In Heroes of Faerun, the Bard College of the Moon proves that powerful subclasses aren’t just a phase. We dive deep into the new mechanics.
Heroes of Faerun features eight new subclasses, and we’re taking a look at each of them. Starting with the new Bard College, the College of the Moon. This subclass has seen some fairly substantive changes from the initial playtest draft we saw in the Unearthed Arcana. Ultimately, I think they are changes for the better.
Now, instead of being all about a bunch of magical folktales, they channel the ancient, primal power of the moon. The subclass still works by empowering your Bardic Inspirations, but it now gives much more potent options when using them. As well, the mechanics of the class have been refashioned to be more about the moon and the ancient Druids of the Moonshae Isles, whose stories and traditions inspire these Bards.
Bard College of the Moon – First Of The New Forgotten Realms Subclasses
The Bard College of the Moon is perhaps the loosest of Bardic colleges. The College of the Moon hearkens back to the ancient druidic circles of the Moonshae Isles. In elder days, they entrusted the first Bards of this tradition with chronicling the stories of the islands and their people. To be a Bard of the College of the Moon, to channel the isles’ fey magic and the primal power of its moonwells.
Practically speaking, this means getting some substantial boosts to your Batdic Inspirations. The core mechanic of this subclass is giving you and/or your allies extra boons whenever you are out a Bardic Inspiration. Starting with the level 3 feature, Moon’s Inspiration.
With Moon’s Inspiration, you unlock two new options. Inspired Eclipse lets you become Invisible and then Misty Step to someplace you can see as a part of the Bonus Action you use to give someone a Bardic Inspiration die. You become Invisible until the start of your next turn, or until immediately after you make an attack roll, deal damage, or cast a spell.
Lunar Vitality, in the other hand, lets you sirens a Bardic Inspiration to boost your healing spells. Whenever you restore hit points with a spell (no slot requirement) you can add your Bardic Inspiration to the hit points restored, making healing word your new best friend. Especially since your target also gains 10 feet of movement speed until the end of your next turn.
You also get a bonus Druid cantrip that you can swap out for a different Druid cantrip as you level up.
Higher Level Means Concentrated Power And Moonbeams
At higher levels, though, you channel even more of the moon. So much so that your enemies might say “that’s no battlestation…” – what I’m saying is you’ll be casting the Moonbeam spell a lot. And it’s kind of like the Death Star laser of the moon. Anyway, at level 6 you unlock Blessing of Moonlight. This means you always have the Moonbeam spell prepared. And once per long rest, you can modify it so that it is even more potent.
Your modified Moonbeam becomes a beacon of both life and death. Whenever a creature fails its save against the damaging moonlight, you can restore 2d4 hit points to a creature of your choice within 60 feet of you. There’s no limit on this, either. It doesn’t take a Reaction, so potentially, a party designed to capitalize on AoE effects with, say, grapplers that can push people into the moonlight, can get a lot of mileage out of your Moonbeam. Plus, you shed dim light out to 5 feet, because you glow with faint moonlight. I guess so that enemies know it’s your fault.
Of course, this being a Bard subclass, you don’t get much else. The Bard College of the Moon is pretty empty past level 6. You only get a single, solitary level 14 subclass capstone, which is still a mistake. It just doesn’t feel good if you’re a Bard to know that most everyone else is getting more than just three main core features and a ribbon.
However, at level 14, you do get a capstone: Eventide’s Splendor. This is an improvement to the Moon’s Inspiration you got at level 3. Now, you can provide even more potent Bardic Inspirations. You unlock Shadow of the New Moon, which lets you confer Invisibility and a Reaction teleport to the creature you give Bardic Inspiration to with your Inspired Eclipse feature. And you also get Vibrance of the Full Moon, which lets you roll an extra 1d6 instead of spending an Inspiration die, which is amazing. All your healing spells become +1d6 effectively.
This is a big new avenue for a Bard who wants to focus on healing and party support. Of the various subclasses in Heroes of Faerun, this is one of the stronger ones. So, if you want to play a Bard from the College of the Moon, be sure and check out the book in stores or on D&D Beyond!
Check out Heroes of Faerun for more subclasses!
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