Most Mind-Blast-like spell?

[Ettina]

I've got an aberrant mind sorcerer who's backstory is that she was partially ceremorphosized, but escaped and got rescued by flumphs that taught her how to suppress the tadpole's development. Her powers come from basically being part-illithid now, so I've been trying to pick spells to fit an illithid-like theme. All their innate spellcasting is on the sorcerer spell list, so that works, but I'm having trouble thinking of anything to be similar to mind blast.

Ideally, I'd like a cone-based Int save spell that deals psychic damage and/or stuns, but if that's not an option, I'll take whatever I can find that's reasonably close. Any suggestions?

[jaappleton]

If your DM will agree

Then check out the Pulse Wave spell from Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount.

[RogueJK]

Not a cone, but otherwise Synaptic Static seems very fitting.

At lower levels, Tasha's Mind Whip is a similar single-target option. There's also the recent UA Raulothim's Psychic Lance, which is a more powerful single-target spell.

[leogobsin]

The closest is Psychic Scream, which targets multiple creatures, deals psychic damage, and stuns- it's also 9th level so you won't be able to use it for a while. At lower levels, Synaptic Static, Tasha's Mind Whip, and Mind Sliver are all similar-ish.

[Rentirith]

Mind Spike is another good-ish (ok, it's niche) spell. Okay single target damage, if the target fails their save you know where they are and they can't benefit from invisibility till your concentration ends. Kind of like you are hitting them with a...spike in their mind.

[Nifft]

Mind Spike is another good-ish (ok, it's niche) spell. Okay single target damage, if the target fails their save you know where they are and they can't benefit from invisibility till your concentration ends. Kind of like you are hitting them with a...spike in their mind.

I'm missing something about your analogy.

Why should making the target some kind of temporary Phineas Gage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gage) necessarily negate invisibility?

[Gignere]

Maybe reskin shatter or magnify gravity? That’ll be your low level AoE like mind blast.

[Kane0]

You can also reflavor color spray and if your DM lets you modify spells burning hands and cone of cold into psychic damage with a wis save (lower the damage die for balance)

[Phhase]

If you can stand multiclassing, the Psychic Assault mystic discipline is pretty much exactly what you're looking for. As a bonus, it's basically what mind flayers are as a class, depending on the disciplines you pick.

[Kane0]

If you can stand multiclassing, the Psychic Assault mystic discipline is pretty much exactly what you're looking for. As a bonus, it's basically what mind flayers are as a class, depending on the disciplines you pick.

Oh neat idea, perhaps modify the aberrant mind subclass to give access to that discipline instead of the bonus spells, powered by sorcery points.

[Segev]

You could ask your DM if you could reskin Burning Hands to do psychic damage and maybe qualify for the psychic spells feature. Then, later, cone of cold.

[Phhase]

Oh neat idea, perhaps modify the aberrant mind subclass to give access to that discipline instead of the bonus spells, powered by sorcery points.

Ooh, clever, clever. :smallamused: