Advice on a Bard Signature spell

[Atalius]

In my current repertoire for Bard first level spells I have:

Magic Missile
Phantom Pain

(I have more spells but only these can be Heightened)

Which one of these at level 3 would you recommend I make a Signature Skill? Thanks everyone.

[Xenocrat]

Phantom Pain.

[james014Aura]

Phantom Pain if your party wants to take people down nonlethally. Magic Missile if you don't, or expect high will saves and the like, or resistance to the other.

[Edge93]

Magic Missile doesn't gain an additional effect until it hits spell level 3 (It gets its heightened effect every other spell level instead of every spell level), so Phantom Pain is kinda winner by default.

Once you hit level 5, it's just a matter of which you prefer. Phantom Pain has some persistent damage IIRC, but Magic Missile is great reliable single-target damage if you spend 3 actions on it. Either way, once you get to 5th level you might want to swap one of them for a spell that doesn't need heightening, since you can only make one of them Signature. Magic Missile might be the better long-term choice for its reliability and its action flexibility.

But for your present question, Signature Spell at 3rd level, it has to be Phantom Pain.

[Atalius]

I should also mention I have Sooth in there too. Is that a better candidate to Signature?

[Deadmanwalking]

Soothe is absolutely a wonderful candidate to make a Signature Spell. A little less so if your party has other healers, but frankly I'd pick it over the alternatives you've listed even then.

[james014Aura]

I agree with Deadmanwalking. It's probably better for your utility as a Bard. A combat spell can come later.