell Mastery. Spell Mastery is incredible. Consider Shield and Misty Step. Spell Mastery essentially grants you permanent +5 AC and instant repositioning (although still uses your RA and BA respectively). You need to be gaining something equally awesome from your multiclass for this to be worth it. You also give up a level 5 spell slot and two spellbook spells (of up to ninth level). A fourth level of multiclassing loses you access to ninth level spells. Go read the description of Wish if you're not sure how to weight this. If you're very combat focused, and ascending to godhood isn't the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for you, read the description for Foresight and see if you still feel the same. A fourth level of dip in a single class will get you back your ASI. Weighing this against ninth level spells is very difficult. Unless you have a very specific feat dependent build in mind, probably not worth it. You also give up two spellbook spells (of up to eight level). Beyond four levels, we're leaving the territory of this section. I'll touch on the possibilities in a later section.
A side note on multiclassing timing We’re talking about replacing the top levels of Wizard above, but you can take your multiclass levels whenever you want. Given that most characters aren’t played to 20, “giving up” ninth level spells may be a non-issue compared to your fourth level of fighter early in your career. At the same time, multiple dip levels early on may mean you never get to play with certain levels of spells before your campaign ends. Try to get a feel for the direction your Campaign is headed before making these decisions.
Bladesinger with dips Let's go through each class and look at what we can gain from a quick dip. I’ll rate the class overall as an option. I’ll also rate each level independently, meaning if you’ve already made the stupid decision to take three levels of Barbarian, I’m not going to pretend that the ASI at the fourth level isn’t worth your time. I’m also not really considering what you’re giving up for these levels. So I don’t always think giving up ninth level spells for an ASI should be rated blue, I just think an ASI overall for Bladesinger should be rated blue. Unless I note it specifically, I’m not going to consider what level you take these at. Starting in one of these classes can have it’s own positives and negatives. The big things to consider are whether the additional equipment proficiencies could benefit you (unlikely), what save proficiencies you’ll gain (Con is going to be great for maintaining spell concentration), and how big the starting Hit Die are (first level fighter gives you 4 more HP than first level Wizard).
Barbarian You don’t need to read this, I swear… First level dip gets you rage (can’t cast spells, Str melee bonuses) and Unarmored Defense (your Con mod is unlikely to be better than armor/mage armor). Second level dip gets you Reckless Attack (gives enemies advantage against you… when I specifically said let’s focus on damage prevention) and Danger Sense (Advantage on Dex Saves actually shores up your defense against one of your biggest weaknesses, AOE damage effects, but it doesn’t redeem the class). Third level dip would give you Frenzy, Totem Spirit, Ancestral Protectors (UA), Storm of Fury (UA), or Divine Fury (UA), all of which are triggered only while raging. Fourth level dip nets you back an ASI. ...Nothing I’ve said should intrigue you at all… This is a horrible multiclass.
Bard An interesting choice if you want to turn your bladesinger into a support hybrid. Also a full progression spellcasting class, so you’re not giving up spell slots. However you’re now filling striker, utility, and support roles, and stretching too thin. Perhaps more appropriate for a traditional build wizard who happens to be a bladesinger… but even then… First level dip gives you Bardic Inspiration. This will compete for your BA, and make you less useful in both striker and utility roles. You also get access to Bard Spellcasting. The Cantrip
list isn’t going to add much to your bladesinger, but 1st level Bard spells include such gems as dissonant whispers (booming blade proc? Raw, yes. DM, maybe), Faerie Fire, and Heroism. You also get a shot at Healing Word or Cure Wounds, which could be interesting additions to your kit. Second level dip gets you Jack of all Trades. The importance of being a skill monkey is heavily determined by your DM’s style, and your party. Song of Rest is also here, which will always be helpful at a party level. The scaling on Song of Rest wasn’t great to begin with, but you won’t be getting it anyways. Third level dip gets you either Cutting Words, Combat Inspiration, Mantle of Inspiration and Enthralling Performance (UA), or Venemous Blades (UA). Cutting Words is probably more useful than Bardic Inspiration, but in competition for your life-saving RA’s. Combat Inspiration is probably more useful than both, but again, in competition for your RA’s. Mantle of Inspiration could be helpful for you if you have other frontliners to reposition. Enthralling Performance is very roleplay focussed and situational. Venomous Baldes is a decent damage buff, but poison damage is weak and it’s uses are limited. Venomous Words is very roleplay focussed and situational. You also get second level Bard spells. This isn’t as interesting for a Bladesinger. You’re probably looking at Heat Metal or Enhance Ability. Fourth level dip gets you your ASI back.
Cleric Cleric is a popular multiclass option for the traditional Wizard. Unfortunately, this is heavily influenced by the Armor and Shield proficiency, which means nothing to a bladesinger. That doesn’t complete write off Cleric as an option, but it downgrades it considerably. First level dip will give you proficiencies with armor and shield you can’t use. You also get Cleric Spellcasting. Wisdom isn’t the worst spellcasting stat for you, but it’s unlikely you’ve got more than 12 Wis. Guidance is an interesting Cantrip pickup, but it’s going to be an out of combat spell for you as it doesn’t suit your combat playstyle. Bless, Shield of Faith, and Sanctuary are intriguing options for you as first level spells (Command might seem great, but the save will be tied to Wis). Given that none of the proficiencies are going to benefit you as a bladesinger, the Arcana or Knowledge domains are probably the ones to look at, although I’ve never found the Knowledge domain that appealing even for a traditional wizard. Second level dip grants you access to channel divinity. As turn Undead is tied to Wisdom, and situational, it’s unlikely useful for you. Potentially interesting domains at this level include Knowledge (for the out of combat utility), Trickery (for the potentially interesting combat opportunities), and War (for more or less guaranteeing that one important attack lands) Third level dip gets you second level Cleric spells. If there’s one standout here, it’s Spiritual Weapon. The spellcasting modifier will be Wisdom, so it won’t be as powerful as a Cleric’s, but you can cast it with your higher level spell slots and do more damage than an off hand attack at some levels. It also doesn’t eat your concentration, and will therefor make your
Flaming Sphere look really stupid. The other interesting spell is Prayer of Healing, which might be a useful out of combat heal if no other party member is fulfilling that role yet. If this interests you (which it probably shouldn’t), it might put the Life Domain on the table to increase your healing potential. Fourth level dip gets you your ASI back. The extra spells probably aren’t going to be meaningful.
Druid The Druid is a class fairly at odds with the Wizard Class. With a big focus on Wild Shape (which turns off your spellcasting) the synergy fades as your level increases. First level dip will give you access to Druid spells. The cantrips aren’t thrilling. Guidance is an ok out of combat buff. Thornwhip does less damage than lightning lure, but has a greater range, and is a melee spell attack (Wis though) rather than a Str save. Entangle and Faerie Fire both seem appealing but they are both Wis save based. This really leaves you with the healing spells, probably Goodberries for some out of combat heals. Second level dip gets you Wild Shape and a Druid Circle feature. Given how lackluster the Druid spell selection is, it seems Moon Druid is the obvious path here. So I’ve read it through a couple times… and I don’t see why you couldn’t invoke the Bladesong while Wild Shaped (or vice versa). All of its benefits are still useful while transformed, especially if you enter Wild Shape with a concentration spell active. Basically this gives you a tanking feature. If you know you’re going to be focussed, or you're low on HP and need a buff/escape, turn into a Bear or Dire Wolf (with intimidating AC and speed). I don’t think this is the best use of a two level dip, but it certainly isn’t useless, and has some very interesting flavor. Third level dip gets you access to second level Druid spells. This will feel pretty underwhelming for a Bladesinger. Enhance Ability, Heat Metal, Moonbeam, Pass Without Trace, and Spike Growth seem like the possible additions, and none of them seem like effects particularly different from you Wizard list. Fourth level of dip gets you your ASI back.
