Continuing our series, lets look at spells. Which ones made the grade?
This is right now a pure read analysis, playtime may change my experience, but lets see how the items "feel" upon initial read.
Also note, not all items are listed here. I am only highlighting things that I think are especially good or notably bad. Items that are just solid are not noted.
I am adding an (R) clause if I'm going to talk about a rare version of the spell.
Unsure
Meteor Swarm (Tentative) - It still the best area damage in the game but it got nerfed a LOT. I wonder if its still 9th level worthy now....though there is the fact that we have Instant Death numbers and such now so maybe that is a factor.
Protection from Energy - This one is interesting. The duration has been nerfed heavily, but the spell is one level lower, and there is a cool new upcast ability. I'm not sure, losing the 1 hour duration is a big deal. Perhaps LU wanted to highlight the racial resistances more strongly, not sure.
Tiny Hut - On the one hand, this got a very expensive material component, and no longer bars creatures and arrows (big nerf). On the other, it does provide a haven, which apparantely is a big deal in LU, so not sure.
Winners
Alarm - Now with some nice upcast options to really round out the utility of the spell, a solid upgrade.
Alter Self - Already a decent spell but its been given better upcast options that I do think round off the spell very nicely.
Animate Objects - The spell now better balances the damage of Huge vs Tiny objects (no more ridiculous damage from tiny daggers), while at the same time providing a solid niche differentiation (Huge = more damage, Small = more durability). This was a very nice spell fix.
Arcane Muscles - This is just a fun cantrip that I think a lot of players will love.
Bestow Curse (R) - Now THAT is a real curse. The regular spell is a loser to me, but the rare one is rock solid.
Blood-Writ Bargain - A ritual spell that could literally be a cornerstone of certain settings, a very cool and flavorful spell.
Calculated Retribution - This is a fun little battle spell, a max of both defense and offense. But what I really like about is its a good handling of concentration battle spells (either ending the spell to get the bonus before you lose it to concentration, or getting advantage on concentration). This spell might even compete with bless!.....ok probably not for a group of creatures (god bless is just stupidly good) but for a single character this spell could be neat to use.
Circle of Death (R) - while the base spell got put in the loser's bracket for me, the Rare version is pretty cool, and may become my default version. That is a fun rider that gives the spell a solid niche and purpose.
Circular Breathing - So a bard can now have quasi permanent water breathing....well that's just damn cool.
Comprehend Languages - The spell was nerfed but in a way that is more engaging for the players, I think this was a very good choice that also has a lot of setting impact for some campaigns.
Conjure Animals - The designers reigned in some of the multi-animal abuses, its still a good spell without some of the slowdown headaches it could cause.
Detect Poison and Disease - Now requires a skill check, which I think puts it more in line with a ritual spell that is so easily spammed. This has a lot of setting connotations, no longer can a 1st level cleric just guarantee detection of disease and poison.
Enrage Architecture - What a fun spell! Used in the right circumstances this could be a tremendous control spell, and the large area of damage is actually worthy of a 7th level spell (pay attention Arcane Sword, this is how you do it!)
Flame Strike (R) - The rare version here is very flavorful as a "test of truth", I really like the flavor implications of it.
Friends - Wow they replaced the "Enemies" spell and replaced it with this new spell called "Friends"....outrageous! I do like how there is still a hostile risk but on the whole, it now does what its supposed to do.
Grapevine - What a cool messaging cantrip! Completely changes the ballgame of how groups of druid could communicate with each other.
Heart of Dis - Probably one of my favorite new spells. Its an amazing buff spell actually worthy of an 8th level slot, but with a badass restriction that prevents use needlessly.
Inescapable Malady - Very cool spell, you could argue this is a "true geas" type spell. I also like the duration extension mechanic, that's a nice touch.
Lightning Bolt - With fireball's nerf, and a neat little new barrier destroying ability, lightning bolt might actually be on equal footing with fireball for once!!!
Mass Heal - Its very subtle, but this spell got a major major buff. Truly a 9th level spell now!
Power Word Kill (R) - The spell got a very nice buff, but also its rare version is super cool!
Project Image - A subtle change to the spell means that you can only get rid of it by basically dispelling it, so its now a walking talking spy sensor that also communicate with others. Its a solid upgrade to a spell that is generally more niched.
Rage of the Meek - A lower level Tenser's Transformation, and one that actually looks worth the level. I could actually see a wizard use this, so great job!
Raise Hell - Ok now that is a fun 9th level spell! What I like about this one is that none of the effects are particularly great, but when you take it all together you get a solid battlefield control spell.
Losers
Acid Arrow - Poor spell, just eclipsed by Magic Missile. While it scales a bit with level, there are just better damaging spells out there. I think the rare versions are decent though and make the spell competent.
Air Wave - I cannot figure out why this isn't a cantrip....I appreciate the flavor, but what is the appeal to using a spell slot for this?
**Arcane Sword - I am frankly a little annoyed this spell is wasting pages in my pdf considering there has been so much attention over the years to how bad it is. And.....its still just horrific. The rare version even has the audacity to lower the damage (though the secondary effect is at least workable). Bottom of the pile for sure.
Banishment - This spell has considered OP by some people but it got the nerf bat in LU. I could understand a nerf, but this feels too much.
Circle of Death - It got a slightly damage buff in LU, but ultimately fireball can get the same damage and is a lot more flexible ( and dex is generally a better save than con). The area is just not worth it the majority of the time to me.
Eldritch Cube - While a cool flavor, its terrible damage for this spell, and the fact you can't move the cube into a person's area just cripples its usefulness. I mean flaming sphere is superior in a lot of ways.
Forcecage - This is another example of a spell that I think needed a nerf, but this was an overnerf. The cage now has a saving throw, can be destroyed, and you can no longer attack people in the cage. The material component should have been greatly reduced, heck maybe even removed with this version.
Forest Army - This is a very cool flavor spell, and the mechanics are perfect.....for maybe an 8th level spell. As an 8th level I'm on board, but for a 9th level one....as cool as this summon is, its no replacement for having a 17th level druid up and running in the fight.
Imprisonment - The spell unfortunately is still just a narrative device, there is no one who would actually use this thing. To me there should be no save, it should just require the target to be in range the whole time. The point of the spell is to stop creatures you can't defeat normally, which a saving throw basically nullifies.
Instant Summons - A bad spell that got no love.
Irresistible Dance - Sorry LU, you don't get to add a save to a spell that literally has "Irresistible" in its name..... that's the entire point of the spell. This spell is terrible now.
Secret Chest - Still a bad bad spell.
Spirit Guardians - Often the cornerstone of many clerical builds, the spell received a minor damage nerf, but the big nerf was the area. This is major because before you could prevent a creature from getting into melee with you with just a little adjustment, that is now much harder. Though the spell is nerfed as a DM I feel like a winner....I feel like clerics have been using this spell as a crutch for too long and its made them very stale.
Sporesight - Its a neat spell, but at 7th its needs to pack more punch. If this effected the party it would be amazing, but as a single target its just not that great.
Weird - I don't know if this is a good spell at 7th level let alone 8th.
This is right now a pure read analysis, playtime may change my experience, but lets see how the items "feel" upon initial read.
Also note, not all items are listed here. I am only highlighting things that I think are especially good or notably bad. Items that are just solid are not noted.
I am adding an (R) clause if I'm going to talk about a rare version of the spell.
Unsure
Meteor Swarm (Tentative) - It still the best area damage in the game but it got nerfed a LOT. I wonder if its still 9th level worthy now....though there is the fact that we have Instant Death numbers and such now so maybe that is a factor.
Protection from Energy - This one is interesting. The duration has been nerfed heavily, but the spell is one level lower, and there is a cool new upcast ability. I'm not sure, losing the 1 hour duration is a big deal. Perhaps LU wanted to highlight the racial resistances more strongly, not sure.
Tiny Hut - On the one hand, this got a very expensive material component, and no longer bars creatures and arrows (big nerf). On the other, it does provide a haven, which apparantely is a big deal in LU, so not sure.
Winners
Alarm - Now with some nice upcast options to really round out the utility of the spell, a solid upgrade.
Alter Self - Already a decent spell but its been given better upcast options that I do think round off the spell very nicely.
Animate Objects - The spell now better balances the damage of Huge vs Tiny objects (no more ridiculous damage from tiny daggers), while at the same time providing a solid niche differentiation (Huge = more damage, Small = more durability). This was a very nice spell fix.
Arcane Muscles - This is just a fun cantrip that I think a lot of players will love.
Bestow Curse (R) - Now THAT is a real curse. The regular spell is a loser to me, but the rare one is rock solid.
Blood-Writ Bargain - A ritual spell that could literally be a cornerstone of certain settings, a very cool and flavorful spell.
Calculated Retribution - This is a fun little battle spell, a max of both defense and offense. But what I really like about is its a good handling of concentration battle spells (either ending the spell to get the bonus before you lose it to concentration, or getting advantage on concentration). This spell might even compete with bless!.....ok probably not for a group of creatures (god bless is just stupidly good) but for a single character this spell could be neat to use.
Circle of Death (R) - while the base spell got put in the loser's bracket for me, the Rare version is pretty cool, and may become my default version. That is a fun rider that gives the spell a solid niche and purpose.
Circular Breathing - So a bard can now have quasi permanent water breathing....well that's just damn cool.
