D&D 5E Survivor Worst Spells: FIND TRAPS IS THE WORST!

[Phazonfish]

Drawmij's Instant Summons 19
Feign Death 29
Find Traps 29
Friends 4
Mordenkainen's Sword 20
True Strike 40
Weird 20

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Drawmij's Instant Summons 19
Feign Death 29
Find Traps 29
Batman ScaryVoice (née Friends) 2 - Not useless
Mordenkainen's Sword 20
True Strike 41 Still really bad in every way
Weird 20

 

[Tony Vargas]

Drawmij's Instant Summons 19
Feign Death 29
Find Traps 29
Friends 2
Mordenkainen's Sword 18
True Strike 41
Weird 21

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

True Strike: every time you think of an obscure corner case that makes it useful, it turns out to have a restriction that makes it not useful in that case after all. For example, I had a moment of excitement when Yunru wrote this:

True Strike 40 -- Perfect for when... you really need advantage but only need attack every other turn?

Idea: like when you're fighting an enemy with Blink! On the off-rounds when the enemy is Blinked out of existence, you can just cast True Strike to get advantage for when he comes back, right?

...No. True Strike, unlike Friends for instance, does not target self. It targets the creature you're going to attack next round, so it can't be cast on a creature that has Blinked out.

True Strike: disappointing in every possible way.

 

[Gadget]

Drawmij's Instant Summons 19
Feign Death 27 This is basically a niche utility spell that needs a longer duration, hardly the trap option some of the others are
Find Traps 29
Friends 2
Mordenkainen's Sword 19 This, on the other hand is a "trap" option that is so poorly designed is should not have made it past any playtesting.
True Strike 41
Weird 21

 

[Gradine]

Drawmij's Instant Summons 19
Feign Death 27
Find Traps 30
Friends 0 So many great uses for this spell, even as intended. Just don't use it on the people you actually want as friends.
Mordenkainen's Sword 19
True Strike 41
Weird 21

 

[Harzel]

Drawmij's Instant Summons 19
Feign Death 25
Find Traps 30
Mordenkainen's Sword 20
True Strike 41
Weird 21

 

[Helldritch]

So far we have a few contenders for the #1 spot of useless spell.
True Strike is in the lead, as it should be. I see no good use for this spell as it is now. True strike is followed by:
Find Trap Strangely, I can find a few good uses for this spell. It is still not a great spell, but a party without someone able to spot/investigate traps is not completely in the dark with this one.

Feign Death This one is very niche. I still can find a few scenario where the spell might come in handy. Something like "See, we brought you the body. Can you pay us now?" but the target is still very alive... Still, a badly designed spell that should've been a reaction. I'm about to die, let's take a chance...

Weird Nothing really good about it. Nothing really bad either. 4d10 psychic dmg for 1 minute and with a potential of 113 creatures is nothing to disregard. Considering the fact that at this level the save should be a wisdom save with a DC of 19... The potential is higher than Meteor Swarm, but on a long duration. In the MM, there are few creatures with psychic resistance and most creatures suck at wisdom saves...

Mordenkainen' Sword This one I am at lost. From the way I read the spell, it's a spiritual hammer on steroids. 3d10 force dmg with a bonus action is great. Or I am reading it bad? From what I read you can move and repeat the attack with your bonus action. If it is not how it is read... then the spell is really bad. But it does not say anywhere that the spell uses up your action. "On each of your turn, you can use your bonus action to move the sword up to 20 feet to a spot you can see and repeat the attack." Not "On each of your turn, you can use your bonus action to move the sword up to 20 feet to a spot you can see and use an action to repeat the attack." Maybe the spell was just badly written...

Drawmij's Instant Summons A costly niche spell. It has its uses. It is clearly not as great as it once was. The prohibitive cost is its major turn off IMHO.

That is how I see the different contenders. Any comments?

 

[Gadget]

True Strike is in the lead, as it should be. I see no good use for this spell as it is now.

This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that it is a cantrip. Poor, but a high level spell (that uses a precious spell slot) that is poor is arguably worse.

Find Trap Strangely, I can find a few good uses for this spell. It is still not a great spell, but a party without someone able to spot/investigate traps is not completely in the dark with this one.

