Introduction
A Tales of the Valiant Bard is an Arcane, Charisma-based known-spell caster. That makes selection more important than collecting a long list of situational effects: every known spell should solve a problem that comes up in your game.
The key rules are easy to miss. At 1st level, a Bard learns three Arcane cantrips and four 1st-circle spells. Three of those spells must be Arcane, but the fourth may come from any source spell list and counts as Arcane for the Bard. Later normal spell choices are Arcane. The two exceptions are rituals and Magical Secrets.
This is a curated selection guide, not a replacement for the spell lists or full spell text. Ratings are recommendations, while access, circle, and source labels are checked against the Tales of the Valiant rulebooks listed below. Ask your GM before using a supplemental book.
Rating Legend
- ● Avoid unless a specific campaign job makes it worthwhile.
- ● Useful for a particular party, campaign, or build.
- ● A reliable pick for its stated job.
- ● An unusually strong choice when its conditions are present.
How Bard Spell Access Works
| When | What the Bard can choose | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| 1st-level cantrips | Three Arcane cantrips | The Bard Progression table adds a fourth at 4th level and a fifth at 10th level. |
| 1st-circle spells | Four spells: three Arcane and one from any source spell list | The cross-list spell counts as Arcane for the Bard. |
| Later normal spells | Arcane spells from circles for which the Bard has Arcane spell slots | This is the normal path for expanding spells known. |
| Level-up replacement | One known Arcane spell for another eligible Arcane spell | A replacement must be a circle for which the Bard has Arcane spell slots. |
| Rituals | One ritual from any spell list at 1st level, then more at the circles shown on the Bard table | Rituals do not count against spells known or use spell slots. |
| Magical Secrets | Two spells or cantrips from any spell list at 9th, 13th, and 18th level | A spell must be a circle the Bard can cast with spell slots; chosen spells count as Arcane. |
Hot Take: A Bard's 1st-level cross-list spell is more valuable than a fourth Arcane damage option when it covers a job nobody else in the party can do. If the party already covers that job, take the Arcane spell with the clearest distinct use instead.
Cantrips
Choose cantrips by job, not by a damage ranking alone. A practical starting package usually includes one repeatable combat action, one communication or exploration tool, and one option that matches the campaign's ordinary problems.
| Pick | Why it belongs on a shortlist |
|---|---|
| Vicious Mockery ● | An Arcane control-oriented cantrip that supports the Bard's debuff role. |
| Fire Bolt ● | A straightforward Arcane ranged-damage option when the party needs one. |
| Ray of Frost ● | An Arcane damage choice with a movement-control angle. |
| Message ● | A strong Arcane communication choice for scouting, social scenes, and coordinated plans. |
| Minor Illusion ● | An Arcane utility choice when the table rewards planning and deception. |
| Mage Hand ● | Useful Arcane utility, especially where interacting from a safer position matters. |
| Hamstring (The Old Margreve) ● | A supplemental Arcane cantrip for a party that values movement and reaction pressure. |
| Word of Misfortune (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | A supplemental Arcane curse cantrip for save-focused parties. |
| Luck Bait (Player's Guide 2) ● | A supplemental Arcane support cantrip for narrow misses. |
| Swift Stash (Labyrinth Worldbook or Player's Guide 2) ● | A supplemental Arcane utility choice for intrigue and object-handling scenes. |
The Old Margreve and Labyrinth Worldbook cantrips are not automatic upgrades. They earn a slot only if the campaign uses the movement, pursuit, investigation, or social situations that make their job matter.
1st Circle: Build the Core List
At 1st level, choose three Arcane spells and one cross-list spell. The fourth spell is not a reason to chase a famous option from another list; it is a chance to fill a gap that will recur.
| Job | Arcane shortlist | Cross-list decision |
|---|---|---|
| Control or interruption | Hideous Laughter, Sleep, Thunderwave | Take a non-Arcane spell only if it covers a control job your Arcane choices cannot. |
| Social or infiltration | Charm, Disguise Self, Silent Image | Favor the option that fits the campaign's actual social stakes. |
| Exploration and information | Detect Magic, Comprehend Languages, Feather Fall | Check whether the spell is already covered by a ritual, a party member, or the adventure style. |
| Reliable damage or defense | Magic Missile, Shield | Do not spend the cross-list choice here unless the party has a specific reason. |
Supplemental Arcane examples include Step Like Me from The Old Margreve; Eclipse Sight, Delay Passing, Ruminate, and Truth of the Void from Labyrinth Worldbook; and Stumble, Follow Through, Distance Dilation, and Withering Gaze from Player's Guide 2. Their value depends on the campaign and the exact spell text, not on their sourcebook label.
