@@jorgh5255 This. We had a player with the Sunblade variant in Out of the Abyss get madness from Demogorgon when it attacked a kuotoa village and died trying to fight it. I used Catapult to save the sword after he died >.>
This strat is very DM dependent, but if you use the spell on a net, you've basically got a Net-Gun that you can use to knock flying enemies out of the sky. This is kinda my go-to option for all my Artificers now and it is so much fun when it works XD
I once tied a flask of oil to an alchemist fire and launched them together. I also like this spell with bags of caltrops, ball bearings, or even money (silver hurts werewolves and distracts bandits). I haven't thought of using it on nets yet, but hear me out. Carry a 160 lb metal weight in your bag of holding. Cast reduce on it in preparation for a fight. Run up to your target, and launch the missile straight up over its head. Release concentration, action surge + distant spell on enlarge. Watch 1400 lbs of death land on your target from 90 ft up. Instant siege weapon.
Quick thing on Alarm: it's a ritual spell and there is no concentration but also no wording that it disappears if you cast it again. You can take a hour, cast it six times, and have a good amount of area covered.
Bradley. that is actually how I always used this spell. Used sometime which other characters use for camp preparation to kind of ward of all or most of approach vectors
@@bradleyrichard9283Rules as written you can cast it as a ritual for Arcane Ward. Here is what the Player's Handbook says: "When you cast an abjuration spell of 1st level or higher, you can simultaneously use a strand of the spell's magic to create a magical ward on yourself that lasts until you finish a long rest... While the ward has 0 hit points, it can't absorb damage, but its magic remains. Whenever you cast an abjuration spell of 1st level or higher, the ward regains a number of hit points equal to twice the level of the spell." Doesn't say that it has to use a spell slot.
You can do a really goofy Scribes wizard build where you pick up a spell that does bludgeoning/slashing/piercing damage at every level, and flavour your spells as ridiculous anime maneuvers with weapons. Like a slashing lightning bolt being a dash through the enemies in the line with a sword, or a bludgeoning fireball being you jumping into the air with a giant hammer and slamming the ground really hard. At the end of which you of course teleport back to your original location because you're just that cool.
For players who like to describe their spells in detail then Scribes is very rewarding! Another note is that if you upcast Catapult then you can infuse it with whatever damage types are available at the higher Spell Slot. Catapult becomes a totally new spell if you're dealing Mind Spike's Psychic damage, upcast at 2L... suddenly that rock you're launching phases into something else entirely! If that sparks imagination then Scribes is worth trying
@@veikkovuokila8012I made a Geomancer by taking spells that deal bludgeoning damage at every level (fun fact, the only level of Wizard spells that doesn't have bludgeoning damage is 8th) alongside the Crusher feat. Being able to cast "Rock Barrage" (bludgeoning scorching ray) is SO much fun.
The potion version of animal friendship is very good if you know you'll be encountering a lot of beasts, because it lasts for an hour and lets you cast the spell at will. I bought one off hand in a Tales from the Yawning Portal campaign, and sessions later I managed to bypass an entire room of encounters because every enemy was a beast and I could see them before they could see me.
Glad Command got an A. To me, the really good use of this spell is upcasting it at higher levels when you are already concentrating on something else. Like a Bard that is already concentrating on Hypnotic Pattern. Don't really have a ton of things you can do with your Action that are going to have a big impact. But, you upcast Command to 2nd level and tell a couple enemies to Grovel, and you waste their whole next turn without breaking concentration. On my Lore Bard I played before Tasha's, I actually took Command as one of my Additional Magical Secrets because I was looking for something to do with my actions that didn't require concentration, as Vicious Mockery was quickly losing its appeal.
My two best uses of Command: In a murder/mystery one shot we had a solid idea of who had done it, but weren’t able to get any solid evidence so we got everyone together in a Zone of Truth and then I cast Command “Confess” on them. The second was a funny situation. We were trapped by the BBEG and I was trying to buy the rest of the party a turn to help us escape so I cast Command “Monologue” on him. The whole table cracked up as the DM voluntarily failed the saving throw 😂
My favorite use of Command is "Betray". I haven't had a time yet were the DM didn't have that target attack their own party member. On my Divine Soul, I can upcast or use twin meta magic to get multiple targets for minimal resource use.
I have seen Command be used for 'Disrobe'. Which made the AC of their opponent a whole lot easier to hit and depending on the armor takes a while to take off.
1st Level spells are especially hard to Tier rank, since their utility shifts by varying degrees the higher you go - some meh spells get better and become must-haves, and several must-have spells get crummy and useless by Tier 2. That said, this is a good start.
I would that the value of certain spells would vary depending on whether you are a preparation spellcaster who can choose their spells for the day or a known spells caster who is pretty much stuck with those spells permanently.
