Silvery Barbs: Snatch a Victory From the Jaws of Your Enemies' Defeat

Tags Spell Spotlights author-riley-silverman

Hey, hey, look over here! Allow us to grab your attention with the magical distraction that is silvery barbs. This intriguing 1st-level enchantment spell, introduced in Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos, has the potential to turn the tide of a battle by shifting fortune away from your enemy and into the hands of yourself or your party.

Let's take a look at this flustering spell and how to best use it to gain an advantage over your enemies!

What Does Silvery Barbs Do?

A bard casting silvery barbs

The best way to think of silvery barbs is as a transference of luck. First, when a creature you can see within 60 feet succeeds on an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can use a reaction to make that creature reroll the d20, using the lower roll. Then, you can choose a different creature within range, including yourself, to give advantage on the next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw they make within 1 minute—without using concentration!

Power and Limitations

A silverquill apprentice casting a spell while onlookers observeSilvery barbs can be a pretty powerful spell, for sure. When everything goes exactly as you plan, it can cause a creature to fail a roll they had already succeeded at and cause an ally or yourself to succeed on a roll you may have failed on. But the first limitation of the spell is that in neither case is the failure or success automatic. The triggering target could still succeed on the second roll of their dice, and the creature you choose to give advantage to still could fail on their roll. Regardless of the outcome, you will have used up a spell and your reaction for the round. Compare that to shield, another 1st-level reaction spell, which you can use with the certainty that it will be successful if an enemy’s attack roll is below your improved AC the spell provides. Also, silvery barbs is a “one and done” spell while shield remains active until the start of your next turn, giving you a higher AC against all attacks until then. 

At a 1st-level spell slot, silvery barbs might seem at first glance like an economical spell, but remember that every spell slot you use to cast it is one that you cannot use later for a vital attack or healing spell. Dungeon Masters who want to limit the potential abuse of the spell could do so simply by creating a scenario where spell slots are at a premium. Also, since silvery barbs only affects one roll from an enemy, having multiple opponents or enemies that utilize multiattack will help keep combat balanced and challenging. 

Elective Courses

Silvery barbs is from Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos, one of the Magic: The Gathering setting books. As a player, you should make sure that your DM approves the use of material from that setting in their game before bringing it into play.

The D&D Beyond character builder requires you to toggle “Magic: The Gathering content” on the Character Preferences page in order to access the spell.

Who Can Cast Silvery Barbs?

Flavor-wise, silvery barbs feels like it was crafted with bards in mind, as the spell has similar buffing and debuffing vibes as bard subclass features like Cutting Words, Unsettling Words, or Mote of Potential. The spell fits nicely into the way that bardic magic ties into inspiring allies and distracting foes.

The spell is also made available to wizards and sorcerers, which fits the setting of Strixhaven as a school of magic.

Other ways that characters could get access to silvery barbs would be with a feat or magic item that allows you access to a 1st-level enchantment spell of your choice, such as Fey Touched and Magic Initiate. 

Why We Love This Spell

A soldier tripping and falling in training

One of our favorite aspects of this spell is how nicely it fits within the bards’ skillset. If another member of the party is already serving as the primary healer, then having a spell that plays to a bard’s strengths in buffing and debuffing can be a lovely supplement. It gives bards a way to utilize their flavor as a reaction in combat when moves requiring the use of Bardic Inspiration wouldn’t normally be available. It feels like a sibling to vicious mockery, the magical ideal of having a wit so quick it can make your enemies trip in their step while pumping up your friends.

But what really appeals to us for the spell is its potential for use out of combat in skill challenges with more of a competitive, roleplay aspect to them. Perhaps when challenging a rival adventuring party to some pub games or trying to beat an enemy henchman in a game of chance to gain information. Whether in combat or out, the spell has the potential for some pretty triumphant moments, being utilized in those critical moments where just a nudge of fate in another direction could mean the difference between a sound victory or a bitter defeat.

FAQ: Silvery Barbs

What effect does silvery barbs have on Legendary Resistance?

Silvery barbs cannot negate Legendary Resistance, as creatures with this ability do not need to succeed on a roll in order to utilize it. So even if a spellcaster used their silvery barbs to make a monster fail its saving throw, the DM could still use Legendary Resistance to pass the save. 

What components are required for silvery barbs?

Silvery barbs only requires a vocal component for casting. 

Can you use Twinned Spell to cast silvery barbs on more targets?

No. Silvery barbs cannot increase its targets via Twinned Spell as it targets more than one creature. 

Can silvery barbs be used in combination with the Order Domain cleric feature Voice of Authority?

Yes. An Order Domain cleric with access to silvery barbs via multiclassing, feats, or magic items, could also allow the targeted ally to make their one weapon attack with advantage using that ally’s reaction. 

How does silvery barbs work if a creature is rolling with advantage or disadvantage?

The triggering effect of silvery barbs occurs when the intended target succeeds on a roll. So, if the target had advantage or disadvantage on an attack, saving throw, or skill check, they would first roll the two d20s to determine if the roll was ultimately a success or failure. If it is a success, then you could use your reaction to cast silvery barbs. 

Can silvery barbs be used to disrupt a death saving throw?

Yes. Death saves are considered saving throws, so silvery barbs could be used.

How does silvery barbs interact with counterspell?

If the use of counterspell requires an ability check, such as when trying to counter a spell at a higher level without using a higher spell slot, you could make your target reroll that ability check using silvery barbs. A use of counterspell could also negate the casting of silvery barbs. Since it is a 1st-level spell, no roll would be required to interrupt the spell. 

What does silvery barbs look like?

While there is no official visual flavor text for what silvery barbs looks like when cast, the spell's description implies distraction for one target and encouragement for the other. It can be inferred that the intention is for the spell to function as words spoken by you via the vocal component, similar to a spell such as vicious mockery or Tasha’s hideous laughter.

However, if you would prefer to picture the spell as actual literal barbed plants made of silver, stealing luck from an enemy and bestowing it to your friends, the optional personalizing spells rules from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything encourages precisely that kind of creative spin on your spellcasting.

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Riley Silverman (@rileyjsilverman) is a contributing writer to D&D Beyond, Nerdist, and SYFY Wire. She DMs the Theros-set Dice Ex Machina for the Saving Throw Show, and has been a player on the Wizards of the Coast-sponsored The Broken Pact. Riley also played as Braga in the official tabletop adaptation of the Rat Queens comic for HyperRPG, and currently plays as The Doctor on the Doctor Who RPG podcast The Game of Rassilon. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

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