Enchantment spells are some of the most controlly spells in the game. Hypnotic Pattern is renowned for being one of the strongest 3rd level spells, and that very much reshapes battlefields on par, if not better, than fireball does. That's on top of all the other wizard spells every single wizard gets access to.
I think you're also confusing what these 4e roles do. Taking control of an enemy and using it to attack others was part and parcel of the Controller role in 4e, not striker - Hypnotism is an at-will, level 1 wizard power for a reason, after all, and that spell literally took control of an enemy and made them attack another enemy. Classic wizard trick.
Striker, meanwhile, doesn't really fit as a role in 5e- we've reverted back to the "scouting and skirmishing" traits instead of increased DPS traits. Any class can deal high damage amounts if you want. Instead, the fourth role is skirmisher - highly mobile or ranged units that can take down priority targets across the battlefield instead of being front line units.
Controllers control the battlefield. That’s what being a Controller is about.
And Hypnotic Pattern is an anomaly in the Enchanter’s arsenal. Most of the Encounter’s spells aren’t area denial, but rather Charms, suggestions, Geas, Domination, etc.
The 4e wizard, the iconic controller, had single target, mind controlling effects. AoEs, single target Save or Suck effects, and denial tricks like walls and counters are all controller abilities. AoEs are but one of many tricks.
The enchanter subclass not only comes with the ability to target multiple people with its songle target enchantments, not only does it have access to every other wizard spell (thus making all wizards battlefield controllers irregardless of school), but there are multiple Enchantments that target multiple people by using higher slots.
DnD classically has four roles- Fighting Man, Thief, Cleric, Magic User. 4e altered them slightly, but it's very hard to deny that the Controller role is based on the classical wizard. The Enchanter is part of that classic wizard. It does all the wizardry battlefield control stuff.
I believe you’ve convinced me. While I continue to disagree with several of your points, I have to agree with the claim that affecting multiple characters with a condition all at once is a defining characteristic of Controllers and that Enchanters do this via Tasha’s, Hypnotic Pattern, Confusion, Mass Suggestion, as well as their ability to Twin a spell.
Do you know you can get Invisible, approach your target and use Hypnotic Gaze to lock him down without revealing yourself?
Enchanters are one of the best battlefield control Wizards with great spell slot economy due to their sub-class abilities.
Most effective course of action is to open the fight with your best control spells (Tasha’s Hideous Laugher, Web, Hold Person, Levitate, Slow, Hypnotic Pattern, Fear, Sleet Storm) and follow-up with Hypnotic Gaze against remaining enemies.
Bonus action spells are also great to couple with Hypnotic Gaze, like Flaming Sphere and Melf’s Minute Meteor.
Do you know you can get Invisible, approach your target and use Hypnotic Gaze to lock him down without revealing yourself?
Enchanters are one of the best battlefield control Wizards with great spell slot economy due to their sub-class abilities.
Most effective course of action is to open the fight with your best control spells (Tasha’s Hideous Laugher, Web, Hold Person, Levitate, Slow, Hypnotic Pattern, Fear, Sleet Storm) and follow-up with Hypnotic Gaze against remaining enemies.
Bonus action spells are also great to couple with Hypnotic Gaze, like Flaming Sphere and Melf’s Minute Meteor.
Enchanters are remarkably strong.
Can confirm. Playing an enchanter in my current campaign (we just reached level 5 so hypnotic pattern just became available).
Respectfully.... I believe that role is to change the colour of your handy haversack or provide other enchantments at a reasonable rate here at the Invulnerable Vagrant.
Hypnotic pattern is an illusion spell. That being said, yes the enchanter is a controller. Even vs single targets removing a single target from the fight is battlefield control. Lets say, 5 orcs and a ogre attack the party and the enchanter throws tashas out and drops the ogre for the next 4 rounds. That is a classic controller move from 4e.
Honestly the old 4e paradigm of striker, controller, defender, leader doesn't really apply well to 5e. Wizards in particular can slide into the striker, controller and to an extent leader roles fairly easily. What's an enchanter? It's a wizard. the difference between the wizardly archetypes is pretty tiny. They have the same access to the same spells...and casting those spells is its job regardless of what archetype you select.
So what sets the enchanter apart from every other wizard?
- you can copy enchantment spells to your spell book faster, and for less money than other archetypes (overpowered scribes wizard excepted)
- you have a 5ft range, resource free charm, although it does consume your action. (fits control better than anything else)
- Instinctive Charm at 6, forces a creature attacking you to attack something else if it fails a wis save. Control
- Split enchantment at 10 allows you to target a second creature with an enchantment spell. Mostly this will end up having a control effect. I would absolutely take fey touched and pick up Dissonant Whispers, so I can twin it and try to force OA on two different creatures at the same time. Enabling your party to make some extra attacks is leadery, but forcing them to burn a reaction and use a move are both control. However, dissonant whispers is not part of the usual enchanter kit, so /that/ isn't really fair to apply as a what the class is as a baseline.
- Alter memories at 14 allows you to make a creature not realize you controlled it. That's kind of leadery, but a ribbon after you applied control.