Fighter Fighter was an oft looked at option for the traditional Wizard, and is eminently more powerful for the Bladesinger. The typical approach is to take your first level in fighter, gaining nice starting hit points, a Con save proficiency, and equipment proficiency galore. First level dip of Fighter is an obvious and popular choice for the bladesinger. Two-Weapon Fighting is the popular choice for Fighting Style. Otherwise Dueling is a valid option (or perhaps Defense). Second Wind won’t scale, but having some small BA healing in your pocket can’t be a bad thing. If you’re not looking at any other multiclass option, one level of Fighter is close to gold.
Second level dip is a tricky topic of discussion. Action Surge is an eminently powerful class feature, blatantly ignoring the rules of action economy. However, since you've just taken a fighter dip, there's a good chance you're in the market for at least Warcaster. This makes your ASI’s a valuable resource. You'll need to decide what's most important. Third level dip gives you access to a Fighter subclass. The obvious choice here is Battle Master, which will add some very interesting combat maneuvers to your melee repertoire. This is a powerful set of skills that may well compete with Spell Mastery. You could instead choose Eldritch Knight. This will essentially grant you back one level of spell slots, although you won’t get new high level spells in your spellbook at this level. Fourth level of fighter can grant you back your lost ASI, but comes at the cost of ninth level spells. On its own, this probably isn't worth it. However in a build with more than two classes, this might be a smart cutoff.
Monk There’s potentially some synergy here… but it’s all mixed in with compromise. First level dip gets you Unarmored Defense. If you start with a decent Wisdom, this could be as good as studded leather, and potentially as good as mage armor, although stat points are infinitely more valuable than a set of armor (and probably than a first level spell slot). You also get Martial Arts. This could technically replace TWF for a “dual shortsword wielder”. You’ll only actually have one weapon, but you’ll be able to use a BA to attack with it again under the same conditions as TWF, and with the same bonuses. This also frees up a hand replacing one of the three Warcaster benefits. Still, the hit dice, saves, and other first level features aren’t as good as Fighter 1, so I’m not sure why you would take this. Second level dip gets you access to Ki. In summary this let’s you BA dodge, dash, disengage, or double unarmed strike twice per rest. This adds some interesting defensive capabilities to the Bladesinger, but this is a very small number of charges (compare to the Rogue’s Cunning Action). You also get Unarmored Movement, a 10 foot speed buff while you aren’t wearing armor. This will work with your Unarmored Defense or with Mage Armor depending on which route you’ve taken. It also stacks with the speed buff from Bladesong, but it’s hard to say how often having a 50 foot base speed will help you. Third level dip gets you Deflect Missiles, which may have its situational uses, but will scale poorly without additional Monk levels. You also gain the first feature of a Monastic Tradition. Way of the Open Hand will grant you some enemy control features which may suit your combat style well. Way of the Shadow grants spells that really aren’t the Bladesingers style, and partially overlap with the Wizard spell list anyways. The Way of the Four Elements just seems weak for a Wizard main. Fourth level dip gets you your ASI back. And Slow Fall… but we have Feather Fall...
Paladin If you're here, it's for Divine Smite, a powerful synergizing ability with a full spellcasting gish build. If you were a mere striker before, you’re a full on NOVA build now. You’re going to burn all those plentiful Wizard spell slots on smiting your DPR to the stars. Since you’re simply burning these slots with a new mechanic, your spell selection won’t deviate very much at all from this guide. Be warned though that you're up against the worst case of MAD in the game. Str and Cha are the ubiquitous Wizard dump stats, and you need a 13 in both. This is going to hurt your underlying stat block a lot. You’re still heavily dependent on Dex for defense and initiative, so building for Str isn’t really an option. The Cha might have helped an illusionist, but that’s specifically not what we’re here for, and 13 probably won’t even make you the party speaker (although it might make a few paladin spells viable). Another way of competing with the MADness is abandoning Int, and avoiding save dependent spells. This is a very different playstyle. A second dip for TWF might be worth it, as you can use Divine Smite with every weapon attack you land, and the whole point of this build is maximizing your NOVA potential. The single round damage potential of this build is ludicrous, despite all its other drawbacks, thus its rating. First level dip gets you Divine Sense (yawn…) and Lay on Hands (scales with Paladin Level). This sucks. You just have to push through. Second level dip gets you Paladin spellcasting, a fighting style, and Divine Smite! This totally makes up for the first level of Paladin contributing nothing to the Bladesinger. Compelling spell choices include Bless, Heroism (early on), Compelled Duel, Shield of Faith, Thunderous Smite, and Wrathful Smite. Note that spells requiring saves will be Charisma based, which makes the incredible Smite spells slightly less incredible in your hands (although you’ll have at least a 13 Cha from the multiclass requirement). For Fighting Style you’ll probably be looking at dueling to boost boost your overall damage (although defense is a valid choice to keep raising your AC). Divine Smite is the reason you’re here, and will add a devastating amount of single target damage to your combat. Third level dip gets you Divine Health (should have quit while you were ahead), and a Sacred Oath. Devotion comes with boring oath spells, but Sacred Weapon can be useful if you are good at anticipating combat (and somewhat recovers from you MAD deficits). Ancients isn't going to do us much good since Nature’s Wrath will be a Cha save, and Turn the Faithless is so situational. Vengeance! Vow of Enmity is awesome! Really pushes you into your single target nova striker role. It also gives you access to Bane and Hunter’s Mark, the latter of which is particularly spectacular. Neither Crown nor Oathbreaker are going to match our style very well either. Fourth level dip gets you your ASI back.
Ranger Ranger is an odd prospect for the Bladesinger. The first level is more or less useless (and starting in Ranger doesn’t even grant you the benefit of Con save proficiency). The second level Gives you access to Two-Weapon Fighting and Hunter’s Mark, a combination not available in any other class. However Fighter is a quicker way to Two-Weapon Fighting, and Paladin provides a lot more alongside Hunter’s Mark for a two level dip. First level dip gets you Favored Enemy (way too situational) and Natural Explorer (sigh…). It’s not a good feature set for any class. Second level dip gets you a Fighting Style with most of the relevant options available. Two-Weapon Fighting, Dueling, and Defense are all viable options depending on your build. You also unlock Ranger spellcasting. Hunter’s Mark is the key draw here, giving you an easy single target damage buff. Goodberries might also be helpful depending on your party. If the Ranger with no spells variant is available, you could get combat maneuvers here instead of Ranger spells. While Hunter’s Mark is definitely valuable, you’ll probably enjoy the incorporation of maneuvers into your melee playstyle more. Note that this is one level less dipping than Battle Master to unlock maneuvers (and still getting your fighting style). Third level dip gets you Primeval Awareness, a helpful out of combat scouting tool. It also grants access to a Ranger Archetype. Hunter gives you a few interesting options. Colossus Slayer, granting increasing damage on subsequent attacks, will be helpful in our intended role as striker, as you’ll likely be focussing damage on key targets. Horde Breaker however, is probably the better choice. In the right scenarios, this is a free action bonus attack. This works very well with our build, but try to avoid fighting actual “hordes” of enemies. Beast Master will grant you a new friend in Ranger’s Companion. Unfortunately, you animal companion is quite weak, and won’t scale with level unless you’re taking Ranger levels. Fourth level dip gets you your ASI back.
