D&D 5E As a DM - Your Top 3 Most Hated Spells

[Oofta]

Counterspell: not to pile on, because I actually kind of like the concept. But it just lacks pizzazz. It's boring. I want an epic spell dual with real risk, not a flick of the wrist.

Heat metal: have someone with this? Never have the big bad wear metal armor. Want to nerf the one guy that dares to run a tank in armor? Give this to the enemy. One of the few spells I've rewritten or banned.

Two (three? Way tie for third)
Teleportation (including teleportation circle):. Want to set up an epic arc traveling across dangerous pirate filled seas, fleeing from powerful enemies? Too bad! The group just teleports. Poof! they're there. No clue where "there" is? No problem! The princess you're escorting still has a note that was written at the location so you have "an associated object"! Teleportation circle is almost as bad.

Banishment: Oh no! A demon is attacking and is about to kill innocents in order to get to the king! As DM I chuckle to myself thinking of the challenging encounter that's not just a straight up fight I just set up when ... wait for it ... the dreaded "Make a charisma save" are uttered. Usually along with the divination wizard telling you your Balor just rolled a 1. So long big bad!

Honorable mention goes to plane shift, but it's really the same issue I have with teleport. Want to get past Heimdal and crash Thor's surprise birthday party? Just plane shift to Valhalla!

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

1 Suggestion: EVERYTIME I need to explain how the spell works, because my players tend to use it as a dominate effect.

2 Minor Illusion: Pretty much the same reason as 1, but because players tend to push wayyyyy beyond the limit of a simple cantrip. ITS CALLED MINOR FOR A REASON, PATRICK!

3 Polymorph: Mostly because of the ''best'' for is usually a giant gorilla or a t-rex and it feels strange to have player transforming in huge stuff they never seen or that I havent even decided if they existed in the setting.

 

[Tallifer]

Add me to hating Leomand's Tiny "Make Travel More Boring and Less Eventful" Jester's Hat

No Save Illusions also irritate me and the players whom I nerf

 

[Coroc]

....

Two (three? Way tie for third)
Teleportation (including teleportation circle):. Want to set up an epic arc traveling across dangerous pirate filled seas, fleeing from powerful enemies? Too bad! The group just teleports. Poof! they're there. No clue where "there" is? No problem! The princess you're escorting still has a note that was written at the location so you have "an associated object"! Teleportation circle is almost as bad.

Banishment: Oh no! A demon is attacking and is about to kill innocents in order to get to the king! As DM I chuckle to myself thinking of the challenging encounter that's not just a straight up fight I just set up when ... wait for it ... the dreaded "Make a charisma save" are uttered. Usually along with the divination wizard telling you your Balor just rolled a 1. So long big bad!

Honorable mention goes to plane shift, but it's really the same issue I have with teleport. Want to get past Heimdal and crash Thor's surprise birthday party? Just plane shift to Valhalla!

Two can be averted, either by not allowing the spell or it malfunctions for some reason, or the destination changes. That is fair use of rule zero in your specific example imho.

But your banishment / divination wizard combo, I tell you that is a beast. That is real game mastery - by your players. In that case I would give them the victory and an inspiration on top for the wizard.
The second example compared to that is just boring, but one reason more why I really make teleport / fly availability etc. setting dependent.

But how could you circumvent the banishment thing if you wanted to? One solution would be to have the balor already been in action and gating in some more devils, I think he could do that. Then his support troops would agro the most helpless population. Everyone not first stopping them (waisting the banishment divinations) is in for an alignment change.

 

[AriochQ]

1. Healing Word - I tire of the 'whack a mole' 5e combat
2. Counterspell - Let casters cast without a 5 minute circle jerk.
3. Monk Stunning Strike (I know it's not a spell) - Far too powerful as written

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Oofta]

Two can be averted, either by not allowing the spell or it malfunctions for some reason, or the destination changes. That is fair use of rule zero in your specific example imho.

But your banishment / divination wizard combo, I tell you that is a beast. That is real game mastery - by your players. In that case I would give them the victory and an inspiration on top for the wizard.
The second example compared to that is just boring, but one reason more why I really make teleport / fly availability etc. setting dependent.

But how could you circumvent the banishment thing if you wanted to? One solution would be to have the balor already been in action and gating in some more devils, I think he could do that. Then his support troops would agro the most helpless population. Everyone not first stopping them (waisting the banishment divinations) is in for an alignment change.

For teleportation it really depends on what you mean by "associated object". An object that was there at one point? A magically attuned homing device? For the circle, it's just a question of how you gain the patterns. Too easy, it's super powerful. Too difficult you're nerfing the spell without being up front about it.

Banishment I just tie to the difficulty of planar travel. Even gods can't go anywhere they please. Plane shift is just as bad. Those two spells make planning high level play a pain. Worse, it's boring when it becomes a go-to tactic.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Banishment I just tie to the difficulty of planar travel. Even gods can't go anywhere they please. Plane shift is just as bad. Those two spells make planning high level play a pain. Worse, it's boring when it becomes a go-to tactic.

The famous scry-teleport-assassinate-out tactic... usually around level 15 I no longer throw challenges at the players that rely too much on a single big bad... To force them not to rely overly on it.

 

[iserith]

Do any of those spells have been concretely ban by a DM in its game?

In my upcoming "old school" campaign, I've banned all spells and magic items that have an NPC's name in them. Said NPCs will be rival adventurers and all of them will be total jerks. The only way to get those spells and items is to make deals with them, steal, or kill them and take their spellbooks or gear.

 

[billd91]

I think a couple of the complained-about spells illustrate just how important disrupting concentration is. Heat metal and banishment are both ended by disrupting the concentration of the caster. In the case of banishment in particular, if that caster drops the concentration before 10 rounds is up, that balor pops right back where he was...