D&D 5E Usage for Antipathy/Sympathy?

[Kobold Avenger]

Antipathy/Sympathy as an 8th level spell, I'm really trying to think hard about it's usage. What would someone want to use such a spell for?

Antipathy
I'm guessing for Antipathy in an urban area, you'd cast it to keep people away from your current base of operations.
It could conceivably be used to ruin someones business too.

Sympathy
Useful for attracting business, as I'm sure some wealthy shopkeeper would hire someone to cast this.
I guess a villain could use this to this setup a deadly death trap of a haunted kill house.

But can anyone else think of any other creative uses for such a spell.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

1.) Antipathy can make you functionally immune to melee from a certain kind of creature, e.g. red dragons, at no concentration cost. Just set it up the day before. This is one of the few saving throw effects in 5E for which you do not get a re-save every round (unless you cover your eyes), and even if you make your save, it doesn't make you immune to further applications of the effect once you uncover your eyes.

2.) You can use it to protect areas in exactly the same way during a set-piece battle. "No hobgoblins over the drawbridge of this castle." (Now they have to swarm the walls instead.)

3.) You can use Sympathy to collect things, as a honey-pot trap. "Everybody stand right here for a Fireball!"

4.) Note that due to the long casting time, Antipathy/Sympathy isn't usually an instant-combat spell, it's more something you do when you know what's coming. But! Wish can duplicate Antipathy/Sympathy at the cost of one action.

 

[bganon]

Saving does grant immunity for a minute, though, so it's not auto-win.

I think the main power of the spell is that it doesn't need concentration, lasts for 10 days, and can affect anything that can see the target. So this is an army-breaker. Need to break a siege? Cast antipathy on four battle flags, sympathy on four more, keep them covered until your forces ride out, and use the spells to scatter the enemy army and funnel them into deathtraps. Against single targets Dominate Monster is almost always far better.