Bard College of Spirits | Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft | D&D

[@O4C209]

So it finally came out that this book is about Todd's home.

[@grandadmiralthrawn8206]

I really want to make a College of Spirits Bard with the Cook feat that uses fortune cookies for the spirits table.

[@shea42]

I'm about to start playing a College of Whispers bard in a campaign where I am playing as a Warforged that is retrieving these lost stories from their memory banks, and projecting them as holograms using the crystal ball as a focus/lens.

[@vernonhampton5863]

You can take that in so many ways. If I was you're DM, you would just have to keep your d20 close for story beats.

[@vernonhampton5863]

Now fans of The Umbrella Academy can get their Klaus on.

[@mooxim]

I played as an old lady Spirit Bard when it was fresh to UA for a one-shot. My focus was a skull called Murray and I would constantly ask him for guidance. So much fun!

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

For everyone who asks about a Witch class in D&D, this is it. This is what the D&D dev team will come up with if asked to make a Witch "base" class.

[@RochaHard]

This is by far my favorite Bard. I'm in love with it since UA, and got so happy knowing it'll be released

[@kylinsky]

I contend that the a character inspired by John Constantine could be represented well by the Bard class, this subclass hits the idea fairly well, but i'm really hoping for a College of Forbidden Lore that is focused on Celestials, Fiends, and Fey.

[@TyranusRex721]

I am getting more of a Madame Xanadu vibe from this sub class than John Constantine.

[@g0lddustt29]

I've been playing a Constantine-inspired character for about 3 years now in our campaign. He's a Rouge/Bard multiclass, specifically Arcane Trickster/College of Lore. That is easily the most "Constantine" school for John. He's a magical know-it-all who borrows from all corners of the arcana. College of Spirits would be cool, but it's too spooky.

[@dougpresley2220]

This bard college is stupid powerful!

[@MisterSmith00]

As much as I like the “Tales From Beyond” effects...some of them are just fantastic...the thing I like most is Spirit Session. It’s limited to Divination & Necromancy spells...but there are some great spells there that the Bard (and many other classes) do not get...without sacrificing your Magical Secrets choices. I’m thinking “Danse Macabre”, “Enervation”, “Inflict Wounds” or “Shadow of Moil”...all fantastic necromancy spells.

[@Alightbourne]

Few tweaks from the Unearthed Arcana, and they sound fairly healthy! Love it. Thank you for the coverage, Todd!

[@godofzombi]

Grapple a skeleton, use it's skull as your focus.

[@Metal-Spark]

I have a question about the spiritual focus level 6 effect. I believe the wording is something along the lines of "any spell you cast using your spiritual focus" - which means a spell that doesn't use your spiritual focus won't benefit from this effect. A spell/spiritual focus is used to replace material components, so is it assumed that if a spell doesn't use material components then you don't use your spiritual focus and therefore it doesn't benefit from the extra dice?

[@jeffreywolfe6313]

Todd!! Your loft is on fire lol

[@radkins8222]

Thanks for the look into your game room. I want to know where you get the cool potion bottles? Thanks

[@bryanabbott6169]

I'd love to make two characters with this Bard college, the Occult Investigator (using the Investigator background... is it the background that was originally in Sword Coast book?) and former Spiritualist Charlatan (sort of the person that Harry Houdini had personal interest in debunking) who finds out that spirits are indeed real (Sort of like Oda Mae Brown/Whoopie from Ghost), and thus begins adventuring.

[@godofzombi]

I'm gonna play this class in our regular setting as a wandering storyteller, looking for new tales. If you have ever played "Where the water tastes like wine" you know what I mean.

[@shaughn6017]

Love your room Todd! :D

[@grendl74]

Todd. Todd Todd Todd! Combine Spirit Focus with Magic Missile, which a bard can pick up at 10th level. Imagine rolling a 6 for SF and a 4 for the MM...11 damage per dart. BUHAHAHAH

[@gilgamesh1973]

The level6 ability is intriguing. it's technically more versatile than the lore bards version. Lore bard locks you into only 1 spell, albeit that it can come from any school, whereas this allows you to change it around to find one suitable necro or Div for each mission.

[@pb-bx1ll]

Great video thank you

[@aliceofspades]

One of the best Bards ever!

[@fraidnaught9067]

That a nice painting of Strahd, but I prefer the one you have of Lord Soth and his Skelly Boys.

