Raulothim's Psychic Lance: Give Them a Piece of Your Mind
Usable By: Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Spell Level: 4
School: Enchantment
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Duration: Instantaneous
Components: V
You unleash a shimmering lance of psychic power from your forehead at a creature that you can see within range. Alternatively, you can utter a creature’s name. If the named target is within range, it becomes the spell’s target even if you can’t see it. If the named target isn’t within range, the lance dissipates without effect.
The target must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 7d6 psychic damage and is incapacitated until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t incapacitated.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 4th.
Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
D&D of old (3rd edition) had a mechanic that is colloquially known as “save or sucks” or “save or dies”. These tended to be effects that would say “make this saving throw or get wrecked”. 5e carries on the tradition, but reduces the “die” element of them by typically offering repeated saves at the end of each of the creatures turns to stop sucking or hopefully not die. Raulothim’s Psychic Lance offers up hybrid save or die and single target damage spell, which while not particularly impressive on either front, does a good enough job at both you’ll consider it for a fight or two.
7d6 psychic damage to one creature for a 4th level slot is comparatively garbage. Fireball is hitting a giant area for 8d6 damage; out the gate you really have to want the save or die condition for this to be worth it. That condition is a single round of incapacitation; Hold Person offers single target paralysis for a 2nd level slot. Banishment and Polymorph offer up removal from existence for a bit. Even something like Blindness/Deafness can offer a longer term effect with potentially higher impact than a single round of incapacitation, but crucially, none of these deal damage.
When racing hit points, sometimes all you want is a single round of incapacitation. A creature being unable to take actions or reactions once is really powerful when the party is facing off against single enemies or small numbers of powerful enemies. Paired with damage, this spell clearly is meant to be cast when confronting a single powerful entity. If your goal is to chew through legendary resistances, this is a relatively cheap spell that will do something even if the creature chooses to pass the save, and if they decide to risk it and fail, can result in devastating consequences.
Raulothim’s Psychic Lance isn’t going to be something you’ll bust out in every fight, but in the fights you do, it can feel like a huge player. No, the condition nor damage alone justifies the slot, but together, they represent all you can really ask for out of a single target 4th level spell. You’ll probably never want to have to up-cast this, but if you’re looking for a 4th level spell to target specific giant baddies, this might be exactly what you need.
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