I believe the downside is that it tells you nothing about the location of the trap, where it is, or even what it means by line of sight, and such. But I agree it is not that bad.

Feign Death This one is very niche. I still can find a few scenario where the spell might come in handy. Something like "See, we brought you the body. Can you pay us now?" but the target is still very alive... Still, a badly designed spell that should've been a reaction. I'm about to die, let's take a chance...

Agreed. It is one of those world building or 'caper' spells such that it rarely comes up, the real downside is that the duration is too short. Use it as a ritual to cast it on your party members (for whatever hair-brained scheme you want to pull off) and the duration is almost up on the first target by the time you finish the last (depending on party size).

Weird Nothing really good about it. Nothing really bad either. 4d10 psychic dmg for 1 minute and with a potential of 113 creatures is nothing to disregard. Considering the fact that at this level the save should be a wisdom save with a DC of 19... The potential is higher than Meteor Swarm, but on a long duration. In the MM, there are few creatures with psychic resistance and most creatures suck at wisdom saves...

It is a ninth level spell that basically requires TWO Failed saves before it inflicts a single point pitiful damage for the level with a save every round. And getting 113 creatures with it is just pure fantasy. Sure, if you want to terrorize the peasants in the town square with it, by all means, but that's not what Ninth level spells are for. I will give you the Save Difficulty being high at this level, it's saving grace; but that is only because save based spells in 5e scale automatically with the casters level (due to the DC going up) and this is a ninth level spell. The spell is based entirely on Phantasmal Killer , which is much worse due to being a fourth level spell that does the same thing to a single target with all the downsides (two failed saves to do damage, does to one target what Fear does to many a level lower, save every round). Both spells could be saved by having damage inflicted on the initial failed save as well as the fear condition, with a save every round to end.

Mordenkainen' Sword This one I am at lost. From the way I read the spell, it's a spiritual hammer on steroids. 3d10 force dmg with a bonus action is great. Or I am reading it bad? From what I read you can move and repeat the attack with your bonus action. If it is not how it is read... then the spell is really bad. But it does not say anywhere that the spell uses up your action. "On each of your turn, you can use your bonus action to move the sword up to 20 feet to a spot you can see and repeat the attack." Not "On each of your turn, you can use your bonus action to move the sword up to 20 feet to a spot you can see and use an action to repeat the attack." Maybe the spell was just badly written...

I suggest you read Spiritual Weapon again. Cast in a 6th level slot, it does better damage (5d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier vs 3d10) and is a bonus action to cast, not just direct it on subsequent rounds. And here is the kicker: Spiritual Weapon does not require concentration! For your one 7th level slot a day, I can't see any reason to ever cast MS. Not worth the concentration slot, damage is piddly for that level, it just does not really do much for you.

Drawmij's Instant Summons A costly niche spell. It has its uses. It is clearly not as great as it once was. The prohibitive cost is its major turn off IMHO.

Not only costly and niche, but the restrictions on it are so severe that it is more niche than it needs to be. Want to use it in case your favorite staff/weapon/crown jewels is stolen? Better make sure the thief is not holding/using/wearing it before you attempt to recall it. Basically it is a get our weapons/McGuffin past the metal detectors type of spell. Saving grace being that it is a ritual and thus does not require a spell slot.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

It is a ninth level spell that basically requires TWO Failed saves before it inflicts a single point pitiful damage for the level with a save every round. And getting 113 creatures with it is just pure fantasy. Sure, if you want to terrorize the peasants in the town square with it, by all means, but that's not what Ninth level spells are for. I will give you the Save Difficulty being high at this level, it's saving grace; but that is only because save based spells in 5e scale automatically with the casters level (due to the DC going up) and this is a ninth level spell. The spell is based entirely on Phantasmal Killer , which is much worse due to being a fourth level spell that does the same thing to a single target with all the downsides (two failed saves to do damage, does to one target what Fear does to many a level lower, save every round). Both spells could be saved by having damage inflicted on the initial failed save as well as the fear condition, with a save every round to end.

Weird would be a worthy 9th level spell if:

(1) The psychic damage were inflicted at the beginning of every affected creature's turn, completely separate from the save-to-end at the end of the turn; and
(2) Weird lasted for 1 minute with no concentration requirement.

As it is it's worth maybe a 6th or 7th level slot, tops.