Communication spells like Sending are pretty useless in a world with cell phones.
Ironically, this one is useless now, but should we ever setup colonies on the moon or elsewhere in the solar system, it would suddenly become a pretty amazing spell (presuming no speed-of-light lag.)
Teleportation Circle would be useless for the first year, until you spend that entire time (and who knows how much $$$) creating the first circle somewhere.
Teleportation Circle would be useless for the first year, until you spend that entire time (and who knows how much $$$) creating the first circle somewhere.
Yeah, but after that you would quickly have a monopoly on long-distance international travel.
Communication spells like Sending are pretty useless in a world with cell phones.
Ironically, this one is useless now, but should we ever setup colonies on the moon or elsewhere in the solar system, it would suddenly become a pretty amazing spell (presuming no speed-of-light lag.)
Actually while less useful now than say 100 years ago this would one of the more useful spells to me, trhere are lots of places with no cell phone reception. I go sea kayaking to places where cell phonme reception is unreliable at best and you could get into an emergency, to cover as many eventuallities as possible our group will have cellphone, VHF radio (only works if someone up to a couple of miles), flares (doesn't give the nature of the distress and again has limited range and rel;ies on someone to notice them) Personnal locator beacon (again only says you are in distress with out saying how and takes several minutes for the message to get through). Sending would be reliable enough to not need anything else.
As giraffe said unless other people have access to spells / magic I would vte for any spell that is only of use in a world of magic (counterspell was the first one I thought of)
Communication spells like Sending are pretty useless in a world with cell phones.
Ironically, this one is useless now, but should we ever setup colonies on the moon or elsewhere in the solar system, it would suddenly become a pretty amazing spell (presuming no speed-of-light lag.)
Eh, it's still packetized into 25 words or less as opposed to a continuous back and forth communication. The amount of data that can be transmitted this way isn't all that practical regardless of it being faster than light. And it's between creatures as opposed to machines so it can't be all that optimized.
It'd be substantially more useful over distances where communication takes months to years instead of just minutes to hours.
I actually do think it's a bit overrated (for example, it can't mimic some of the effects of Thaumaturgy or Gust, like I thought at first,) but honestly, most of its specific effects would each have serious real-life utility on their own:
- Flavoring/warming/chilling food & drink: this one should be self-explanatory, but consider: it would be a dieting godsend - Cleaning objects: free clothes laundering, save $$$ buying cloth diapers and cleaning them instantly, etc. - Light small flames: you have a lighter than never runs out, and is always on your person - Place a color/mark/symbol on a surface: this one's subtle but insidious--alter documents, and the evidence self-destructs! - Create non-magical trinkets: even only lasting 6 seconds each, that's enough time to put "change" or "bills" into a vending machine, or unlock a door with your "key," or roll a weighted "die," or quickly check your makeup with your "pocket mirror," or open a package with your "mini box-cutter," or....
Now, combine all that into one power? I'd hardly call it useless.
I actually do think it's a bit overrated (for example, it can't mimic some of the effects of Thaumaturgy or Gust, like I thought at first,) but honestly, most of its specific effects would each have serious real-life utility on their own:
- Flavoring/warming/chilling food & drink: this one should be self-explanatory, but consider: it would be a dieting godsend - Cleaning objects: free clothes laundering, save $$$ buying cloth diapers and cleaning them instantly, etc. - Light small flames: you have a lighter than never runs out, and is always on your person - Place a color/mark/symbol on a surface: this one's subtle but insidious--alter documents, and the evidence self-destructs! - Create non-magical trinkets: even only lasting 6 seconds each, that's enough time to put "change" or "bills" into a vending machine, or unlock a door with your "key," or roll a weighted "die," or quickly check your makeup with your "pocket mirror," or open a package with your "mini box-cutter," or....
Now, combine all that into one power? I'd hardly call it useless.
You could have the most successful food truck of all time with prestidigitation. Every serving gets that little extra flavor to make it truly “magical.” 😉
Any flashy damage dealing spell. By about the third time you used it, the government would have figured out it was you and drafted the order to take you out via drone strike.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Another useless category: spells that protect you from specific creatures or magical effects such as divination... Mind Blank, Protection from Evil and Good, etc.
Fireball, or really any damage-dealing spell. Most people don't need to blow stuff up, causing a bunch of death and collateral damage. Also, who wants to carry around bat ****? Most damage-dealing spells with a large area would probably be considered war crimes to use. Blight, contagion, insect plague, etc. would be awful, and probably end up wiping out ecosystems. On the other hand, magic missile is the ultimate "smart bullet", and would entirely eliminate collateral damage and friendly fire.
