D&D 5E What's the worst spell?

[DaveDash]

it seems like regenerate might be good if you know your about to start a fight soon. where as heal is the shoot! the tank just dropped to 0 and i need to get him back up now type spell.

Spot on.

Regenerate can be awesome if you have time to prepare, and you are fairly certain the enemies will attack the character with regenerate. Ie fighting hoards of creatures, dumb creatures, or if you have a choke point.
On the other hand, it is a bit cheesy to play whack a mole like that so your millage may vary, I know a lot of DM's house rule that bad things happen to you on 0hp to get around this side effect of 5e.

I've also used regenerate out of combat on NPCs quite a bit. There's always a wounded NPC missing a leg or an eye or something who you need something from, and regenerate works a treat in getting them on your side.

 

[MiraMels]

Having run the game regularly for four years years now, i can say that hypnotic pattern, eldritch blast, and the four cantrips they added in SCAG are my least favorite spells. Both in terms of design failures, and in terms of at-the-table use of them. Whether as a DM and as a player.


Sent from my iPhone using EN World

 

[Immoralkickass]

Having run the game regularly for four years years now, i can say that hypnotic pattern, eldritch blast, and the four cantrips they added in SCAG are my least favorite spells. Both in terms of design failures, and in terms of at-the-table use of them. Whether as a DM and as a player.


Sent from my iPhone using EN World

What do you mean 'design failures'? Too overpowered?

 

[Chikiko Saotome]

Nope, True Strike only benefits an attack on your next turn. So Quicken is of little benefit.
The Eldritch Knight bonus action attack requires you to have cast a spell, so you've just dropped last turn's True Strike for this turn's- without gaining the benefit. So that's out too.

The rest of what you say doesn't even make sense. Martial Adept has nothing to do with True Strike.

ok so you are correct that it does say on your next turn so any of those attacks made on this turn aren't affected by it but they don't cancel them out. So the EK's attack or the Sorcer's quicked spell still has the function of not leaving you sucking your thumb because you cast true strike. You cast true strike to gain advantage on your next turn and you can still make an attack on this turn. So casting true strike won't be a wasted action since you are taking an action this round and attack with advantage on the following round.

Yes martial adept has no direct connection to the true strike spell. however a character who has the martial adept feat (or a battle master) who makes an attack and hits can then use a superiority die to do some kind extra thing such as damage, impose a condition, etc. As such they will likely want to ensure that their attack actually hits. These characters will find true strike very appealing to ensure their attacks land so that they don't waste superiority dice.

 

[MiraMels]

What do you mean 'design failures'? Too overpowered?

Well, sort of. Hypnotic pattern doesn't have subsequent saves, unlike most over incapacitating spells in this edition. It's not overpowered, it either fizzles or ends the encounter. I'm not opposed to my party winning a battle with a single stroke, but this spell in particular leads to...odd moments. A group of heroes encircling a catatonic ogre to all wail on him like a piñata is an occurrence i can do without.

Eldritch Blast. The warlock should have the strongest at-will magical damage option, and Eldritch Blast accomplishes this, mechanically, but the mechanics don't tell the right story. The warlock is all about brimming with too much borrowed magic and reveling in it. They lack subtlety. And yet, at the zenith of their power, they are flinging the same 1d10 bolt that a first level wizard can manage, just more of them. The warlock shouldn't be a machine gun, she should be a howitzer.

And then the SCAG cantrips, don't get me started. the words "as part of casting this spell, make a weapon attack" were a mistake.


Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

 

[Chikiko Saotome]

yes but healer's kit...

that's true, but you might run out of charges. So its a spell of last resort. Most of the time you probably won't need it, but when you do need it, you'll be glad for it. its the same idea behind resurrection, its a spell you don't usually need to use, but one all else has failed you have a back up plan. but of course spare the dying isn't near as good a resurrection spell. but if your out of spells and healers kits and you're a bad dice roller, there is spare the dying.

 

[Chikiko Saotome]

Well, sort of. Hypnotic pattern doesn't have subsequent saves, unlike most over incapacitating spells in this edition. It's not overpowered, it either fizzles or ends the encounter. I'm not opposed to my party winning a battle with a single stroke, but this spell in particular leads to...odd moments. A group of heroes encircling a catatonic ogre to all wail on him like a piñata is an occurrence i can do without.

