The Bard loses a few things here. Frankly, they’re not that big of an issue and here’s why:
- Bards don’t need or use martial weapons (College of Valor gains these back, appropriately). If you want to fence with baddies, play a Rogue.
- The 3-4 (average) HP granted from Song of Rest was too small a benefit used too infrequently
The extended duration of Bardic Inspiration and the re-working of economy around Countercharm are big enough to more than offset any perceived loss from these changes.
Overall, the Bard gets very few changes, especially relative to the Paladin. The subclass options largely seem to grant the Bard strengths from other classes, which may limit pressure to multi-class and expand the Bard’s utility in less-than-social situations.