Inflict Wounds is possibly the best available option, especially for a sorcerer with Distant Spell metamagic. Obviously clerics get that anyway, so they have no good options for Shadow Touched.
Magic Stone, Faerie Fire and Catapult aren't bad. IMO Caustic Brew is rubbish, and Absorb Elements rather situational.
It's the biggest problem with Tasha's and more books to come. Features in the new books, to compete with favorites in prior books, generally tend to be more powerful as they are designed. A perfect example is comparing Eyes of the Dark (XGtE Shadow Magic Sorcerer)
I don't know that I agree that Eyes of Night is distinctly more powerful than Eyes of the Dark. At first and second level, sure: Night beats the Dark hands-down. At 3rd+, though, Eyes of the Dark is adding an extra spell known to the Sorcerer (a really nice feature), and it is also adding something very useful and vanishingly rare: the ability to make magical darkness that you can see through.It's the biggest problem with Tasha's and more books to come. Features in the new books, to compete with favorites in prior books, generally tend to be more powerful as they are designed. A perfect example is comparing Eyes of the Dark (XGtE Shadow Magic Sorcerer) ...
to Eyes of Night (TCoE Twilight Domain Cleric) ...
So, 300 feet darkvision vs. 120! Talk about a power boost! Not only that, but you can share 300 feet of darkvision with up to 5 people. Sure, it is only for an hour, but that is often enough if you need it, and you can always do it again by sacking a level 1 slot.
So, Eyes of Night is vastly more powerful than Eyes of the Dark. Again, just another example of later books having more and more poweful features than earlier ones.
I don't think Eyes of Night are crazy OP compared to Eyes of the Dark, but it is stronger as I see it.I don't know that I agree that Eyes of Night is distinctly more powerful than Eyes of the Dark. At first and second level, sure: Night beats the Dark hands-down. At 3rd+, though, Eyes of the Dark is adding an extra spell known to the Sorcerer (a really nice feature), and it is also adding something very useful and vanishingly rare: the ability to make magical darkness that you can see through.
Both features fit the roles of the classes: Eyes of the Dark is a more "selfish" feature that boosts the performance of the Sorcerer and impedes the enemies in a non-party-friendly way, while Eyes of Night is a more defensive/support feature, allowing clerics to alleviate night-blindness (or facilitate a party-on-monster ambush by letting the whole party outrange the darkvision of pretty much any opposition). Borrowing terminology from 4e, Eyes of Night is a more leader-like feature, while Eyes of the Dark is more befitting a striker (or controller).
In a close-quarters environment (many dungeons), the ranges are pretty much a wash, as both outrange the nominal 60 ft darkvision, and as there may be no places in the dungeon with eye-lines (much) longer than that 60-120 ft. The distinction, there, is share-ability vs. the darkness spell and the ability to see through that darkness. That's a much closer race, and one I wouldn't want to call unless I knew the character's party and objective. For example, if the party-member with this feature is the only one without any darkvision of their own, the value of the sharing part of Night is greatly diminished. If there is a Warlock in the party with either Devil's Sight or an Imp familiar, Eyes of the Dark's value goes up considerably (a second character able to see through your magical darkness is twice as nice).
Anyhow, just food for thought.
I am not a huge fan of inflict wounds. It is about 16-17 points of damage on average with a hit roll. At low levels that is really good, albeit for use of a very valuable once-a-day slot. At higher levels it is not enough to be worthwhile. It is the kind of spell I would not bother preparing above 4th level. Being able to deliver it ranged or with a familiar helps some. I think false life is a better spell for shadow touched, but still not great.
Yes, Inflict Wounds is great with distant spell or with a familiar/homunculus. It's damage also scales better when upcast than any other 1st level spell, making it great for sorcerers, who with a limited spell selection don't always have a higher level spell. It also benefits from alchemist bonus damage. And it's not on the sorcerer/artificer spell list by default.
Caustic Brew is rubbish. It's AoE is small, it's damage is trivial, and worst of all it does nothing at all on a successful save. And double worst of all it requires concentration. An Alchemist, Artillerist or black draconic bloodline sorcerer can improve the damage, but it's on their spell lists anyway so the don't need to use a feat to pick it up.
Thing about catapult is very few enemies are resistant to magical bludgeoning damage. It should also be pretty much always possible to hit at least two targets. On it's own the Magic Stone cantrip scales very poorly with level, however once you start loading it into a sling you can do things like sneak attack with it. You can also give them to the dumb-ass barbarian with no decent ranged attacks. I find faerie fire one of the most used spells in our game. Open with it on a group and give everyone advantage against at least some of them.
Absorb Elements is a class spell for pretty much anyone who would want it. And only sorcerers benefit much from having more spells available. I can't see a fighter wanting to burn a feat for a situational once per day ability, and most EKs pick it up as one of their "must be abjuration or evocation" spells. It is good for ATs though, especially since it comes bundled with magic stone. On the whole I think ATs benefit most from Artificer Initiate.
