D&D (2024) New Spell: Befuddlement

[Lanefan]

Doesn't do anything against non-magic actions though, which is a huge nerf from Feeblemind which effectively turned the target into a two-legged vegetable.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Yeah, Feeblemind is not a phrase that is considered appropriate these days.

Curious, I don't believe I've heard it out of D&D context.

 

[Parmandur]

Curious, I don't believe I've heard it out of D&D context.

Honestly, it was probably a bit dated in the 70s.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

Curious, I don't believe I've heard it out of D&D context.

"Feeble-minded" used to be a medical term, part of a spectrum of descriptors for "mental deficiencies" that also included idiot, imbecile, and moron. They're all closely associated with the pseudoscientific eugenics movements of the early 1900s, although feeble-minded has been a catch-all way to call someone unintelligent since the early 1500s. When eugenics was largely debunked all those words almost universally reverted to their original vernacular usage as insults.

Amusingly, "Befuddle" most accurately means "to make drunk" so the spell presumably involve magically manipulating your target's blood alcohol content. Going by that, saving throws should be based on Con and really hardcore drinkers (and folks with poison resistances) ought to get bonuses. It would be ancestrist to suggest that Dwarves might be particularly resistant.

When (inevitably) someone starts railing against the removal of a perfectly good adjective from the English lexicon because a bunch of quacks used it for their racist agendas ~120 years ago, be sure to point out that addlepate, lackwit, saddle-goose, zounderkite and dullard are all still as politically correct as they've always been. If there's one thing English has a surfeit of, it's ways to call someone none to bright.

 

[Clint_L]

Doesn't do anything against non-magic actions though, which is a huge nerf from Feeblemind which effectively turned the target into a two-legged vegetable.

Not in 5e. The 5e version allows the victim to still recognize its allies and fight. "On a failed save, the creature's Intelligence and Charisma scores become 1. The creature can't cast spells, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way. The creature can, however, identify its friends, follow them, and even protect them."

This version does WAY more damage (10d12 vs. 4d6) but is less of hindrance otherwise. But feeblemind is not nearly as potent against non-spellcasters in 5e to start with. Overall, I think the massive damage buff makes sense - it's an 8th level spell - but I'm a bit sad to lose out on the roleplaying opportunities offered by having characters get super dumb. Though I guess they can play up being "befuddled" in interesting ways.

 

[Lanefan]

Not in 5e. The 5e version allows the victim to still recognize its allies and fight. "On a failed save, the creature's Intelligence and Charisma scores become 1. The creature can't cast spells, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way. The creature can, however, identify its friends, follow them, and even protect them."

That's about Int 3 for me.

Int 1 isn't even really sentient, the way I see it. Can't feed or clothe itself without assistance, can't do anything that requires training (which knocks out all abilities of any class), and requires 24-7 care and support. And if it gets down to Int 0 it probably hasn't got enough muscle control left to do anything other than - maybe - breathe.

The old-school Feeblemind took all three of Int-Wis-Cha down to 3, if memory serves. And a blundering Wis-3 idiot is a real liability in any situation where stealth or speed is important.

This version does WAY more damage (10d12 vs. 4d6) but is less of hindrance otherwise. But feeblemind is not nearly as potent against non-spellcasters in 5e to start with. Overall, I think the massive damage buff makes sense - it's an 8th level spell - but I'm a bit sad to lose out on the roleplaying opportunities offered by having characters get super dumb. Though I guess they can play up being "befuddled" in interesting ways.

I'm not sure why it needs to do hit point damage in the first place. You're shutting down the victim's mind and thought processes, not putting its brain through a physical blender. Ideally it's a true save-or-suck spell as not only should failing the save render the character close to unplayable until it recovers (which ain't easy!), the party now also has to provide the character with constant care and support until they can get back to town and turn it over to a care home or temple.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

Though I guess they can play up being "befuddled" in interesting ways.

I reiterate my previous point - "befuddle" literally means "to make drunk" and incapable of clear thought. Roleplay the whole thing like you're reeling blind drunk after a marathon pub crawl and you're just doing what WotC's name choice for the spell implies.

Be inappropriately loud. Make terrible decisions with money and tattoo choices. Earnestly believe you are much stealthier, wittier, or more attractive than you actually are and act on that certainty. Randomly vomit now and then, and consider the merits of incontinence. Vandalize things because it seemed funny at the time. Take sudden naps at the least appropriate times and locations. Vehemently deny that you're drunk when questioned about your behavior.

Continue doing that for a month or more and your fellow party members will be wishing the 10d12 damage had just flat-out killed you.

 

[ECMO3]

Not in 5e. The 5e version allows the victim to still recognize its allies and fight. "On a failed save, the creature's Intelligence and Charisma scores become 1. The creature can't cast spells, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way. The creature can, however, identify its friends, follow them, and even protect them."

The part about language and communication severely limits effectiveness in a fight unless this is hand waived.

Also the nerf to Charisma really screws Charisma saves.

 

[Clint_L]

The part about language and communication severely limits effectiveness in a fight unless this is hand waived.

Also the nerf to Charisma really screws Charisma saves.

Oh, I agree it's bad. Just much worse for casters. If you can fight, you can still get in there and mindlessly bash away, often with amusing consequences. If you're a caster, you're basically out of the game.

 

[Blue]

Those would still be magic actions, and thus stopped by the spell

Witchlight and MP:MotM doesn't list Magic actions, do the newer adventures? It's not hard to ad hoc assign every time it comes up of them, but I thought that compatibility with previous adventures and bestiaries was one of the things Wizards was guaranteeing.