Why do enchantment spells give characters repeated chances to save each turn, when illusion spells that control others last for "the duration."? I'm playing an enchanter, and at level 3 my enchantment spells have a DC 12, which with no modifier to the die roll is a 55% chance to enchant someone. For a spell like hold person or crown of madness that can last for concentration up to a minute, the chances that they will be affected for more than a turn or two is highly unlikely. Whereas, color spray, fear, hypnotic pattern, etc. all only take one save and last for the duration. Why is this?
Color Spray lasts one round and has no save, the only chance of stopping the spell is having more hitpoints than the caster's roll. There is also no "forced" component of the spell, the target retains its full autonomy (at 1st level, it will affect 6d10, avg 33, hitpoints worth of creatures, so depending on what you fight that might be just one creature, and probably no more than 3).
Fear doesn't give an automatic save at the end of each turn at first, but it does if the creature runs to a place out of sight, and the only "forced" component limits movement direction, so very little effect on the targets autonomy
Hypnotic Pattern does not give an automatic save, but it has 3 possible end conditions (the target takes damage, the target is shaken by another creature, the caster loses concentration. This spell is 3rd level, and does have a significant "forced" component, but it also does not allow you to harm the target without ending the spell, and none of the end conditions involve a saving throw or ability check (other than a concentration save on your part)
Now the enchantment spells:
Hold Person gives the automatic save, but also allows the target to be harmed while under the effect of the spell, and its 2nd level, lower than both Fear and Hypnotic Pattern
Crown of Madness allows you to manipulate the targets autonomy, charms the target, and allows you (and others) to damage the target, and its 2nd level as well.
Utimately, you need to consider a few things: One is spell level. you are comparing second level spells to 3rd level spells (for the most part), so a difference in power is to be expected. Second is utility. the illusion spells you mention are great for crowd control and useful in taking creatures out of a fight temporarily, but your enchantment spells allow you to do that plus actively harm the targets (or cause them to harm others). Third, the end of turn saving throw is pretty common across all spell schools, so you will find examples in all schools that use it.
Also, if at level 3 your Spell Save DC is 12, then I would argue you are actually a bit of a subpar caster compared to most as your casting stat would be only a +2 modifier. Did you place your higher scores elsewhere? most characters have at least a +3 to place somewhere in their statblock, which a caster should prioritize to their casting stat, and would bump that number to 13. For you, I would definitely choose an ASI at level 4 to buff that score.
How is anything Icon wrote non-helpful? They directly addressed your question about specific spells & schools. They also addressed your implicit concern about probability with the saving throws. Having a Spell Save DC of only 12, at level 3, is much lower than expected for even an "average" caster.
We don't know why your spellcasting ability score is low, nor is there any judgement attached to it, but that's the #1 reason you're having difficulty making your spell effects stick. It is what it is.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
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Why do enchantment spells give characters repeated chances to save each turn, when illusion spells that control others last for "the duration."? I'm playing an enchanter, and at level 3 my enchantment spells have a DC 12, which with no modifier to the die roll is a 55% chance to enchant someone. For a spell like hold person or crown of madness that can last for concentration up to a minute, the chances that they will be affected for more than a turn or two is highly unlikely. Whereas, color spray, fear, hypnotic pattern, etc. all only take one save and last for the duration. Why is this?
For your specific examples, Illusion first:
Now the enchantment spells:
Utimately, you need to consider a few things: One is spell level. you are comparing second level spells to 3rd level spells (for the most part), so a difference in power is to be expected. Second is utility. the illusion spells you mention are great for crowd control and useful in taking creatures out of a fight temporarily, but your enchantment spells allow you to do that plus actively harm the targets (or cause them to harm others). Third, the end of turn saving throw is pretty common across all spell schools, so you will find examples in all schools that use it.
Also, if at level 3 your Spell Save DC is 12, then I would argue you are actually a bit of a subpar caster compared to most as your casting stat would be only a +2 modifier. Did you place your higher scores elsewhere? most characters have at least a +3 to place somewhere in their statblock, which a caster should prioritize to their casting stat, and would bump that number to 13. For you, I would definitely choose an ASI at level 4 to buff that score.
How is anything Icon wrote non-helpful? They directly addressed your question about specific spells & schools. They also addressed your implicit concern about probability with the saving throws. Having a Spell Save DC of only 12, at level 3, is much lower than expected for even an "average" caster.
We don't know why your spellcasting ability score is low, nor is there any judgement attached to it, but that's the #1 reason you're having difficulty making your spell effects stick. It is what it is.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.