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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Benjamin Olson" data-source="post: 8478399" data-attributes="member: 6988941">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.</blockquote>

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