Antagonize 5e
Usable By: Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Spell Level: 3
School: Enchantment
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Duration: Instantaneous
Components: V, S, M (a playing card depicting a rogue)
You whisper magical words that antagonize one creature of your choice within range. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 4d4 psychic damage and must immediately use its reaction to make a melee attack against another creature of your choice that you can see. If the target can’t make this attack (for example, because there is no one within its reach or because its reaction is unavailable), the target instead has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the start of your next turn. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage only.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 3rd.
Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
3rd level spells have some of the steepest competition in the game. This is where classes are starting to get Summon effects. Fireball is the new defining “area of effect damage spell” on the block. Revivify is bringing people back from death, and Haste gives martial characters a 3rd attack each round just as they’ve acquired Extra Attack.
Antagonize doesn’t stack that well against those. 4d4 psychic damage is 1st level spell damage. Forcing an enemy to hit another creature near it is something we’ve seen done on spells like Crown of Madness, a 2nd level effect, and that had a persistent condition stapled to it. For one instance of the effect and such low damage numbers, I’d expect this to cost a 2nd level slot, not a 3rd.
That’s the core of this spell’s problem- its effects just don’t equate to its cost. It doesn’t even function well in many environments against melee-ranged enemies. Disadvantage on one attack roll with 4d4 damage is literally what Vicious Mockery does in the upper tiers, and you can do that for free. It's not like this even reduces that many actions from enemies, either- it spends its reaction, which it often isn’t using, where spells like Crown of Madness eat their entire turn.
It's probably still pretty fun to play with, namely because getting enemies to fight each other has some deeply satisfying outcomes. I love this kind of effect for bards specifically, but even they have better 3rd level options like Hypnotic Pattern to reach for. It isn’t the worst thing ever made, but it sure misses the bar for what I expect out of a 3rd level spell.
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