D&D 5E As a DM what spell / ability do you find most annoying?

[Satyrn]

Any of the conjure 112 pixie, squirrel, mephit, or manes spells (I am exaggerating the number, it only feels that high). I think it would have been more elegant to give them a swarm and have the size of the swarm increase with the level of spell cast (or summon a what amounts to a wall of angry mephitis/sprites/manes, and since the wall is pretty short, the party can range attack over it).

Those spells annoy me as player, too, so I won't use them in combat.

The only time my druid has cast conjure animals so far has been to send a horde of monkeys down a hole to test my guess that there was a basilisk down there.





. . . and now my druid claims to be a sculptor.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Any of the conjure 112 pixie, squirrel, mephit, or manes spells (I am exaggerating the number, it only feels that high). I think it would have been more elegant to give them a swarm and have the size of the swarm increase with the level of spell cast (or summon a what amounts to a wall of angry mephitis/sprites/manes, and since the wall is pretty short, the party can range attack over it).

They're annoying but doesn't the DM have the choice of what appears?

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

For a while I had a monk that loved to spam stunning strike until it worked.

For my part, it’s the return of 4e’s Marking with the cavalier that bothers me the most. The Lucky feat is also up there.

God, I despise STUNNING STRIKE. It's about the only thing I find truly broken in 5e.

 

[Dausuul]

Anything that really bugs me, I ban. That typically includes mind-reading spells and certain other classes of "you just get the answer" divination magic. I don't always ban resurrection outright, but I do put some constraints on it.

The rest, I just roll with.

They're annoying but doesn't the DM have the choice of what appears?

You still end up with a bazillion critters to keep track of. My group has so far been fortunate that the only people to use these spells are folks who DM from time to time, so they know how to run a big group of monsters efficiently.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

For a while I had a monk that loved to spam stunning strike until it worked....

True dat. I've got two Monk PCs. But as a DM, Stunning Strike can deflate a combat like nothing else.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

They're annoying but doesn't the DM have the choice of what appears?

For conjure animals, the relevant text is:
Choose one of the following options for what appears:
One beast of challenge rating 2 or lower
Two beasts of challenge rating 1 or lower
Four beasts of challenge rating 1/2 or lower
Eight beasts of challenge rating 1/4 or lower
(with similar language for conjure woodland beings and conjure minor elementals; summon lesser demons has the dice pick the option).

I am interpreting that as the player choses which option and the DM choses the critters (with an implicit notion that the critters are the maximum CR of the option unless the player requests something weaker). The DM can select out some of the more annoying monsters, but I honestly don't find any of the monsters that annoying by themselves. For me, it isn't the specific critters, it is 8 new critters on the field (I haven't actually had anyone upcast any of these spells yet), of course I have circumvented it by bribing the players (you can get 1 CR 3 monster of the appropriate type instead of a CR 2 if they use the spell at the base level). I like any given PC being able to summon a flunky monster (even if they have to use a magic item to do so), but I find anything that lets them get more than one monster frustrating.

One idea I saw recently on Enworld might get me to change that, where the druid assigns a conjured critter to every PC and let's the PC's player run the critter. The opportunity to try that out hasn't happened yet, but there could be some extra special loot for the druid if it does.....

 

[Hjorimir]

Prestidigitation! Seriously. I'll describe a harrowing journey, muddy feet, and - I cast prestidigitation and clean myself and the rest of the party! - /sigh

It just pulls me out of the scene and the moment.

 

[fil512]

Prestidigitation! Seriously. I'll describe a harrowing journey, muddy feet, and - I cast prestidigitation and clean myself and the rest of the party! - /sigh

It just pulls me out of the scene and the moment.

It’s very Harry Potter..

 

[Satyrn]

Prestidigitation! Seriously. I'll describe a harrowing journey, muddy feet, and - I cast prestidigitation and clean myself and the rest of the party! - /sigh

It just pulls me out of the scene and the moment.

Oh. This reminds me. My DM hates goodberry - and probably create water by now - because of how readily it circumvents the need for food . And all of it made worse because I really don't mind spending the first level slots at the start of a long adventuring day. (I feel like my moon druid is swimming in slots because there are no spells on the list that inspire me, there's just nothing that I care about casting)

 

[Eltab]

Any of the conjure 112 pixie, squirrel, mephit, or manes spells (I am exaggerating the number, it only feels that high).

Oh, I dunno, 8 Pixies that each cast Fly on a different member of the party is a handy way to get around / over the "dangerous flimsy bridge over lava" obstacle.
Even if it DOES take 30 minutes of IRL time to resolve the combat when the bad guys on the other side attack us in frustration that we aren't already crippled upon arrival and all strung out in penny packets.

Seriously: My current Yawning Portal group effectively nerfed an important chunk of White Plume Mountain with a swarm of pixies and (afterwards) a swarm of mephits. There aren't many monsters that can take focus fire from Team Hero plus a cloud of extra attacks that swoop around just out of reach.