D&D 5E Silvery Barbs, how would you fix it? Does it need fixing?

[CleverNickName]

To look at it non-snarkily, it's because you'd have to redesign large swathes of the game that are built on granting advantage. And honestly, there are a lot of ways to temporarily gain advantage but you have to work pretty hard to benefit from it all the time.

You're right, of course. I feel like Advantage was intended to be a lot less common than it's become in the past few years. What once happened only a handful of times over the course of a battle, is now expected (or demanded) to happen every single round. It just feels...contrived.

 

[D1Tremere]

One of the reasons I LIKE Silvery Barbs is that it is another way for casters to effectively spell duel in combat, instead of just hurling damage at one another. It is a highly useful low level reaction spell that could see one caster using it to negate an enemy save while buffing an ally, while an opposing caster works to undo the effect with the same spell. It adds depth to low level casting.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

You're right, of course. I feel like Advantage was intended to be a lot less common than it's become in the past few years. What once happened only a handful of times over the course of a battle, is now expected (or demanded) to happen every single round. It just feels...contrived.

That's not my experience at all. Advantage is always a big deal when it comes up at my table. It might be because I don't use Inspiration, but my players do only get advantage a few times over the course of the battle, and when they do, it often makes them hit when they would miss. Disadvantage is even more rare at my table, especially for the players.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

As a personal defense reaction it seems weaker than Shield and probably less valuable than Absorb elements, both of which have guaranteed predictable effects, rather than just another bite at the apple of random chance. Yes it negates crits, but for the non-crits usually you're better off with Shield, because usually when the attacks are dangerous enough to burn a spell slot and your reaction there is more than one of them coming at you.

As a teammate defense reaction it seems a fairly balanced use of resources. Perhaps it gets overpowered in a 15 minute adventuring day, but then again everything does.

As a debuff to saving throws it's good, but it also potentially becomes a spell slot tax, where you just burn your reaction and an extra spell slot to make the enemy have to make their saving throw a second time. Unless you know the enemy's stats, if they make a save the first time it's hard to know that they are not likely to make it a second time.

As a debuff to ability checks it just seems fun and flavorful. Usually when an opponent is making a high stakes ability check something interesting is happening.

The advantage seems to be getting focused on as putting this into over-the-top overpowered territory, but bear in mind it is advantage on the next attack, ability check, or saving throw, whether the one that happens to come next is important or not. Often this is just going to be superfluous.

To my mind the thing that makes this good is not that it is so amazing in any of its functions but simply that a single first level spell has so many useful applications. In a game where a limited number of memorized or prepared spells is used as a major power limitation (an element I don't care for, but I digress) that makes this another must-take spell. While I have no intention of banning it, were I to rewrite it I'd probably make it two spells, a first level version with the existing fluff that only worked against attacks and ability checks and gave advantage on attacks and ability checks, and a second level one that was just the saving throw debuff, or something like that.

 

[TwoSix]

You're right, of course. I feel like Advantage was intended to be a lot less common than it's become in the past few years. What once happened only a handful of times over the course of a battle, is now expected (or demanded) to happen every single round. It just feels...contrived.

Sorry, I can't see you through my Shadow of Moil always granting me advantage.

 

[ReshiIRE]

The part granting advantage to another person seems a bit much for a first level spell. Either of those effects are pretty good.

I'd probably remove the advantage part and make it a level two spell.

 

[Laurefindel]

Part of the test will be to see how players react when the enemies use it.

 

[UnknownDyson]

I saw that thread.... he waaaay overeacts in it (maybe for views. The spell is strong (about as strong as shield) but not broken. It does not do what peiople think it does to legendary resistances.

.....The spell is waaaay stronger than shield, if you think they're comparable I don't really know what to say.

 

[darjr]

Huh, another way to grant Advantage. I'm shocked.
Let's just take this whole thing to its logical conclusion, and allow all rolls to have advantage automatically?

EDIT: This started out as a snarky complaint about how Everything Must Be Advantage^TM, but then I started to seriously think about it. I mean, would it really break anything if all characters, all monsters, all traps, and all effects roll at Advantage right out of the gate? That seems to be the way folks want to play it, and I've seen Twitter posts from developers suggesting this is the way it was intended to be anyway...so...why not? What happens if we get rid of the Advantage/Disadvantage mechanic (and the ceaseless arguing about it), and have only Advantage/Normal?

If nothing else, the person playing the rogue would finally be able to just relax and call their actions, without needing 10 minutes to analyze the battlefield every time a token moves.

Advantage is a standard mechanic to give a bit of a reward. No I wouldn't want it all the time and I don't think I have played with anyone that does, and most don't want "flanking" either. It's like giving out a +4 to a roll. I wouldn't want to just hand everyone a +4 all the time either.

However I'll be the first to admit I actually like the part of the game where the rogue looks for advantage. That's fun. It's also fun sneaking in ways for the rogue, just don't tell my players I do that. But not all the time on, no thanks.

 

[darjr]

You're right, of course. I feel like Advantage was intended to be a lot less common than it's become in the past few years. What once happened only a handful of times over the course of a battle, is now expected (or demanded) to happen every single round. It just feels...contrived.

Oh.

I get that. I don't agree at the current level, but If I can see where I'd think it was too much, say CR style flanking, and would have issue with it too.