VoxRationis
2018-05-24, 01:06 PM
I'm torn between three spells as I'm leveling up my character, and I was wondering what the Playground thought of the matter. I'm playing a rogue 1/illusionist 9, a character primarily built on noncombat utility and social interaction, but all too often, it's been the case that combat happens anyway and my character ends up doing little to nothing.
Cantrips: Minor illusion, prestidigitation, mage hand, firebolt, and mending.
1st level: alarm, detect magic, magic missile, disguise self, fog cloud, jump, charm person, mage armor, grease, expeditious retreat, protection from evil and good, Tasha's hideous laughter, silent image, cause fear, unseen servant, illusory script
2nd level: magic aura, invisibility, darkness, detect thoughts, spider climb, blur, suggestion, glitterdust (houseruled in from when we were playing 3.5), misty step, crown of madness, mind pide, web, and darkvision
3rd level: sending, gaseous form, vampiric touch, major image
4th level: phantasmal killer, devouring mists of Swethmore(homebrewed spell, battlefield-scale but useless on a skirmish level)
5th level: dream, [unknown]
So my basic analysis is that my character's combat capabilities are both limited and tend to all fall under the same general category of effect, making her vulnerable to opponents that are resistant to that effect (say, by having good Wisdom saves). I consequently wanted a little bit of diversity and some extra punch when it comes to the new 5th-level spell. After a selection process, I'm focusing on a choice between the following three spells: conjure elemental, wall of stone, and synaptic static.
My analysis of these three is as follows:
Conjure Elemental adds numbers to the fray. Moreover, my DM is amenable to coming up with some sort of homebrewed mist elemental, which would be thematically appropriate for my character. However, it's a concentration spell, and if broken (which would be fairly easy to do, as my Constitution save is rubbish), I would be in a lot of trouble (though one of the other party members has banishment).
Wall of Stone provides very solid crowd control and a defensive option no one in the party really can match. Moreover, this campaign could end up building into larger-scale conflicts, and the ability to plop a crenellated wall in the middle of what the enemy thought was an open field could be invaluable. On the other hand, it's almost purely defensive, and I'd still be relying on my party members to be doing all the actual fighting while I try and hold concentration on the spell.
Synaptic Static provides hefty damage in an area of effect and has a saving throw/damage type combination that is generally likely to bypass defenses. It also, unlike many damage spells, lacks visible effects (at least according to my DM's interpretation), and carries a no-concentration rider effect. On the downside, the foes we find ourselves most likely to face in the near future probably have unusually good Intelligence saves; their 3.5 incarnations were rogues, and since their job is to act as investigators, they probably have good Intelligence scores. They probably won't be expecting psychic damage, but they might well just make all their saves.
What do you think?
Cantrips: Minor illusion, prestidigitation, mage hand, firebolt, and mending.
1st level: alarm, detect magic, magic missile, disguise self, fog cloud, jump, charm person, mage armor, grease, expeditious retreat, protection from evil and good, Tasha's hideous laughter, silent image, cause fear, unseen servant, illusory script
2nd level: magic aura, invisibility, darkness, detect thoughts, spider climb, blur, suggestion, glitterdust (houseruled in from when we were playing 3.5), misty step, crown of madness, mind pide, web, and darkvision
3rd level: sending, gaseous form, vampiric touch, major image
4th level: phantasmal killer, devouring mists of Swethmore(homebrewed spell, battlefield-scale but useless on a skirmish level)
5th level: dream, [unknown]
So my basic analysis is that my character's combat capabilities are both limited and tend to all fall under the same general category of effect, making her vulnerable to opponents that are resistant to that effect (say, by having good Wisdom saves). I consequently wanted a little bit of diversity and some extra punch when it comes to the new 5th-level spell. After a selection process, I'm focusing on a choice between the following three spells: conjure elemental, wall of stone, and synaptic static.
My analysis of these three is as follows:
Conjure Elemental adds numbers to the fray. Moreover, my DM is amenable to coming up with some sort of homebrewed mist elemental, which would be thematically appropriate for my character. However, it's a concentration spell, and if broken (which would be fairly easy to do, as my Constitution save is rubbish), I would be in a lot of trouble (though one of the other party members has banishment).
Wall of Stone provides very solid crowd control and a defensive option no one in the party really can match. Moreover, this campaign could end up building into larger-scale conflicts, and the ability to plop a crenellated wall in the middle of what the enemy thought was an open field could be invaluable. On the other hand, it's almost purely defensive, and I'd still be relying on my party members to be doing all the actual fighting while I try and hold concentration on the spell.
Synaptic Static provides hefty damage in an area of effect and has a saving throw/damage type combination that is generally likely to bypass defenses. It also, unlike many damage spells, lacks visible effects (at least according to my DM's interpretation), and carries a no-concentration rider effect. On the downside, the foes we find ourselves most likely to face in the near future probably have unusually good Intelligence saves; their 3.5 incarnations were rogues, and since their job is to act as investigators, they probably have good Intelligence scores. They probably won't be expecting psychic damage, but they might well just make all their saves.
What do you think?