Rogue Rogue makes an acceptable multiclass option for the first two levels, but if you’re sinking levels into it, you should probably be aiming for Swashbuckler 3. Fancy Footwork just works so well with the Bladesinger combat style. First level dip gets you Expertise (a welcome buff no matter how you want to use it), Sneak Attack (a decent damage buff, although it scales with Rogue level) and Thieves’ Cant (dull…). Second level dip gets you cunning action, the highlight of which is the BA disengage, granting you the ability to escape melee combat, attack of opportunity free.
Third level dip upgrades your Sneak Attack damage, and grants access to a Roguish Archetype. The Thief is granted some out of combat flavor features… not what we’re here for. Mastermind gets a flavor feature and a BA help action (we have so many better uses for our BA) Arcane Trickster is just a weaker version of taking another Wizard level. Swashbuckler on the other hand, synergizes beautifully with our intended goals. Fancy Footwork essentially allows free disengages against any target you’ve made an attack against, hit or miss. This means that as long as you divide your multiple attacks up correctly, positioning amongst your enemies should rarely be a concern. Rakish Audacity also grants you +Cha to initiative (unlikely to help) and sneak attack damage when only your target is in range of you (will probably be a bit of free damage occasionally). Fourth level dip gets you your ASI back.
Sorcerer If you’re here, it’s for Metamagic… let’s dig in. Note, starting in Sorcerer gives you the excellent Con save proficiency. First level dip gets you Sorcerer spellcasting and Sorcerous Origin. The spellcasting will keep you maxed on spell slots, and grant you many extra cantrips, but you’ll still be behind on level of spells you have access to. You’ll also only have access to one new spell, Enhance Ability, which won’t likely interest you. You do however, now permanently know some spells without having to prepare them. Save your “always prepared” spells for these “known” slots. While you could look at Wild Magic if you’re feeling silly, Draconic Bloodline offers much more reliability. An extra hit point per sorcerer level, and the equivalent AC to mage armor without having to expend a spell slot for it. That AC will be the best you can get unless you find +2 or +3 Studded Leather armor. Second level dip gets you Font of Magic; sorcery points you’ll be most interested in next level, and flexible casting which will offer you just as much flexibility in your Wizard levels as your Sorcerer levels. A nice trick to be sure, but on its own probably not worth a dip. Third level dip gives you access to second level sorcerer spells, but we’re all here for the Metamagic. Heightened Spell, and Quicken Spell are obvious choices, but also look at Twinned Spell for sharing your buffs (double Haste anyone?), Subtle Spell (if your DM likes Counterspell), and Distant Spell as an alternative for the Spell Sniper feat (10 foot SCAG cantrips). Fourth level dip gets you your ASI back, and another known spell.
Warlock A number of Wizards consider this dip, particularly Abjurers for a bit of cheese. As the only spellcasting class with a unique progression system, you will not gain high level spell slots during your time dipping Warlock. Keep that in mind when considering this. I can’t see anything beyond first level being worth the investment of levels.
First level dip grants you Warlock spellcasting. This includes cantrips and spells known, with unique Warlock spell slots. You can use non/Warlock spell slots to cast non/Warlock spells, but they do not progress together. Eldritch blast will be a decent cantrip pickup as your sole ranged damage cantrip. Armor of Agathys is an interesting pickup, granting you a few temporary hit points and a little retribution damage in melee (also no concentration and lasts an hour). Hellish rebuke may be on some Bladesingers lists, but you should only be using it when you can’t use other reactions (Shield, Absorb Elements, Song of Defense) to reduce/negate the incoming damage. Hex is a must-have Hunter’s Mark equivalent that will give you a single target damage buff (available a level sooner than Hunter’s Mark). You also get access to an Otherworldly Patron. The expanded spell lists here won’t present anything interesting for a Wizard, and honestly all of the first level features are pretty underwhelming for a Bladesinger as well. Second level dip gets you Eldritch Invocations. Armor of Shadows is useful to get that base 13 AC Bladesingers are striving for. Devil’s Sight is helpful if you’re playing a Human. Eldritch Sight is unlimited detect magic freeing up one of your popular Wizard spells. Thief of Five Fates could work in some situations, if just for shoring up your “defenses”. Honestly this is all a bit weak sauce for a Bladesinger. Third level dip gives you second level Warlock spells (lame), and a Pact Boon. Pact of the Chain grants you a familiar (which can be a dragon!) with a small buff, but you’re probably better off using the Owl tactic anyways. Pact of the Blade could help if your DM likes taking away your weapons in jail cells or at social events. Pact of the Tome is likely underpowered at this point having both Wizard and Warlock starting cantrips. Fourth level dip gets you your ASI back.
Bladesinger as a dip Bladesong is a powerful ability available with only two levels of bladesinger. This makes it a very attractive dip to any build that already fits within its restrictions; Dex based, Int heavy, light armor builds, etc… let's look at how dipping bladesinger aids each class. The Wizard Cantrip and first level spell list are packed with utility. No matter what class you pair it with, you’ll find plenty of spells that synergize. So I don’t have to repeat myself a lot in this section, let’s revisit the constraints of the Bladesong here: No Medium or Heavy Armor, No Shields, No Two-Handed Weapons. Turns out this section is totally intuitive… and therefore there aren’t many deeply insightful points below.
Barbarian Obviously red for a typical Str based Barbarian, as you’re denied your best weapons and becoming quite MAD. However, since you’re not focusing on spells, if you can build a Dex based Barbarian, the synergy is excellent. With Bladesong and Unarmored Defense you can have potentially the highest AC in the game (25 with maxed Dex, Con, and Int). A very tanky build, but you may have to dip for Two-Weapon Fighting to achieve solid damage. Still pretty MAD as you need 13 Str to multiclass, and Dex, Con, and Int are all critical.
Bard Bladesinger seems like a good dip no matter how you’re building your Bard (Unless you’re building a Str based Valor Bard… Why are you doing that?). If you’re building a support focussed Bard, the Bladesong will benefit you just as it does the traditional wizard build, and the extensive spell list should bring some excellent utility to your spellcasting. If you’re building a more combat oriented Bard, Bladesong is amazing. The Light Armor and Rapier proficiencies synergize amazingly. If you take this dip early, it will also bump up the level of your Magical Secret spells, which could be interesting.
Cleric Cleric can be built so many ways, it’s silly for me to tag a rating onto the class as a whole. Many Clerics rely on Medium or Heavy Armor to be tanky frontliners, and Str builds for melee damage. Obviously these don’t want a Bladesinger dip. If you are building a Dex based Cleric, who can be satisfied with Light Armor, than Bladesinger might work for you. However, you’re still delaying your Cleric spellcasting, and giving up armor based AC for Int based AC (a tad MAD…).
Druid Bladesinging Bears! Amiright? All kidding aside, I don’t see any RAW that prevent Bladesong and Wild Shape from stacking. Since your Wild Shape form retains your Int, this is a serious AC buff to your animal forms. The concentration buff will also help you maintain spells cast before you wildshaped (try stacking with Warcaster!). Since Druids are really only dependent on Wis, the Int requirement doesn’t even hurt much. If you’re playing Circle of The Land (do people do that?) I’m not digging the synergy. Bladesong will help you like it does the traditional wizard build, but you’ll be delaying your Druid spellcasting, which I think is the point of Land Druids.
