D&D: New Spells, Giant Robots – Tasha’s Cauldron Really DOES Have Everything
A terrifying new spell has been unearthed in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, but the real big news is the giant robot that seems Mighty familiar.
More previews from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything are coming to light, and the latest batch coming to you from Gamespot, of all places, showcases a powerful new spell that will surely spark a great deal of interest in aspiring necromancers. There are a few other goodies as well, including a giant robot, which is something that exists in short supply in D&D, if we’re being honest. More on that in just a bit, for now, let’s take a look at the new spell!
There are two previewed on this page, out of Chapter 3: Magical Miscellany. Mind Sliver, we’ve seen before, and it looks to be exactly the same as the preview version shown off at D&D Celebration 2020. It’s a pretty straightforward, but powerful cantrip: deal 1d6 damage and penalize the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn. This is a spell to help you set up the spells you really want to land, and its combo-utility is especially effective since the penalty lasts for two turns. So even if you’re the only spellcaster in a party full of fighters, you still get a good deal of use out of it. But it really shines when you wanna drop a powerful effect on a dangerous foe. Good stuff, really, and it’s sure to be a staple in many a caster’s cantrip list.
Let’s talk about Spirit Shroud though. It’s a necromantic answer to Spirit Guardians. At least that’s the spell it’ll most likely be compared to, since they both are concentration auras that give you a damaging aura. The key difference here is that Spirit Guardians deal damage that can be halved on a save, while Spirit Shroud lets you enhance your own personal attacks. It’s an interesting spell because both the damage and speed debuffs aren’t nearly as exciting as Spirit Guardians–but it only takes a bonus action to get going, so you could pop a bonus action and still unleash your attacks–but you only really get the most out of the spell if you’re making more than one.
Okay but what about Giant Robots? That up there is the Mighty Servant of Leuk-O. This is an actual giant robot, made entirely out of the things you’d expect a robot to be made out of (instead of some wood and rock parts). This is a towering automaton of mysterious metals, crystal, and unknown fibrous substances (wires). And it looks exactly like an updated version of the old robot.
This is a powerful magic item, possibly even an artifact (since that’s how it functioned in the past). What can it do? Well, it has been used as a siege weapon, capable of demolishing castles and fortifications, but more importantly, it’s noted for having a “bewildering array of switches and levers in its interior” which means that D&D is about to get a Mech.
I can’t wait.
Happy Adventuring!
