Everything to click at the creation screen, then the habits that keep your opening hours fluent.
At the creation screen — exact picks
RaceGnome → Deep Gnome (Svirfneblin). Assign the racial bonuses +2 CHA, +1 DEX. (Free in base game; gives Superior Darkvision + Gnome Cunning = advantage on INT/WIS/CHA saves.)
ClassBard. The College (subclass) is chosen later at level 3 — you're leaning Lore (see "Glamour vs Lore").
BackgroundEntertainer → proficiency in Acrobatics + Performance.
Ability scoresSTR 8 · DEX 16 · CON 14 · INT 8 · WIS 10 · CHA 17. CHA = your spell save DC; DEX = AC/initiative; CON = concentration.
Skills (Bard)Persuasion, Deception, Insight — you're the party face. (Acrobatics + Performance already come from the background.)
Cantrips (2)Vicious Mockery + Friends.
Spells (4)Faerie Fire · Tasha's Hideous Laughter · Sleep · Longstrider. (Healing Word later, once your heal gear is online.)
NameEila Shorttrip Daerdin.
Opening-hours habits
Every long rest: ritual-cast Longstrider on the whole party — out of combat it's free (no slots), one click each.
Combat rhythm: one concentration play (Faerie Fire / Sleep / Tasha's early) + a bonus action (Bardic Inspiration now, Healing Word once you have heal gear). Only one concentration spell at a time.
At level 3: pick your College (lean Lore) and Expertise → Persuasion + Sleight of Hand (or Performance). Hold Person unlocks your auto-crit combo with Greta.
CHA to 20: ASI CHA +2 at L4 (→ 19), then Auntie Ethel's Hair (→ 20). Likely running the feat-every-2-levels mod = 6 feats (see Feat plan).
Don't-miss early pickups (in order)
Emerald Grove (grab BEFORE any Grove raid): Cap of Curing · Ring of Protection (Mol) · Hellrider's Pride (Zevlor) · Wapira's Crown (Save the Refugees — permanently lost if you raid the Grove). Goblin Camp: Whispering Promise + Boots of Aid & Comfort (Grat) · Blazer of Benevolence (Rescue Volo). Underdark / Omeluum: Pearl of Power · Ring of Salving · Boots of Stormy Clamour · Phalar Aluve (Selûnite altar). Mid/late Act 1: Auntie Ethel's Hair (→ CHA 20). Full detail on the 🎒 Act 1 items page.
Reality check for the first hours
Your heal-trigger gear isn't online yet, so early on you're a control bard: lead with Faerie Fire, Sleep, and Tasha's. The "healing = buffing" engine switches on once you've collected the Grove + Goblin + Omeluum package.
How to play a support bard
You are the force multiplier, not the damage. Your turn is usually one big concentration play (control or buff) + a bonus action (Healing Word or hand out Bardic Inspiration). Every fight:
Before — ritual-cast Longstrider on the whole party out of combat (free, no slots — one click each); later, pre-cast Haste.
Round 1 — your concentration MVP: control a group (Faerie Fire early, Hypnotic later) or Haste your damage-dealer.
After — bonus-action Healing Word (sprays gear buffs once you have the Act 1 heal items) or toss Bardic Inspiration.
Reaction — Cutting Words (Lore) or Counterspell.
The one discipline: only one concentration spell at a time. Cheat-sheet — Faerie Fire (early advantage) · Hypnotic Pattern (groups) · Hold Person/Monster (single threat → auto-crit) · Haste (raw power).
Enabling Greta (the Barbarian)
Your teammate is Greta Strongbottom, a female dwarf Barbarian — frontline damage, not just a wall. She uses Reckless Attack (advantage on her hits) and Rage (resistance to physical damage). Feed her:
Set up auto-crits. Hold Person / Hold Monster paralyzes → every melee hit is an automatic crit. A raging dwarf crit is enormous. Your signature combo.
