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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheSword" data-source="post: 8084882" data-attributes="member: 6879661">I get your pain, you don’t always want weird magical enemies and spellcasters in your fights. My advice is let it be good sometimes and let it do nothing other times. The unreliability will stop its being the go to spell, but there will be times it will work.The hypnotic pattern’s awesomeness is balanced by how easy it is to end with a single point of damage or an action to break the spell.There are a couple of solutions, some mundane, some magical.Have those that make their saves, shake the ones that don’t. It effectively takes the group out for a round depending how many saved.As DCs increase and more foes fail their saves, have enemies with multiple attacks do a damage on multiple targets. Deal min damage if they hit - with advantage. That will be 3-4 damage for most enemies which at the level Hyp Pat comes online is a drop in the ocean. Your player caster effectively uses up some enemy actions for a round and deals a bit of damage vicariously. In exchange for a third level spell.If the foes act on the same initiative then let them wake colleagues either through damage or shaking and then let those victims act.For foes with a spell caster, just shut it down straight away. Intelligent foes should know the capabilities of the party if they could.Counterspell liberally at 3rd level spells and higher.Or use other tricks... a magic missile will instantly break the spell for 3 people with a couple of points of damage and if enemies go on the same initiative they are now free to act having only temporarily been incapacitated. Upcast mm to increase number waking. Incidentally give a rogue a scroll, or an NPC the equivalent of magic initiate and anyone can have magic missile.It goes without saying that hypnotic pattern is one of the flashiest spells you can cast. It will make the caster the focus of everyone’s attentions that isn’t stupefied and being concentration based, this could end very quickly.If concentration is broken at the start of the foes turn everyone else will still get to actLastly, simply just up the number of enemies. If by the time the six bandits have been shaken from the stupider the party have kicked their ass, then add 8 or 10 or 12 bandits. Eventually you’ll reach a point where the spells effect ends before the enemies drop.If you want non-meta game / in-world solution. Make the illusionist famous, his Hypnotic powers become feared and evil-doers are ready for such tricks - using the methods above. Put a bounty out on the illusionist.</blockquote>

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