D&D’s Most Popular Class Has Gotten Even Better With Its Latest Subclass

The Bard is one of the most popular classes in Dungeons and Dragons, acting as both a charismatic charmer for in-character conversations but also an excellent magic caster with great supportive abilities. From giving Bardic Inspiration to allies to talking your way out of any problem, subclasses for this archetype are surprisingly broad compared to other classes. However, an entirely unique option for this class becomes available with D&D‘s latest expansion content, giving players a path with darker features to explore.

The Bard has changed greatly following the transition of D&D rules from base 5th Edition to the newly named 5.5e rules established in 2024. Although the class gains varied subclasses through the Colleges of Dance, Glamour, Moon, Valor, and Lore, the Ravenloft: The Horrors Within book adds a new archetype for Bards everywhere. This gameplay expansion content re-introduces players to several classic horror-themed settings, while also bringing back an original 5e subclass that matches the new book’s aesthetic perfectly.

Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Remakes The College Of Spirits Bard For Spooky Seances

The College of Spirits Bard was already a fascinating take on the Bard class, so it only makes sense that it would return in a horror-themed book like Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. However, this class has received some big changes to how it worked before, remastering it under new 5.5e rules to be the best version of itself than it has ever been. The core concept behind the Spirits Bard remains the same, with characters of this archetype using their persuasive powers to summon legendary spirits from beyond the grave to change the nature of the world.

The power to perform mystical seances begins when you take this subclass at Level 3, where you also gain the Guidance cantrip that has extra range. With the ability to use a Gaming Set item as your spellcasting focus, you also gain a feature tied to summoning a spirit during battle. As a Bonus Action while giving another creature Bardic Inspiration, you can call forth a random spirit that has a unique effect based on the “Spirits From Beyond” table. Some of the effects include:

• Beloved – Restore Hit Points to the target of the Bardic Inspiration.
• Sharpshooter – Target takes an amount of Force damage.
• Avenger – Any creature targeted takes additional Force damage until your next turn ends.
• Renegade – Target can take a Reaction to teleport 30 feet.
• Fortune Teller – Target has advantage on d20 checks until your next turn.
• Wayfarer – Target gains Temporary Hit Points and increased speed.
• Trickster – Target takes Psychic damage and is possibly Charmed.
• Shade – Target gains the Invisible condition, and deals Necrotic damage when it attacks.
• Arsonist – Target takes an amount of Fire damage after a saving throw.
• Coward – Target and creatures within a 30ft space possibly gain the Frightened condition and have their speed reduced.
• Brute – Target and creatures within a 30ft space fall Prone and take Thunder damage.
• Priest – Target regains Hit Points and has condition effects on it end.

Not all of these effects are beneficial to a target you choose with a Bardic Inspiration, so there are a variety of ways you can have spirits lock onto enemies as well. Controlled Channeling lets you spend a Bardic Inspiration dice and spend a Bonus Action to channel a specific spirit from the list, ensuring you don’t pick one that harms an ally. Although this is based on the strength of your Bardic Inspiration dice, it does allow you to adapt to various situations.

Greater Spirit Channeling Allows For Tons Of Player Expression Through Chaotic Characters

Also at Level 3, you can unleash a spirit as a Magic Action, choosing any creature within 30 feet of you as a target to induce the spirit’s effect. This allows you to target any terrifying monsters from Ravenloft: The Horrors Within without having to worry about accidentally hitting an ally with a harmful spirit. When you reach Level 14, you eventually gain mastery over the spirits you control, with the ability to roll on the Spirits from Beyond table twice. You choose which spirit effect to bestow, with two rolls of the same number letting you pick any effect you want instead.

The spirit channeling isn’t only tied to that table, though, as you gain access to even greater magic at other Levels. At Level 6, the College of Spirits Bard gains the Power from Beyond feature, which gives you a 1d6 bonus to dice rolled to restore Hit Points or deal damage from a Bard spell. Spiritual Manifestation also gives you Spirit Guardians as a spell, prepared permanently to cast once without spending a spell slot. You get this spell back in this way after a simple Long Rest, giving you a great piece of AoE magic at little cost.

Excellent Flavor & Powerful Abilities Combine For One Of The Bard’s Most Detailed Subclasses Yet

The powerful tools of the College of Spirits also modifies the Spirit Guardians spell you get, giving it extra properties that no other character in D&D has access to. Your Spiritual Manifestation gives any allied player within your Spirit Guardians Half Cover, protecting them from threats as your spirits protect them. Although it takes a Short or Long Rest to recover this feature, it remains a strong tool to help allies in combat.

The flavor of this subclass is top notch, especially when you combine it with the Expertise, Jack of All Trades, and normal magical spells the Bard gains as they level up. As a class normally tied heavily into the magic they pick, Bard subclasses rarely get a chance to provide tons of versatility. Typically, subclasses for the Bard have strict strengths and weaknesses, so the flexibility available to the College of Spirits is somewhat unique.

As another option for Bard players to try, the latest subclass from Ravenloft: The Horrors Within provides a fresh angle on a familiar archetype. This broadens the class in great ways, giving a new, chaotic playstyle that clever players can repurpose in many ways for their own character ideas. Among the seven new subclass options in Dungeons and Dragons‘ latest book, the College of Spirits Bard is arguably the most interesting of the returning paths, making it worth trying in a new build.

What are your thoughts on the remade College of Spirits Bard for D&D‘s Ravenloft book? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!

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