Ceremony is a great example of this. Clerics and paladins both prepare spells, and it's a spell that you'll probably know ahead of time that you're going to use it, so just prepare it on those occasions.
Alarm fully is a C, very situational, but those latter cases you started talking about are what I’d primarily use it for, especially if you’re a ritual caster. The mental version of it, which has a mile range, is a cheap way to keep tabs on more distant areas of your surroundings. Not just for ambushes, but also to keep yourself from being surprised, and to a degree track movement over distance. You can do things like alarm the door to the guard barracks to monitor comings and goings, alarm the entrance to the dragon’s lair while you’re trying to loot it while the dragon is absent, alarm the front door of a house you’re trying to rob to let you know when the owners get back (same idea, different type of house), if you’re doing defense or investigation alarming an unusual entrance to an area to see if anyone uses it, etc. The spell lasts for eight hours and it alerts you every time a tiny or larger creature interacts with it. The silent, mental version is great if you’re ever in a stakeout or heist or robbery type situation where you want to monitor access points. It definitely is a niche spell, but if you’re running particularly an urban intrigue or heist campaign, definitely might be worth a look.
And if the DM says the entrance to the dungeon is more than 20ft wide, you can just cast Alarm twice targeting squares that are next to each other (taking 20 mins instead of 10 as two ritual castings). It's not concentration so you can have as many Alarms active at once as you've cast in the last 8h!
Yeah, I'd be ok with basing it off the campaign and saying that in some campaigns it elevates almost to an A tier in terms of it's utility as a ritual, but can in other campaigns drop to worthless. Content with a low B high c tier rating here, which is kinda where i feel they were aiming for it to be put at the end of their discussion, but kept it C. The difficulty in this tier list is there are a lot of campaign/DM dependent utility on any level of spell almost.
I've seen Alarm used extensively, such as in Salt Marsh to ward a ship and a dock. I've also seen it used to tell people "When was the vault open" or alert other access to an area. Don't think of it as a burglar alarm, think of it as a trigger: "Is someone in this closed off area I'm interested in?" The one mile range is really useful. This is a great spell for scrolls too.
Oh man, this is going to be a long video series. Looking forward to all its episodes!!! Edit: I'm happy that Kelly mentioned how Burning Hands saved Pluto in the first Dungeons of Drakkenheim episode.
A subtle thing with Catapult is that it deals damage to the target and itself. So if you have a jar of Alchemist Fire, "drop it accidentally" and then catapult it at someone, the jar will shatter as it smashes into something. Which which also gives some options for things like a bag of ball bearings or caltrops, however that is up to the DM's discretion
I mean, it takes one action to cast and is instantanious, so it would be reasonable to just give the thing a toss into the air(no particular target, so rolling shouldnt be needed) then piledrive it into someone rather than "accidentally dropping it".
The best use for Alarm is for Abjuration wizards. They can raise their Arcane Ward without expending a spell slot by just ritually casting Alarm every morning.
@@buggerallethys rechecked. sorry my mistake. its just I thought I remembered reading that it needs spell slot to be expended which ritual doesn't So that is why I was thinking it doesnt work with rituals
@MsKeylas Yeah, there are several rules with the "using a slot" provision, and it seems like this ought to be one of them. I am currently playing an abjurer in a Strixhaven campaign and was pleasantly surprised this worked.
I'd like to point out that Cause Fear scales nicely since the debuff is relevant at all levels of play, unlike colour spray or sleep, and a level 1 spell that can cripple a strong creature is good value
Sleep is one of the best in my opinion, whatever or whoever you cast it on doesn’t get any saving throws and it doesn’t give a 💩about legendary/lair actions etc. It demands some meta gaming, I realize this but, it’s great for those of us who keep track on damage done to the BBEG’s and it’s minions etc. As long as your DM calls out your “bloodied” targets, it’s amazing. Just upcast it to whatever it needs to be and voila, it’s that easy. EDIT: If you play a Aberrant sorcerer it’s even better, put it on your Psi list and use it to great effect in “out of combat” situations. Not only can you now “collect” all sorts of BBEGs in your basement but, now you can also use it to make NPCs everywhere your thing…just cast Disguise Self to turn yourself into any of the NPCs you have “put to Sleep”, even better with the Actor feat.
My party figured out a way to use alarm to help party members to communicate when we split the party. We put together what basically amounts to pocket telegraphs so that we can communicate via morse code. We did have to learn morse code (or at least have a cheat sheet handy) though, b/c our DM makes us literally spell everything out in code. He was annoyed that he couldn't think of a reason we wouldn't be able to do it. 😂
@@sarahmanalapan8443well the spell says Door, Window, or area no larger than 20 feet cubed. Doesn't say anything about door or window size. So get a toy door like a lego door frame and ward that. Boom, your door morse code tool is made.