Comprehend Languages - The spell was nerfed but in a way that is more engaging for the players, I think this was a very good choice that also has a lot of setting impact for some campaigns.
Conjure Animals - The designers reigned in some of the multi-animal abuses, its still a good spell without some of the slowdown headaches it could cause.
Detect Poison and Disease - Now requires a skill check, which I think puts it more in line with a ritual spell that is so easily spammed. This has a lot of setting connotations, no longer can a 1st level cleric just guarantee detection of disease and poison.
Enrage Architecture - What a fun spell! Used in the right circumstances this could be a tremendous control spell, and the large area of damage is actually worthy of a 7th level spell (pay attention Arcane Sword, this is how you do it!)
Flame Strike (R) - The rare version here is very flavorful as a "test of truth", I really like the flavor implications of it.
Friends - Wow they replaced the "Enemies" spell and replaced it with this new spell called "Friends"....outrageous! I do like how there is still a hostile risk but on the whole, it now does what its supposed to do.
Grapevine - What a cool messaging cantrip! Completely changes the ballgame of how groups of druid could communicate with each other.
Heart of Dis - Probably one of my favorite new spells. Its an amazing buff spell actually worthy of an 8th level slot, but with a badass restriction that prevents use needlessly.
Inescapable Malady - Very cool spell, you could argue this is a "true geas" type spell. I also like the duration extension mechanic, that's a nice touch.
Lightning Bolt - With fireball's nerf, and a neat little new barrier destroying ability, lightning bolt might actually be on equal footing with fireball for once!!!
Mass Heal - Its very subtle, but this spell got a major major buff. Truly a 9th level spell now!
Power Word Kill (R) - The spell got a very nice buff, but also its rare version is super cool!
Project Image - A subtle change to the spell means that you can only get rid of it by basically dispelling it, so its now a walking talking spy sensor that also communicate with others. Its a solid upgrade to a spell that is generally more niched.
Rage of the Meek - A lower level Tenser's Transformation, and one that actually looks worth the level. I could actually see a wizard use this, so great job!
Raise Hell - Ok now that is a fun 9th level spell! What I like about this one is that none of the effects are particularly great, but when you take it all together you get a solid battlefield control spell.
Losers
Acid Arrow - Poor spell, just eclipsed by Magic Missile. While it scales a bit with level, there are just better damaging spells out there. I think the rare versions are decent though and make the spell competent.
Air Wave - I cannot figure out why this isn't a cantrip....I appreciate the flavor, but what is the appeal to using a spell slot for this?
**Arcane Sword - I am frankly a little annoyed this spell is wasting pages in my pdf considering there has been so much attention over the years to how bad it is. And.....its still just horrific. The rare version even has the audacity to lower the damage (though the secondary effect is at least workable). Bottom of the pile for sure.
Banishment - This spell has considered OP by some people but it got the nerf bat in LU. I could understand a nerf, but this feels too much.
Circle of Death - It got a slightly damage buff in LU, but ultimately fireball can get the same damage and is a lot more flexible ( and dex is generally a better save than con). The area is just not worth it the majority of the time to me.
Eldritch Cube - While a cool flavor, its terrible damage for this spell, and the fact you can't move the cube into a person's area just cripples its usefulness. I mean flaming sphere is superior in a lot of ways.
Forcecage - This is another example of a spell that I think needed a nerf, but this was an overnerf. The cage now has a saving throw, can be destroyed, and you can no longer attack people in the cage. The material component should have been greatly reduced, heck maybe even removed with this version.
Forest Army - This is a very cool flavor spell, and the mechanics are perfect.....for maybe an 8th level spell. As an 8th level I'm on board, but for a 9th level one....as cool as this summon is, its no replacement for having a 17th level druid up and running in the fight.
Imprisonment - The spell unfortunately is still just a narrative device, there is no one who would actually use this thing. To me there should be no save, it should just require the target to be in range the whole time. The point of the spell is to stop creatures you can't defeat normally, which a saving throw basically nullifies.
Instant Summons - A bad spell that got no love.
Irresistible Dance - Sorry LU, you don't get to add a save to a spell that literally has "Irresistible" in its name..... that's the entire point of the spell. This spell is terrible now.
Secret Chest - Still a bad bad spell.
Spirit Guardians - Often the cornerstone of many clerical builds, the spell received a minor damage nerf, but the big nerf was the area. This is major because before you could prevent a creature from getting into melee with you with just a little adjustment, that is now much harder. Though the spell is nerfed as a DM I feel like a winner....I feel like clerics have been using this spell as a crutch for too long and its made them very stale.
Sporesight - Its a neat spell, but at 7th its needs to pack more punch. If this effected the party it would be amazing, but as a single target its just not that great.
Weird - I don't know if this is a good spell at 7th level let alone 8th.
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