Comments on: Xanathar’s Guide Breakdown, Part Nine

By: Ronald Delio

Ronald Delio — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 06:03:00 +0000

I definitely agree with you about Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting. That is the most Warlock spell I’ve seen in a while, why isn’t it on their list!?

By: Episteme

Episteme — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 07:32:00 +0000

In reply to Dave(s) 4 Goombella. That would work best with a familiar that seems the least wizard-like. Some sort imp or pseudodragon breathing fire is no surprise, but a goldfinch or fat pug suddenly doing so would be a laugh riot at the mage’s tower!

By: Brandes Stoddard

Brandes Stoddard — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 03:50:00 +0000

In reply to Episteme. I think they didn't do that because that's a perceptibly stronger scaling mechanism than you see in damage spells. Instantaneous damaging spells cast with higher-level slots generally don't keep up with the Spell Damage table on p. 284. This creates incentive to learn and prepare higher-level damaging spells. Control spells, on the other hand, are usually increasing their number of targets or duration when you cast with higher-level slots. The incentive to learn and prepare higher-level control spells is to increase your depth (charm -> dominate) or breadth (humanoids -> monsters); occasionally also duration (feeblemind's duration is just rude). I don't have insider info here, just what I think is why things work the way they do. So, you know, grain of salt. =)

By: Episteme

Episteme — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 22:24:00 +0000

I wonder if hey could have avoided reintroducing some of the classic “like [Spell X] but better” spells (Charm Monster vs Charm Person comes to mind) by going down a similar but expanded route that they did with the Cure chain of spells and added better and perhaps expanded effects to spells as higher slots are used. For example, rather use a higher slot of Charm Person to Charm more humanoids, why not have an option that expending a fourth level slot of Charm lets you charm a single other type of creature instead of four humanoids (thus baking Charm Monster together into the same spell). Perhaps Dominate could even be baked in as a higher level rider effect? I wonder if there’s just a bit of sacred cow wander back into the paddock at this point in the game’s lifecycle.

By: Derrick Allen

Derrick Allen — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 19:27:00 +0000

Catapult is one of my favorite spells. We’ve a house rule where if you use it on an object that deals damage such as a dagger, that damage is added to the spells.

Enemies Abound helped me work out the 3rd level feature for a primal path (Path of the Reaver). the path is based around real life berserkers who went into battle in a psychotic rage due to psychedelic shrooms and were a danger to both friends and foes. 3rd level feature = Psychotic Rage: When you enter a rage, your rage damage bonus, crit. range is increased, and toying with the idea of adding bear totem damage resistance but at the cost of enemies abound effect applied to you if you fail save throw when feature is used and at start of each turn while raging with the dc increasing the longer your raging or each time you rage before finishing a long rest.

By: Brandes Stoddard

Brandes Stoddard — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 17:11:00 +0000

In reply to Dave(s) 4 Goombella. That's a great point, and one I should have considered! I am usually willing to have monsters ignore familiars, but once you paint a target on them like this, I mean, all bets are off.

By: John Nunn

John Nunn — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 15:19:00 +0000

Aganazzar’s Scorcher (then called Agannazar’s) was, far as I can remember, first introduced as one of the four spells in the Tome of the Covenant in Ed Greenwood’s “Pages from the Mages III” article in Dragon #92. So … 1984. I mostly remember it because it’s one of the small handful from that era (post-PH, pre-UA) that have managed to be part of the canon for this long.

That particular magazine is one of the few that old that I actually have. (And looked up for this, because I definitely didn’t remember the year offhand.) I say “few,” and yet I keep mentioning them in comments here on Tribality. 🙂

By: Dave(s) 4 Goombella

Dave(s) 4 Goombella — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 14:27:00 +0000

A good use for Dragon’s Breath might be to give it to a familiar. Rules-as-written state that a familiar can take any action except Attack, and Dragon’s Breath gives its target the ability to breath fire as an “Action” rather than an attack.

Of course, a Wizard’s familiar is pretty damn fragile. A reasonably competent monster is going to kill a fire-breathing raven with extreme prejudice.

By: Dave(s) 4 Goombella

Dave(s) 4 Goombella — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 14:22:00 +0000

Enemies Abound seems like it was designed primarily for NPC casters rather than PC casters. When a PC casts it on an NPC, there’s a good chance that nothing interesting will happen even on a failed save. And all the while, it’s costing the caster their concentration. When an NPC casts the spell, and the PC fails, it’s always going to have a destructive effect (being forced to choose a target at random is always going to piss off a PC, be that target friend or foe).

That said, it’s a really great spell for PCs to cast when they’re heavily outnumbered. My bard has made good use of it on occasion.