@@sarahmanalapan8443 Alarm wards a set entrance or an area up to 20 square feet. So you could alarm a door or window without also warding the area inside the building. Or in this case just a pouch.
The thing with Ceremony is that there are uses, and you're not trapped with it. That's the case with all the cleric, druid and paladin spells. Whereas, Arcane casters minus wizards are kind of locked in when choosing spells.
I have a soft spot for Catapult. I was playing a diviner and I ended two separate encounters by killing the lead wizards of each encounter by using portent to make them fail their saving throws. Since we were low-level, they didn't have high HPs and were killed by the spell. Catapult has never been as effective since but at the time, I felt so powerful.
Wow, every spell by level and in alphabetical order???? This series will be epic! I already can imagine rewatching different parts for the discussions of specific spells
I am using Command on an Order cleric to great effect: have Spirit Guardians up, use a Bonus Action (courtesy of the 6th level feature) to cast Command and tell people to Approach. It still costs them their turn, provokes AoO from melee allies next to them, sets them up for taking damage on their next turn as well, and lets me use my action for e.g. cantrips or Dodging to protect my concentration.
Armor of agathys on a conquest pally is a solid use of a slot. They're already terrifying walking tanks, and now they're terrifying walking tanks that hurt you if you try to stop them. Really works with their whole aesthetic too.
Re: Catapult - would love to show y'all how that spell can break encounters. Bear in mind, it's a 60' range of the spell itself, with 90' targeting distance. So if they're 150' feet away... you can hit 'em with a free rock or sea shell or bit of debris that does 3d8 damage. Marty's Battlemaster with Disarming attack + Catapult makes the enemy's weapon a deadly threat to them if they drop it... or if they dodge it, now they have to spend time chasing it down. Catapult has a higher damage output potential than most 1st level spells, better range than most 1st level spells, and can be upcast to deal more damage. Unlike Guiding Bolt, for example, Catapult can be used to target an item behind your enemy (and slightly to the side) to hit them from behind, which can complicate their DEX save. Y'all might be underestimating this one.
Alarm actually has more uses than the ones stated in the video: 1) Useful for determining if you are being followed, particularly when traveling on a narrow path (moutain pass, tunnel, old hunting trail, castle corridor). Cast behind you in a place a pursuer might walk; their Stealth roll cannot hide their presence. 2) This works on sneaking and invisible creatures. It may not pinpoint their location, but it lets you know something is/was there. 3) Useful for defeating disguised creatures. Because you designate who are not affected by the spell (you and your party), anybody else sets it off, regardless of their appearance. Doppelgangers, disguised rogues, and those using Disguise Self can be unmasked in this way. Depending on your DM's ruling, spells such as Polymorph and Alter Self can be defeated this way. This depends on if the DM claims that the spell makes an exception to a creature's biology, or if it recognizes the soul/instance of the exempted creature. Alarm's real problem is DM's and their players tend to downplay or outright ignore the Exploration Pillar. Spells like Alarm are built almost exclusively for that pillar of play, and not allowing able opportunity to use it prevents anybody from actually using it. I would put it in high C or low B Tier: can be a bit situational at times, but with some creativity, it becomes pretty helpful.
Ceremony : it's useless, but as a Cleric or Paladin, you don't have a limit to spells known, so no big deal, you can prepare it if you know you'll use it the next day and forget about it otherwise
5:53 I will say that one thing I think raises Alarm’s utility is that it’s not concentration, and I don’t see anything in the description that prevents you from having more than one alarm active at once, which could drastically raise the area you can cover with it, especially since you can cast it as a ritual. Whether or not that works for you will depend on DM interpretation of course. Something my artificer did, utilizing that interpretation, was to alarm the woods AROUND the camp instead of the camp itself. That might not stop a fireball flung at you but it DID alert me to the abishai that were invisibly spying on our camp that night.
So as a Bard who had Slow and Bane, I was impressed by how useful Bane was overall in comparison to Slow which sorta does the same thing, except they can roll to make the save again. That reroll for the save has proven to be Slow downfall, and so I had gotten ride of that spell can just kept Bane.
I think command is underrated as a control spell. Command word flee may provoke an opportunity attack, or even multiple opportunity attacks. As the enemy will use dash to escape, they probably will need to use their action and movement to return, which takes the enemy out of the fight for two whole rounds. If upcast to second level , and if both enemies fail, for the cost of one action and one second level spell, you may have taken two enemies out of the fight for two rounds.
A build where Cause Fear really shines is a Conquest Paladin with a Warlock dip, because it's another way to apply Frightened, the fear does not break on damage so Aura of Conquest doesn't end the condition, and while Wrathful Smite's better for frightening a single target because it is way stickier, upcasting Cause Fear allows you to target additional creatures. In situations where you want to frighten multiple creatures, but they aren't positioned in a way where you can catch them all in the Fear spell's cone, upcasting Cause Fear can be a good substitute.
