Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything: Subclass Changes, Part 2

Here we go with another installment of our Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything coverage! This post will continue looking at the changes between the Unearthed Arcana versions of the subclasses that appear in Tasha’s and their official versions.

The first part of this series covered the artificer and barbarian. This post covers the bard and the cleric subclasses!

The bard receives two new subclasses this time—the College of Creation and College of Eloquence (though Eloquence also appeared in Mythic Odysseys of Theros).

Bard College: College of Creation

The College of Creation draws from the “song of creation” that created and sustains the multiverse. By participating in that song, bards of this subclass can animate objects and bring about other wonders.

Mote of Potential: 3^rd level feature

Mechanically, this feature hasn’t changed. The flavor of this feature has expanded so that you create a “mote” that can look like a music note, star, or other symbol, instead of a “note” that can only look like a music note.  

Performance of Creation: 3^rd level feature

This feature used to be the 14^th level feature of this subclass; the official iteration has buffed this ability while allowing its power to scale with your bard level. At 3^rd level, you can create an item that is Medium or smaller, and that size restriction expands to Large items at 6^th level and to Huge at 14^th level.

Instead of requiring you to focus on the item to maintain it, the Tasha’s version of this feature allows the item to stick around for hours based on your proficiency bonus. You can use this feature once per long rest or use a 2^nd level or higher spell slot to get a use back.

Animating Performance: 6^th level feature

This feature, which allows you to animate an item that is Large or smaller, hasn’t been changed much. The Dancing Item stat block now has psychic damage immunity, a different hit point calculation, and a different speed (plus a fly speed). Its Endless Waltz feature was replaced by Irrepressible Dance, which can either decrease or increase a nearby creature’s movement speed that turn.

Creative Crescendo: 14^th level feature

This new feature allows you to create more than one item with Performance of Creation. You can create items according to your Charisma modifier, with a minimum of two items. One of the items can be of the maximum size item you can create, while the others must be Small or Tiny. This feature also lifts the gp restriction associated with Performance of Creation.

Bard College: College of Eloquence

The bards of the College of Eloquence focus on the art of rhetoric and oratory. The official version of this subclass was originally printed in Mythic Odysseys of Theros. We’ll go over the changes here since Theros was released recently.

Silver Tongue: 3^rd level feature

The official subclass has this new feature, which allows you to treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10 for your Charisma (Persuasion) and Charisma (Deception) checks. This seems to replace the UA version’s Soothing Words feature.

Unsettling Words: 3^rd level feature

This feature replaces the UA version’s Universal Speech feature, which was moved up to 6^th level. Unsettling Words allows you to use Bardic Inspiration to subtract the die’s result from the target creature’s next saving throw before the start of your next turn.

Unfailing Inspiration: 6^th level feature

This feature takes from part of the UA version’s 14^th level feature. Now, if a creature uses your Bardic Inspiration but still fails the roll, they can keep the Bardic Inspiration instead of it being lost.

Universal Speech: 6^th level feature

The official version of this subclass has this feature at 6^th level instead of 3^rd. This feature also no longer uses Bardic Inspiration. You designate a number of nearby creatures equal to your Charisma modifier (one as a minimum), and they can magically understand your speech regardless of known languages for an hour. You can use this once per long rest, and you can use a spell slot to regain a use of the feature.

Infectious Inspiration: 14^th level feature

The only change to this feature is related to Unfailing Inspiration. Otherwise, it works the same.

The cleric subclasses in Tasha’s are the Order, Peace, and Twilight Domains. The Order subclass appeared in Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica two years ago, so it’s been around for a while. This reprint doesn’t change anything for the Order domain. We will cover the new subclasses, Peace and Twilight.

Divine Domain: Peace

As far as I could tell, this cleric domain was most recently called the Unity Domain in Unearthed Arcana, so we’ll be comparing those two versions. The Peace Domain cleric focuses on bonds within communities and between individuals.

Peace Domain Spells: 1^st level feature

This official domain spell list swapped out shield of faith for sanctuary and guardian of faith for Otiluke’s resilient sphere.

Implement of Peace: 1^st level feature

This new feature grants proficiency in one of the following skills: Insight, Performance, or Persuasion.

Emboldening Bond: 1^st level feature

This feature’s core mechanics remain the same, but the details have been reworked. The duration is now 10 minutes instead of an hour. The number of people you can create the magical bond with is now equal to your proficiency bonus, instead of just 2. You now have a number of uses equal to your proficiency bonus that you regain on a long rest.

Channel Divinity: Balm of Peace: 2^nd level feature

This Channel Divinity replaces the Shared Burden Channel Divinity that the UA had. The official version allows you to move up to your speed, and you can give some healing to anyone who you come within 5 feet of during this movement (it doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks).

Protective Bond: 6^th level feature

The official version of Protective Bond doesn’t offer resistance to damage. Instead, it allows a bonded creature near another bonded creature to teleport to them, taking damage that the target creature would have taken instead.

Potent Spellcasting: 8^th level feature

Same as in the UA, this cleric gets Potent Spellcasting.

Expansive Bond: 17^th level feature

This feature completely replaces the UA version’s Enduring Unity feature. Expansive Bond expands the range of Emboldening Bond’s benefits to 60 feet. And, when a creature uses the Protective Bond teleportation, they gain resistance to the oncoming damage.

Divine Domain: Twilight

The Twilight Domain is of the space between night and day and deities that protect against the dangers in the night. These clerics symbolize this protection and the comfort of night.

Domain Spells: 1^st level feature

This official domain spell list replaces darkness and invisibility with moonbeam and see invisibility. It also replaces dream with mislead.

Bonus Proficiencies: 1^st level feature

These proficiencies are the same as in the UA version—martial weapons and heavy armor.

Eyes of Night: 1^st level feature

The new version of this feature reduces the range of the darkvision from “no maximum range” to 300 feet. The duration of the shared darkvision lasts for an hour instead of 10 minutes, and you can now expend a spell slot to gain a use back (one use per long rest).

Vigilant Blessing: 1^st level feature

Vigilant Blessing remains the same as the UA version.

Channel Divinity: Twilight Sanctuary: 2^nd level feature

The official version of this feature improved the temporary hit point gain of the sanctuary; it is now 1d6 plus your cleric level instead of a flat 1d8.

Steps of Night: 6^th level feature

This feature replaces the UA version’s Steps of the Brave. Steps of Night gives you a bonus action to grant yourself a fly speed for 1 minute. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Divine Strike: 8^th level feature

Same as in the UA, the Twilight cleric gains the Divine Strike feature.

Twilight Shroud: 17^th level feature

This feature replaces the UA’s Midnight Shroud feature. Twilight Shroud allows your Twilight Sanctuary to provide half cover for allies within it.

These subclasses are exciting! What do you think of these changes?