Fighter Bladesong will make a great dip for a Dex based melee fighter or a ranged fighter. Obviously you’ll be giving up your higher AC armor, but you can dump Str in exchange to boost other stats. There’s also some synergy to be had building Eldritch Knight for War Magic. There’s been some talk that the Bladesinger dip for Eldritch Knights is one of the strongest
implementations of the Bladesinger class… I’ve done some thinking and math (later) and I don’t think it’s a particularly spectacular combo.
Monk You’ll slow down your core Monk progression, but the Bladesong restrictions and benefits totally match the Monk build style. You’ll have ridiculous movement speed, and access to very high AC with Unarmored Defense.
Paladin Super MAD dip. The benefits don’t really seem to jive with the Paladin playstyle either. It’s hard to build a Dex Paladin, and without being able to increase Int, you won’t see the benefits of Bladesong.
Ranger A great dip for Dex based Archery or Two-Weapon Fighting Rangers. You also don’t feel like you’re giving up Heavy Armor like the Fighters. You’re going to feel a little MAD, as you’ll probably want Wis for your spellcasting, and Int for the Bladesong. With that in mind, the Ranger with no Spells variant might work delightfully with a Bladesinger dip, since you can more easily get a good Int without worrying about Wis. The combat focus also makes more sense with Bladesong than Ranger spellcasting.
Rogue Another Dex based striker class. Bladesong works well here, and Sneak Attack’s once-per-turn mechanic works really well with the new Cantrips in terms of action economy. Arcane Trickster will take advantage of all that Int you’re building up. The underpowered Rogue capstone seems eminently worth giving up for the kind of combat prowess you’ll gain from Bladesong.
Sorcerer I don’t see any synergy… Sure the defense buffs would benefit a sorcerer as much as a traditional wizard, but you aren’t building Int by default, so it just seems too far off the beaten path.
Warlock There’s some possibilities here with Dex based Pact of the Blade Warlock, but you’re adding an Int requirement to the build. Fortunately the build is already best played Dex based and with Two-Weapon Fighting.
Bladesinger as one of many The bladesong ability is at the core of the bladesinger playstyle, and synergizes well with many other classes, builds, and combat roles. Bladesong also scales with your ability scores rather than level, making it a strong tool in any situation at any level. Rather than picking just one other character concept to tag it onto, some have suggested mixing it with many similarly versatile features. Sometimes these are Bladesinger focused builds with multiple dips, other times we just need a two level Bladesinger dip for Bladesong to make it work. Here are a few I've seen suggested by others as well as some I came up with while writing this guide. I’m including levels in the titles to indicate the suggested distribution, but most of these have lots of wiggle room to play with.
Bladesinger X / Swashbuckler 3-4 / BattleMaster 3-4 The idea here is to mix the defensive ability and speed of the bladesong with the free movement from the swashbuckler and combat manipulation of the battlemaster. The Bladesinger levels let you focus on spellcasting. Push Swashbuckler and Battlemaster to level 4 for the ASI’s
Bladesinger 2 / Swashbuckler 3-4 / BattleMaster X As above, but with a focus on melee combat and maneuvers rather than spellcasting.
Bladesinger X / Paladin 2-4 / Ranger 3-4 The Multi-Smite build. Ranger for Two Weapon Fighting and Horde Breaker, Paladin for Divine Smite, and many levels of Bladesinger for the spell slots to burn smiting on your many attacks. Haste should allow for up to five attacks in a turn (with Horde Breaker), each with Divine Smite, or a SCAG cantrip and up to three attacks, each with Divine Smite. Note that even without Haste, Divine Smite can be used within the SCAG cantrips. Consider the spell-less ranger for maneuvers (precision strike for extra smite assurance). Minimize Paladin and Ranger levels to obtain maximum spell slots for smiting. Take them higher for Vow of Vengeance and ASI’s.
Bladesinger X / Paladin 2-4 / Fighter 1-4 Another Multi-Smite build, Fighter being a little more well-rounded than Ranger, but lacking Horde Breaker. Fighter for Two Weapon Fighting, Paladin for Divine Smite, and many levels of Bladesinger for the spell slots to burn smiting on your many attacks. Haste should allow for four attacks in a turn, each with Divine Smite, or a SCAG cantrip and two attacks, each with Divine Smite. Note that even without Haste, Divine Smite can be used within the SCAG cantrips. Minimize Paladin and Fighter levels to obtain maximum spell slots for smiting. Take them higher for Vow of Vengeance, Action Surge, Maneuvers, and ASI’s.
Bladesinger X / Paladin 2-4 / Cleric 2 The Guided Smite build. An interesting use for the War Domain’s Guided Strike feature. Guarantee(ish) that Smite lands when you need it most. Perhaps not very dependent on the Bladesinger levels, but interesting nonetheless. Could also combine this Guided element with any other Smite build. Keep Paladin levels down for more smite slots, or high for Vow of Vengeance and an ASI.
Bladesinger 5-8 / Paladin 3-4 / Fighter 3-4 / Cleric 1 / Swashbuckler 3-4 / Druid 2 Who needs high level class features when you have all the low level class features? BladeSong for defense buff, Mirror Image for defense buff, Haste for damage buff, Divine Smite for damage buff, Vow of Enmity for attack buff, Hunter’s Mark for damage buff, Two Weapon Fighting Style for attack buff, Action Surge for game breaking, Maneuvers for combat versatility, Guided strike for guaranteed novas, Sneak Attack for damage buff, Cunning Action for movement buff, Fancy Footwork for movement buff, Wild Shape for temp HP and escape… was that everything? If you take the high end of the level ranges, you've reached 20. Otherwise you have three more levels for more bladesinger… or maybe meta magic?
Bladesinger Math Let’s do some math! Most of this I’ve already posted in forums somewhere. Some of it is my own version of other’s analysis. Where appropriate, I will present math done for each of the major builds I’ve suggested in the guide. Obviously each player will probably switch around exactly where they take feats / ASIs / multiclass-levels etc… but this should give you a decent sense for the scaling and best practices for each style of build. To play around with the numbers yourself, here is the Google Spreadsheet I used to generate the data. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MtD5SyhUaScm78JLWFeqLB2RSulK05kdYaBSja bIT7Y/edit?usp=sharing I’ve tried to use copious amounts of brackets in the equations to make them easier to understand. The document is read-only, so you’ll need to copy the tables to your own spreadsheet to edit them. The first sheet, titled “Automated” contains completely reactive formulas. Adjust column B (using “EK” and “BS” to specify which class you’re taking that level), column C (using “Dex”, “Int”, “WC”, or “DW” to indicate what feat/ASI you’re taking), and cells F2 and G2 (to indicate your first level Dex and Int mods), and the rest of the table will complete automatically. Assumptions built into the table are listed below.