07:20 [Animal Friendship] This spell would be a great choice as a first level feat (via "Magic Initiate" ) for a non-spellcaster low level NPC. | A farmer or a soldier sometimes needs that "certainty" that even Expertise on the Animal Handling skill can not provide (a mere +4 on a nat1 roll). -> At least once per day, it knows that it will work. An emergency override on an otherwise wild/panic behavior.
About color spray, I used it against someone who had something we wanted. He didn't know we wanted it, he also didn't know we took it. He thought I was just making sure he couldn't attack us while we retrieved a downed ally. I'm not sure if he ever learned we took it from him, but we got away pretty easily.
Catapult is excellent pound-for-pound because you can throw a vial of acid or flask of holy water with it. That adds an extra 2d6 damage of a reliable damage type (provided the holy water applies to the target in that case). If you have a character in the party proficient in alchemist's supplies, this is a pretty cheap way to augment your damage with the spell, and it's pretty reliably that *someone* is going to fail the save when you line it up. It's also much easier to line up than, say, lightning bolt, because you can just fling an acorn on the ground over there and get the exact angle you want. By the time you have 4th or so level spells it will get outclassed in damage, but before that it's much better than a B.
Chromatic orb notably only costs 1 known spell for sorcerers while giving excellent element coverage. If you can hit vulnerabilities it's also quite good value even for a few levels after first and arguably does some nice utility like damaging locks etc
Agree. For funz, quicken chaos bolt and cast chaos orb. Later twin chaos orb for extea chaos if also wild sorcerer. Though I prefer draconic sorcerer with GEM ancestries! Hey WotC, you forgor that in the Fizban bookie!
If you actually use components when spellcasting Chaos Bolt is significantly easier to slot in as a Sorc since Chromatic Orb requires a diamond worth at least 50gp on your person. It's not impossible to get the diamond early on, but for most players Orb and Bolt will have lost most of their value when you can afford it. ...also if you haven't been following the UAs, Sorcs are set to get Sorcerous Burst which is basically a better chromatic orb in cantrip form so there'll be even less of a reason to grab it next year
I honestly dont understand why anyone would pay a spell slot to to damage on an attack roll to a single target that a martial could do with a single attack. Chromatic orb is just strictly worse than magic missle, disregarding the component. Chaos bolt is even worse. I would rate both as C-tier, at best.
Armor of Agathys upcast is absolutely baller. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the whole hedgehog build. I look for ways to add to full casters (wizard, Sorcerer, Druid, Cleric). Abjurer with this and Blade Ward, Clockwork Sorcerer with this, transform spell to change elemental type and the ability to reduce damage by d8/Sorcerer point....and Blade ward. Add in the Shadar-Kai race so you can teleport 30 ft, gain resistance ALL till next round. I have used this to deliberately draw AoO from enemies and deal 25pts a pop....and sometimes, when the DMs dice really suck, my character closes his eyes to grant advantage LOL. And while damage potential is awesome, this spell is pulling double duty because it's actively protecting you so even if the dm drops it with ranged attacks and spells, it still did its job. But this is the ultimate use of action economy...dealing damage on the enemies turn with a zero concentration spell that buffs your HP Do you have any idea how satisfying it is to watch your dm agonize over whether his goon is smart enough to realize taking that AoA on you will kill him? Or have to decide if it's worth it to attack you with a second swing, or heaven help him, a third? This style of play is so much and so engaging I give this spell an S+....All day long and twice on Sundays
One of my favorite situations in using Command was when we were fighting multiple giant eels who surrounded and grappled our Swashbuckler on low hp. After trying to figure out how to get him out alive I went with a single second level command: Cannibalize
You could catapult a genie warlock in his vessel, with the party inside aswell at higher levels. Might already have better teleports at that point but works for a first level spell slot lol
Command might be an S-tier Bard spell even at higher levels, since it's one of only few Bard spells that don't require concentration (in case you don't want your enemies to run away due to Dissonant Whispers, the other must pick). Upcasting it to make several enemies forego their turns is definitely a strong use of an Action while concentrating on your big spell.
I enjoy Catapult less for the damage and more for the creative utility. You can use it to fling something that's across the room closer to you, use it to fling a noisy item away to cause a distraction a distance away from you, or my personal favorite, using it to fling a grappling hook (with rope attached) over a wall. It's a fun spell, and is perfect for Arcane Trickster rogues in my opinion.
Absorb Element: I agree it's a great spell,, you are 100% right. But you are forgiving one big flaw of the spell. Wizard/Sorcerer do not like being in melee, so the "add 1d6 damage on your next melee attack" is useless for them. but it remains a great A rank spell if not S tier (S tier even if the extra damage is wasted. AS you said in late game, when my sorcerer have lvl 6 spell, and my firebolt deal on average more damage then magic missile level 1, I willl use my level 1 spell slot for only 3 reason: recovering my SP (if I'm a sorcerer) casting shield but when monster have a +12 to hit my 17 AC shield isn't as useful anymore, and absorb element remain the best spell I can use.
