Armor of Agathys: A Chilling Disappointment

Usable By: Warlock

Spell Level: 1

School: Abjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self

Duration: 1 hour

Components: V, S, M (a cup of water)

A protective magical force surrounds you, manifesting as a spectral frost that covers you and your gear. You gain 5 temporary hit points for the duration. If a creature hits you with a melee attack while you have these hit points, the creature takes 5 cold damage.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, both the temporary hit points and the cold damage increase by 5 for each slot.

Review by Samuel West, Twitter: @CrierKobold

Warlocks have precious few spell slots. Short rest/ long rest mechanics are pretty wack for most groups, making warlocks on the whole feel like they have far fewer options at their disposal at any given moment. This makes it so when you DO cast a spell as a warlock, you best be casting the very best spell you can get for the slot with a decent duration. Don’t waste any of them on Armor of Agathys; this spell is a disgrace to defensive spells everywhere.

Let's start by just peeking at the damage; a guaranteed 5 damage for a 1st level spell slot that can only ever occur to a creature that damages you is pitiful. 5 damage is roughly the same as 1d8; we’re talking damage that is worse than an Eldritch Blast or short sword stab. On the flip side, you get 5 temporary hit points; comparing it to False Life (something you could be casting at will with the Fiendish Vigor invocation), you’re basically always getting the worst outcome from that cast. Is damage that is lower than a cantrip and temporary hit points worth less than a 1st level spell (or at will spell, realistically) worth one of your TWO spell slots? Absolutely not!

Best case scenario, you’re hit with an attack that deals less than 5 damage. If so, congratulations, you get to deal a bonus 5 damage the next time something else hits you! Even if you meet this threshold (which you RARELY will), we’re still nowhere near the damage I’d expect out of a 1st level spell. Upcasting it can make it marginally better, but its competition rises with spell level. Would you really want to waste one of your two precious 2nd level slots on 10 temp HP and 10 damage which may not ever be relevant? Or would you rather cast something game changing like Invisibility or Darkness?

If you’re in the market to play a defensive warlock, I’d recommend starting with Fiendish Vigor, and consider getting the temporary hit point refresh from the fiend patron. For higher AC, I’d recommend armor of shadows if multiclassing is out of the question, but otherwise surviving till three, multiclassing a few levels of rogue, ranger, or fighter for some weapon and armor proficiencies, or considering picking up armor proficiency feats like moderately armored at 4th level or with variant human’s bonus feat. If you don’t like any of these options, the magic initiate feat gives you access to any 1st level spell of your choice which can include Mage Armor or Shield, both of which wildly out perform Armor of Agathys. If none of this satisfies your need to kill people, Hellish Rebuke is offering an average damage that over doubles Armor of Agathys, plus you get to pick what creature hitting you you damage, MASSIVELY improving the spell’s functionality.

Casting at 5th level gives you 25 hit points and deals 25 damage; this is finally a time when you’re approaching acceptable damage, as you’re likely getting two or three instances of damage, but only when fighting low CR monsters. 50 damage (10d8) damage to one creature for a 5th level slot is bad; 75 damage (15d8) is quite good for a single target damage spell, but again, you don’t get to pick what gets damaged, and this requires you to get hit twice prior and take less than 25 damage. If you can somehow acquire some resistances this doubles the effectiveness of the spell, but those builds are going to be challenging to undertake. This is the best case scenario for Armor of Agathys; anything under this is basically unusable, and you’re giving up real 5th level spells you're likely getting from your patron, like Dominate Person from the archfey or the celestial’s Flame Strike.

It's a shame that Armor of Agathys is so terrible because the fantasy it sells is unique in the game; the numbers are just far too low, and you have no means of recouping or reusing the spell over time. As is, this spell offends the eyes, and doesn’t belong on your character sheet unless you DESPERATELY want cold armor that claps back.

5e Spells

Armor of Agathys: A Chilling Disappointment