D&D: Five Spells For Ruining Someone’s Day
In D&D, it’s not enough to win. You’ve got to ruin someone’s day in the process. Fortunately there are plenty of spells that do that.
Look in D&D, odds are good you’re going to win the fight. You’re adventurers and heroes. But when you know you’re going to win, sometimes you have to do it with style.
And other times, you’ve got to absolutely ruin someone’s day. When that happens, reach for one of these spells, and you’ve got it made. But not whoever you’re casting them at.
Silvery Barbs
There is no better spell for ruining someone’s day than silvery barbs. This spell made a big splash in Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos, and ever since has been ruining NPCs and monsters’ collective days. It’s not hard to see why either. It’s a 1st level spell that’s really easy to pick up.
With it, you can use your reaction to “magically distract” a creature within 60 feet of you that succeeds on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. It’s a step up from Shield in terms of the kinds of rolls it affects. Sure it’s only one thing. But you can turn a critical hit into a miss.
Silvery Barbs is currently the only thing in the game that does that. It can also turn a successful save into a failure. You get the idea. It snatches victory away from your opponent and literally gives it to you since you can then pick a creature to gain an advantage on the next roll they make.
Counterspell
Counterspell is like a slightly more preventative Silvery Barbs. In D&D, spells are among the most powerful abilities an NPC can unleash. And Counterspell can shut down even the most powerful spell before it happens. Even if it goes up against a higher-level spell, a 3rd-level Counterspell can still take the wind out of a spellcaster’s sails.
Depending on how you roll. Especially with monsters having much more limited actual spells these days, a single Counterspell at the right time (or more) makes it one of the best spells for ruining someone’s day.
Hold Person/Monster
When you cast this spell, the only thing you get to do on your turn is make a saving throw. No move, no action, no reaction in the meantime. Thank you for playing, roll a d20, and hope that nobody nearby has Silvery Barbs.
Forcecage
With Forcecage, you don’t even get to make a saving throw. You’re just trapped in a cube of force for an hour. Maybe if you can teleport you can escape, but you only get one chance. And if you mess that up, you’re not going anywhere.
Wish
Of course, if you really want to ruin someone’s day, there’s always Wish. While the other spells might actively ruin someone’s day at the moment, Wish can ruin a whole world with a single spell.
By simply speaking aloud you can alter the very foundations of reality in accordance with your desires. So, you know, use it with caution.