Use catapult with a bag of flour, when it takes 3d8 damage you have a big cloud of flour which a firebolt, torch etc will turn into an accelerant. Also great to use with a missile that missed, though you might owe the Barbarian a new handaxe as it takes 3d8 damage after embedding in the back of someone.
Something about Command that tends to fly under the radar is that it doesn’t involve the Charmed condition, so enemies resistant or immune to Charm effects don’t get to apply that against Command. I also feel like there’s a potential meme build combining the Poisoner feet with Commanding people to drink, but that’s neither here nor there.
I’m the DM. The cleric in the party (lvl 6) has cast Ceremony at least 5 times in really fun role play situations. I finally just gave him a prayer bead of Ceremony.
Catapult is great for an subtle spell assassin sorcerer. A rock just flew out of nowhere and struck the prince as he was walking around the town, while the sorcerer watches from the crowd on the opposite side
One thing about catapult.... my artificer used it to throw bottles of acid at enemies. Vial of acid weights 1 pound and does 2d6 dmg and with alchemy jug you can create multiple vials per day. You can do the same thing with alchemy fire for example. Can be fun just watch out what is behind your target because... well lets say throwing alchemy fire in a wooden building may change the battle and not in a good way
I love that I actually have cast ceremony before. In the beginning of Curse of Strahd my cleric I just had it prepared because it seemed interesting, and while mechanically it didn’t really do anything, I felt really happy about using it because it gave Ireena and Ismark (not sure of spelling of either name) some closure for their father, and it felt like something my cleric would have done. Would my gm likely have allowed me to perform a funeral rite even without the spell? Probably, but it was only like our third or fourth session together so I didn’t really know
23:05 I love catapult! I've used it in some fun ways, throwing alchemist fire or oil for starters. But most recently we were fighting a vampire and our rogue had the holy water but he was down. The next turn was myself and then the beat downs followed by the vampire. Our healer was low in the order. Since the rogue had specifically mentioned having it in his off hand at the ready, I used catapult to throw the holy water and it connected! Damage plus the holy water just in time for the fighter and barbarian to do their thing! Glorious!
I'm definitely interested in analysis of spells, considering how many spellbooks I've published on DMsGuild. I wish I could get into a discussion about my own creations, but not many people would have context for it. Anyhow, I will be following this series and rewatching it, no doubt.
On Bane vs. Bless, I find that my players have more fun when they hit than when they miss, and being hit or being missed by the enemy are equally fun, so the Bless buff provides them with better chances at more fun.
I would push Alarm one up when I see other C entries. There are so many ways to exploit it with ritual casting and preparing a battlefield. It's definitely a pick for a character that would have memorized Sun Tzu
This is going to be sooo helpful since I have almost no experience with choosing spells, especially for full casters. I would really love it if you guys finished the ''Everyone splays a...'' series, because it's so fun and interesting to theorise how a single class can fill multiple niches.
Chaos Bolt is built to be used in tandem with Empowered Spell. The spell arcs to another foe if you match the d8's and Empowered Spell allows you to reroll a number of dice equal to your Cha. Modifier. I've played with a guy that arced Chaos Bolt into 3+ enemies several times in each fight we had.
But even then, you're spending a sorcery point for a 12.5 % chance to ricochet to a second target. Imho, that's pretty expensive, especially considering I could spend 2 sorcery points and a BA to quicken a spell, and just cast chromatic orb and firebolt. I would have enjoyed chaos bolt a lot more if it had had a much higher chance of bouncing (that tapers off with each bounce), but also a small chance to fail completely. Something like ... Roll 1d8 + 1d8 + 1d6 First d8 determines damage type, second d8 determines amount of damage from that type, d6 determines amount of damage from a fixed type (magical piercing damage). If both d8s roll an odd or both roll an even number, the spell bounces to a second target within 30 feet of the first, and you roll again. On your second roll, if all three dice roll an odd or all roll an even number, it bounces to a third target. On the third roll, if both d8s roll the same number, the spell bounces to a fourth target. On the fourth roll, if all three dice roll the same number, it bounces to a fifth target (max). If you ever roll a 1 on the d6, you discard the current target (even if it's the first one), and the spell ends (damage to prior targets is still applied normally). At higher levels: For every 2 spell levels beyond 1st, the damage of the type determined by the d8 roll increases by 1d10, the magical piercing damage by 1d4, and the bounce range increases by 10 feet. If that seems too weak, consider letting it hit the same target twice, as long as bounces to a second target in between, if you upcast it to at least 3rd or 5th level. Potentially a lot of bounces, especially using empowered spell, but effect and damage is truly chaotic. Plus, you have to admit that you've always wanted to roll 1d10 + 1d8 + 1d6 + 1d4 for spell damage :p
@TheRealMuckluck It's true that there are more consistent ways to deal solid damage, but in terms of 1st level spells, nothing has as much potential as Chaos Bolt. For example, you could also cast Chaos Bolt with quickened spell (with or without Empowered) and get the same output as chromatic orb and firebolt, trading a d8 for a d6 and gaining the chance it bounces 7 times.
