So I’ve never used it before, but I’m thinking about picking it on my Archfey Warlock. I know it’s random, but it’s not concentration, and you have a 50% chance of not getting hit every round.
It seems especially nifty when paired with a save or suck concentration spell, as it would become difficult to get hit and lose concentration.
Open to any thoughts on the spell and if I should take it, I know some people really hate the spell.
I think the non-Concentration somehow turns this spell less garbage, but the thing is that 3rd lvl spells have much better options (Thunder Step, Counterspell, Dispel Magic). Honestly, if you want to boost defense, just cast Mirror Image.
mirror image is a more consistent spell for improved survivability without needing concentration, and blur for disadvantage is a better spell overall, though it requires concentration. My biggest issue with blink is the randomness...it is random, but combat isn't, and it always seems to fail for me when I really need it.
I thought I would chime in here on this old string to report back my experience with Blink as utilized by an Archfey Warlock (5th level). I wanted to be able to use the Summon Fey spell, which requires concentration, to have an ally outside and inside combat (1 hour concentration spell). I thought about Mirror Image as a non-concentration buff, but decided to go with Blink. Either would work thematically with my character.
When a mummy cast Insect Plague at the group, I was in the ethereal plane, having rolled an 11 or higher on my round, and I completely avoided the effect. It also meant, however, that I could not cast Counterspell to counteract the spell for the group. Later, however, on a turn when I had rolled lower than an 11, the mummy cast Inflict Wounds on me and I was able to use my counterspell after all to good effect (in fact, I failed the counterspell ability check, but my Pact of the Talisman feature came in handy with an extra 1d4 added, and I rolled a 4, just enough to counter his high level spell).
I had fun not knowing whether I was going to be immune to all effects and attacks after my round. It made the game more exciting. Yes Mirror Image also has that random roll to see which of the duplicates might be hit, but if you're in an area of effect spell, Mirror Image won't stop you from receiving damage. With Blink, you're simply not there. Consistent with the 50/50 chance, though, I did end up blinking out to ethereal only half the time.
Plusses and minuses on Blink for sure but it was fun. Also, I think I can use this spell to infiltrate places, outside of combat. You blink out to the ethereal plane and then reappear 10 feet from where you left, and you could pass through walls and things, it would seem. While in the ethereal plane you can see things on the material plane, but can't be affected by them.
It is a phenomenal lower level means of interacting with ethereal creature or objects.
Got some Night Hag running circles around your team going in and out of ethereal? Fighting a tricksy ghost? Just Blink yourself, and hold an action to let your largest attacks fly when you hit the ethereal plane. Because while there, you interact normally with other creatures there.
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I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
This whole randomness as a downside argument is very misinformed. Getting hit is already a random event in D&D. The enemy rolls a dice to hit you, or you roll a Saving Throw to avoid getting hurt in some way. It is all about probabilities anyway.
Let's take a spell like Shield. It's not random, right? It gives +5 AC until your next turn. Amazing. But it actually is random. Increasing AC by 5 means you are 25% less likely to be hit by a weapon attack, because out of all the available numbers on a d20, 5 fewer of them result in you getting hit (let's ignore the very rare edge cases for simplicity over tedious accuracy). Shield reduces the probability of getting hit by each attack until your next turn by 25% and you don't have to cast it until you need it. No effect on saving throws / avoiding AoE or save-or-suck etc. No concentration. Awesome for a 1st level spell.
Mirror Image. Amazing spell. With three mirror images, 6 or higher on a d20 makes the attack fail. So, you are 75% less likely to be hit. When it goes down to 2, you are 65% less likely to be hit, with just 1, you are 50% less likely to be hit. . No effect on saving throws / avoiding AoE or save-or-suck, may end before the duration if all three get hit. No concentration. Awesome for a 2nd level spell. If anyone thinks this is a bad spell because of randomness (the d20 roll to see if you or one of the images gets hit), they are crazy.
