Say an 18th-level wizard elects to multiclass taking one cleric level. If the wizard takes Enhance Ability as one of his Spell Mastery spells, then is there ever any situation where he might want to cast the Guidance cantrip? I interpret Guidance as being wholly redundant (and inferior) for this character.
Yes, cantrips are generally inferior to second level spells. They're both concentration, so you can't stack them. I guess you could use Guidance if the person you're targeting already has advantage from a different source, like if your companion was a Giff making a really important Strength check. An 18th level Wizard should have many ways to circumvent basically any ability check though, so I'm not sure it would be worth using a Mastery on Enhance Ability in the first place.
Guidance increases the maximum possible number you can roll; Enhance Ability does not. Probably doesn’t matter except with very high DCs where your chance to succeed is woefully low anyway, but it’s a significant difference.
Frankly, if I was playing an 18th level wizard, the last thing I would be considering is multiclassing for anything other than purely narrative reasons. Mechanically you’re better off just going straight wiz.
Also, for my 2nd-level Spell Mastery spell I would have to have a darned good reason not to pick misty step, or maybe enlarge/reduce. I mean, if I’ma pick a spell to be able to spam, I’ma pick something truly spamable. But that’s just me, you do you.
In regard to Enhance Ability as a Spell Mastery pick, if the wizard has taken the Fey-touched feat, then there is a redundancy in taking Misty Step for Spell Mastery. I have found Misty Step to be a bit overrated given the restriction on being able to cast only a cantrip during the same round Misty Step is cast. Because of this, Misty Step isn't really spammable. Enhance Ability is a very versatile spell out of combat and effectively provides the wizard with permanent advantage on initiative rolls.
Guidance increases the maximum possible number you can roll; Enhance Ability does not. Probably doesn’t matter except with very high DCs where your chance to succeed is woefully low anyway, but it’s a significant difference.
This is a great point. There are other abilities that can influence ability checks (e.g., Reborn's Knowledge from a Past Life), which combined with Guidance could make a difference. The only problem is one would need to know the DC (or at least the level of difficulty) beforehand to determine whether Guidance would be the better "Hail Mary" choice.
In regard to Enhance Ability as a Spell Mastery pick, if the wizard has taken the Fey-touched feat, then there is a redundancy in taking Misty Step for Spell Mastery. I have found Misty Step to be a bit overrated given the restriction on being able to cast only a cantrip during the same round Misty Step is cast. Because of this, Misty Step isn't really spammable.
Getting one free casting of Misty Step per day (from the feat) versus getting unlimited castings of it (from mastery) is quite different though. One casting gets you out of a "oh sh*t" moment, unlimited castings turns it into a utility both in and out of combat.
Enhance Ability is a very versatile spell out of combat and effectively provides the wizard with permanent advantage on initiative rolls.
I agree that Enhance Ability is a very versatile spell but I do think you need a very nice DM to turn it into a permanent advantage on initiative. It requires concentration so that might clash with other things but also you can't expect there to always be time to cast it before a combat starts not should you expect that it would go unnoticed by those nearby (and thus in stealthy or social situations it might not go well).
Fair enough. One could certainly have a long-term concentration spell going (e.g., Tasha's summons, conjure elemental) that might clash with enhance ability's casting out of combat. For misty step, I still think it's a case of YMMV. In the game's I've played, I have found it useful in situations but never something I'd spam. And while it does allow for some interesting z-axis movement capability, there are other low/no resource options that also do so (e.g., being a flying race).
For misty step, I still think it's a case of YMMV. In the game's I've played, I have found it useful in situations but never something I'd spam. And while it does allow for some interesting z-axis movement capability, there are other low/no resource options that also do so (e.g., being a flying race).
I'm not saying that Misty Step is a must pick (but I played a Shadow Monk and having a "free" teleport was incredibly useful).
I could see a good case for picking spells like Shield or Absorb Elements or possibly Blur or Mirror Image for combat use. Or spells like Invisibility or Disguise Self or Alter Self for out of combat utility.
Digressing a bit from the op but IMO while misty step is great for a monk as it is far superior to step of the wind but a wizard should stay away from the bad guys and misty tep becomes much more situational a wizard also needs to consider that they will not be able to also cast a levelled spell.
