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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 8753925" data-attributes="member: 58197">The math here is way simpler than people are making it out to be. In fact, you don't really need math at all.When you cast a "save or X" spell on a single target*, you are buying a lottery ticket. If you win, you get to hit the target with X; if you lose, you get nothing. The odds of winning depend on the save DC and the monster's bonus. For this lottery ticket, you pay a spell slot of whatever level plus an action.If you lose, silvery barbs gives you the option to buy another ticket--same odds, same payoff--but the cost is a reaction and a 1st-level spell slot. Generally speaking, "reaction plus 1st-level spell slot" is a much lower price than "action plus N-level spell slot." And on top of that, you get to hand out advantage to an ally even if you lose! If the first lottery ticket was worth buying, then the second one is a steal. If the second one isn't worth buying, then the first was really stupid, and you need to get better at deciding when to use save-or-X spells.However, there is one additional opportunity cost: To have silvery barbs on hand, you must give up your least-useful prepared spell/spell known**. This is a one-time cost, spread over the number of "second lottery tickets" you buy each day. Whether that is worth it depends on a host of factors: How often do people in your party (not just you!) cast a single-target save-or-X spell? How often do the targets make their saves? What is that least-useful prepared spell which you have to give up? And what about alternative uses of silvery barbs like negating crits or messing up enemy skill checks, how often do you find those useful?In theory, you could use math to tackle this question, but the inputs to that math are highly campaign-dependent and change every level. Trying to estimate "universal" white-room values for those inputs is silly; you'd just be making up numbers. So, in practice, it really boils down to the premise of this thread: How has it panned out for you in actual play?Personally, I think silvery barbs is a no-brainer at any significant level. I was getting use out of it even at low levels. But that's based on my experience in my playgroup.*Or where there's only one target you really care about, like when you hit the boss with slow and catch a couple of mooks in the AoE.**I emphasize "least-useful" here. You aren't going to give up an AMAZING AWESOME SPELL to prepare silvery barbs; you're going to keep that spell, and give up the spell you were kind of waffling on anyway. The opportunity cost is highest for classes which have the smallest number of known/prepared spells.</blockquote>

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