Give her an extra action. Haste = +1 attack/turn, +2 AC, advantage on DEX saves. Biggest single swing you can hand the party.
Make her untouchable. Greater Invisibility = attack with advantage, can't be targeted. Freedom of Movement = never locked down.
Keep her up. Reckless = she gets hit more. Your heal-gear turns one Healing Word into temp HP + physical resistance + Bless on her. Healing IS buffing.
She already has advantage from Reckless, so Faerie Fire's advantage is "extra" for her — but it still lights the pack for the others and applies a condition for your gear. Keep casting it.
College: Glamour vs Lore
Same spell list either way — only your subclass features differ, at levels 3 and 6. Here's everything to weigh for a support bard in a 4-human party with Greta (Barbarian) up front.
Glamour — the team shield
Buff/protect-focused. You keep the squad topped and punish whatever swings at them.
L3 · Mantle of Inspiration
Bonus action, spend 1 Bardic Inspiration → temp HP to nearby allies.
5 HP to 2 allies → 8 HP / 3 allies at L6 → 11 HP / 4 allies at L10. Anything that melee-hits a shielded ally is Charmed. Repeatable every fight (Font of Inspiration refills your dice on a short rest).
Charmed targets auto-fail the save — so the charm from Mantle of Inspiration feeds guaranteed Commands. 1 / long rest.
L10 · Magical Secrets
2 cross-class spells (≤ L5) — same as every bard. This is where Glamour finally grabs Haste.
Lore — the flexible controller
Control/flex-focused. You make disables land, protect with a reaction, and steal whatever the party needs.
L3 · Cutting Words + 3 skills
Reaction, spend 1 Bardic Inspiration → −1d6 to an enemy's attack roll, ability check, OR saving throw.
In BG3 it hits saving throws too — shave an enemy's save so your Hold / Hypnotic lands, or turn a boss's crit on Greta into a miss. Plus proficiency in 3 extra skills (party face / skill monkey).
L6 · Additional Magical Secrets
Learn 2 cross-class spells (≤ L3) — four levels early.
This is how you get Haste + Counterspell at L6 instead of L10.
L10 · Magical Secrets
2 more spells (≤ L5). Lore ends with 4 stolen spells total vs Glamour's 2.
What each means for THIS party
Glamour makes you a repeatable AOE shield. With three squishier human teammates, 8–11 temp HP sprayed every fight (on top of your heal-trigger gear) is a pile of effective HP, and the charm-on-melee punishes anything that swings at a buffed ally. Mantle of Majesty then gives a lockdown that ignores saves on charmed enemies. The cost: your Haste is stuck until L10.
Lore doubles down on your control identity. Cutting Words is both a defensive reaction (cancel a big hit on Greta) and an offensive enabler (drop an enemy's save so your disable sticks). The 3 bonus skills make you the undisputed party face. And the headline: Haste on Greta at character L6 — on a Reckless, raging Barbarian that's an extra attack every turn, four levels sooner.
Pick Glamour if…
Your 4 humans get low a lot and you want a repeatable team-wide shield.
You like a "keep everyone topped, wade in" support style.
You value guaranteed Commands (charm → auto-fail) as lockdown.
You're okay getting Haste late (L10).
Pick Lore if…
You want to max Greta's damage — Haste at L6 is enormous.
You want your Holds / Hypnotic to land more often (Cutting Words on saves).
You want to be the party's skill monkey / face.
You like flexibility — 4 stolen spells patches any party gap.
Bottom line for Eila + Greta
Both are strong — there's no wrong pick. But this specific comp (a melee Barbarian who loves Haste, plus a controller who wants disables to land) lines up with Lore: Haste-on-Greta four levels early and Cutting Words shaving enemy saves both directly amplify your auto-crit gameplan. Lean Glamour instead if, once you're actually playing, the 4-human party is eating more damage than it deals — then a repeatable shield beats early Haste.