Now look at Blink. At the end of a turn, you have 50% chance of disappearing. If you disappear, you cannot get hit, or be targeted by any spell, or be hurt by AoE. So, over the course a battle, Blink reduces your chance of getting hit AS WELL AS getting hurt by AoE/save-or-suck/etc. by 50%. It is less of a reduction than Mirror Image, but it protects you from spell effects as well, and cannot end early because your images are spent. I think that's a fair trade, especially because it will protect your concentration better than Mirror Image, which does NOT lower the chance of you getting hit by a Fireball by 50%. This is a good and in my opinion quite underrated defensive spell, not even counting the teleportation and all the circumstantial utility with the Ethereal Plane. No concentration. Great for a 3rd level spell. Not as awesome as Mirror Image is for 2nd level, but still really good.
There is good competition among amazing third level spells that you can take (Hypnotic Pattern, Counterspell, Fireball, Slow, etc.) But it's still not unsensible for a wizard to take both Mirror Image (2nd level) and Blink. If (almost) all serious threats are melee/ranged attack monsters, I would cast Mirror Image. If there are potent, dangerous spellcasters and I'm using a concentration spell, I would castBlink (despite not being able to counterspell when blinked). I would never cast Blur, because you want your defensive spells to protect your powerful concentration spell, not take up that concentration. At higher levels, where I need to maintain my concentration on a game-changing high-level control or buff spell, I would layer my defenses with both Mirror Image and Blink on the two rounds after casting that Wall of Force.
I haven’t used Blink but if it fits the theme of your character then go for it.
Mirror image is nice, but one downside, depending on your AC is if your duplicate is attacked it could be hit (AC = 10+Dex) and destroyed, where the attack might have missed you completely. But it is a good spell, imo.
Mirror Image is probably more efficient if you're expecting a bunch of attack rolls, but Blink is better if you're up against a caster or dragon or something else with a lot of save/AoE effects. But that only applies if you're not a Warlock- in which case slot efficiency isn't really a consideration- or once 3rd level slots stop being a particularly premium resource- around tier 3 for full casters. Once you can more easily spare a 3rd level slot, Blink is more generally effective.
I feel like the free reposition part of the spell isn't getting enough attention here. Although, to be fair I rarely play characters with access it - and never take it. Still, it looks to me like 50% chance to avoid all effects and freely blink 10 feet away. At the relatively low cost of losing your reaction. And a spell slot, I guess.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
It's practically overpowered for a 3rd level spell and massively under valued. 50% of the time, you are impossible to target or attack. That's far superior to all other available options at that power level.
The thing that bothers me about blink is how it affects the party as a whole. We often like to say the wizard is squishy and should stay in the back, but in a tough fight it can easily be necessary for the wizard to take a hit. I'm using wizard here as a stand-in for "any character with the ability to cast blink..." The party as a whole benefits from the wizard having 25 hit points and being able to soak damage with them. Blink removes those hit points from the party's total, meaning the wizard might survive longer, but the fighter's getting hit all the more often. If the party has 100 hit points split over four characters, and the wizard has 25 of those hit point, and the wizard isn't present to be hit, it seems to me that the weaker party now has 75 hit points. The wizard is paying for their own survivability with the survivability of the group. Happy to hear counterarguments.
The thing that bothers me about blink is how it affects the party as a whole. We often like to say the wizard is squishy and should stay in the back, but in a tough fight it can easily be necessary for the wizard to take a hit. I'm using wizard here as a stand-in for "any character with the ability to cast blink..." The party as a whole benefits from the wizard having 25 hit points and being able to soak damage with them. Blink removes those hit points from the party's total, meaning the wizard might survive longer, but the fighter's getting hit all the more often. If the party has 100 hit points split over four characters, and the wizard has 25 of those hit point, and the wizard isn't present to be hit, it seems to me that the weaker party now has 75 hit points. The wizard is paying for their own survivability with the survivability of the group. Happy to hear counterarguments.
