New UA: Spells and Magic Tattoos

[Necromas]

The Big Winner Here is the Divine Soul Sorcerer.
Level 7
Background: Rakdos Cultist (For Hellish Rebuke Spell)
Spell Sniper feat, Warcaster
Spells: Eldritch Blast, Scorching Ray, Spirit Shroud
Flexible casting feature to generate higher spells slots. Level 7, the sorcerer can generate level 5 spell slot.
Metamagic: Quicken spell, Empower spell

Spirit Shroud
3rd-level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You call forth spirits of the dead, which flit around you for the spell’s duration. The spirits are intangible and invulnerable, and they are good or evil (your choice). Until the spell ends, any attack you make deals 1d8 extra damage when you hit a creature within 10 feet of you. This damage is radiant if the spirits are good and necrotic if they are evil. Any creature that takes this damage can’t regain hit points until the start of your next turn. In addition, any creature of your choice that you can see that starts its turn within 10 feet of you has its speed reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spellusing a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the extra damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.


Upcating to level 5, It's extra 3d8 any attack. Empowered Spell here. (For math, I will consider empower spell adding 20% extra damage).
Empowered Eldritch blast for 2d10x1.20. Two attacks. Average 13,5 force damage
Quickened Empowered Upcasted to level 4 Scorching Ray for 10d6x1.20. Five attacks. Average 42 fire damage

Total 7 attacks = 3d8x1.20x7. Average 113,4 damage.

Potential Average 169 damage at level 7, per turn.

You actually can't do this per turn, as it requires burning 12 sorcery points in addition to your singular 4th level spell slot.

[47Ace]

I'm happy to see them at least thinking about summoning spells, since I feel like the PHB ones are nominees for worst designed spells in the entire game and am itching for alternatives. Let's hope they refine and balance it for an official product somewhere.

Spoiler: Why I think that the PHB summon spells are poorly designed

Show

- Clearly unbalanced against themselves: the swarm options are generally better than the single target options, whether it's Conjure Animals, Conjure Woodland Beings, or Animate Objects.
- The swarm scaling looks like it was designed separately from the actual monsters or CR system, and just assumed that the CR system would work like past editions (where the power curve was more quadratic than linear, and bounded accuracy wasn't a thing).
- The swarm options tend to be the mechanically best ones, and also the ones that bog down gameplay the most (I personally can run it quite fast, but I've been DMing for well over 23 years. I've seen it bring games to a halt at other tables).
- The player has no control over what creatures they get, and different creatures have vastly different amounts of power (you can get anything from suffocating aquatic creatures to pixies based on DM fiat). This means that players don't feel a lot of agency. Whether you get a good or bad result, you don't feel like the impact was a result of your tactical choices.
- I feel like they don't do a good job of fulfilling a lot of summoner character fantasies. You can't go "Pikachu, I choose you!" because you don't know what creature you'll get. And heck, one need look no further than googling fantasy art for summoners to see that most of them are about calling a single powerful and interesting creature, rather than a swarm of generic ones. You can't even roleplay something like "I call upon the wolves of the forest to take revenge for their fallen brethren!" It's more or less limited to "Nature, send something to aid me!"
- The "you don't get to choose" thing feels kinda like it's a problem that was introduced to deal with another problem: That they didn't really balance the summon spells and just left it to DMs to sort it out.
- There's not really a satisfying alternative for people who want to play a summoner archetype.

I definitely agree that the current summoning spells are poorly designed, you probably explained it better then I did.

[Segev]

Do you think it'd be a good idea to nerf the summoning spells a little by requiring that you command them as a bonus action to attack? Otherwise they seem like a lot of potential damage over an hour without eating into your action economy except to prevent you from using other concentration spells.

Compare to, say, conjure elemental, which I think dishes out a pretty substantial amount of damage over its hour long duration. (The party has a Stone of Elemental Summoning that calls up "Rocky" once per day. They get a lot of mileage out of his burrow ability, small mountain of hp, and ability to dish out pretty serious pummelings as long as they keep the NPC cleric they handed the rock to from losing Concentration.)

I didn't look too closely at the new summoning spells, having lost interest once I realized they were taking the PF Summoner's Eidolon approach to pretending they were unique and interesting creatures when they aren't, but are they seriously that much more damaging than a basic elemental from the monster manual?

[MaxWilson]

Compare to, say, conjure elemental, which I think dishes out a pretty substantial amount of damage over its hour long duration. (The party has a Stone of Elemental Summoning that calls up "Rocky" once per day. They get a lot of mileage out of his burrow ability, small mountain of hp, and ability to dish out pretty serious pummelings as long as they keep the NPC cleric they handed the rock to from losing Concentration.)

