Instead of granting advantage, how broken would it be to have True Strike make your next attack an auto-crit, if you hit. Blow an action for a chance to do double dice damage for one attack on the next turn.
What modifications would you make to allow it at your table?
I would make it so that it must be a weapon attack, meaning that you can't cast true strike on one turn and then cast inflict wounds at 9th level for an automatic 22d10 necrotic damage.
I would make it so that it must be a weapon attack, meaning that you can't cast true strike on one turn and then cast inflict wounds at 9th level for 22d10 necrotic damage.
That would be pretty low damage for a 9th level spell slot. Meteor Swarm does 40d6 damage as 4 different 40ft radius aoes with a 1 mile range.
My bigger concern is having an assassion rogue use it to spam Sneak Attack every other round.
Instead of granting advantage, how broken would it be to have True Strike make your next attack an auto-crit, if you hit. Blow an action for a chance to do double dice damage for one attack on the next turn.
What modifications would you make to allow it at your table?
Actually statistically makes it worse then not casting it still
Over 2 rounds you get to attack twice, if you hit twice you roll the dice twice and importantly add double your normal bonus to damage. You also have a 1 in 20 chance to crit anyway.
Your version you don’t attack for a round, then you still roll to hit, assuming you hit you roll the dice twice, as if you had hit twice, but you only add any non dice modifiers once, so you are doing less damage on average. In fact you are, over 100 rounds, more likely to do even less damage using the spell as you are attacking every round because you will miss a greater proportion of attacks
So it isn’t broken to make your change, it just makes the spell completely pointless to use still.
So it isn’t broken to make your change, it just makes the spell completely pointless to use still.
Except in the case of novas. For example, if partied with a Grave Cleric, it can be efficiently stacked with damage vulnerability. A Paladin could plan to use their Divine Smite, and a rogue could ensure that the first strike does maximum damage.
People like to crit, and this would help spotlight certain abilities in battle by encouraging coordinated attacks.
So it isn’t broken to make your change, it just makes the spell completely pointless to use still.
Except in the case of novas. For example, if partied with a Grave Cleric, it can be efficiently stacked with damage vulnerability. A Paladin could plan to use their Divine Smite, and a rogue could ensure that the first strike does maximum damage.
People like to crit, and this would help spotlight certain abilities in battle by encouraging coordinated attacks.
But your still outputting less damage over all I can tell you as a player I would still not take this spell with this buff because there are far far far better cantrip options for me to use rather then waste a cantrip spot on hoping I get to do it.
You might think that scoring a crit is better, but mathematically it really isn’t and that is how most of my players approach this. Especially when you are wasting an action doing nothing and still have to roll to hit.
As a cleric even a grave cleric I am not going to take this cantrip when I have better options for damage output, plus I cast this cantrip and then a player goes down or needs healing and I lose the benefit. Likewise a paladin or rogue, both have better cantrip options to use and as a rogue I would rather find ways to get advantage on attacks every turn rather then waste an action doing nothing.
Simply change "On your next turn, you gain advantage on your first attack roll" to "You gain advantage on your first attack roll" and it instantly becomes useful in a number of situations.
A "charge-up" auto-crit spell makes for a good ambush ability.
But is it good enough to waste a cantrip spot on it for that one time in 50 sessions you get to use it? Remember the caster has to be the one to attack. So you are talking about a rogue, paladin etc having this as one of those cantrips and at the higher levels there are far better ways to output high damage.
If the consensus is that it's not unbalanced, then that resolves the original question.
As to whether it's worth a slot? Probably enough so to put it into circulation. I usually end up with a cantrip or two that I never really use, either because it simply isn't needed, or because someone else already fills that role better. Combat is always in play, and redundant damage is always valuable, so even if it's infrequent, it's essentially guaranteed to be useable eventually.
It also satisfies the "Samurai" fantasy of doing "Flash" damage. Just maintain the charge round after round, and then when the duel starts, hit the target with Green-Flame Blade, or something. People like getting the Spotlight, and this is one way to facilitate that, whether or not it's optimized for the meta.