[@hjorhrafn]

Well, I guess I'll be making a bard named Andrew Eldritch now...

[@HyperEwok1]

What painting is that at 0:14? :o

[@rickc-arelsii6276]

Does the affiliate link to Amazon only support your channel for the subject matter covered? I haven't played table top since '95, I did buy the core rulebooks and the Forgotten Realms Sourcebook a few years ago (not entirely sure if they're 3rd or 3.5 tbh), apparently I'd missed 4th edition entirely and now my only idea of how 5th edition works is through Baldur's Gate 3 (I understand that they aren't completely true to the rules....it is a fecking video game - too hard to translate EVERYTHING) Crimony, this has turned into more of a ramble, hasn't it? the point of my question is: if I also want to purchase the core sourcebooks/Tasha's/dice/ will your channel benefit from those as well? I will be purchasing these things, but would like to support yourself and Megan as well as I really enjoy watching your videos. I've to say, I have never been interested in Ravenloft and I personally don't know anyone who has; that being said, seeing YOUR excitement for the product has me wanting to at least purchase it and see it for myself. Sorry for the 'over the hills and through the woods' way of asking a simple question. Slán slán.

[@sammy71500]

My char inherited a cursed instrument so that is my focus

[@KnicKnac]

So these rolls just use the type of die the inspiration is or do they take away from the pool of dice you get? Sounds a bit confusing without the book in hand.

[@dicorockhimself]

They use your same die as inspiration. But its a second role to see the effect

[@dehro]

I am honestly disappointed that the college of spirits is not a barman and mixology class... the barman/bard makes a lot of sense, as characters go....class spells such as Zone of truth, charme, and so on...- expertise with cocktail and potion making equipment as a bonus feature... proficiency in acrobatics...

[@alexeisenhauer5874]

I love this!

[@godofzombi]

Mix up a Zombie, cast Animate dead. Mix up a Fog cutter, cast Fog Cloud. Mix up a Scorpion bowl, cast Poison Spray.

[@DarkAutumnScribe]

So basically this character is a spiritual medium? Cool!

[@theblindbuildergrandminuti5648]

The bard who isn’t religious, but spiritual.

[@time_flash]

Early look into Van Richten's? 👀

[@taktikal26]

If you take Magic Missile through Mystical Secrets and cast it through your Spirit Focus does that mean because each missile is determined by 1 die roll, that now each missile does 2d4 +1 force damage?

[@FryMinis]

Magic Missile doesn't have a Material component.

[@taktikal26]

@@FryMinis This class ability seems really bad then? There seem to be nearly no healing spells in the game that require Material Components, so this ability would never apply to them. In addition, the Bard class does not get many damage-dealing spells that require Material components, and those that do are usually really underpowered in comparison to others of the same level.

[@FryMinis]

@@taktikal26 I totally agree! I think it would be common to allow a non-Material spell to be cast through a focus but I don’t think it is RAW.

[@FallenRingbearer]

So not an alcoholic?

[@phmic5]

So this Bard has jack of all trades aka half proficiency to all skills and tools and can spam Guidance adding an average 2.5 on top...so this bard is artificially proficient in everything...kinda broken.

[@nevertoonate]

Any bard can take magic initiate to grab guidance

[@chimera0213]

Can we make this bard less spooky?

[@chimera0213]

What I mean is a bard that dreams too much (taking too much mind altering substances? maybe.) and projects his fantasia into reality.

[@dicorockhimself]

@@chimera0213 yes flavor it however you want to probably add just a little darkness to flavor it with sugar and spice

[@seanmcgcostumes]

Bard is my favorite class. Spooky subclasses and campaigns are my favorite flavor. But I'm so disappointed by *this* being the spooky bard subclass. I've never liked the Wild Magic sorcerer, because it can be negative for yourself and for your team members. Whenever I've played with someone playing a Wild Magic sorcerer, it's felt like their class choice was an unfair punishment to the rest of us and made it less fun every time. With the College of Spirits, it feels like the bard is being handicapped by it being random and therefore more likely to be a wasted use of Bardic Inspiration. But even more than that, I feel like the Spirit Session kills this subclass. With the Spirit Session, I really can't see many party members joining your seance more than once or twice when everyone has their own stuff they need to accomplish in a short rest. Seems like something that'll barely get any use because no way will others do this with you every day, let alone more than once or twice. I feel like it *severely* handicaps the class.