D&D 5E Aberrant Mind's Psionic Sorcery is officially the most powerful feature.

[Blue]

I won't explain why "Aid me today with your best ability", "Protect me when I'm adventuring" isn't OBVIOUSLY harmful as Immolate youserlf because It's self explanatory.
"Ordem your best fighters to join me" isn't harmful for the victim.
Suggestion with impunity is incredible powerful as your creativity allows it to be. On a table, talk with your DM what He would allows and be creative.
Psionic Dominate Person with metamagic is incredible god tier.

"Obviously harmful" is only one portion of the limitations. "Reasonable" is the other. And depending on context all of these don't meet that criteria.

Suggestion is a lot less than "incredibly powerful". Basically, it allows you to do something with a spell right now that you could potentially otherwise do with social skills and time.

 

[Kurotowa]

Suggestion is a lot less than "incredibly powerful". Basically, it allows you to do something with a spell right now that you could potentially otherwise do with social skills and time.

I figure it's basically the D&D version of the Jedi Mind Trick. If you want to get past a guard at the door "We have permission to enter, let us through" is fine. So is "We have important information your boss will want to hear immediately." "Drop you weapon and march alone into the monster infested woods for the next hour" is not. No reasonable person would do that. It'd take mind control to force that on someone, and Suggestion isn't mind control. You need Dominate Person for that.

What about something like "You should betray your boss and work for us instead"? Well, that's where roleplay and circumstances come into play. Coupling that with an offer of higher pay and better treatment might help push it into being reasonable. So will knowing the guard's specific relationship with their master; it's one thing to do this with a goblin whose ogre overlord beats him regularly, and another thing entirely to do it with a human who's already treated well and has a strong bond of loyalty to his employer.

I figure at least some of this is a hold over from older editions where low level spells like Charm Person were used to turn monsters into thralls who obeyed every command given them. That's not how those spells work anymore. Charm Person and Suggestion aren't mind control spells. They are mental influence spells that have clear limitations on how powerful they are.

 

[ph0rk]

Not, If they are dominated.

They'll get a reaction before that happens; and eldritch sight is a no-prereqs invocation. Any number of NPCs may have that ability.

In fact, in a world where people wander around subtle spelling dominate, I think I'd hire a few always-on detect magic minions to keep watch.

Bardlocks with jack of all trades counterspells at the ready, naturally.

 

[Hohige]

They'll get a reaction before that happens; and eldritch sight is a no-prereqs invocation. Any number of NPCs may have that ability.

Reaction? For what?

 

[Hohige]

They'll get a reaction before that happens; and eldritch sight is a no-prereqs invocation. Any number of NPCs may have that ability.

In fact, in a world where people wander around subtle spelling dominate, I think I'd hire a few always-on detect magic minions to keep watch.

Bardlocks with jack of all trades counterspells at the ready, naturally.

Double.

 

[Hohige]

They'll get a reaction before that happens; and eldritch sight is a no-prereqs invocation. Any number of NPCs may have that ability.

In fact, in a world where people wander around subtle spelling dominate, I think I'd hire a few always-on detect magic minions to keep watch.

Bardlocks with jack of all trades counterspells at the ready, naturally.

You are utterly wrong.
Detect Magic doesnt detect spellcasting or know who cast it. The best thing is, yes Its Magic.
Its dominated without chance to reaction.
Nothing counterspell a Psionic Sorcery.
The bardlock is dominated.

 

[ph0rk]

Reaction? For what?

To punch the caster in the face (if a Monster Slayer); but the dispeller minions can dispel afterwards.

No-component dominate is strong, but something a simple as a precast protection from evil and good would avoid it, and you aren't dominating until level 9, anyway.

If they make their save, they know you cast it and can apply sanctions. If they're too weak to reasonably make the save, congrats, you just burned 6 sorcery points on a trivial mook.

You are utterly wrong.

If your DM can't figure out a way around this, they aren't trying very hard.

 

[Hohige]

To punch the caster in the face (if a Monster Slayer); but the dispeller minions can dispel afterwards.

No-component dominate is strong, but something a simple as a precast protection from evil and good would avoid it, and you aren't dominating until level 9, anyway.

If they make their save, they know you cast it and can apply sanctions. If they're too weak to reasonably make the save, congrats, you just burned 6 sorcery points on a trivial mook.

Psionic Dispel and your protection is gone.
There isnt any defence against It.
Minions, Precasting, Metagame. What more?

 

[ph0rk]

Psionic Dispel and your protection is gone.
There isnt any defence against It.

How are you going to psionic dispel and then dominate in the same turn?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Psionic Dispel and your protection is gone.

You appear to be back to infinite sorcery points...