I didn't look too closely at the new summoning spells, having lost interest once I realized they were taking the PF Summoner's Eidolon approach to pretending they were unique and interesting creatures when they aren't, but are they seriously that much more damaging than a basic elemental from the monster manual?

No, the damage is comparable and the HP are much less. This is mostly about variety, and some utility, plus being accessible sooner and more frequently.

The main damage increase will be against creatures resistant or immune to both normal weapons and fire, but not e.g. cold or psychic. Some of the new summons are better at killing demons than an elemental would be, and better at killing werewolves than any non-fire elemental.

[Necromas]

a level 5th spell slot requires 7 sorcery points.
You can burn low level spells slots to sorcery points to quicken and empower spell.
1 regular 4th level spell slot is to cast upcasted Scorching Ray

It also costs bonus actions to generate more sorcery points and to create more spell slots. Even if you've created enough spell slots ahead of time, three empowers and a quicken takes 5 points by themselves and you can't hold 10 points at a time that you would need to do that twice without converting. You're also just going to run out of spell slots to convert well before the end of an adventuring day.

It's still a ridiculous ability to go nova. But saying it's every turn implies you have the resources to spam it.

[47Ace]

Looking at the Eldritch Claw Tattoo again I am struggling too see how you could design a more monk centric magical item. Running through its features: Your unarmed attacks count as magical, sort of a non feature, not useful for level 6+ monks but, not a power buff for non-monks more of just a here now you aren't screwed over by the weirdly common immune/resistant to m/p/s from non-magical attacks. +1 to attack and damage from unarmed strikes clearly monk centric given that they are the most likely to have unarmed strikes. Eldritch Maul a damage boost the scales with the number of attacks and monks get access to more attacks then anyone else before level 20. It could have been a bit more monk centric by having a requirement of monk but that a crude attempt to make it monk centric by just banning anyone else from using it. Alternatively, explicitly letting the bonus action to activate it be combined with flurry of blows would be a nice change.

[Luccan]

The problem with having each tattoo take up an attunement slot should be obvious, but at the same time* allowing any number of tattoos seems foolish. I think I favor either weaker tattoos or one stronger tattoo per character. Limited number either way, but a compromise could be reached between infinite and 1 for the weaker tattoos. I'd also remove the attunement slot: if you're somehow only giving magic tattoos to one PC, that seems like a table problem attunement slots can't solve and it blatantly benefits Artificer more than other characters to have an attuned magic item permanently affixed to their person.

*Edit: didn't read the UA properly, didn't realize you could remove the tattoos.

[GorogIrongut]

I'm very pro Tattoo Magic and have been ever since I read the Ink Mage Trilogy. So I welcome this change. The spells I find more... meh.

My only concern is that the rewards/abilities granted by the tattoos don't seem right. I'm also not comfortable with the tattoos being able to disappear (i.e. go back to being a needle). If you're going to use tattoo magic, it should be a choice with permanent consequences.


I'm a fan of the Lifewell, Shadowfell and Masquerade tattoos.

[Joe the Rat]

One of those conceptually neat, needs some tweak-love UAs.

I like the summons overall, even if they seem a bit generic. This gives you a single generic member of type which should in theory be balanced between modes. I'm looking at you, Celestial. Makes a nice contrast to Swarm of Giant Poisonous Snakes.

Acid... one, it needs to affect objects. If that burns too much, fix the damage. it creates one lost action per failed save with or without a spot of damage, but also translates into massive burns with a successful Hold Person and Social Distancing. I think it's about right. drop the die by one and let it upscale could be interesting.


Tattoos... I want to like them. I like them broadly, I like the "uses one attunement per body" aspect to let you get properly illustrated (alltattos only count as asingle item for attunement purposes might get the artificer's delight issue . I love spellwrought - it's a one-use tattoo scroll. But there's some fiddling that needs done. I actually like them better as a Monk class (unless tattooed monk is sufficiently AEG IP that they can't use it outright without heavy tweaking), and dammit, Pact of the Ink really appeals now - 3-5 Pact-exclusive invocations is about right.

The thing that drives me nuts is the magic application of the tattoo - it just appears. no application process. so why is it a needle? You aren't using it. it could just as easily be a sphere or medallion that melts and deposits the ink.

[Segev]

The problem with having each tattoo take up an attunement slot should be obvious.

