D&D 5E Spells: the Good, the Bad, and the Downright Orcish Grandmother

[Schmoe]

Some really great spells are:

Control Water - This has amazing potential to wreak havoc anywhere you have water

Crown of Madness - A 2nd level Dominate Person? Yes, please.

Magic Jar - Following the tradition of earlier editions, this spell is almost unfair. Combine with Meld Into Stone for the ultimate ambush.

Edit: I also wanted to add that I've been very impressed with the attention given to the unusual spells that aren't directly combat-related. Project Image, Seeming, Sequester, Programmed Illusion, etc. All of those types of spells really add to the game by expanding possibilities. In reading the 5E versions of them, I really feel like the designers took the time to look at each one individually, clarify the rules where necessary, and tweak the power of them to make sure that they were interesting, usable, and viable options in the game. While there are some spells that are stinkers, and I bemoan the loss of things like Finger of Death (no longer instant-death) and Implosion (gone, gone, gone), overall I've been extremely happy with the 5E spells.

 

[Staffan]

If you have the cash then you'd almost prefer them dead as Revivify will bring them back with 1 HP. The only downside of death is your magic items slide off you as they are no longer attuned. The fact that you kinda do prefer them dead is a bit of a problem. Maybe the Rez spells should also work on 0 HP characters, or things like Spare The Dying should bring them back to 1 HP. It seems like they really don't want a cantrip that can give healing while at the same time there are lots of things that can heal you on a trigger like killing an enemy.

I can't think of a single situation where I would prefer that one of my allies was dead instead of only dying, just so I could cast Revivify on them. I mean, if I'm close enough to cast Revivify, I could also cast Cure Wounds using a 3rd level slot, bringing them back to consciousness with 3d8+Wisbonus hit points, instead of just 1 hit point.

Well, there is the possible situation where I didn't prepare Cure Wounds but only Revivify, but that would be a case of me being terminally stupid.

 

[CapnZapp]

I really wish WotC would revisit the truly bad spells that few if anyone ever uses.

Why? Because if there are more decent to good alternatives, the selection of spells that you actually consider increase, thereby increasing variety to the game.

I'm especially thinking of the Cleric in my recent campaign. He cast Spirit Guardians in almost every encounter.
And yes, it is THAT good. I really think Clerics need a few more strong contenders, so he would vary himself once in a while.

So new versions that supersede the PHB ones please. Or if they absolutely cannot do that, new spells with clearly similar names preferably with the same initial letter or word ("Circle of Blight", "Ice Vortex", "Jumping", etc)

Here's a list of spells they can start with:

• Circle of Death
• Ice Storm
• Jump
• Melf's Acid Arrow
• Mordenkainen's Sword
• Otto's Irresistable Dance
• True Strike
• Weird
• Witchbolt
• Color Spray

 

[Gadget]

I would add Crown of Madness and Ray of Enfeeblement to that list. I'm also not entirely happy with the the emergent play that arises from Hold Person/Monster. Namely: high chance of target making the save when the spell is first acquired, low chance at high level when targeting a non-proficient/strong save. Also, the whole, "focus fire on the guy the spell lands on and beat him into the mud, he could save at any time!" is not quite as pleasing to my aesthetics either, but is small potatoes compared to the spells previously mentioned.

 

[CapnZapp]

I'm also not entirely happy with the the emergent play that arises from Hold Person/Monster. Namely: high chance of target making the save when the spell is first acquired, low chance at high level when targeting a non-proficient/strong save. Also, the whole, "focus fire on the guy the spell lands on and beat him into the mud, he could save at any time!" is not quite as pleasing to my aesthetics either, but is small potatoes compared to the spells previously mentioned.

I hear you. I wasn't too happy about the shift in what the spell does either, but I've learned to live with it.

A big part of why is precisely the spells cease to suck at higher levels. (Not just Hold, but every save-or-suck) Giving the design team the benefit of the doubt, I choose to believe they intentionally made some spells become quadratically better as you level up.

=Not only do your save DC outstrip monsters saving bonuses, but the level 2 spell slot is mighty cheap at high level

If you only look at Hold Person with your low-level glasses on, the ones you initially wear, the spell looks like a design failure. As you switch out your glasses for the high-level ones, things change.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

What if we made Witchbolt a 2nd level spell, 120ft, starts at 3d6 damage, requires a bonus action to cast and maintain, and add 2d6 for each spell level over 2nd?

 

[Gadget]

[MENTION=59848]Hawk Diesel[/MENTION] Interesting proposition, I've heard a lot of proposed fixes for Witchbolt, it can be a tricky thing to fix. I think your fix could work, as it is pure hit point damage and is probably the easiest to balance. Personally, I've felt the spell was put there mainly for the Warlock, even though other casters have the spell on their list. It kind of has that flavor, plus warlocks get free auto scaling (up to 5th level) with their spells; the only problem is that the spell really is not worth it in all but the most contrived situations.

I've always been partial to the idea that the target is grappled when hit with the spell, in addition to the damage. Require the target to to make a strength (Athletics) check or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against the caster's Spell DC to escape and end the spell. This might run into the same problem as Hold Person, too easy to make the check at low level, too hard at high level. It might be to effective against Legendary Monsters, as it circumvents a save while inflicting a condition and requires the target to spend an action to end, but I haven't checked it against the average skill of Legendary Monsters. Maybe limit it to size large or smaller.

 

[Sadras]

I'm especially thinking of the Cleric in my recent campaign. He cast Spirit Guardians in almost every encounter.
And yes, it is THAT good. I really think Clerics need a few more strong contenders, so he would vary himself once in a while.

What are your thoughts on Animate Object (with a bag of caltrops). They can take out a Beholder quick quick

 

[Sword of Spirit]

The problem I see with animate objects is that it is almost always better to animate more smaller objects than less larger objects in combat--which is sad. It would be nice if the combat dynamics were different, but didn't clearly favor the smaller objects.

 

[Stalker0]

I think spells like blade ward and witchbolt are really good in some dungeon settings. When your adventure is kick down the door to the next room and fight the monsters, having resistance in the first round of every combat (blade ward) is really nice. Many dungeon rooms are pretty small, so the 30 foot rule is not as big an issue for witchbolt in those settings.

I'm a big fan of heat metal, talk about autodamage!

But a big shoutout for guidance. Best cantrip in the game in my mind. Can provide an incredible array of bonuses if used well.