If you are relying on your wizard to absorb damage to keep the party alive, you're already in very dire straits. The wizard has better ways to prevent (or restore) damage to other party members than by shedding hit points. And as noted above, every hit forces a concentration save that could be bad for the party.
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So I’ve never used it before, but I’m thinking about picking it on my Archfey Warlock. I know it’s random, but it’s not concentration, and you have a 50% chance of not getting hit every round.
It seems especially nifty when paired with a save or suck concentration spell, as it would become difficult to get hit and lose concentration.
Open to any thoughts on the spell and if I should take it, I know some people really hate the spell.
I think the non-Concentration somehow turns this spell less garbage, but the thing is that 3rd lvl spells have much better options (Thunder Step, Counterspell, Dispel Magic). Honestly, if you want to boost defense, just cast Mirror Image.
I’m planning on using it for my Lore Bard w Alertness. I’m looking forward to testing it out.
mirror image is a more consistent spell for improved survivability without needing concentration, and blur for disadvantage is a better spell overall, though it requires concentration. My biggest issue with blink is the randomness...it is random, but combat isn't, and it always seems to fail for me when I really need it.
I wouldn't take it on a warlock, you have so few spell slots. Personally, I love the spell and use it for NPCs and bad wizards.
I thought I would chime in here on this old string to report back my experience with Blink as utilized by an Archfey Warlock (5th level). I wanted to be able to use the Summon Fey spell, which requires concentration, to have an ally outside and inside combat (1 hour concentration spell). I thought about Mirror Image as a non-concentration buff, but decided to go with Blink. Either would work thematically with my character.
When a mummy cast Insect Plague at the group, I was in the ethereal plane, having rolled an 11 or higher on my round, and I completely avoided the effect. It also meant, however, that I could not cast Counterspell to counteract the spell for the group. Later, however, on a turn when I had rolled lower than an 11, the mummy cast Inflict Wounds on me and I was able to use my counterspell after all to good effect (in fact, I failed the counterspell ability check, but my Pact of the Talisman feature came in handy with an extra 1d4 added, and I rolled a 4, just enough to counter his high level spell).
I had fun not knowing whether I was going to be immune to all effects and attacks after my round. It made the game more exciting. Yes Mirror Image also has that random roll to see which of the duplicates might be hit, but if you're in an area of effect spell, Mirror Image won't stop you from receiving damage. With Blink, you're simply not there. Consistent with the 50/50 chance, though, I did end up blinking out to ethereal only half the time.
Plusses and minuses on Blink for sure but it was fun. Also, I think I can use this spell to infiltrate places, outside of combat. You blink out to the ethereal plane and then reappear 10 feet from where you left, and you could pass through walls and things, it would seem. While in the ethereal plane you can see things on the material plane, but can't be affected by them.
It is a phenomenal lower level means of interacting with ethereal creature or objects.
Got some Night Hag running circles around your team going in and out of ethereal? Fighting a tricksy ghost? Just Blink yourself, and hold an action to let your largest attacks fly when you hit the ethereal plane. Because while there, you interact normally with other creatures there.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
This whole randomness as a downside argument is very misinformed. Getting hit is already a random event in D&D. The enemy rolls a dice to hit you, or you roll a Saving Throw to avoid getting hurt in some way. It is all about probabilities anyway.
Let's take a spell like Shield. It's not random, right? It gives +5 AC until your next turn. Amazing. But it actually is random. Increasing AC by 5 means you are 25% less likely to be hit by a weapon attack, because out of all the available numbers on a d20, 5 fewer of them result in you getting hit (let's ignore the very rare edge cases for simplicity over tedious accuracy).
Shield reduces the probability of getting hit by each attack until your next turn by 25% and you don't have to cast it until you need it. No effect on saving throws / avoiding AoE or save-or-suck etc. No concentration. Awesome for a 1st level spell.