The following acronyms may be used in this section or in the linked spreadsheet: ● EA - Extra Attack (Binary) ● SV - Song of Victory (Binary) ● DW - Dual Wielding (Binary) ● DL - Dueling (Binary) ● TWF - Two Weapon Fighting Style (Binary) ● WD - base Weapon Damage (average) ● SL - max Spell Level ● CP - Cantrip Power ● Lvl - Character Level ● Cls - Character Class ● Bmp - Bump (Feat or ASI) ● EK - Eldritch Knight ● BS - Bladesinger ● DW - Dual Wielder ● MB - Mobile ● WC - Warcaster ● TWF - Two-Weapon Fighting ● FA - Full Attack Action ● GF - Green-Flame Blade ● BB - Booming Blade ● H - Haste In this section (and the spreadsheet) I use the following assumptions ● Your melee weapon is a rapier if you’re single wielding or two shortswords if you’re dual wielding. ○ You’re dual wielding if you’ve had only Fighter levels, or if you’ve taken Bladesinger levels and also picked up Warcaster (otherwise you couldn’t cast many spells). ○ You switch to dual wielding Rapier if you pick up the Dual Wielder Feat (make sure you have proficiency, I haven’t built in the use case for a pure Bladesinger who later picks up Dual Wielder but doesn’t have proficiency). ○ Yes the Spreadsheet figures out all of this out automatically. ■ No it was not easy. ● Your ranged weapon is a longbow. ○ If you have proficiency (Fighters/Elves) ○ I will assume an Elven race in the Other Race section. If you’re playing something other than an Elf, remember you don’t have Longbow Proficiency. ○ The table determines a race estimate from the presence of a first level feat. If you’re playing a human, but taking a non-damage-impacting feat at level 1, include a “?” in the bump column to clear the Longbow columns. ● Priority of Feats/ASIs is ○ Warcaster > Dexterity >Intelligence>Dual Wielder
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I’m excluding other feats from consideration as they won’t impact the damage stats, and that’s all these tables reflect. Feel free to add Mobile or Resilience to the table and shift the ASI’s appropriately. It won’t break anything. ○ Taking Dual Wielder does give a slight damage boost, but without the other benefits that Dex or Int bumps yield. Taking it late game is an option, but you’ll probably be basing this choice on the availability of particular magic weapons, not pre-planning it. ○ Note that Warcaster has a spellcasting prerequisite, so a Variant Human starting with a level in Fighter can not pick it up at level 1. ○ Note that INT benefits GFB more than BB, so this prioritization will make GFB look worse than BB at high levels if both stats haven’t reached 20. ASI Bumps are put into the same stat. ○ If you are splitting an ASI between Dex and Int (maybe you started with a 17 and 16, and picked up Resilient (Dex)?) entering “DexInt” on the table will bump the modifier for both. Your Fighter subclass will be Eldritch Knight. This is not the prefered subclass in my opinion, but the spell levels will have some small effect on this table, while the maneuvers from Battle Master would not. You’re Bladesong is on for all calculations.
At-Will Damage Options Let’s take a look at what your default go-to should be at each level. When you run into melee combat you have several at-will options; a Full Attack Action utilizing your Extra Attack, Green-Flame Blade, and Booming Blade. When you’re at range (why are you at range?) you will either be using a Longbow (if you have proficiency) or a ranged cantrip (likely Fire Bolt) Haste also complicates the choice. Obviously Haste is only one of many buffs, but it one that is critical to the Dual Wielder build, and so I am going to look at it for all cases. The below tables highlight (in bold) the highest damage attack option at each level. Now remember that each of your attack options are situational: ● A Full Attack Action will allow you to distribute damage in a more controlled manner. As you will roll to hit for every attack, you are more likely to hit some, and miss some, doing moderate damage on average. This is in contrast with the SCAG cantrips, where you clump more of your damage (approximately two attacks worth) into one attack roll. Over the long term the to-hit chance will be the same as a regular attack, but there’s more risk of doing zero damage. If you need just a little more damage to finish off a high AC target, more attack rolls is better. ○ Dual Wielders - The above is now extra true. As well, depending on the build, at several levels your damage output is straight up higher without the SCAG cantrips, due to the cantrips preventing your off-hand attack. Haste remedies this problem by giving you a Haste Attack Action to trigger your off-hand attack.
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Green-Flame Blade is great when you have two adjacent targets. As well, you can attack an easy-to-hit target, and let the bonus damage auto-hit a hard-to-hit target. Remember you’re clumping more damage into a single attack roll. Good if you have a strong attack buff from somewhere, bad if you need more consistent damage output. Booming Blade offers lock-down potential, and requires movement to proc the extra damage. If you have a way to guarantee the movement, it’s damage is very high. This is also a great Opportunity Attack Cantrip (with Warcaster) for potentially interrupting movement.
Where more than one of these options is viable, these tables will help you make the choice of which should deal the most damage on average.
Variant Human Playing a Variant Human Bladesinger requires its own set of consideration. The feat you get at level one will advance your Feat/ASI progression considerably. Depending on how you’re building, this can have different implications.
Pure Bladesinger Building Bladesinger 20 is definitely viable. Your variant human feat is very flexible and, given that you probably only need one or two feats in this build, will probably allow you to put your first four ASI’s into maxing Dex and Int. Single Rapier This build allows you to take any feat you want at level one (probably Mobile, Warcaster [without choosing to dual wield] or Resilient [Con could get you three 16’s at level one]). It also grants you enough room to max Dex and Int while still picking up a second feat (which I’ve assumed you’ve done last, for damage arguments). Lvl
Cls 1 BS
Bmp
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
LB
FB
H LB
H FB
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
0
5.5
0
0
2 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
0
5.5
0
0
3 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
0
5.5
0
0
8.5
11.5
13
0
0
0
0
5.5
0
0
5 BS
8.5
20.5
22
17
29
30.5
0
11
0
19.5
6 BS
17
20.5
22
25.5
29
30.5
0
11
0
19.5
7 BS
17
20.5
22
25.5
29
30.5
0
11
0
19.5
19
21.5
23
28.5
31
32.5
0
11
0
20.5
9 BS
19
21.5
23
28.5
31
32.5
0
11
0
20.5
10 BS
19
21.5
23
28.5
31
32.5
0
11
0
20.5
11 BS
19
30.5
32
28.5
40
41.5
0
16.5
0
26
19
30.5
32
28.5
40
41.5
0
16.5
0
26
19
31.5
32
28.5
41
41.5
0
16.5
0
26
4 BS
8 BS
12 BS 13 BS
?
FA
Dex
Dex
Int
14 BS
27
35.5
36
40.5
49
49.5
0
16.5
0
26
15 BS
27
35.5
36
40.5
49
49.5
0
16.5
0
26
27
35.5
36
40.5
49
49.5
0
16.5
0
26
17 BS
29
46.5
46
43.5
61
60.5
0
22
0
31.5
18 BS
29
46.5
46
43.5
61
60.5
0
22
0
31.5
29
46.5
46
43.5
61
60.5
0
22
0
31.5
29
46.5
46
43.5
61
60.5
0
22
0
31.5
16 BS
19 BS
Int
?
20 BS
Dual Wielding Warcaster is a great feat for any melee Bladesinger. And if you’ve bothered picking it up, turns out you might as well carry two swords around for when you don’t have an alternate use for your BA. Compare the numbers to the previous table. There is a 1 point drop in damage for the SCAG cantrips due to the weapon difference. This is offset by increased Full Attack damage, and increased damage across the board when Haste is involved. If you plan on taking Warcaster, but don’t want to dual wield for whatever reason, look at the last table for numbers. Lvl
Cls 1 BS
Bmp
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
LB
FB
H LB
H FB
10
9.5
11
0
0
0
0
5.5
0
0
2 BS
10
9.5
11
0
0
0
0
5.5
0
0
3 BS
10
9.5
11
0
0
0
0
5.5
0
0
11
10.5
12
0
0
0
0
5.5
0
0
5 BS
11
19.5
21
18.5
30.5
32
0
11
0
19.5
6 BS
18.5
19.5
21
26
30.5
32
0
11
0
19.5
7 BS
18.5
19.5
21
26
30.5
32
0
11
0
19.5
20.5
20.5
22
29
32.5
34
0
11
0
20.5
9 BS
20.5
20.5
22
29
32.5
34
0
11
0
20.5
10 BS
20.5
20.5
22
29
32.5
34
0
11
0
20.5
11 BS
20.5
29.5
31
29
41.5
43
0
16.5
0
26
20.5
29.5
31
29
41.5
43
0
16.5
0
26
13 BS
20.5
30.5
31
29
42.5
43
0
16.5
0
26
14 BS
32.5
34.5
35
45
54.5
55
0
16.5
0
26
15 BS
32.5
34.5
35
45
54.5
55
0
16.5
0
26
32.5
34.5
35
45
54.5
55
0
16.5
0
26
17 BS
35.5
45.5
45
49
67.5
67
0
22
0
31.5
18 BS
35.5
45.5
45
49
67.5
67
0
22
0
31.5
38.5
46.5
46
53
70.5
70
0
22
0
31.5
38.5
46.5
46
53
70.5
70
0
22
0
31.5
4 BS
8 BS
12 BS
16 BS
19 BS 20 BS
WC
FA
Dex
Dex
Int
Int
DW
Fighter Dip As mentioned in the multiclass section, Fighter is a strong dip for the Bladesinger, particularly at level one when Con Save proficiency, starting HP, and Weapon proficiencies are on the table. Single Rapier Dipping for Fighter at first level is still a great idea even if you aren’t going the dual wielding route. Picking up the Dueling Fighting Style will give you a flat damage bump across the board compared to the Pure Bladesinger. And the starting HP, Con Saves, and proficiencies aren’t any less awesome with a single weapon. Between the Variant Human Feat, and your last ASI, you have room for two feats of your choice here. Lvl
Cls 1 EK
Bmp
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
LB
FB
H LB
H FB
9.5
0
0
0
0
0
7.5
0
0
0
2 BS
9.5
12.5
14
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
3 BS
9.5
12.5
14
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
4 BS
9.5
12.5
14
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
10.5
22.5
24
0
0
0
8.5
11
0
0
6 BS
10.5
22.5
24
21
33
34.5
8.5
11
17
19.5
7 BS
21
22.5
24
31.5
33
34.5
17
11
25.5
19.5
8 BS
21
22.5
24
31.5
33
34.5
17
11
25.5
19.5
23
23.5
25
34.5
35
36.5
19
11
28.5
20.5
10 BS
23
23.5
25
34.5
35
36.5
19
11
28.5
20.5
11 BS
23
32.5
34
34.5
44
45.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
12 BS
23
32.5
34
34.5
44
45.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
23
33.5
34
34.5
45
45.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
14 BS
23
33.5
34
34.5
45
45.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
15 BS
31
37.5
38
46.5
53
53.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
16 BS
31
37.5
38
46.5
53
53.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
33
48.5
48
49.5
65
64.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
18 BS
33
48.5
48
49.5
65
64.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
19 BS
33
48.5
48
49.5
65
64.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
33
48.5
48
49.5
65
64.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
5 BS
9 BS
13 BS
17 BS
20 BS
?
FA
Dex
Dex
Int
Int
?
Dual Wielding This build allows the highest possible DPR by combining Dual Wielding, the Two Weapon Fighting Style, Haste, and the SCAG Cantrips. I’m going to present two tables here, as by combining Variant Human and Fighter 1, you cannot pick up Warcaster at level 1. In the first table, we instead pick up Dual Wielder at level 1, and delay Warcaster to level 5. If you want to pick up something else at level 1, you can try playing around with the spreadsheet (this build with Mobile at level 1 is very fun, with only a small damage loss). The table assumes
you dual wield at level 1, and after you pick up Warcaster at level 5. If you can swing the right weapon interactions to wade into combat with two weapons at the levels in between, go for it. Lvl
Cls 1 EK
Bmp
FA
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
LB
FB
H LB
H FB
15
0
0
0
0
0
7.5
0
0
0
2 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
3 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
4 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
15
19.5
21
0
0
0
7.5
11
0
0
15
19.5
21
22.5
34.5
36
7.5
11
15
18.5
5 BS
DW
GF
WC
6 BS 7 BS
22.5
19.5
21
30
34.5
36
15
11
22.5
18.5
8 BS
22.5
19.5
21
30
34.5
36
15
11
22.5
18.5
25.5
20.5
22
34
37.5
39
17
11
25.5
19.5
10 BS
25.5
20.5
22
34
37.5
39
17
11
25.5
19.5
11 BS
25.5
29.5
31
34
46.5
48
17
16.5
25.5
25
12 BS
25.5
29.5
31
34
46.5
48
17
16.5
25.5
25
28.5
30.5
32
38
49.5
51
19
16.5
28.5
26
14 BS
28.5
30.5
32
38
49.5
51
19
16.5
28.5
26
15 BS
37.5
33.5
35
50
58.5
60
19
16.5
28.5
26
16 BS
37.5
33.5
35
50
58.5
60
19
16.5
28.5
26
40.5
44.5
45
54
71.5
72
19
22
28.5
31.5
18 BS
40.5
44.5
45
54
71.5
72
19
22
28.5
31.5
19 BS
40.5
44.5
45
54
71.5
72
19
22
28.5
31.5
43.5
46.5
46
58
75.5
75
19
22
28.5
31.5
9 BS
13 BS
17 BS
20 BS
Dex
Dex
Int
Int
In this second table, we will instead delay our Fighter dip to level 2. This allows us to pick up Warcaster at level 1 and accelerate our ASI’s, and gives your Full Attack damage a solid boost in your first few levels. However, we lose the Con Save proficiency and HP bump from Fighter 1. Lvl
Cls 1 BS
Bmp
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
LB
FB
H LB
H FB
10
9.5
11
0
0
0
0
5.5
0
0
2 EK
13
9.5
11
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
3 BS
13
9.5
11
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
4 BS
13
9.5
11
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
15
19.5
21
0
0
0
8.5
11
0
0
15
19.5
21
22.5
34.5
36
8.5
11
17
19.5
5 BS 6 BS
WC
FA
Dex
7 BS
22.5
19.5
21
30
34.5
36
17
11
25.5
19.5
8 BS
22.5
19.5
21
30
34.5
36
17
11
25.5
19.5
9 BS
25.5
20.5
22
34
37.5
39
19
11
28.5
20.5
10 BS
25.5
20.5
22
34
37.5
39
19
11
28.5
20.5
11 BS
25.5
29.5
31
34
46.5
48
19
16.5
28.5
26
12 BS
25.5
29.5
31
34
46.5
48
19
16.5
28.5
26
25.5
30.5
31
34
47.5
48
19
16.5
28.5
26
14 BS
25.5
30.5
31
34
47.5
48
19
16.5
28.5
26
15 BS
37.5
34.5
35
50
59.5
60
19
16.5
28.5
26
16 BS
37.5
34.5
35
50
59.5
60
19
16.5
28.5
26
40.5
45.5
45
54
72.5
72
19
22
28.5
31.5
18 BS
40.5
45.5
45
54
72.5
72
19
22
28.5
31.5
19 BS
40.5
45.5
45
54
72.5
72
19
22
28.5
31.5
43.5
46.5
46
58
75.5
75
19
22
28.5
31.5
13 BS
17 BS
20 BS
Dex
Int
Int
DW
Other Race The biggest difference here is the loss of a feat. This leaves us with a total of 5 feats/ASI’s. This will impact certain build more than others. I assume in this section that you have Longbow proficiency (since so many Bladesinger’s will be Elves) but if you’re playing something else, keep in mind you don’t actually have that option even though it’s on the table.