I like catapult because it's a rare occasion with an offensive spell that has utility uses too, and strange interactions. -Probably the only spell that can be used with Twinned Spell metamagic to attack the same target twice. -the keeps going thing they mentioned in the video if the initial target dodges it. -launch vials of stuff, caltrop, knifes or whatever else you happen to be carrying around in your "ammo bag" -can be used to get an item to where you need it to be. (grappling hook tied to a rope is a common for me, think my DM might have a fetish for "how to get a rope to the other ledge" puzzles.... or maybe it's a phase?) -while not by RAW, i think there's a strong argument for letting monks (and the magic item(s) with the same effect) catch the projectiles if they stand behind a target that dodged -some other stuff i probably don't think of in the moment, but it's a lot more interesting spell than the typical "make a spell attack, roll 3d8damage, no other effects or interactions"
Arms of hadar is decent but I mostly agree. You can force your enemy caster or your players to use their counter spell when you want them to or have them roll dice on a str save and still lose their counterspell. I guess in that instance it’s pretty good but super corner case.
Once i gave an Necklace of Prayer Beads to my cleric that needed a cast of Ceremony on the start of the exact hour to recharge the beads. it went pretty well, cause with time that began to atract people who he helped to his faith (he was a Blood of Vol cleric traped in ravenloft, so, things near went south many times 😈)
My personal favourite use of Catapult is a bag of caltrops (which can themselves be coated in something, for evil measure), or a bag of ball bearings. The 3d8 bludgeoning is nice, but the big advantage is it locks down an enemy and reduces their movement when the bag bursts and an area is covered in small spiky bits of metal, or 1000 iron balls. I should note that Command is limited to stuff that will not directly cause harm to the target (so Autodefenestrate wouldn't work unless the window was open, and they have Feather Fall or similar). It's definitely a solid A-tier spell though, if for no other reason than you're locking down an enemy for a round while they obey your command. Don't count on anything past those initial 6 seconds. That said, this is a brilliant spell for giving your party a set-up turn, and if you hit on the right command, this can be a fight winning spell. My personal best was using the command 'Monologue' on a major villain (we thought he was the BBEG for a one-shot, turns out he was being mind-controlled, and the Command just let him get it all out, and eventually surrender. Granted, the Vengeance Paladin then organised his fellow victims into a lynch mob, as mind-control or not, he had still served up his neighbours for decades of torture...).
if I were DMing, I'd homebrew Chaos Bolt to give the caster a choice: instead of the damage dice always being 1d6 + 2d8, I'l let them choose (for the whole cast) what the second 2 dice were, from 2d4, 2d6, or 2d8. Picking a lower die makes the spell more likely to jump, but reduces the overall damage.
Alarm comes into its own in the right campaign. We're a two player party in Ravenloft, so quite often we're sleeping in a room rather than out in an open field. For times we are out in a field, our Warlock can cast Tiny Hut as a ritual. Alarm is our more subtle option for when casting a 10 foot radius impenetrable dome would raise some eyebrows in town. So far it's caught people coming to kill us twice, and a ten foot cube (or multiple instances of Alarm cast as a ritual) can cover most or all of a room. Since it can be ritual cast, we've also used it as part of a defensive setup. We had to protect a farm and had a couple of hours of warning that enemies were on the way, but we didn't know which direction they'd be approaching from or whether they might split up and attack from multiple directions. We cast multiple instances of Alarm in strategic places where we thought enemies would be most likely to pass. An hour of casting gave us six instances of Alarm, and it's a good size at a twenty foot cube (big enough to cover an entire road, hallway, or trail) and lasts for eight hours. It did exactly what we needed it to do. They walked (well, floated- they were mindflayers) right through one of the Alarm spells, giving us time to set up an ambush.
Ceremony is great as a free spell for clerics. Love being able to give a proper burial to certain NPCs or to give a blessing off to a young and eager soldier. One of the best for RP things
With alarm, it's important to remember that you can cast it multiple times to cover more ground. A great way to burn left over 1st level spells or use ritual caster.
I feel like, although I agree it's a great spell, you glossed over the fact that Chromatic Orb needs the caster to have a 50 GP diamond on hand all the time. That's a lot of gold at the beginning of a campaign.