Eldritch Blast. The warlock should have the strongest at-will magical damage option, and Eldritch Blast accomplishes this, mechanically, but the mechanics don't tell the right story. The warlock is all about brimming with too much borrowed magic and reveling in it. They lack subtlety. And yet, at the zenith of their power, they are flinging the same 1d10 bolt that a first level wizard can manage, just more of them. The warlock shouldn't be a machine gun, she should be a howitzer.

And then the SCAG cantrips, don't get me started. the words "as part of casting this spell, make a weapon attack" were a mistake.


Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

the scag spells are spells that were made to be used with the sword mage who is a very gishy type character. So these spells are meant for gish characters who combine martial combat and spell casting. it only makes sense that you'd have some way to enchance your melee with magic. For the most part the only use of magic in melee was defensive, now you can use it offensively. They also let your character chain progressively more damage through melee. more over, its not much different from the attack role you make with shocking grasp. The difference is with shocking grasp your just trying to touch them, to deliver your damage where as with these spells your making an attack and using it to channel additional magical energy. They are some of my favorite spells in the game.

 

[Chikiko Saotome]

Well, sort of. Hypnotic pattern doesn't have subsequent saves, unlike most over incapacitating spells in this edition. It's not overpowered, it either fizzles or ends the encounter. I'm not opposed to my party winning a battle with a single stroke, but this spell in particular leads to...odd moments. A group of heroes encircling a catatonic ogre to all wail on him like a piñata is an occurrence i can do without.

Eldritch Blast. The warlock should have the strongest at-will magical damage option, and Eldritch Blast accomplishes this, mechanically, but the mechanics don't tell the right story. The warlock is all about brimming with too much borrowed magic and reveling in it. They lack subtlety. And yet, at the zenith of their power, they are flinging the same 1d10 bolt that a first level wizard can manage, just more of them. The warlock shouldn't be a machine gun, she should be a howitzer.

And then the SCAG cantrips, don't get me started. the words "as part of casting this spell, make a weapon attack" were a mistake.


Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

as for hypnotic pattern, the spell clearly says that if it takes damage or if someone uses an action to shake it awake. So all it is doing is taking an enemy out of the fry so that you can concentrate on a single character. so it'll be pretty hard to make the creature a useless piñata unless its already pretty weak.

 

[Immoralkickass]

Well, sort of. Hypnotic pattern doesn't have subsequent saves, unlike most over incapacitating spells in this edition. It's not overpowered, it either fizzles or ends the encounter. I'm not opposed to my party winning a battle with a single stroke, but this spell in particular leads to...odd moments. A group of heroes encircling a catatonic ogre to all wail on him like a piñata is an occurrence i can do without.

Eldritch Blast. The warlock should have the strongest at-will magical damage option, and Eldritch Blast accomplishes this, mechanically, but the mechanics don't tell the right story. The warlock is all about brimming with too much borrowed magic and reveling in it. They lack subtlety. And yet, at the zenith of their power, they are flinging the same 1d10 bolt that a first level wizard can manage, just more of them. The warlock shouldn't be a machine gun, she should be a howitzer.

And then the SCAG cantrips, don't get me started. the words "as part of casting this spell, make a weapon attack" were a mistake.


Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

Well that's a weakness in most save or suck spells, and Hypnotic Pattern is no exception. What you described is more like Hold Person though. I am of the opinion that most spells do not need the 'save every round' weakness, the concentration requirement is enough. Plus, Hypnotic Pattern have the extra weakness of 'ends when take damage' or 'can be shaken out of it'.

I don't see the problem with Eldritch Blast. You come to D&D and have a different idea of how things should be, but they are not. So what? You can always ask the DM for a homebrew change, but it would be nerfing the spell. Obviously, firing more bolts is meant to make it unique, otherwise its just Firebolt with force damage. Plus, no other class get easy riders to damage on each bolt as the Warlock.

Yeeeeah SCAG cantrips seem to get most people screaming OP, but its not. Its meant to be powerful at high levels because using it means sacrificing Extra Attack. I don't see a problem at all.

 

[hbarsquared]

well just because it doesn't allow you to attack someone doesn't mean it doesn't allow you to affect someone. As long as your actions aren't an attack or something that directly harms the creature or steal there stuff, there are still things you can do to affect them.

Actually, the text of time stop doesn't reference attacks at all, and literally says it "doesn't allow you to affect someone."

This spell ends if one of the actions you use during this period, or any effects that you create during this period, affects a creature other than you or an object being worn or carried by someone other than you.

Your example of giving someone items would be a borderline case, in that the DM could easily construe it to "affect an object being work or carried by someone."

The spell says nothing of attacking or harming, just affecting in any way. This is part of what severely limits the spell.