It's not obvious to me. What's wrong with those which are powerful enough to warrant attunement taking one attunement slot each, and some of them not taking attunement? Like any other magic item.

[Pex]

As a cleric I see no need to cast Spirit Shroud when I can cast Spirit Guardians for the same spell level, concentration, and better effect. That Spirit Shroud is a Bonus action doesn't mean anything. It's only better than Spiritual Weapon because it slows down enemy movement. I guess what the spell is is the weapon attack of Spiritual Weapon plus the movement interference of Spirit Guardians, to have both effects with one spell. I'd rather have Spirit Guardians for better movement interference and damage then cast Spiritual Weapon next round if I need/want both effects. It's worth the two spell slot cost when the encounter calls for it.

[Amechra]

As a cleric I see no need to cast Spirit Shroud when I can cast Spirit Guardians for the same spell level, concentration, and better effect. That Spirit Shroud is a Bonus action doesn't mean anything. It's only better than Spiritual Weapon because it slows down enemy movement. I guess what the spell is is the weapon attack of Spiritual Weapon plus the movement interference of Spirit Guardians, to have both effects with one spell. I'd rather have Spirit Guardians for better movement interference and damage then cast Spiritual Weapon next round if I need/want both effects. It's worth the two spell slot cost when the encounter calls for it.

I think this is more a result of the design team overvaluing attacks and undervaluing DoT auras like Spirit Guardians than anything else. It is a pretty weird spell for Clerics to get, though - it really wants to be on a class that can get access to Extra Attack, and it looks like it'd be fantastic on a Warlock. Seriously, I see it being almost mandatory for a Bladelock, just because of how massive the damage boost can be.

---

Actually, the spells the Cleric got this time around are kinda weird. Otherworldly Transformation is a spell I'm having trouble seeing anyone cast. Unlike Tenser's Transformation, it doesn't really make using the Attack action worth it, and there are better ways to get the other benefits if you want them.

[Chaosmancer]

It's actually a bit overpowered, by my judgment. It should perhaps be a level 2 spell. As-is, it's easily at least 2 targets, and up to as many as 6, who will take at least 3d4 damage and lose an action. All for one action and a level 1 spell slot from the caster. If they don't lose an action, that's even more damage!

A note that other creatures can clear off the acid, so the important target might not take any damage, and a successful save prevents all damage in the first place.

But, the more I think on it and the more I consider the various situations, it is probably actually more balanced than I think. Won't change anything until I see it in action.

The tattoos really feel like too much for too little. Yes, they're magic items, so their expensive, but the Barrier tattoo is actually amazing for casters and lame for most others. Which is...troublesome...because casters really shouldn't be getting armor that good. Well, the lowest-level armor tattoo is meh, but the other two are too good.

The only tattoos I both think are nifty and aren't overpowered are the Common ones. The others all strike me as being too much for being semi-attuned (in that you can stack as many attunement tattoos as you like) and taking only their own unique, partially-sharable item slot.

They're generally of a power level that I would say is more balanced as a subclass or even a new class, rather than a list of magic items.

I don't know about "amazing" for casters. Attunement slots are very precious. You only get three and I have quite often played and gotten magic items that are never used, because I'd have to unattune to something that is helping me more.

And, there are a lot of ways to get better armor for most classes. They are nice, but I have been able to list off a lot of items I'd want more than even the Very Rare Barrier tattoo to be in that attunement slot.

I think this is more a result of the design team overvaluing attacks and undervaluing DoT auras like Spirit Guardians than anything else. It is a pretty weird spell for Clerics to get, though - it really wants to be on a class that can get access to Extra Attack, and it looks like it'd be fantastic on a Warlock. Seriously, I see it being almost mandatory for a Bladelock, just because of how massive the damage boost can be.

---

Actually, the spells the Cleric got this time around are kinda weird. Otherworldly Transformation is a spell I'm having trouble seeing anyone cast. Unlike Tenser's Transformation, it doesn't really make using the Attack action worth it, and there are better ways to get the other benefits if you want them.

I agree.

But, I also wonder about putting it on a melee cleric like a War Cleric. The advantage a cleric gets from the Shroud compared tot he Warlock is a higher casting slot. A cleric could drop this as a 6th or 7th level spell. 7d8 extra damage on a hit, and War Cleric can Blessing to get an extra attack for 14d8 extra, on top of their 2d8 normal?

It is signifigant, and while Spirit guardians might be better, there is an argument to be made that more damage over time can sometimes be slow compared to "kill it now". Plus, shutting down healing is a big deal I think.


