Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Benjamin Olson" data-source="post: 8478528" data-attributes="member: 6988941">It's not necessarily a bad choice based on the information the player has, which should usually be fairly little if they aren't metagaming. Usually the best information they should have about how the enemy is likely to do on a given saving throw is how they have done on saving throws of that type and they just succeeded at one.At least that's how I all my groups approach the game. I'm not intending it as a criticism of groups who play otherwise. But the etiquette I am accustomed to is to not use knowledge of saving throws beyond what is roughly guessable from broad creature type, apparent attributes, or what is learned in combat.By "spell slot tax" I mean something I feel obligated to do that isn't necessarily particularly fun or effective (much like sending the government money). I guess Banishment can feel like a spell slot tax if you become super burned out on Banishment and the group always wants you to be banishing enemies, but I don't think that's the typical experience. Mage armor would be the classic spell slot tax spell, and it's not such because its a bad spell, it's such because it is a spell prepared and cast out of a feeling of obligation to achieve an unexciting result.While not boring in the Mage Armor way, Silvery Barbs is a spell that sets up a sunk-cost dilemma any time an important target saves against a big spell or effect, and I suspect for many players it will just become a bummer, one that results in burning through spell slots faster as it is the reaction spell whose preconditions are generally likely to be triggered most frequently. It's a big old invitation to send good spell slots after bad.I don't know, maybe it's more like a spell insurance plan. I also don't find insurance terribly fun or exciting, even when it is effective.In any case, the more I think about the spell the more I dislike it as something that just fundamentally changes the resource management calculus of 23% of the classes (or anyone who wanst to take a feat for it, since it's first level) far more than a single spell in a setting book most players probably never intended to buy should. So I think I'll expand on my prior opinion to say the saving throw option should be a separate, higher-level spell to say that that separate higher level spell also shouldn't exist.</blockquote>

Verification