D&D 5E Magic Initiate - A guide to an underestimated (and cool) feat

[UngeheuerLich]

1) Anywhere I can find the book or the spells online to take a look? Haven't found a link yet.
2) Good call on the Life Cleric bit.
3) I chose nto to use any incredible coloring for this guide. But it's that good, yes.

Search for elemental evil player companion. Officially got at wizards.com

 

[LightningArrow]

I meant SCAG, but thanks anyway, read it.

 

[Paraxis]

Identify is a horrible spell for any spellcaster to take except maybe a ritualist, no one should ever spend a spell slot casting the spell. Wasting your one spell per day on something like identify is a horrible choice.

 

[Eltab]

Message story:
Group is in The Local Inn (tm), trying to figure out who robbed the safe last night. I see a guy sneaking past the window, holding a sack and reading a note. I Message him, "I can see you over there and I know what you're up to." The guy flipped out, dropped everything, and ran off screaming.

The note said, "They are on to us. They have been watching you."... The sack was full of Poisonous Snakes

With clever and creative players, Message is blue or even light blue.
(This presumes involved PCs and a DM who likes describing the scene and NPC motivations.)

 

[Ryuutakeshi]

My mastermind rogue started with magic initiate. As he's also a craftsman and interested in pursuing some level of artificy later on, I chose mending and shocking grasp for the theme, and mage armor for the defense. But that meant he could be armored functionally all day without anyone noticing. And both my cantrips came in handy when our train was hijacked by warforged terrorists. In fact, shocking grasp, despite no sneak attack, was much more reliable damage than my +2 sunblade. And I saved our sorcerer from taking OAs so often with it that she never once took damage that whole session.

Also, no one expects the rogue to walk up and electrocute you. Really, it was just so much fun. Snagging ritual caster at level 8.

 

[slaughterj]

mage armor for the defense. But that meant he could be armored functionally all day without anyone noticing.

How does no one notice? Nothing in the description says the mage armor effect is invisible. Sure, you might say nothing in the description says it "isn't" invisible either. But compared with Shield, another 1st level abjuration spell that provides a barrier of magic force to protect you, Shield explicitly says the barrier is invisible. See text below:

Mage Armor: "...a protective magical force..."

PHB 275 Shield: "An invisible barrier of magical force appears and protects you."

I don't think Mage Armor has to be neon-lights flashy and attract foes from miles away, but magical effects seem by default to give off perceivable effects suitable to their nature unless they explicitly say otherwise.

 

[Ryuutakeshi]

How does no one notice? Nothing in the description says the mage armor effect is invisible. Sure, you might say nothing in the description says it "isn't" invisible either. But compared with Shield, another 1st level abjuration spell that provides a barrier of magic force to protect you, Shield explicitly says the barrier is invisible. See text below:

Mage Armor: "...a protective magical force..."

PHB 275 Shield: "An invisible barrier of magical force appears and protects you."

I don't think Mage Armor has to be neon-lights flashy and attract foes from miles away, but magical effects seem by default to give off perceivable effects suitable to their nature unless they explicitly say otherwise.

I guess everyone read "protective magical force" and assumed it was invisible since there really was no description of appearance given. There's no reason you can't flavor it that way going off the book and even then my DM hasn't had an issue with us refluffing things in some cases.

But now that you being it up, I wonder if I can get him to sign off on it appearing to be small arcs of lightning firing at random.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Identify is a horrible spell for any spellcaster to take except maybe a ritualist, no one should ever spend a spell slot casting the spell. Wasting your one spell per day on something like identify is a horrible choice.

Unless you need to find the answer and don't have time. Which happens pretty often in an adventure unless you as the DM put the world on pause every time the PCs want to stop. Don't forget the spell also allows you to see what spells or magical effects are affecting a creature. So I can see a use for it, depending on what's going on during the game.

 

[slaughterj]

I guess everyone read "protective magical force" and assumed it was invisible since there really was no description of appearance given. There's no reason you can't flavor it that way going off the book and even then my DM hasn't had an issue with us refluffing things in some cases.

But now that you being it up, I wonder if I can get him to sign off on it appearing to be small arcs of lightning firing at random.

Personally I think it should be relatively not noticeable (other than perhaps when attacked/hit), because otherwise it just makes things seem a little overmagical for wizards to walk around through every backwater village with magic continually oozing out for all to see.

 

[Ryuutakeshi]

Personally I think it should be relatively not noticeable (other than perhaps when attacked/hit), because otherwise it just makes things seem a little overmagical for wizards to walk around through every backwater village with magic continually oozing out for all to see.

Hence why we figured it was pretty much invisible