Instead of granting advantage, how broken would it be to have True Strike make your next attack an auto-crit, if you hit. Blow an action for a chance to do double dice damage for one attack on the next turn.
What modifications would you make to allow it at your table?
True Strike just needs to be Zephyr Strike modified to be like Searing Smite to be fair and balanced - make it a bonus action to cast, have it apply to your next attack this turn, and have it be concentration so it breaks concentration.
In an alternative direction, since True Strike is all about exposing weaknesses in defense, what if it instead applied to every attack made in the next round and allowed your attacks to bypass resistances and immunities to the damage type the attack(s) deal for that target. So you're giving up potentially a round of attacks to ensure that the damage dealt by your attacks on the next round aren't mitigated or cancelled. Perhaps to sweeten the deal further (if needed), it could also grant a small bonus to hit with those attacks that scale as you level (so maybe like a +1 to hit on all attacks starting at 5th level, +2 at 11th, +3 at 17th)
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In an alternative direction, since True Strike is all about exposing weaknesses in defense, what if it instead applied to every attack made in the next round and allowed your attacks to bypass resistances and immunities to the damage type the attack(s) deal for that target. So you're giving up potentially a round of attacks to ensure that the damage dealt by your attacks on the next round aren't mitigated or cancelled. Perhaps to sweeten the deal further (if needed), it could also grant a small bonus to hit with those attacks that scale as you level (so maybe like a +1 to hit on all attacks starting at 5th level, +2 at 11th, +3 at 17th)
My version of improved true strike was to add 1d6 damage (2d6 at level 5, 3d6 at level 11, 4d6 at level 17) to the attack it was being applied to, in addition to granting advantage.
In an alternative direction, since True Strike is all about exposing weaknesses in defense, what if it instead applied to every attack made in the next round and allowed your attacks to bypass resistances and immunities to the damage type the attack(s) deal for that target. So you're giving up potentially a round of attacks to ensure that the damage dealt by your attacks on the next round aren't mitigated or cancelled. Perhaps to sweeten the deal further (if needed), it could also grant a small bonus to hit with those attacks that scale as you level (so maybe like a +1 to hit on all attacks starting at 5th level, +2 at 11th, +3 at 17th)
That is a lot for a simple cantrip
It is, yes. But I don't think its overly powerful. 1) You are still giving up your action on your turn to cast True Strike. 2) The effect only applies to your attacks against that creature for one turn. Bypassing immunities is strong, but I think the fact that it eats up two turns to pull it off (and that second turn could be wasted if you miss with your attack(s) or drop concentration), I think it balances out. Heck, if its only resistant to the damage type, you might still be better off just making twice as many attacks at half damage.
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Instead of granting advantage, how broken would it be to have True Strike make your next attack an auto-crit, if you hit. Blow an action for a chance to do double dice damage for one attack on the next turn.
What modifications would you make to allow it at your table?
I would make it so that it must be a weapon attack, meaning that you can't cast true strike on one turn and then cast inflict wounds at 9th level for an automatic 22d10 necrotic damage.
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It's problematic in combination with leveled spells. I considered making it give a damage bonus.
That would be pretty low damage for a 9th level spell slot. Meteor Swarm does 40d6 damage as 4 different 40ft radius aoes with a 1 mile range.
My bigger concern is having an assassion rogue use it to spam Sneak Attack every other round.
Can you provide some specific examples of spells that it would cause problems with?
How about having this as a 1st level spell, or a scaling metamagic like Twinning that costs the same number of SP as the spell level?
Actually statistically makes it worse then not casting it still
Over 2 rounds you get to attack twice, if you hit twice you roll the dice twice and importantly add double your normal bonus to damage. You also have a 1 in 20 chance to crit anyway.