Find traps. When was the last time you ran into a spiked pit?
What would the most useless spells in real life be and why?
Please only use 5e spells.
Please check out my homebrew and give me feedback!
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True Strike, because it’s useless all the times.
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The first spells that comes to mind as useless are ones that sense magic like identify and detect magic.
Please check out my homebrew and give me feedback!
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Communication spells like Sending are pretty useless in a world with cell phones.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Ironically, this one is useless now, but should we ever setup colonies on the moon or elsewhere in the solar system, it would suddenly become a pretty amazing spell (presuming no speed-of-light lag.)
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
Teleportation Circle would be useless for the first year, until you spend that entire time (and who knows how much $$$) creating the first circle somewhere.
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
Yeah, but after that you would quickly have a monopoly on long-distance international travel.
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Remove Curse would be pretty useless. What's gonna happen? Someone is going to put lycanthropy on you? I doubt it.
Also known as CrafterB and DankMemer.
Here, have some homebrew classes! Subclasses to? Why not races. Feats, feats as well. I have a lot of magic items. Lastly I got monsters, fun, fun times.
Grease Because you can just buy a bucket
Actually while less useful now than say 100 years ago this would one of the more useful spells to me, trhere are lots of places with no cell phone reception. I go sea kayaking to places where cell phonme reception is unreliable at best and you could get into an emergency, to cover as many eventuallities as possible our group will have cellphone, VHF radio (only works if someone up to a couple of miles), flares (doesn't give the nature of the distress and again has limited range and rel;ies on someone to notice them) Personnal locator beacon (again only says you are in distress with out saying how and takes several minutes for the message to get through). Sending would be reliable enough to not need anything else.
As giraffe said unless other people have access to spells / magic I would vte for any spell that is only of use in a world of magic (counterspell was the first one I thought of)
Eh, it's still packetized into 25 words or less as opposed to a continuous back and forth communication. The amount of data that can be transmitted this way isn't all that practical regardless of it being faster than light. And it's between creatures as opposed to machines so it can't be all that optimized.
It'd be substantially more useful over distances where communication takes months to years instead of just minutes to hours.
Prestidigitation would be pretty useless
It has so many interesting applications. You can use it to do almost anything.
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At a restaurant with bad food? Prestidigitation. Coffee went cold? Prestidigitation. Step in dog poo? Prestidigitation. Power goes out and you can’t find matches to light the candles? Prestidigitation. Want to get into a club without paying the cover charge? Prestidigitation that stamp on the back of your hand.
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I actually do think it's a bit overrated (for example, it can't mimic some of the effects of Thaumaturgy or Gust, like I thought at first,) but honestly, most of its specific effects would each have serious real-life utility on their own:
- Flavoring/warming/chilling food & drink: this one should be self-explanatory, but consider: it would be a dieting godsend
- Cleaning objects: free clothes laundering, save $$$ buying cloth diapers and cleaning them instantly, etc.
- Light small flames: you have a lighter than never runs out, and is always on your person
- Place a color/mark/symbol on a surface: this one's subtle but insidious--alter documents, and the evidence self-destructs!
- Create non-magical trinkets: even only lasting 6 seconds each, that's enough time to put "change" or "bills" into a vending machine, or unlock a door with your "key," or roll a weighted "die," or quickly check your makeup with your "pocket mirror," or open a package with your "mini box-cutter," or....
Now, combine all that into one power? I'd hardly call it useless.
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
You could have the most successful food truck of all time with prestidigitation. Every serving gets that little extra flavor to make it truly “magical.” 😉
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Any flashy damage dealing spell. By about the third time you used it, the government would have figured out it was you and drafted the order to take you out via drone strike.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Another useless category: spells that protect you from specific creatures or magical effects such as divination... Mind Blank, Protection from Evil and Good, etc.
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
Fireball, or really any damage-dealing spell. Most people don't need to blow stuff up, causing a bunch of death and collateral damage. Also, who wants to carry around bat ****? Most damage-dealing spells with a large area would probably be considered war crimes to use. Blight, contagion, insect plague, etc. would be awful, and probably end up wiping out ecosystems. On the other hand, magic missile is the ultimate "smart bullet", and would entirely eliminate collateral damage and friendly fire.
Find traps. When was the last time you ran into a spiked pit?
ANY Combat spell.
Yeah, being able to duplicate the effect of pistol, rifle, or grenade launcher is worthless.
Do you think any one would pay you for that? Maybe as a side show freak. That's it.