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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Falling Icicle" data-source="post: 6740417" data-attributes="member: 17077">I think some people are underestimating just how powerful it is to paralyze a monster for even 1 round. It isn't just taking away the creature's ability to fight, it's also giving your party advantage on attacks against it and automatic critical hits in melee, and the creature automatically fails strength and dexterity saving throws. That can be a death sentence for a monster.The extra damage you're indirectly contributing by letting your allies hit more often and upgrading their normal hits to critical hits is huge. It can end up being far more damage than what you would have done with a scorching ray or other direct damage spell. If the spell ends up lasting for more than 1 round, the gap in effectiveness between a hold person and a scorching ray grows even wider. The same holds true at higher levels for hold monster compared to 5th level direct damage spells.It's important to remember that many creatures aren't proficient with wisdom saving throws, so the likelihood of failure increases as the spellcaster's save DC grows. By the time a caster has a save DC of 19, there are many monsters that are doomed.</blockquote>