My goto spell mysteries would be shield or absorb elements and mirror image (keep it constantly up when somewhere dangerous) blur is much less good as it requires concentration.(If multiple party members still lack darkvision I would also consider that but that would be very rare)
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Say an 18th-level wizard elects to multiclass taking one cleric level. If the wizard takes Enhance Ability as one of his Spell Mastery spells, then is there ever any situation where he might want to cast the Guidance cantrip? I interpret Guidance as being wholly redundant (and inferior) for this character.
Yes, cantrips are generally inferior to second level spells. They're both concentration, so you can't stack them. I guess you could use Guidance if the person you're targeting already has advantage from a different source, like if your companion was a Giff making a really important Strength check. An 18th level Wizard should have many ways to circumvent basically any ability check though, so I'm not sure it would be worth using a Mastery on Enhance Ability in the first place.
Guidance increases the maximum possible number you can roll; Enhance Ability does not. Probably doesn’t matter except with very high DCs where your chance to succeed is woefully low anyway, but it’s a significant difference.
Frankly, if I was playing an 18th level wizard, the last thing I would be considering is multiclassing for anything other than purely narrative reasons. Mechanically you’re better off just going straight wiz.
Also, for my 2nd-level Spell Mastery spell I would have to have a darned good reason not to pick misty step, or maybe enlarge/reduce. I mean, if I’ma pick a spell to be able to spam, I’ma pick something truly spamable. But that’s just me, you do you.
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Thanks for the responses.
In regard to Enhance Ability as a Spell Mastery pick, if the wizard has taken the Fey-touched feat, then there is a redundancy in taking Misty Step for Spell Mastery. I have found Misty Step to be a bit overrated given the restriction on being able to cast only a cantrip during the same round Misty Step is cast. Because of this, Misty Step isn't really spammable. Enhance Ability is a very versatile spell out of combat and effectively provides the wizard with permanent advantage on initiative rolls.
I'm curious to know how you are using the 18th level wizard ability Spell Mastery to gain mastery in a cleric spell.
This is a great point. There are other abilities that can influence ability checks (e.g., Reborn's Knowledge from a Past Life), which combined with Guidance could make a difference. The only problem is one would need to know the DC (or at least the level of difficulty) beforehand to determine whether Guidance would be the better "Hail Mary" choice.
The optional rules (from Tasha's IIRC) adds Enhance Ability to the Wizard list.
Getting one free casting of Misty Step per day (from the feat) versus getting unlimited castings of it (from mastery) is quite different though. One casting gets you out of a "oh sh*t" moment, unlimited castings turns it into a utility both in and out of combat.
I agree that Enhance Ability is a very versatile spell but I do think you need a very nice DM to turn it into a permanent advantage on initiative. It requires concentration so that might clash with other things but also you can't expect there to always be time to cast it before a combat starts not should you expect that it would go unnoticed by those nearby (and thus in stealthy or social situations it might not go well).
Fair enough. One could certainly have a long-term concentration spell going (e.g., Tasha's summons, conjure elemental) that might clash with enhance ability's casting out of combat. For misty step, I still think it's a case of YMMV. In the game's I've played, I have found it useful in situations but never something I'd spam. And while it does allow for some interesting z-axis movement capability, there are other low/no resource options that also do so (e.g., being a flying race).
I'm not saying that Misty Step is a must pick (but I played a Shadow Monk and having a "free" teleport was incredibly useful).
I could see a good case for picking spells like Shield or Absorb Elements or possibly Blur or Mirror Image for combat use. Or spells like Invisibility or Disguise Self or Alter Self for out of combat utility.
Digressing a bit from the op but IMO while misty step is great for a monk as it is far superior to step of the wind but a wizard should stay away from the bad guys and misty tep becomes much more situational a wizard also needs to consider that they will not be able to also cast a levelled spell.
My goto spell mysteries would be shield or absorb elements and mirror image (keep it constantly up when somewhere dangerous) blur is much less good as it requires concentration.(If multiple party members still lack darkvision I would also consider that but that would be very rare)