New Bard Colleges: Arcana and Vigor

[Aldarc]

Neither class has stat bonus to cantrips and access to booming blade and eldritch blast though.

You mean apart from the Wizard Evoker? And the Bladesinger gets an extra attack.

With a high damage cantrip and so little access to damaging spells--the arcana bard isn't going to be running out of spell slots either--unless he's burning spells for healing. Otherwise, it's cast a concentration spell at the beginning of combat and either wade into battle with Booming or GF blade, or sit back and throw eldritch blast each round.

I apologize, but I don't quite follow your reasoning here, though perhaps I misunderstand. Why would a full-caster run out of spells only if they had access to damaging spells like the sorcerer or wizard? Why can't a bard or cleric run out of spells? And why the emphasis on Booming or GF Blade as if those were the only damage cantrips worth casting?

I think it would be a fun subclass, and I'd play it if it was available. It just feels less like a "wizard" school than the Lore bard does.

Then how would you make it feel more like a Wizard/Sorcerer or a mage-focused bard? Would it help to replace the Potent Spellcasting? Or what if I changed the origin of where the Arcana bard could gain their spells, such as the Sorcerer spell list?

For the record, the Arcana bard did originally stem from an idea I had to make a dragon-focused bard, much in the manner of the draconic bloodline sorcerer, for a player who originally wanted to make a kobold bard.

Thank you, everyone, for helping me with this. Your continued feedback is valuable.