Feat / ASI plan
You'll likely run the feat-every-2-levels mod, which turns 3 feats into 6 — at L2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. Take them in the order below (earlier = higher priority for a support/control bard).
Primary plan — 6 feats (mod on)
L2War CasterAdvantage on the CON saves that keep concentration up — and you can cast spells as opportunity attacks. Your entire kit (Faerie Fire, Hold, Hypnotic, later Haste) is concentration; dropping it mid-fight is catastrophic. Non-negotiable, take it first.
L4ASI: CHA +217 → 19 (→ 20 with Auntie Ethel's Hair). Your "damage" is enemies failing saves, so spell-save DC is your scaling stat — this makes every disable land more often, and adds Bardic Inspiration uses + face-check power.
L6Alert+5 initiative, can't be Surprised. A controller who acts first locks the enemy down before they move — opening turn-1 Hypnotic Pattern can end a fight outright. Initiative is king for control.
L8Resilient: CON+1 CON (→ 15) and proficiency on CON saves. The proficiency (≈ +prof bonus) stacks with War Caster for near-unbreakable concentration — that's the real prize, far bigger than the +1.
L10Lucky3 luck points / long rest. Reroll a failed concentration save, force a key disable to land, or make a boss reroll a crit aimed at Greta. The clutch button.
L12Tough+2 HP per level, retroactive (+24 HP at L12). You're a squishy Small-race caster — raw HP keeps you alive to keep concentrating. (Swap for Mobile or ASI: DEX if you'd rather have speed/AC.)
If the mod's off — standard 3 feats (L4 / L8 / L12)
Keep the top three: War Caster (L4) → ASI: CHA +2 (L8) → Resilient: CON or Alert (L12). Drop Lucky / Tough / the second concentration feat first. With only 3 feats, concentration + DC are the priorities; survivability waits.
Swap pool — situational alternatives
SpeedMobile+3m move (fixes Deep Gnome's 25ft) + Dash in difficult terrain + no opportunity attacks from things you've hit. Lower priority since ritual Longstrider already patches your speed for free.
ACASI: DEX +216 → 18: +1 AC, initiative, DEX saves, Stealth. A clean survivability/AC bump if you keep getting focused.
Anti-mindResilient: WIS+1 WIS + proficiency on WIS saves; stacks with Gnome Cunning for near-immunity to charm/fear/mind-control. Great vs casters and mind flayers (Act 2–3).
UtilityMagic Initiate: ClericGuidance (+1d4 to any skill check — busted out of combat) + a cantrip + a L1 spell (Bless / Shield of Faith). Big utility for the party face.
SkipSkilled+3 skill proficiencies. Diminishing returns — Jack of All Trades already covers untrained checks, and Lore piles on skills. Last resort.
Where your stats land
CHA 17 → 19 (ASI L4) → 20 (Auntie Ethel's Hair, mid-Act-1) — max spell DC. · CON 14 → 15 + proficiency (Resilient) — plus War Caster advantage = concentration that almost never breaks. · DEX stays 16 (bump to 18 via the swap pool only if you want more AC).
Act 1 Gear
What each item does for you · when you can get it · where · which slot. Act 1 only.
Your engine: the heal-trigger package
Once you've collected these, a single Healing Word (bonus action) sprays multiple buffs onto the target at once: Whispering Promise (Bless: +1d4 attack & saves), Hellrider's Pride (physical resistance), Boots of Aid & Comfort (+3 temp HP), Ring of Salving (+2 HP). With Cap of Curing / Blazer of Benevolence, even handing out Bardic Inspiration heals. Healing = buffing. Prioritize this package.
Act 1 gaps (don't go hunting — they don't exist yet)
No cloak with stats drops in Act 1 (grab Cloak of Protection at Last Light Inn the moment you reach Act 2). No spell-save-DC or +CHA equipment exists in Act 1 either — your only DC boost is the consumable Auntie Ethel's Hair.
What it does:HealingBuffingDefenseControlUtilityMobilityCHA / DC