So, the class features of the enchanter generally give it options focused around control; option that another wizard archetype will not have available to it.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
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If you were to classify the Enchanter in terms of 4e roles, which square hole would you put round peg into?
Controller doesn’t seem to fit as the Enchanter doesn’t really focus on shaping the battlefield.
Striker, maybe? Not only do they try to take an enemy out with one shot, but they can turn that enemy into a firing platform to damage other enemies.
Enchantment spells are some of the most controlly spells in the game. Hypnotic Pattern is renowned for being one of the strongest 3rd level spells, and that very much reshapes battlefields on par, if not better, than fireball does. That's on top of all the other wizard spells every single wizard gets access to.
I think you're also confusing what these 4e roles do. Taking control of an enemy and using it to attack others was part and parcel of the Controller role in 4e, not striker - Hypnotism is an at-will, level 1 wizard power for a reason, after all, and that spell literally took control of an enemy and made them attack another enemy. Classic wizard trick.
Striker, meanwhile, doesn't really fit as a role in 5e- we've reverted back to the "scouting and skirmishing" traits instead of increased DPS traits. Any class can deal high damage amounts if you want. Instead, the fourth role is skirmisher - highly mobile or ranged units that can take down priority targets across the battlefield instead of being front line units.
Controllers control the battlefield. That’s what being a Controller is about.
And Hypnotic Pattern is an anomaly in the Enchanter’s arsenal. Most of the Encounter’s spells aren’t area denial, but rather Charms, suggestions, Geas, Domination, etc.
The 4e wizard, the iconic controller, had single target, mind controlling effects. AoEs, single target Save or Suck effects, and denial tricks like walls and counters are all controller abilities. AoEs are but one of many tricks.
The enchanter subclass not only comes with the ability to target multiple people with its songle target enchantments, not only does it have access to every other wizard spell (thus making all wizards battlefield controllers irregardless of school), but there are multiple Enchantments that target multiple people by using higher slots.
DnD classically has four roles- Fighting Man, Thief, Cleric, Magic User. 4e altered them slightly, but it's very hard to deny that the Controller role is based on the classical wizard. The Enchanter is part of that classic wizard. It does all the wizardry battlefield control stuff.
I believe you’ve convinced me. While I continue to disagree with several of your points, I have to agree with the claim that affecting multiple characters with a condition all at once is a defining characteristic of Controllers and that Enchanters do this via Tasha’s, Hypnotic Pattern, Confusion, Mass Suggestion, as well as their ability to Twin a spell.
Do you know you can get Invisible, approach your target and use Hypnotic Gaze to lock him down without revealing yourself?
Enchanters are one of the best battlefield control Wizards with great spell slot economy due to their sub-class abilities.
Most effective course of action is to open the fight with your best control spells (Tasha’s Hideous Laugher, Web, Hold Person, Levitate, Slow, Hypnotic Pattern, Fear, Sleet Storm) and follow-up with Hypnotic Gaze against remaining enemies.
Bonus action spells are also great to couple with Hypnotic Gaze, like Flaming Sphere and Melf’s Minute Meteor.
Enchanters are remarkably strong.
Can confirm. Playing an enchanter in my current campaign (we just reached level 5 so hypnotic pattern just became available).
Respectfully.... I believe that role is to change the colour of your handy haversack or provide other enchantments at a reasonable rate here at the Invulnerable Vagrant.
Hypnotic pattern is an illusion spell. That being said, yes the enchanter is a controller. Even vs single targets removing a single target from the fight is battlefield control. Lets say, 5 orcs and a ogre attack the party and the enchanter throws tashas out and drops the ogre for the next 4 rounds. That is a classic controller move from 4e.
Honestly the old 4e paradigm of striker, controller, defender, leader doesn't really apply well to 5e. Wizards in particular can slide into the striker, controller and to an extent leader roles fairly easily. What's an enchanter? It's a wizard. the difference between the wizardly archetypes is pretty tiny. They have the same access to the same spells...and casting those spells is its job regardless of what archetype you select.
So what sets the enchanter apart from every other wizard?
- you can copy enchantment spells to your spell book faster, and for less money than other archetypes (overpowered scribes wizard excepted)
- you have a 5ft range, resource free charm, although it does consume your action. (fits control better than anything else)
- Instinctive Charm at 6, forces a creature attacking you to attack something else if it fails a wis save. Control
- Split enchantment at 10 allows you to target a second creature with an enchantment spell. Mostly this will end up having a control effect. I would absolutely take fey touched and pick up Dissonant Whispers, so I can twin it and try to force OA on two different creatures at the same time. Enabling your party to make some extra attacks is leadery, but forcing them to burn a reaction and use a move are both control. However, dissonant whispers is not part of the usual enchanter kit, so /that/ isn't really fair to apply as a what the class is as a baseline.
- Alter memories at 14 allows you to make a creature not realize you controlled it. That's kind of leadery, but a ribbon after you applied control.
So, the class features of the enchanter generally give it options focused around control; option that another wizard archetype will not have available to it.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha