Humm then that would seem to mean it could be used to trip an opponent and add to the help. Idk I guess like everything else in the game it would be up to the GM.
Yeah, Unseen Servant is one of those spells which really exemplifies the games focus on being a "game" versus a "simulation". If you think of it as an invisible force roughly the size of a person that can exert at least enough force to do something even as simple as open a door and make a bed, then logically it should be able to, at minimum, tap a guy on the shoulder or start poking him in the nose in a way that's distracting enough for a skilled fighter to take advantage. Hell, just imagine trying to do an every day activity while a ghost is tickling you or something... I sure as hell would struggle just to type this sentence in that way.
But as a game, it's a first level spell that's not meant to have any combat abilities. Allowing any spellcaster to use it to perform the Help action is equivalent to the unique Mastermind Rogue ability to perform the Help action as a bonus action and from range. So just changing that to a spell (and a ritual spell that can be prepared and kept active for an hour, no less) is, in some ways, stealing a unique class ability. So even though it doesn't make complete sense when thinking about the logistics of what an Unseen Servant is and how it works, the intent is to make the game more balanced and interesting.
Still, it depends on the GM. If you don't have a Mastermind at your table then it's not like you're robbing another player of their unique experience, since at that point theoretically its just the "idea" of the Mastermind that's being diminished. That's one of the nice things about D&D... you could be with a DM who stays strictly to the rules and the game becomes a bit more about finding the right spells and abilities to lock together like a puzzle to solve problems, or you could have a DM who takes a critical look at spells and abilities and perhaps rewards creative use of spells in ways that the rules don't necessarily make clear. I'm a fan of the latter option myself, but there's value in both play styles.
Indeed. I mentioned much of this earlier in the thread, but Unseen Servant does not actually get any actions of its own. Realistically - as TransmorpherDDS says - you'd expect them to be able to do all sorts of things that could emulate the Help action. However, this is a game, and the Help action is just that; an action. Unseen Servants do not get actions of their own, and thus cannot perform it.
As a DM, I may occasionally allow it to grant advantage to the player or disadvantage to an enemy given a creative enough use of the Servant, but this type of thing is too easily abused and is very clearly not what the spell is intended for.
There are a lot of creative ways an Unseen Servant can help (small h) without allowing it to Help (provide advantage on an attack).
The Unseen Servant can interact with many mundane items, ball bearings, caltrops, flour (spread it to reveal invisible creatures and objects), light sources, etc.
I would allow the old dollar bill on a string gag, although a gold coin moving away as you try to grab it is more obviously magic than a dollar bill blowing in the wind.
In terms of combat, I would be more open to the Unseen Servant canceling disadvantage rather than creating advantage for you or to cancel advantage of creature attacking you. Mechanically it is the same as allowing it to create advantage but I think it would be more balanced and situational enough that it couldn’t be used all the time.
I like telling an Unseen Servant to "Follow that person around and drop ball bearings/caltrops at their feet every chance you get" before handing it a sack that I've filled with smaller bags of those various items with my free item interaction. Since the servant continues that action without further input it just keeps going until it runs out for the cost of one action to cast the spell and one bonus action to give the command.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
I like telling an Unseen Servant to "Follow that person around and drop ball bearings/caltrops at their feet every chance you get" before handing it a sack that I've filled with smaller bags of those various items with my free item interaction. Since the servant continues that action without further input it just keeps going until it runs out for the cost of one action to cast the spell and one bonus action to give the command.
Technically you would have to follow them as well. If the Unseen Servant moves farther than 60 feet from you, it disappears. In fact, just the act of giving it a command that would cause it to move 60 feet from you causes it to disappear.
Thaumaturgy is the most fun spell ever. This one little cantrip can give you one hell of an entrance.
The flames in the tavern start to flicker, despite there being no wind to speak of. With a resounding "BOOM" and a rumble of thunder, the front door flies open, revealing a figure with glowing red eyes standing in the doorway. "WHERE ARE THEY!?" The figure calls out in a voice far too loud for any mortal. The flames calm, but as they do the newcomer intones some arcane language in its booming voice, and the earth itself begins to tremor and shake. The voice thunders across the room; "I WILL NOT ASK AGAIN."
"Where are who?" "No!! Where are my drinks?! I demand drinks!! After what we just went through, I demand to be sloshed within the next 5 minutes!! So, where are they?!"
Thus, Thaumaturgy was used to order drinks at no cost.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
My Whispers Bard (and party) is currently in an old haunted mansion searching for a mysterious blue orb and just got his @$$ handed to him and needs a Short Rest. Next session he’s about to Ritually summon his Unseen Servant to go search some rooms for him while he uses Prestidigitation to turn cold water and dried herbs into a pleasant pot of tea and takes a break.
That's an excellent use of the spell. Do keep in mind though that it can't go farther than 60 feet away from you. Even wording your command in a way that might insinuate that it will go farther will cause it to vanish, though it would take a pretty cruel DM to be so strict ;)
I have almost never done any mechanically useful stuff with Prestidigitation, but I use it constantly to add flavor or fun to the game. Stuff like cleaning off party members after everyone gets covered in monster guts, or deal with hot weather by cooling any water before drinking it. Although now that I think about it, I did manage to get us through one particular in-game checkpoint, where our characters needed passports. One character was able to prepare some counterfeit passports for us, but we didn't realize at the time that there's also a stamp that was required. So using Prestidigitation, I was able to add a "small mark or symbol to a surface" in order to temporarily apply the stamp to uh... 3 of our passports (the last party member had to just sneak past the guards)
What about Dancing Lights? In some ways, it's better than Silent Image in that it's a cantrip and it has a farther range. Not only does it help light up a room or hallway, you can use it for long distance Morse Code, to scare the heck out of people (esp in conjunction with Thaumaturgy), give the Bard a bonus to performance checks, or to lead the gullible into a trap a la a Will-o-the-Wisp.
You would think ina world where magic is real that people would just see random lights or sounds and go meh. Haha also if you put someone in a jail cell make sure it’s warded so magic can’t be used.
You would think ina world where magic is real that people would just see random lights or sounds and go meh. Haha also if you put someone in a jail cell make sure it’s warded so magic can’t be used.
silence is a great ritual spell, for breaking down your cell door.
I think that MMOs have kind of skewed the general perception about magic in a setting like this. In that setting the majority of the population are spellcasters and warriors... but in a lot of D&D settings magic is kinda... rare. Not super rare, obviously... but it's a bit like... being a Navy Seal. We're all aware that they exist, and it's possible to have a friend or relative who is one (or, obviously, to just be one yourself), but unless you're in that circle you're not likely to ever encounter a Seal in years of time, maybe in your whole life. And when you do, odds are decent that, unless something terrible is happening, you're not going to see them actually using their elite skills in front of you.
Of course, it also depends on your DM. Some DMs basically assign a class and level to every NPC (it's a good way to discourage muderhoboes, when every farmer you stumble across is, at minimum, a fifth level fighter). But in most settings the player characters are unique because they're in a rare, elite group of characters with real magic power, as opposed to that being a common feature that most NPCs encounter casually on a daily basis.
Don't know how RAW that is, but phantasmal force to put a sorcerer or druid in plate armor, with which they aren't proficient, meaning they can't cast spells(let's be real a wizard busts out of that thing. It's an int save). It would fall under the illusion being absolutely real to them, wouldn't it?
Why would the donning armor rules be relevant? What he's suggesting is, cast the spell, victim looks down and illogically perceives themselves to be encased in armor that they are not proficient with per Phantasmal Force, and as a result victim is unable to cast spells per the rules Basic Rules for wearing armor for the 1 minute duration. Sounds legit to me.
Yeah, Unseen Servant is one of those spells which really exemplifies the games focus on being a "game" versus a "simulation". If you think of it as an invisible force roughly the size of a person that can exert at least enough force to do something even as simple as open a door and make a bed, then logically it should be able to, at minimum, tap a guy on the shoulder or start poking him in the nose in a way that's distracting enough for a skilled fighter to take advantage. Hell, just imagine trying to do an every day activity while a ghost is tickling you or something... I sure as hell would struggle just to type this sentence in that way.
But as a game, it's a first level spell that's not meant to have any combat abilities. Allowing any spellcaster to use it to perform the Help action is equivalent to the unique Mastermind Rogue ability to perform the Help action as a bonus action and from range. So just changing that to a spell (and a ritual spell that can be prepared and kept active for an hour, no less) is, in some ways, stealing a unique class ability. So even though it doesn't make complete sense when thinking about the logistics of what an Unseen Servant is and how it works, the intent is to make the game more balanced and interesting.
Still, it depends on the GM. If you don't have a Mastermind at your table then it's not like you're robbing another player of their unique experience, since at that point theoretically its just the "idea" of the Mastermind that's being diminished. That's one of the nice things about D&D... you could be with a DM who stays strictly to the rules and the game becomes a bit more about finding the right spells and abilities to lock together like a puzzle to solve problems, or you could have a DM who takes a critical look at spells and abilities and perhaps rewards creative use of spells in ways that the rules don't necessarily make clear. I'm a fan of the latter option myself, but there's value in both play styles.
When I read Unseen Servant for the third (it took a while to sink in) time, it dawned on me how potentially overpowered having an invisible servant is as a 1st level spell. Since I know some people who have worked/are working as sommeliers and bartenders, it feels strange that a force capable of doing some fairly complicated things that are lesser versions of what real life people get paid significant cash to do...it just feels like it should take up concentration or require a higher level spell slot. At first level, any hedge wizard should be able to conjure up an Unseen Servant and thereby do twice the amount of work that most non-Wizards can. Talk about creating a dent in the local economy!
Why do twice the work, when you can just ritual cast Unseen Servant over and over and over, giving yourself 5 servants at a time. Wizard towers should always be spotless.
Of course, it also depends on your DM. Some DMs basically assign a class and level to every NPC (it's a good way to discourage muderhoboes, when every farmer you stumble across is, at minimum, a fifth level fighter). But in most settings the player characters are unique because they're in a rare, elite group of characters with real magic power, as opposed to that being a common feature that most NPCs encounter casually on a daily basis.
Almost every “civilian” NPC in my game is a “Level 0” something or other.
Humm then that would seem to mean it could be used to trip an opponent and add to the help. Idk I guess like everything else in the game it would be up to the GM.
Yeah, Unseen Servant is one of those spells which really exemplifies the games focus on being a "game" versus a "simulation". If you think of it as an invisible force roughly the size of a person that can exert at least enough force to do something even as simple as open a door and make a bed, then logically it should be able to, at minimum, tap a guy on the shoulder or start poking him in the nose in a way that's distracting enough for a skilled fighter to take advantage. Hell, just imagine trying to do an every day activity while a ghost is tickling you or something... I sure as hell would struggle just to type this sentence in that way.
But as a game, it's a first level spell that's not meant to have any combat abilities. Allowing any spellcaster to use it to perform the Help action is equivalent to the unique Mastermind Rogue ability to perform the Help action as a bonus action and from range. So just changing that to a spell (and a ritual spell that can be prepared and kept active for an hour, no less) is, in some ways, stealing a unique class ability. So even though it doesn't make complete sense when thinking about the logistics of what an Unseen Servant is and how it works, the intent is to make the game more balanced and interesting.
Still, it depends on the GM. If you don't have a Mastermind at your table then it's not like you're robbing another player of their unique experience, since at that point theoretically its just the "idea" of the Mastermind that's being diminished. That's one of the nice things about D&D... you could be with a DM who stays strictly to the rules and the game becomes a bit more about finding the right spells and abilities to lock together like a puzzle to solve problems, or you could have a DM who takes a critical look at spells and abilities and perhaps rewards creative use of spells in ways that the rules don't necessarily make clear. I'm a fan of the latter option myself, but there's value in both play styles.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Indeed. I mentioned much of this earlier in the thread, but Unseen Servant does not actually get any actions of its own. Realistically - as TransmorpherDDS says - you'd expect them to be able to do all sorts of things that could emulate the Help action. However, this is a game, and the Help action is just that; an action. Unseen Servants do not get actions of their own, and thus cannot perform it.
As a DM, I may occasionally allow it to grant advantage to the player or disadvantage to an enemy given a creative enough use of the Servant, but this type of thing is too easily abused and is very clearly not what the spell is intended for.
There are a lot of creative ways an Unseen Servant can help (small h) without allowing it to Help (provide advantage on an attack).
The Unseen Servant can interact with many mundane items, ball bearings, caltrops, flour (spread it to reveal invisible creatures and objects), light sources, etc.
I would allow the old dollar bill on a string gag, although a gold coin moving away as you try to grab it is more obviously magic than a dollar bill blowing in the wind.
In terms of combat, I would be more open to the Unseen Servant canceling disadvantage rather than creating advantage for you or to cancel advantage of creature attacking you. Mechanically it is the same as allowing it to create advantage but I think it would be more balanced and situational enough that it couldn’t be used all the time.
I like telling an Unseen Servant to "Follow that person around and drop ball bearings/caltrops at their feet every chance you get" before handing it a sack that I've filled with smaller bags of those various items with my free item interaction. Since the servant continues that action without further input it just keeps going until it runs out for the cost of one action to cast the spell and one bonus action to give the command.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
Technically you would have to follow them as well. If the Unseen Servant moves farther than 60 feet from you, it disappears. In fact, just the act of giving it a command that would cause it to move 60 feet from you causes it to disappear.
"Where are who?"
"No!! Where are my drinks?! I demand drinks!! After what we just went through, I demand to be sloshed within the next 5 minutes!! So, where are they?!"
Thus, Thaumaturgy was used to order drinks at no cost.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Does nobody give their unseen servant a tinderbox and flask of oil and have it become an arsonist for them anymore?
Blank
My Whispers Bard (and party) is currently in an old haunted mansion searching for a mysterious blue orb and just got his @$$ handed to him and needs a Short Rest. Next session he’s about to Ritually summon his Unseen Servant to go search some rooms for him while he uses Prestidigitation to turn cold water and dried herbs into a pleasant pot of tea and takes a break.
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That's an excellent use of the spell. Do keep in mind though that it can't go farther than 60 feet away from you. Even wording your command in a way that might insinuate that it will go farther will cause it to vanish, though it would take a pretty cruel DM to be so strict ;)
I have almost never done any mechanically useful stuff with Prestidigitation, but I use it constantly to add flavor or fun to the game. Stuff like cleaning off party members after everyone gets covered in monster guts, or deal with hot weather by cooling any water before drinking it. Although now that I think about it, I did manage to get us through one particular in-game checkpoint, where our characters needed passports. One character was able to prepare some counterfeit passports for us, but we didn't realize at the time that there's also a stamp that was required. So using Prestidigitation, I was able to add a "small mark or symbol to a surface" in order to temporarily apply the stamp to uh... 3 of our passports (the last party member had to just sneak past the guards)
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
What about Dancing Lights? In some ways, it's better than Silent Image in that it's a cantrip and it has a farther range. Not only does it help light up a room or hallway, you can use it for long distance Morse Code, to scare the heck out of people (esp in conjunction with Thaumaturgy), give the Bard a bonus to performance checks, or to lead the gullible into a trap a la a Will-o-the-Wisp.
You would think ina world where magic is real that people would just see random lights or sounds and go meh. Haha also if you put someone in a jail cell make sure it’s warded so magic can’t be used.
silence is a great ritual spell, for breaking down your cell door.
Blank
I think that MMOs have kind of skewed the general perception about magic in a setting like this. In that setting the majority of the population are spellcasters and warriors... but in a lot of D&D settings magic is kinda... rare. Not super rare, obviously... but it's a bit like... being a Navy Seal. We're all aware that they exist, and it's possible to have a friend or relative who is one (or, obviously, to just be one yourself), but unless you're in that circle you're not likely to ever encounter a Seal in years of time, maybe in your whole life. And when you do, odds are decent that, unless something terrible is happening, you're not going to see them actually using their elite skills in front of you.
Of course, it also depends on your DM. Some DMs basically assign a class and level to every NPC (it's a good way to discourage muderhoboes, when every farmer you stumble across is, at minimum, a fifth level fighter). But in most settings the player characters are unique because they're in a rare, elite group of characters with real magic power, as opposed to that being a common feature that most NPCs encounter casually on a daily basis.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Don't know how RAW that is, but phantasmal force to put a sorcerer or druid in plate armor, with which they aren't proficient, meaning they can't cast spells(let's be real a wizard busts out of that thing. It's an int save). It would fall under the illusion being absolutely real to them, wouldn't it?
Why would the donning armor rules be relevant? What he's suggesting is, cast the spell, victim looks down and illogically perceives themselves to be encased in armor that they are not proficient with per Phantasmal Force, and as a result victim is unable to cast spells per the rules Basic Rules for wearing armor for the 1 minute duration. Sounds legit to me.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
When I read Unseen Servant for the third (it took a while to sink in) time, it dawned on me how potentially overpowered having an invisible servant is as a 1st level spell. Since I know some people who have worked/are working as sommeliers and bartenders, it feels strange that a force capable of doing some fairly complicated things that are lesser versions of what real life people get paid significant cash to do...it just feels like it should take up concentration or require a higher level spell slot. At first level, any hedge wizard should be able to conjure up an Unseen Servant and thereby do twice the amount of work that most non-Wizards can. Talk about creating a dent in the local economy!
Why do twice the work, when you can just ritual cast Unseen Servant over and over and over, giving yourself 5 servants at a time. Wizard towers should always be spotless.
Almost every “civilian” NPC in my game is a “Level 0” something or other.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting