Looking at UA: Subclasses, Part 4

We got some new Unearthed Arcana this week! This new playtest content includes two new subclasses—one for the bard and one for the warlock. And both of them have spooky vibes for those of us counting down the days until autumn and Halloween!

So, let’s talk about the College of Spirits and the Undead patron!

Bardic College: College of Spirits

The College of Spirits bard uses tools like tarokka decks or crystal balls to reach out beyond the Material Plane and receive stories from spirits. This spiritual connection is the main thrust of this subclass’s features. Since the bard doesn’t have control over what stories they receive, this subclass has an element of randomness/fate to it.

Guiding Whispers: 3^rd level feature

This feature lets you use the guidance cantrip usually reserved for clerics. It extends the range from touch to as far as 60 feet. Guidance adds a d4 to an ability check of the target’s choice.

Since it’s a cantrip, guidance can see frequent use without much cost, especially since this feature extends its range dramatically. A d4 isn’t as dramatic as advantage (or even a low-level Bardic Inspiration), but it can still mean the difference between success and failure. In some ways, this allows a bard to save their Bardic Inspiration for the Tales from Beyond feature and still help their allies’ rolls. This especially applies at low levels. At lower levels, a bard has a smaller Bardic Inspiration die (a d6) and, probably, fewer uses of that die (unless you set yourself up with a +5 Charisma, you don’t have many opportunities at low levels to use an Ability Score Improvement to increase that modifier). I like this feature, but I wonder if we’ll see that range scaled back somewhat in future iterations.

Spiritual Focus: 3^rd and 6^th level feature

This 3^rd level feature allows you to use special tools as a spellcasting focus. These include a tarokka deck (D&D’s equivalent to a tarot deck), a talking board, a skull, and others. Once you hit 6^th level in this subclass, you get a bonus to a spell’s damage or healing when cast with your tool.

I think that since your spellcasting focus takes the place of a non-cost material component, only those spells can benefit from that bonus, but I’m not certain.

This feature is a nifty way to encourage players to lean into the flavor of this subclass. I do like the idea of casting spells through a skull or by pulling cards from a deck. And I’ll always take little bonuses to healing/damage spells (though, if I’m right and the spells need to require a material component, this excludes healing word, which only requires a verbal component).

Tales from Beyond: 3^rd level feature

Also at 3^rd level, this bard college’s Bardic Inspiration-related feature is Tales from Beyond. You use a Bardic Inspiration and use the die’s result to determine what tale you receive from the Spirits’ Tales table. You then have until your next rest to use that effect. Once the effect is used or once you rest, you can use the feature again. The maximum size of the Bardic Inspiration die is a d12, so there are 12 possible results on the table (so you won’t have a chance at getting all of these results at lower levels). Many of these effects mimic spells or other features. Some of them can help you/your allies, other harm your enemies.

This is exciting for people like me, who love the page-sized Wild Magic Surge table for the Wild Magic sorcerer. I like how your possible results expand as you level up. I think the table ensures you’ll get something useful, while encouraging you to get creative if the result isn’t exactly what you needed a given situation.

Spirit Session: 6^th level feature

This feature allows you to conduct a ritual during a rest to temporarily learn a new spell. The spell’s level is determined by how many people participate in the ritual. You can only have as many people participate equal to your proficiency bonus, so it’s capped at 6. The spell you learn has to follow these restrictions:

• The level has to be equal to or less than the number of participants in the ritual
• You have to be able to cast this spell’s level (so no grabbing a 5^th level spell as a level 3 character)
• The spell is either from the divination or necromancy school

The spell can be from any class’s spell list. Even with the above restrictions, you have some pretty cool options just at 1^st level spells and cantrips, including toll the dead, comprehend languages, and inflict wounds. With a small party, you may not be able to access spells like create undead or soul cage without some NPC help. Even so, grabbing spells from other class’s lists is always fun. I hope this feature sticks around, even if it gets powered down a bit.

Mystical Connection: 14^th level feature

This feature is worded a little confusingly, so let’s break it down. It lets you roll a d6 instead of using your Bardic Inspiration die for the Tales from Beyond feature. So, you don’t expend a use of Bardic Inspiration. The tale you receive may ask you to roll your Bardic Inspiration die. If so, you roll your Bardic Inspiration die, but you don’t need to expend a use of it.

This feature is great for when you’re going for an effect that’s lower on the table or if you’re trying to conserve Bardic Inspiration uses. It helps you use Tales from Beyond more often as a result.

Overall, I’m excited for this new bard and hope we see it again in the future!

Otherworldly Patron: The Undead

An Undead patron is an ancient undead being like Strahd, Acererak, and so on. This warlock subclass is a dark mirror of the Undying patron from Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide—the flavor and some features are similar, but this is a darker, punchier version of the subclass.

Expanded Spell List: 1^st level feature

The additional available spells for this subclass include useful, spooky spells like false life, phantasmal force, and speak with dead. Necromancy is, understandably, a big theme in this expanded spell list.  

Form of Dread: 1^st level feature

This 1^st level feature allows you to use a bonus action to transform for 1 minute. This transformation grants temporary hit points, a chance to frighten a creature when you hit them with an attack, and immunity to the frightened condition. You can transform a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

You can determine what the transformation looks like, but it’s generally encouraged to be something related to your patron’s identity (like gaining batlike features if your patron is a vampire). Transformation effects like these let you dig into the story of a subclass, so I like these a lot!

Grave Touched: 6^th level feature

At 6^th level, you no longer need to eat, drink, or breathe to survive. When you successfully attack a creature, you can deal necrotic damage instead of the attack’s normal damage type. And, when using Form of Dread, you can add an additional damage die when using necrotic damage for an attack.

This warlock seems geared for offense-focused tactics, since we have a few features that kick in when you attack a creature.

Mortal Husk: 10^th level feature

Mortal Husk grants resistance to necrotic damage. (When using Form of Dread, you gain immunity to necrotic damage.) And, if you get knocked down to 0 hit points, you can explode. This explosion deals necrotic damage to creatures within 30 feet of you. Then, you revive with 1 hit point and a level of exhaustion, appearing in your previous space. You can use this feature once every 1d4 long rest(s).

This is very cool. Since this subclass encourages you to get up in combat, you’ll naturally be in more danger of getting knocked to 0 than a warlock who doesn’t attack in combat. So this feature is a fun addition to this subclass. It sort of makes you want to get into danger so you can show off this feature.

Spirit Projection: 14^th level feature

At 14^th level, you can use an action to project your spirit outside your body. You can remain outside your body for an hour or until your concentration ends. As a spirit, you gain a fly speed and can move through objects (with standard caveats that objects act as difficult terrain, and you receive damage if you end your turn in an object). You can also cast conjuration or necromancy spells without using any required verbal, somatic, or material components (as long as there’s no cost components). And, if using Form of Dread, you can regain hit points from a necrotic damage attack once per turn. You can use Spirit Projection once per long rest.

This final feature emphasizes this subclass’s themes of undeath, transformation, and being very spooky. The spellcasting bonus is pretty cool, allowing you to just make those spells happen without going through the motions of casting them.

This warlock subclass looks really fun, especially for those who want to go a darker route for their warlock patron.

Overall, I’m excited for these new subclasses! Thanks for reading, and see you next time!