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How to give Bardic Inspiration
- Take a bonus action on your turn. Choose another creature within 60 feet. The Bard cannot choose themself.
- Meet the version’s perception requirement. Under the 2014 rules, the creature must be able to hear you. Under the 2024 rules, it must be able to see or hear you.
- Give the creature one Bardic Inspiration die. It starts as a d6, and a creature can hold only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.
The Bard does not roll the die when granting it. The recipient decides whether to roll it later, following the timing and eligible-roll rules for the table’s edition.
How Bardic Inspiration works in the 2014 rules
Under the 2014 Basic Rules, the recipient can use the die within 10 minutes after receiving it. It can add the result to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.
The recipient may wait until after rolling the d20, but must choose to use the die before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once rolled, the die is spent, whether or not it changes the outcome.
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How Bardic Inspiration works in the 2024 rules
Under the 2024 Bard rules, the recipient has up to one hour to use the die. When it fails a D20 Test, it can roll the die and add the number to the d20, potentially turning the failure into a success. The die is expended when rolled.
This timing lets the recipient wait to learn that the D20 Test failed before deciding whether to spend the die. The revised feature also says that a creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.
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2014 and 2024 rules compared
| Rule | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient must be able to | Hear the Bard | See or hear the Bard |
| Time to use the die | Within 10 minutes | Within 1 hour |
| Eligible roll and timing | Add the die to an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw; decide after rolling the d20 but before the DM announces the outcome | After failing a D20 Test, add the die to the d20 |
| Short-rest recovery | Available from Bard level 5 | Available from Bard level 5 |
| Spell-slot recovery | Not included in the cited core feature | At level 5, expend a spell slot without an action to regain one use |
D&D Beyond’s comparison of the 2014 and 2024 Bard highlights the revised feature’s longer use window and the ability to wait until a failed test before spending the die.
How many uses the Bard gets and when they return
In both versions, the Bard has a number of uses equal to their Charisma modifier, with a minimum of one. Normally, expended uses return after a long rest. At Bard level 5, Font of Inspiration lets the Bard regain expended uses after a short or long rest.
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The 2024 rules add another recovery option at level 5: the Bard can expend a spell slot, without using an action, to regain one expended use of Bardic Inspiration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the Bardic Inspiration die scales
The die size depends on Bard level in both versions:
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| Bard level | Die |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | d6 |
| 5–9 | d8 |
| 10–14 | d10 |
| 15 and higher | d12 |
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