Your version you don’t attack for a round, then you still roll to hit, assuming you hit you roll the dice twice, as if you had hit twice, but you only add any non dice modifiers once, so you are doing less damage on average. In fact you are, over 100 rounds, more likely to do even less damage using the spell as you are attacking every round because you will miss a greater proportion of attacks
So it isn’t broken to make your change, it just makes the spell completely pointless to use still.
6d8 for Chromatic Orb at level 1 is pretty beefy.
Sure, but that's still only 3d8 DPR. If you're a wizard charging up like a Saiyan, that's a round of free attacks against you.
The impact ultimately has less to do with damage and more to do with making resources more efficient.
Given how long most combats go, there are significant advantages to getting less damage out faster to reduce damage taken.
Except in the case of novas. For example, if partied with a Grave Cleric, it can be efficiently stacked with damage vulnerability. A Paladin could plan to use their Divine Smite, and a rogue could ensure that the first strike does maximum damage.
People like to crit, and this would help spotlight certain abilities in battle by encouraging coordinated attacks.
A "charge-up" auto-crit spell makes for a good ambush ability.
But your still outputting less damage over all I can tell you as a player I would still not take this spell with this buff because there are far far far better cantrip options for me to use rather then waste a cantrip spot on hoping I get to do it.
You might think that scoring a crit is better, but mathematically it really isn’t and that is how most of my players approach this. Especially when you are wasting an action doing nothing and still have to roll to hit.
As a cleric even a grave cleric I am not going to take this cantrip when I have better options for damage output, plus I cast this cantrip and then a player goes down or needs healing and I lose the benefit. Likewise a paladin or rogue, both have better cantrip options to use and as a rogue I would rather find ways to get advantage on attacks every turn rather then waste an action doing nothing.
Simply change "On your next turn, you gain advantage on your first attack roll" to "You gain advantage on your first attack roll" and it instantly becomes useful in a number of situations.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
But is it good enough to waste a cantrip spot on it for that one time in 50 sessions you get to use it? Remember the caster has to be the one to attack. So you are talking about a rogue, paladin etc having this as one of those cantrips and at the higher levels there are far better ways to output high damage.
If the consensus is that it's not unbalanced, then that resolves the original question.
As to whether it's worth a slot? Probably enough so to put it into circulation. I usually end up with a cantrip or two that I never really use, either because it simply isn't needed, or because someone else already fills that role better. Combat is always in play, and redundant damage is always valuable, so even if it's infrequent, it's essentially guaranteed to be useable eventually.
It also satisfies the "Samurai" fantasy of doing "Flash" damage. Just maintain the charge round after round, and then when the duel starts, hit the target with Green-Flame Blade, or something. People like getting the Spotlight, and this is one way to facilitate that, whether or not it's optimized for the meta.
True Strike just needs to be Zephyr Strike modified to be like Searing Smite to be fair and balanced - make it a bonus action to cast, have it apply to your next attack this turn, and have it be concentration so it breaks concentration.
In an alternative direction, since True Strike is all about exposing weaknesses in defense, what if it instead applied to every attack made in the next round and allowed your attacks to bypass resistances and immunities to the damage type the attack(s) deal for that target. So you're giving up potentially a round of attacks to ensure that the damage dealt by your attacks on the next round aren't mitigated or cancelled. Perhaps to sweeten the deal further (if needed), it could also grant a small bonus to hit with those attacks that scale as you level (so maybe like a +1 to hit on all attacks starting at 5th level, +2 at 11th, +3 at 17th)
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That is a lot for a simple cantrip
My version of improved true strike was to add 1d6 damage (2d6 at level 5, 3d6 at level 11, 4d6 at level 17) to the attack it was being applied to, in addition to granting advantage.
It is, yes. But I don't think its overly powerful. 1) You are still giving up your action on your turn to cast True Strike. 2) The effect only applies to your attacks against that creature for one turn. Bypassing immunities is strong, but I think the fact that it eats up two turns to pull it off (and that second turn could be wasted if you miss with your attack(s) or drop concentration), I think it balances out. Heck, if its only resistant to the damage type, you might still be better off just making twice as many attacks at half damage.
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