Pure Bladesinger No Fighter dip means less martial prowess, but without the variant human feat, this might be a safe way to play your Bladesinger with more flexibility for other feats. Single Rapier This is as classic and simple as the Bladesinger gets, and as such, will be the default build for many Bladesinger players. No multiclassing. No fancy dual wielding. No variant human feat. The damage here matches the variant human table with no fighter dip or dual wielding. The difference is that you’re not gaining feat versatility at level 1. But instead you’re gaining some set of class proficiencies, reflected here with the Longbow pickup. Lvl
Cls
Bmp
FA
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
LB
FB
H LB
H FB
1 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
2 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
3 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
8.5
11.5
13
0
0
0
8.5
5.5
0
0
5 BS
8.5
20.5
22
17
29
30.5
8.5
11
17
19.5
6 BS
17
20.5
22
25.5
29
30.5
17
11
25.5
19.5
7 BS
17
20.5
22
25.5
29
30.5
17
11
25.5
19.5
19
21.5
23
28.5
31
32.5
19
11
28.5
20.5
19
21.5
23
28.5
31
32.5
19
11
28.5
20.5
4 BS
8 BS 9 BS
Dex
Dex
10 BS
19
21.5
23
28.5
31
32.5
19
11
11 BS
19
30.5
32
28.5
40
41.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
19
31.5
32
28.5
41
41.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
13 BS
19
31.5
32
28.5
41
41.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
14 BS
27
35.5
36
40.5
49
49.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
15 BS
27
35.5
36
40.5
49
49.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
29
37.5
37
43.5
52
51.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
17 BS
29
46.5
46
43.5
61
60.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
18 BS
29
46.5
46
43.5
61
60.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
29
46.5
46
43.5
61
60.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
29
46.5
46
43.5
61
60.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
12 BS
16 BS
19 BS
Int
Int
?
20 BS
28.5
20.5
Dual Wielding Dual Wielding without variant human or Fighter means delaying Warcaster (and thus dual wielding) until level 4, and never getting the Two Weapon Fighting Style bonus. This pushes you ASI’s back, which means damage across the board is reduced slightly. Your Full Attack damage is slightly higher starting at level 12, but your SCAG cantrip damage goes down for all levels. With Haste up, you don’t see an advantage until level 12, but then gain DPR for Full Attacks and SCAG cantrips. Your Haste DPR is boosted several points at late levels, but not by a huge margin. There’s a good chance this path isn’t worth the early level hit for many players and campaigns. Lvl
Cls
Bmp
FA
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
LB
FB
H LB
H FB
1 BS
6.5
9.5
11
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
2 BS
6.5
9.5
11
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
3 BS
6.5
9.5
11
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
10
9.5
11
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
5 BS
10
18.5
20
16.5
28.5
30
7.5
11
15
18.5
6 BS
16.5
18.5
20
23
28.5
30
15
11
22.5
18.5
7 BS
16.5
18.5
20
23
28.5
30
15
11
22.5
18.5
18.5
19.5
21
26
30.5
32
17
11
25.5
19.5
9 BS
18.5
19.5
21
26
30.5
32
17
11
25.5
19.5
10 BS
18.5
19.5
21
26
30.5
32
17
11
25.5
19.5
11 BS
18.5
28.5
30
26
39.5
41
17
16.5
25.5
25
20.5
29.5
31
29
41.5
43
19
16.5
28.5
26
13 BS
20.5
29.5
31
29
41.5
43
19
16.5
28.5
26
14 BS
29.5
32.5
34
41
50.5
52
19
16.5
28.5
26
15 BS
29.5
32.5
34
41
50.5
52
19
16.5
28.5
26
32.5
34.5
35
45
54.5
55
19
16.5
28.5
26
32.5
43.5
44
45
63.5
64
19
22
28.5
31.5
4 BS
8 BS
12 BS
16 BS 17 BS
WC
Dex
Dex
Int
18 BS 19 BS
Int
20 BS
32.5
43.5
44
45
63.5
64
19
22
28.5
31.5
35.5
45.5
45
49
67.5
67
19
22
28.5
31.5
35.5
45.5
45
49
67.5
67
19
22
28.5
31.5
Fighter Dip I keep telling you Fighter dips are rarely a bad idea… I’m not going to change my mind here. Single Rapier Your Fighter dip grants Dueling, which give you some solid non-Haste damage. Lvl
Cls
Bmp
FA
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
LB
FB
H LB
H FB
1 EK
9.5
0
0
0
0
0
7.5
0
0
0
2 BS
9.5
12.5
14
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
3 BS
9.5
12.5
14
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
4 BS
9.5
12.5
14
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
10.5
22.5
24
0
0
0
8.5
11
0
0
6 BS
10.5
22.5
24
21
33
34.5
8.5
11
17
19.5
7 BS
21
22.5
24
31.5
33
34.5
17
11
25.5
19.5
8 BS
21
22.5
24
31.5
33
34.5
17
11
25.5
19.5
23
23.5
25
34.5
35
36.5
19
11
28.5
20.5
10 BS
23
23.5
25
34.5
35
36.5
19
11
28.5
20.5
11 BS
23
32.5
34
34.5
44
45.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
12 BS
23
32.5
34
34.5
44
45.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
23
33.5
34
34.5
45
45.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
14 BS
23
33.5
34
34.5
45
45.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
15 BS
31
37.5
38
46.5
53
53.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
16 BS
31
37.5
38
46.5
53
53.5
19
16.5
28.5
26
33
48.5
48
49.5
65
64.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
18 BS
33
48.5
48
49.5
65
64.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
19 BS
33
48.5
48
49.5
65
64.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
33
48.5
48
49.5
65
64.5
19
22
28.5
31.5
5 BS
9 BS
13 BS
17 BS
20 BS
Dex
Dex
Int
Int
?
Dual Wielding With no variant human feat, and a required feat to pull off dual wielding, this build leaves no room for extra feats. The damage however, is quite good with Haste since you’re also getting the Two Weapon Fighting Style. The lack of room for Dual Wielder is what leaves this slightly behind the variant human version. Lvl
Cls
Bmp
FA
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
LB
FB
H LB
H FB
1 EK
15
0
0
0
0
0
7.5
0
0
0
2 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
3 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
4 BS
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
7.5
5.5
0
0
13
18.5
20
0
0
0
7.5
11
0
0
6 BS
13
18.5
20
19.5
31.5
33
7.5
11
15
18.5
7 BS
19.5
18.5
20
26
31.5
33
15
11
22.5
18.5
8 BS
19.5
18.5
20
26
31.5
33
15
11
22.5
18.5
22.5
19.5
21
30
34.5
36
17
11
25.5
19.5
10 BS
22.5
19.5
21
30
34.5
36
17
11
25.5
19.5
11 BS
22.5
28.5
30
30
43.5
45
17
16.5
25.5
25
12 BS
22.5
28.5
30
30
43.5
45
17
16.5
25.5
25
25.5
29.5
31
34
46.5
48
19
16.5
28.5
26
14 BS
25.5
29.5
31
34
46.5
48
19
16.5
28.5
26
15 BS
34.5
32.5
34
46
55.5
57
19
16.5
28.5
26
16 BS
34.5
32.5
34
46
55.5
57
19
16.5
28.5
26
37.5
43.5
44
50
68.5
69
19
22
28.5
31.5
18 BS
37.5
43.5
44
50
68.5
69
19
22
28.5
31.5
19 BS
37.5
43.5
44
50
68.5
69
19
22
28.5
31.5
40.5
45.5
45
54
72.5
72
19
22
28.5
31.5
5 BS
9 BS
13 BS
17 BS
20 BS
WC
Dex
Dex
Int
Int
Eldritch Singer? There was some talk soon after the SCAG release that perhaps Bladesinger would be best utilized as a dip for the Eldritch Knight. The thought was that the poor synergy between Extra Attack and the SCAG cantrips was outclassed by the combination of the SCAG cantrips with War Magic. I disagreed, and used some math to argue my point in the forums. Here is an edited version of that post on why I’m not a fan of the Bladesinger as a dip for the Eldritch Knight. Here are some DPR maths I did for a few EK/BS combos. I’ve included AC/HP calculations here, as that is one of the major trade-offs involved in this comparison. If interested, the AC/HP for Alexander is representative of any of the Fighter Dips above, and only 4HP higher than the pure Bladesingers above.
Alexander First a Fighter 1 / Bladesinger 19, named Alexander. This Singer dipped Fighter at first level for TWF style, con saves, and some bonus HP. He takes dual wielder at 1 as a Variant Human, Warcaster at 4, and ASI’s the rest of his levels. He wears light armor, and let’s his Bladesong take care of the rest. He has two rapiers. As shown bolded, he alternates between standard two weapon attacks and green flame blade depending on level and number/toughness of baddies. Haste is his jam once he picks it up
and can use the haste attack to proc his TW attack. This in combo with his bonus Int to damage gives him melee DPR previously unknown to Wizardkind. He's one level shy of pure Wizard... so he has many spell slots to burn on Haste, shield, and other buff spells, while still maintaining decent battlefield control. Alexander feels like a sword swinging melee magic god. Lvl
Cls 1 EK
Bmp
HP
FA
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
16
12
15
0
0
0
0
0
2 BS
16
18
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
3 BS
19
24
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
4 BS
19
30
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
19
36
15
19.5
21
0
0
0
6 BS
19
42
15
19.5
21
22.5
34.5
36
7 BS
19
48
22.5
19.5
21
30
34.5
36
8 BS
19
54
22.5
19.5
21
30
34.5
36
20
60
25.5
20.5
22
34
37.5
39
10 BS
20
66
25.5
20.5
22
34
37.5
39
11 BS
20
72
25.5
29.5
31
34
46.5
48
12 BS
20
78
25.5
29.5
31
34
46.5
48
21
84
28.5
30.5
32
38
49.5
51
14 BS
21
90
28.5
30.5
32
38
49.5
51
15 BS
21
96
37.5
33.5
35
50
58.5
60
16 BS
21
102
37.5
33.5
35
50
58.5
60
22
108
40.5
44.5
45
54
71.5
72
18 BS
22
114
40.5
44.5
45
54
71.5
72
19 BS
22
120
40.5
44.5
45
54
71.5
72
23
126
43.5
46.5
46
58
75.5
75
5 BS
9 BS
13 BS
17 BS
20 BS
DW
AC
WC
Dex
Dex
Int
Int
Brutus Next, a pure EK, named Brutus. He takes great weapon master at 1, warcaster at 4, and loads up on ASI's later. He wears Plate, and is a greatsword user, because he's all about DPR. Once he gets green flame blade and/or booming blade he rarely looks back. Great weapon master is always an option. He can't cast a tonne of spells... But he's mostly here to abuse the new cantrips in a move for DPR king. I’ve included average damage calculations for GWM for Brutus instead of BB. This ignores accuracy, but is here to illustrate damage caps. Brutus feels like an arcane engine of pure annihilation.
GF
Cls
Bmp
1
EK
GWM
2
Lvl
AC
FA
HP
GF
GWM
GWM
H FA
H GF
H GWM
H GF GWM
18
12
11
21
EK
18
20
11
21
3
EK
18
28
11
14
21
24
4
EK
18
36
11
14
21
24
5
EK
18
44
22
23
42
33
6
EK
18
52
24
24
44
34
7
EK
18
60
24
36
44
56
8
EK
18
68
26
38
46
58
9
EK
18
76
26
38
46
58
10
EK
18
84
26
39
46
59
11
EK
18
92
39
48
69
68
12
EK
18
100
39
49
69
69
13
EK
18
108
39
49
69
69
14
EK
18
130
39
49
69
69
52
62
92
92
15
EK
18
139
39
49
69
69
52
62
92
92
16
EK
18
164
39
49
69
69
52
62
92
92
17
EK
18
174
39
58
69
78
52
71
92
101
18
EK
18
202
39
58
69
78
52
71
92
101
19
EK
18
213
39
58
69
78
52
71
92
101
20
EK
18
224
52
58
92
78
65
71
115
101
WC
STR
STR
INT
INT
Con
Con
Con
?
George Finally, here's our EK 18 / BS 2, named George. He dipped BS after his first fighter level. He did this because TWF seemed impractical without the new cantrips, but he loved how cool he looked with double rapiers. He did this because adding Int to his AC seemed like a better long-term plan than stumbling across magical armor. He did this to get spells like Haste just a little bit sooner. He wears light armor and let’s hid Bladesong take care of the rest. He also uses two rapiers. His EK levels eventually give him a bonus attack when he uses the new cantrips, which is cool. He doesn't get haste for a while, but it's fun when he does. He only gets one more attack with haste, since his EK bonus attack uses the BA that TWF needs. He has a few more spells than the pure EK, but not many, and he never reaches high level spells. George feels sad when he sees Alexander output similar DPR to him, but way more spells. George feels sad when he sees Brutus output way more DPR than him, and similar spells. George has better AC than Brutus, and better HP than Alexander, but he just isn't feeling great about himself. George spends a lot of time in therapy.
Lvl
Cls 1 EK
Bmp
HP
FA
GF
BB
H FA
H GF
H BB
16
12
15
0
0
0
0
0
2 BS
15
18
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
3 BS
18
24
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
4 EK
18
32
7.5
10.5
12
0
0
0
5 EK
18
40
7.5
19.5
21
0
0
0
19
48
15
19.5
21
0
0
0
19
56
22.5
19.5
21
0
0
0
20
64
25.5
20.5
22
0
0
0
20
72
25.5
20.5
22
0
0
0
21
80
28.5
21.5
23
0
0
0
11 EK
21
88
28.5
30.5
32
38
49.5
51
12 EK
21
96
28.5
30.5
32
38
49.5
51
13 EK
21
104
38
30.5
32
47.5
49.5
51
22
112
38
31.5
32
47.5
50.5
51
22
120
38
31.5
32
47.5
50.5
51
23
128
38
32.5
32
47.5
51.5
51
23
136
38
41.5
41
47.5
60.5
60
23
162
38
41.5
41
47.5
60.5
60
23
171
38
41.5
41
47.5
60.5
60
23
200
38
41.5
41
47.5
60.5
60
6 EK
DW
AC
WC
7 EK 8 EK
Dex
9 EK 10 EK
14 EK
Dex
Int
15 EK 16 EK
Int
17 EK 18 EK
Con
19 EK 20 EK
Con
My feelings are hinted at above... but I guess I just don't see the reason you'd land in the middle with George. Alexander is doing more DPR once he has Haste, and has virtually full spell casting. Sure Alexander is lacking some HP, but he is going to burn spell slots on shield, mirror image, and blink all the time, with way more spell slots to do so than George. Brutus is a DPR champ... He's just going to chill up there in his Plate with his giant sword, abusing the new cantrips in horrible ways... throw in GWM and Haste and his damage output is disgusting. And he gets nearly as many spells as George… In summary… EK1/BS19 - 7/10 Melee and 9/10 Spellcasting EK20/BS0 - 10/10 Melee and 3/10 Spellcasting EK2/BS18 - 7/10 Melee and 4/10 Spellcasting