Mirror Image. Amazing spell. With three mirror images, 6 or higher on a d20 makes the attack fail. So, you are 75% less likely to be hit. When it goes down to 2, you are 65% less likely to be hit, with just 1, you are 50% less likely to be hit. . No effect on saving throws / avoiding AoE or save-or-suck, may end before the duration if all three get hit. No concentration. Awesome for a 2nd level spell.
If anyone thinks this is a bad spell because of randomness (the d20 roll to see if you or one of the images gets hit), they are crazy.
Now look at Blink. At the end of a turn, you have 50% chance of disappearing. If you disappear, you cannot get hit, or be targeted by any spell, or be hurt by AoE. So, over the course a battle, Blink reduces your chance of getting hit AS WELL AS getting hurt by AoE/save-or-suck/etc. by 50%. It is less of a reduction than Mirror Image, but it protects you from spell effects as well, and cannot end early because your images are spent. I think that's a fair trade, especially because it will protect your concentration better than Mirror Image, which does NOT lower the chance of you getting hit by a Fireball by 50%. This is a good and in my opinion quite underrated defensive spell, not even counting the teleportation and all the circumstantial utility with the Ethereal Plane. No concentration. Great for a 3rd level spell.
Not as awesome as Mirror Image is for 2nd level, but still really good.
There is good competition among amazing third level spells that you can take (Hypnotic Pattern, Counterspell, Fireball, Slow, etc.) But it's still not unsensible for a wizard to take both Mirror Image (2nd level) and Blink. If (almost) all serious threats are melee/ranged attack monsters, I would cast Mirror Image. If there are potent, dangerous spellcasters and I'm using a concentration spell, I would cast Blink (despite not being able to counterspell when blinked). I would never cast Blur, because you want your defensive spells to protect your powerful concentration spell, not take up that concentration. At higher levels, where I need to maintain my concentration on a game-changing high-level control or buff spell, I would layer my defenses with both Mirror Image and Blink on the two rounds after casting that Wall of Force.
I haven’t used Blink but if it fits the theme of your character then go for it.
Mirror image is nice, but one downside, depending on your AC is if your duplicate is attacked it could be hit (AC = 10+Dex) and destroyed, where the attack might have missed you completely. But it is a good spell, imo.
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
Mirror Image is probably more efficient if you're expecting a bunch of attack rolls, but Blink is better if you're up against a caster or dragon or something else with a lot of save/AoE effects. But that only applies if you're not a Warlock- in which case slot efficiency isn't really a consideration- or once 3rd level slots stop being a particularly premium resource- around tier 3 for full casters. Once you can more easily spare a 3rd level slot, Blink is more generally effective.
I feel like the free reposition part of the spell isn't getting enough attention here. Although, to be fair I rarely play characters with access it - and never take it. Still, it looks to me like 50% chance to avoid all effects and freely blink 10 feet away. At the relatively low cost of losing your reaction. And a spell slot, I guess.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
It's practically overpowered for a 3rd level spell and massively under valued. 50% of the time, you are impossible to target or attack. That's far superior to all other available options at that power level.
The thing that bothers me about blink is how it affects the party as a whole. We often like to say the wizard is squishy and should stay in the back, but in a tough fight it can easily be necessary for the wizard to take a hit. I'm using wizard here as a stand-in for "any character with the ability to cast blink..." The party as a whole benefits from the wizard having 25 hit points and being able to soak damage with them. Blink removes those hit points from the party's total, meaning the wizard might survive longer, but the fighter's getting hit all the more often. If the party has 100 hit points split over four characters, and the wizard has 25 of those hit point, and the wizard isn't present to be hit, it seems to me that the weaker party now has 75 hit points. The wizard is paying for their own survivability with the survivability of the group. Happy to hear counterarguments.
If you are relying on your wizard to absorb damage to keep the party alive, you're already in very dire straits. The wizard has better ways to prevent (or restore) damage to other party members than by shedding hit points. And as noted above, every hit forces a concentration save that could be bad for the party.