I also Agree that Otherworldly Transformations seems.... anemic. I just don't see a big appeal for it unless you are a really specific build.

[Luccan]

It's not obvious to me. What's wrong with those which are powerful enough to warrant attunement taking one attunement slot each, and some of them not taking attunement? Like any other magic item.

I misread the article. I didn't realize you could end attunement and remove the tattoos. But I do still think the atunement slot permanently affixed to you is much larger benefit to artificers than it is a hindrance to others.

[Grey Watcher]

The tattoos are basically magic items and strong ones at that, what immediately strikes me is that any number of tattoos counts towards ONE attunement.

Yeah, I did a double-take when I spotted that. Kind of defeats the purpose of using the attunement limitation at all. Attunement is a gamist enough conceit that I don't mind using it on tattoos. If there can be a difference between wielding a magic sword and wielding a magic sword but you finished your homework first, it seems reasonable to say that you can choose if your tattoo is working today or not (even without the "the tattoo turns back into a needle" weirdness in the text). But they're still magic items and should be treated as such in all respects.

[stoutstien]

Yeah, I did a double-take when I spotted that. Kind of defeats the purpose of using the attunement limitation at all. Attunement is a gamist enough conceit that I don't mind using it on tattoos. If there can be a difference between wielding a magic sword and wielding a magic sword but you finished your homework first, it seems reasonable to say that you can choose if your tattoo is working today or not (even without the "the tattoo turns back into a needle" weirdness in the text). But they're still magic items and should be treated as such in all respects.

A fun house rule I use is attunement limits are equal to the users Con modifier minimum of one.
As far as the tattoos they could be treated like a curse if they are on you but you are not attuned to them.

[Zetakya]

Frankly the application method for the tattoos should be of the "lot of expensive material components" variety of spells, unremovable (and lost if you get a new body).

[Segev]

A note that other creatures can clear off the acid, so the important target might not take any damage, and a successful save prevents all damage in the first place.

But, the more I think on it and the more I consider the various situations, it is probably actually more balanced than I think. Won't change anything until I see it in action.

The corner case where there's a spare creature to wipe it off for the affected creature, who will act before the affected creature's turn, and whose action is significantly less useful than the affected creature's own, is not one that comes up often enough that I'd find this compelling.

I actually can't think of any fights my PCs have been in where I would have been both able and willing to arrange that and not still felt the only thing I was getting was avoiding damage, still being frustrated at having my critters group up when they weren't before AND losing one of their actions.

If this were single target, maybe it'd work as a first level spell. Yes, save negates, but failed save guarantees damage AND either MORE damage or a lost action.

I don't know about "amazing" for casters. Attunement slots are very precious. You only get three and I have quite often played and gotten magic items that are never used, because I'd have to unattune to something that is helping me more.

And, there are a lot of ways to get better armor for most classes. They are nice, but I have been able to list off a lot of items I'd want more than even the Very Rare Barrier tattoo to be in that attunement slot.

Maybe. My gut still says that this is falling into the same trap as other homebrewed and overly-generous distributions of AC-granting stuff in this world of bounded accuracy.

I still just feel like they're out of place as magic items. The tattoos feel more like a class feature waiting to be codified.

[NorthernPhoenix]

I actually really like the summoning spells here and would consider allowing them. They solve my two most hated problems with summoning in these games, controlling loads and loads of stuff, and combing the MM books for some kind of gain. These are one creature, self contained, with good variety for a range of archetypes without being overbearing or overly weak.

The other stuff in here though, nah, do another pass.

[Renvir]

I actually really like the summoning spells here and would consider allowing them. They solve my two most hated problems with summoning in these games, controlling loads and loads of stuff, and combing the MM books for some kind of gain. These are one creature, self contained, with good variety for a range of archetypes without being overbearing or overly weak.

I think they're on the right track with these new summoning spells. The summon 24 CR 1/4, or 12 CR 1/2, etc. from the Conjure line of spells is not good. The new spells avoid the awful slowdown from adding 20+ creatures to the table as well as issues like pixie spellcasting and DM's choosing your summon. However, the whole "+ Spell level" stuff feels like it could be streamlined. My suggestion would be:

• Present a summoned creature with stats based on the spells base level.
• Remove the HP bonus based on spellcasting ability modifier. (A loss of up to 5 HP for the sake of simplicity)
• Change the "At Higher Levels" section to say: "When you cast this spell using a spell slot of Xth level or higher, the creature gains an additional 10 HP and +1 to AC, Attack Rolls, and Damage Rolls for each level above X-1 level."
• I'm not sure if moving the Multiattack to the At Higher Levels section is better than leaving it as is.

The bookkeeping becomes near 0 when you're casting a spell at it's base level and the stat block becomes less cluttered.

[Rowan Wolf]

It would be nice to see wild shape get a similar stat block based system while stepping away from the current system.

[jaappleton]

So, the Acquisitions Inc book introduced a couple new spells.

Among them is Jim’s Magic Missile. This was introduced in an official D&D book. It is a first level spell.

Three darts, each getting a separate attack roll. Each dealing 2d4 damage.

......Spirit Shroud makes this (2d4+1d8)*3, or 27 damage by my count.

[Dork_Forge]

So, the Acquisitions Inc book introduced a couple new spells.

Among them is Jim’s Magic Missile. This was introduced in an official D&D book. It is a first level spell.

Three darts, each getting a separate attack roll. Each dealing 2d4 damage.

......Spirit Shroud makes this (2d4+1d8)*3, or 27 damage by my count.

That spell is so different from Magic Missile that it's worth noting:

-auto hits turn into an attack per dart
-if ANY dart is a 1, all of them miss and you take 1 point force damage per every dart

...Why would anyone want to take that besides on a laugh? You'd be better off taking Spirit Shroud on an EB machine Warlock, 5th level onwards it's just BETTER than Hex as long as you fulfill the distance requirement (V. Human CBE seems like a natural choice).

[jaappleton]

That spell is so different from Magic Missile that it's worth noting:

-auto hits turn into an attack per dart
-if ANY dart is a 1, all of them miss and you take 1 point force damage per every dart

...Why would anyone want to take that besides on a laugh? You'd be better off taking Spirit Shroud on an EB machine Warlock, 5th level onwards it's just BETTER than Hex as long as you fulfill the distance requirement (V. Human CBE seems like a natural choice).

Incorrect about the spell. If any are a Critical Miss, meaning rolling a 1, they blow up in your face.

........be a Halfling? >_>

EDIT: I initially read your post as rolling a 1 on damage, I don’t know why I thought that.

[Kane0]

Good reason to take the invocation to drag targets 10’ closer to get them into that sweet spot, then push them away again with a slow.

[Chaosmancer]

Good reason to take the invocation to drag targets 10’ closer to get them into that sweet spot, then push them away again with a slow.

The slow only happens if they start their turn within the 10 ft, so you'd have to hit them after they started their turn to do that.

[Dork_Forge]

Incorrect about the spell. If any are a Critical Miss, meaning rolling a 1, they blow up in your face.

........be a Halfling? >_>

EDIT: I initially read your post as rolling a 1 on damage, I don’t know why I thought that.

It's a Wizard only spell, so you'd be missing a racial Int bonus and Lucky doesn't save you from a second 1, seeing as you're rolling 3 times every time you cast the spell that still doesn't seem worth it. There's a gold cost to it, which isn't that high, but is unnecessary in Tier 1.

[Kane0]

The slow only happens if they start their turn within the 10 ft, so you'd have to hit them after they started their turn to do that.

Lance of Lethargy.

[Chaosmancer]

Lance of Lethargy.

Ah, I thought you were talking about the slow effect from Spirit Shroud.

Can you explain your post then, because I'm not seeing the benefit you are talking about. Grasp of Hadar to pull them into the Shroud, then hit them with Repelling Blast and Lance of Lethargy to push them back out with a 10ft speed reduction? I don't think that highlights the strength of the Spirit Shroud in any way, except you get the extra damage on the second strike.

What am I missing here?

[Kane0]

Ah, I thought you were talking about the slow effect from Spirit Shroud.

Can you explain your post then, because I'm not seeing the benefit you are talking about. Grasp of Hadar to pull them into the Shroud, then hit them with Repelling Blast and Lance of Lethargy to push them back out with a 10ft speed reduction? I don't think that highlights the strength of the Spirit Shroud in any way, except you get the extra damage on the second strike.

What am I missing here?

So your standard blastlock will use Hex and push back the target with Repelling Blast to keep their distance, Spirit Shroud isn't a straight upgrade because of the range (and higher slot).
In order to benefit from the higher damage you have to get close, which means using some of your movement which you would otherwise be using to keep away from melee range of the target. Repelling blast is good for the parting shot, but if you're using at least some of your movement to bring them into Spirit Shroud range a combination of Lance of Lethargy and Grasp of Hadar could mean the difference between you ending your turn within engagement range (30' by default).