Little note on the strength of Command that goes regularly overlooked. Carry a spare shield around with you, and use Command on spellcasters with the command word "Don". If they fail the save, they have to put on the shield, loosing a turn, disabling Mage Armour, and if they aren't proficient with it (note, creature stat blocks are only proficient with equipment that is referenced in their stat block, so unless they were already wearing a shield, they won't be) they are rendered unable to cast spells until removing the shield. Doffing a shield takes an entire action, meaning you effectively double the duration for how long this locks an opponent down. This turns command into a spellcaster slaying spell, even at high levels. One of the best uses for your first level spell slots in the late game (there's few things that feel better than burning through a legendary resistance with a first level spell slot).
Catapult spell has many applications. Yoink the bar stool from someone being an ass, hit a guard from the side to distract him, the spell has only (S) so masking these social applications is easy.
Tip for level 2 divination wizards: take catapult. If you have a low portant, cast it on a line of enemies, make all but the last target in that line roll the saving throw. If all of them somehow make the save, just use that portant on the last one in line. It guarantees your spell slot isn't wasted, and if one of those earlier enemies fails, great, you get to keep your low portant for another spell.
Don't forget to evaluate spells from a DM's perspective as well. Alarm is an S TIER Spell for the mad wizard who wants to know when someone has entered their tower.
Chromatic Orb is not useable at character creation because of the 50 gp costly component (not consumed). It means you're either waiting until level 2+ to take it or having a dead spell and hoping you can find that component.
Quicken to Catapult a five pound jug of oil at the enemy, causing Catapult damage and soaking them in multiple flasks of oil. Use your action to cast Fire Bolt. Marshmellows optional.
I just want to point out that most of my campaigns start at level 1. Chromatic Orb requires a 50gp diamond that I don't give my players early, so Chaos Bolt they would be able to use. Dunno if you took that into account when ranking it.
BG3 teaches you to look at a lot of spells differently (for various reasons per spell). It taught me that Color Spray is actually really neat ... when it's free to cast. I found that ring that lets you cast it once per encounter and scoffed because I'd still be wasting an action to use it, but with characters having finger empty of rings, equipped it anyway. Color spray me surprised when I ended up actually using it. Bigger bad guy is most of the way dead, but it'll survive the one character's round of attacks I have left before it gets a turn. If it's not going to die anyway, but has HP in color spray range, that's a good defensive move, and pretty much ensures my party can't mess up taking it down next round. Would I actually use a spell slot on it? Almost assuredly not, and I'm even less likely to have it prepared. But I might well be slinging a color spray ring at my players in future games I run.
Everyone that gets ceremony is a prepared caster and can take it when needed, which keeps it out of D. I use this on my Cleric during downtime all the time to make holy water.
This one time I was playing with my family and my mom, a gnome druid, used "Speak with small beasts" and animal friendship to completely cheese a difficult fight. Not a great spell but I guess it's fine
The high level play for an Eldritch night on absorb elements, would be two cast the fireball using war magic, and then upcast absorb elements as reaction and make that extra attack. Hopefully on an enemy vulnerable to fire
Great use of the spell Command: Upcast it to target several of a king's bodyguards and give them the command 'Regicide' Enjoy the chaos XD (seriously though, just look up words ending in -cide and you've got pretty much limitless options)
Chromatic Orb is definitely good, but for a new character, that 100g material component has always prevented me from taking it until long after its time to shine.
For a few weeks, I've been running my first Dungeons of Drakkenheim campaign as a DM. I've given my players a modified Dungeon Dudes standard array. (6 instead of 8 as lowest stat) Now I have 2 caster with -2 in strength saving throws and arms of Hadar seems to be the right spells to mock them a little. Especially this one caster who loves to use his reaction for silvery Barb. ❤
@@damedley75 If that's the case, then so it is for the components for the more expensive, more high level spells like all resurrection spells. But I'm pretty sure most DMs make players find new components every time.
If you have a friendly druid with you, I love catapulting magic stones as a sorcerer. 3D8 +1D6 + spellcasting mod of the druids stones is a great way to finish someone off.
Armor of Agathys is the poster child for B tier: It is INCREDIBLY OVER-POWERED when you build a build around it with an Earth Genasi, Goliath, Abjurer, Clockwork Sorcerer, or Barbarian dip. It is CERTIFIED DOGS--T on a character that isn't built around it. My 6 hit point wizard doesn't want to get hit ever!
Alarm can also be cast and in effect multiple times. You can cast it on your party camp area, and cast it again just around yourself, if you don’t trust someone in the party. You can also cast it in front of the door of a place you are staking out. Not arguing with the rating, but it is fairly versatile.
I don't know if anyone pointed this out, but Catapult has the highest range out of any level one spell. It says 60 ft, but what that means is that you can target an object within 60 ft. The object travels 90 ft. So if you target a random rock on the ground, that is 60 ft from you, you can launch it an additional 90 ft. 150 ft. It also let's you attack from a different direction. This can let you get around Cover. If they have a Boulder, the shooting from behind you can choose a rock behind into the side of them and hit them in the back. The same technique is useful for stealth. Because the enemy doesn't know where the attack is coming from. It's like that trick where they throw a rock to make a sound, and the guards go over there. Except this time they attack someone from a certain direction when they're really in the opposite direction. This technique is just super maneuverable. Finely, this technique pairs so well with so many other items and spells. You can only Throw a grappling hook so high on your own, but you could have a party member throw it and use this to fire it another 90 ft. Fire your lamp oil on someone from 90ft away well Also doing damage from the initial hit. Poison acid and elkonist fire all work the same. There is also magic stone, which pairs so well. Finely with the artificer Artilleryest sub class, you can make a tiny cannon with legs. It is not classified as a creature. Meaning at level one, you can fire it up to 90 ft. What's more it acts as if your the one firing the Cannon even if your not touching it. That means you can fire it over a castle wall and any Attack buffs you receive are applied to the cannon on the other side of the wall. (I am getting into artificer now, but the synergy is there.) Alarm is a Ritual so you can cast it as many times as you need. Even Graph it out so that each area has a different alarm. This is great for invisibility. If you know someone with Invisibility or high stealth is going to show up make a grid. You will know Not only that, they're here, but where they are. Afterward, it's just a matter of area of effect spells. The spell last 8 hours and it takes 10 minutes To cast it as a ritual. This means you can cast it 48 times. This makes the Assumption that only 1 of you know it. But many classes don't have to choose what spells they know. They get all of them. This Allows for multiple people to have the alarm spell and not waste any spell slots on or anything on it. The problem is it's a prep spell. It's great if you Do a lot of scouting and know what you're going to face ahead of time. (My favorite type of charicter) but not so much for Ambushes or entering the unknown area.
Absorb Element is absolutely an S. It's the equialent of an auto-success against over 90% of Dex saves, and it stacks with saves on top of that. This spell is one of the most powerful tools casters have for protecting their concentration, and is the reason they basically never need to invest in Dex save proficiency, freeing up Resilient for Con or Wis as needed. It's more of a mandatory pick (if you can get it) than Silvery Barbs. The reflected damage shoud basically never come up since you shouldn't be in melee in the first place, but as long as it doesn't tempt you into bad habits a little extra damage is a cherry on top of an already overpowered spell. Bless is an excellent Cleric Spell, especialy before Spirit Guardians comes online. But actually, its real power is as a Paladin spell, precisely because there's so little competition for it. Divine Soul Sorcerer, being one of the best 1 level dips in the game (in no small part due to granting access to Absorb Elements btw), will also find great use for it. And, interestingly, in highly optimized parties it's as common to see it on Wizards as Clerics, since Wizards have the smallest oppotunity cost in picking up the Peace Cleric dip every party wants for the armour proficiencies and Emboldening Bond. Burning Hands is a C at best. If your caster is close enough to use Burning Hands, they're probably doing somehing wrong, and kiting with Fire Bolt with Shield as insurance is far safer and more reliable. To say nothng of the mediocre damage and terrible scaling shared by all blasting spells. Sleep is infinitely superior. Catapult is at least a C just due to the superior safety factor of a line, but that doesn't make blasting spells good. Cause Fear, Bane, etc all allow saves and do nothing of value on a sucess. There's a narrow window from about 3rd to 8th level where you have an excuse for casting spells in a fight that don't ignore Legndary Resistance, due to the dominating OPness that is Web, Hypnotic Pattern, and Fear and the requisite immunities and LR still being rare. And I guess Antipathy/Sympathy and Mirage Arcane have big enough areas to be worth the trouble. And even then that's only for a couple of classes; most casters never actually have to allow saves to be extremely strong. But between Sleep and Bless there's remarkably little call for allowing saves at level 1, most especially not against a single target. Interestingly, Command and Entangle are probably the two save-allowing 1st level spells I'd deign to call good. And even then Command is pretty situational.
Chromatic Orb requires a material component (I believe it's a gem worth 50 gold?). Depending on the DM and the campaign, you may not have that much gold early on. And even if you do, your Wizard could spend it to add another spell to their spellbook instead. I don't think it's worth it.
Catapult is great with grenade-like objects like Acid, Alchemist's Fire, Oil or Water jugs, Caltrops, Bags of Ball Bearings, or my favorite, Contact/Inhaled Poisons such as Malice
Bless is overpowered as hell. It's practically giving three allies +2.5 weapons, it stacks with the normal weapon bonus, and it works on spell attacks. The increase in damage is much higher than what Haste provides, except it uses a first level slot as opposed to a third level slot, and instead of having a huge downside you also get a crazy defense boost. Nuts.