2nd and 3rd Circle: Protect Concentration
At these circles, Bards start facing their most important list-building constraint: several attractive spells cannot all be maintained at once. Choose a concentration plan before taking multiple spells that compete for it.
| Job | 2nd-circle shortlist | 3rd-circle shortlist |
|---|---|---|
| Single-target control | Hold, Suggestion | Counterspell for caster disruption; Fear for group pressure |
| Mobility and defense | Invisibility, Misty Step, Mirror Image | Fly, Nondetection |
| Party information or positioning | Detect Thoughts, See Invisibility, Silence | Sending, Dispel Magic |
| Area control | Shatter when damage matters | Hypnotic Pattern, Slow, Stinking Cloud |
For allowed expansions, consider Nip at the Heels and Spy My Shadow from The Old Margreve; Destructive Resonance, Dream Lance, Maddening Whispers, Minor Maze, Pocket Portal, and Virulent Nightmare from Labyrinth Worldbook; and Paranoid Delusions, Psychic Block, Orbital Spheres, Perceive Vulnerability, Erratic Distraction, and Aqueous Form from Player's Guide 2. Verify the exact casting requirements before treating any of these as a replacement for a core spell.
4th and 5th Circle: Pick a Role, Not a Pile
Higher-circle slots are too limited to spend on several options that all solve the same encounter. Decide whether this part of the list is for protection, enemy removal, battlefield control, or a campaign-specific tool.
| Role | Shortlist | Selection test |
|---|---|---|
| Protection and escape | Greater Invisibility, Dimension Door, Freedom of Movement | Does the party need to preserve one key character or escape bad positions? |
| Control and removal | Confusion, Phantasmal Killer, Dominate, Greater Hold | Does the spell target the kinds of enemies the campaign actually uses? |
| Utility and investigation | Arcane Eye, Polymorph, Telekinesis | Will the campaign create enough noncombat use to justify a known-spell slot? |
| Supplemental control | Otherworldly Orchestra, Spectral Wall, Empty Rain, Create Construct | Is the relevant sourcebook allowed, and does the spell solve a job the core list does not? |
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Start Building6th Through 9th Circle: Let Magical Secrets Do Its Job
The Bard reaches 6th-circle Arcane spells at 11th level, 7th-circle spells at 13th, 8th-circle spells at 15th, and 9th-circle spells at 17th. Magical Secrets arrives at 9th, 13th, and 18th level, so its picks should complement the Arcane high-circle choices rather than repeat them.
| Need | Arcane examples | Magical Secrets question |
|---|---|---|
| Large-scale control | Mass Suggestion, Forcecage, Maze | Is there a non-Arcane option that addresses a real party gap better? |
| Counterplay and information | True Seeing, Wish | Will this answer a recurring campaign threat rather than a hypothetical one? |
| High-risk offense | Circle of Death, Weird, Power Word Kill | Does the party need offense, or would reliable control create the better outcome? |
| Supplemental Arcane options | Event Horizon, Greater Maze, Unfathomable Emptiness, Absorb Spell, Incite Strife, Pierce the Veil | Confirm both the allowed book and the spell's Arcane listing before selecting it. |
The Old Margreve also provides Wyrd material that a Bard can consider through Magical Secrets if the sourcebook is allowed. That is different from treating a Wyrd spell as part of the Bard's normal Arcane progression.
A Practical Bard List Checklist
Before adding or replacing a spell, ask these questions:
- Is it on the Arcane list, or am I using the 1st-level cross-list spell, a ritual choice, or Magical Secrets?
- Is its circle one I can cast with my current Bard spell slots?
- Does it compete for concentration with a spell I already rely on?
- Does it solve a recurring party problem, rather than a problem I imagine might appear once?
- Is its supplemental book approved for this campaign?
The answer to the first question matters most. A powerful Divine, Primordial, or Wyrd spell is not a normal Bard known-spell choice just because it is appealing. The class feature that gives access must be the reason it is on your list.
Related Guides
For the full class features, subclasses, and build decisions, read the Tales of the Valiant Bard class guide. For source-wide comparisons, use the cantrip guide, 1st-circle guide, 2nd-circle guide, 3rd-circle guide, 4th-5th-circle guide, and 6th-9th-circle guide.
Rulebook Scope
This guide checks Bard class rules and core spell-list access against Tales of the Valiant Player's Guide. Supplemental labels were checked against Tales of the Valiant Player's Guide 2, The Old Margreve, and Labyrinth Worldbook. Those books still require GM approval when they are outside the campaign's normal allowed sources.
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