D&D 5E On Orcish Grandmothers (=poor spells)

[CapnZapp]

So...

Has there emerged any kind of community consensus on how to fix each of these spells?

☺

 

[Astrosicebear]

But if you're hidden then you already have advantage on the attack next round. Your strategy is quite literally to cast a spell to grant yourself advantage and then follow up with an action that grants you advantage.

He uses two weapons usually, not ranged, otherwise you are correct it would be duplicitous.

 

[doctorhook]

Color spray grants blindness to creatures that fail the save in its area, but onlyfor 1 round. One might argue that it is mediocre, but there are better ones in the spell lists.

I don't have my books with me, but isn't colour spray a no-save spell? Anecdote: my party's illusionist used this spell to drive away the spectator in Wave Echo Cave.

Oh and blade ward is pretty horrid. If you use it you get half the damage, but you haven't progressed in your own goal, which is kill the enemy.

That just reflects the strategic division between offense and defense. That said, you're right that defense alone is usually a poor choice. Perhaps Blade Ward should return some the damage to the attacker?

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

That's exactly whats happening. Halfling Arcane Trickster. So hes usually acting first, before the fighters go. He usually moves in with mobility and takes out the biggest threat if he can. Sometimes he hides first and waits a round for the field to position. But True strike isnt an every round thing for him, but it is a great go-to spell when theres no immediate targets, and he cant sneak attack. So he usually casts it and hides, then next round gets a good bit of damage in... especially if there are no allies to grant sneak on a target.. with my party's fighter/barb combo, not much stands in melee for more than a round or two.

Yes its a very situational spell. Yes it seems to apply very weakly as a cantrip to most... but a trickster rogue makes very good use of it.

I'm still not really seeing how its useful. If you go first, you get sneak attack. If you delayed to tag team w the melee guys, you'd get sneak attack. It seems you'd do better to just hit them with an offense cantrip if you can't get sneak attack. Its not even good for setting up an ambush, since you have advantage on that anyways.

 

[Astrosicebear]

I'm still not really seeing how its useful. If you go first, you get sneak attack. If you delayed to tag team w the melee guys, you'd get sneak attack. It seems you'd do better to just hit them with an offense cantrip if you can't get sneak attack. Its not even good for setting up an ambush, since you have advantage on that anyways.

Hes been using it for the times that venturing into melee will see him potentially take attacks, or when there is no good target. Again its not like he uses True Strike every combat. But it is quite effective based upon the amount of damage it allows. So even if its only cast 1 per 3 combats, for something that consumes no resources other than an action, its good. Simply, I dont feel it qualifies to be on this list.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Not sure if you're aware, but you can shoot into melee and get the sneak attack without setting up a "flank". I'm not trying to be snarky, its one thing we were initially doing wrong with my wife's rogue, so wanted to point it out just in case.

 

[Joe Liker]

Vampiric touch is great for chain pact warlocks.

Even for other spellcasters it's not bad, as long as they have a familiar.

You might need to get a ruling from your DM about touches in subsequent rounds, which I suppose indicates that a possible fix for the spell would be to make it explicit in the rules that the familiar can deliver all the touches.

 

[PnPgamer]

I don't have my books with me, but isn't colour spray a no-save spell? Anecdote: my party's illusionist used this spell to drive away the spectator in Wave Echo Cave.

That just reflects the strategic division between offense and defense. That said, you're right that defense alone is usually a poor choice. Perhaps Blade Ward should return some the damage to the attacker?

Color spray is a no-save, but sleep is just better at it. there is not much difference between what can and cannot be targeted, and sleep keeps enemies down for whole minute. enemies that are not affected by sleep can use their action to wake them, but then the benefit boils down to very same than color spray: enemies suck for 1 round.

 

[Astrosicebear]

Not sure if you're aware, but you can shoot into melee and get the sneak attack without setting up a "flank". I'm not trying to be snarky, its one thing we were initially doing wrong with my wife's rogue, so wanted to point it out just in case.

Aye, the player knows this. He uses 2 weapons, and doesnt want to waste the actions on swapping ranged for melee.

 

[doctorhook]

Color spray is a no-save, but sleep is just better at it. there is not much difference between what can and cannot be targeted, and sleep keeps enemies down for whole minute. enemies that are not affected by sleep can use their action to wake them, but then the benefit boils down to very same than color spray: enemies suck for 1 round.

Sounds like color spray would be awesome as a save ends spell, if such a thing still existed.

Save ends isn't worth the extra rolling, but good gravy do I ever wish I could automate this game.