D&D 5E (2014) Tasha's Hideous Laughter vs Otto's Irresistible Dance

[Stormonu]

How do these compare to Hold Person/Hold Monster? Seems the main advantage is Otto's lack of the initial save, but the Hold spells you can raise the level to affect multiple targets...

 

[NotAYakk]

Using a 6th level slot, Hold Monster threatens 2 foes.

Hold Monster has a 90' range; Ottos is 30'. 30' is really, really close.

Hold Monster works on foes immune to charm, Ottos does not. Charm immunity far more common than paralyzed immunity.

A foe with legendary resists will not let it be held, unless it it going immediately after your turn. So at best it eats a legendary resist on a boss-type monster.

The effect of Hold Monster is more powerful than Otto's; Hold Monster grants auto-crits on adjacent attackers.

If your save DC is high enough that the monster has a < 50% chance of saving (also rare on big bad beefy bad guys), and there are 2 or more of them, and they don't have legendary resists, and you don't care which you are going to hold -- then Hold Monster is better than Ottos.

Ottos is a spell that shuts down one foe hard, regardless of legendary resists or creature size. There are few spells that match its effectiveness that way. It is a "suck" spell, there is no save.

Hold monster is a multi-target "save or suck", with a recovery save each round. There are plenty of those. Its suck is very strong.

 

[Gadget]

Well, Hold Person/Monster still grants an initial save, so that is the advantage Otto's has over both of them. Otto's really is best used to bypass Legendary resistances and target key troublesome foes, that's its key feature; other than that, it does basically do the same thing as Tasha's (yes, I know Tasha's grants a save with advantage when hit, and doesn't require an action to save, but for five levels difference, I'd expect at least that upgrade).

 

[Jimjim221]

Then there is the milage that comes from using enchantment wizard's split enchantment ability...

 

[Jimjim221]

I'm not sure why Otto's doesn't just Incapacitate you and give you a save at the end of each round. Then it would be easier to directly compare what it's giving you. They must have thought that would be too good of an upgrade.

Incapacitation doesn't eliminate your movement or dis to dex saves, or gives adv on enemies to attack you... The creature makes a choice to keep the effect going by using its action on something else- which could be used casting a spell which is suddenly counterspelled... No save. If there was an effect that incapacitates them, the enemy can't use their action and they get zero saves from this spell.

 

[billd91]

Neither is as effective as Elsa's Irritating Song.

You need to just let it go, man.

 

[NotAYakk]

You need to just let it go, man.

Come on. Don't hold her back anymore.

 

[ECMO3]

Tasha also gives a save with advantage every time the target takes damage, so if you attack them it's probably gonna run out pretty quickly.

And in one round that can be 7 or 8 saves, not counting the one they get on their turn.

When you are fighting large numbers; using Tasha's is effective at sidelining one for a few turns while you deal with the others. It is not very good against boss types where you will be attacking the creature you used it on.