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?
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
Silvery 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
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.
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.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Nov 14, 2022It's nice how the article's author tried really hard to spin this spell as a positive worth keeping in game unadjusted.
No. Absolutely no. I was a player in a campaign where our wizard had Silvery Barbs, Portent from the Divination School, and the Halfling Lucky trait. Was he on our side? Arguably yes. Was he the most obnoxious character ever played? Also, probably yes, at least in my 20 years of experience. The character concept and flavor was cool (Fate Spinner), but in actuality, it was broken and obnoxious as another player at the table and definitely for our DM. I knew from the first time seeing this spell it was way too powerful for first level. Seeing it used by a min/max munchkin? It was a disgusting and horrifying experience, not unlike a train wreck loaded with passenger cars. The player was also smug about using it, which made it even worse.
Interesting spell. Way too powerful as published for first level. Too easily abused. Will not allow unmodified on my table as DM, and I'm pretty open and lenient on what I permit.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Nov 16, 2022I liked it more when it was a subclass feature.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Nov 16, 2022I can't help wondering how many of the people who are hating on the spell have used it, seen it used in their games, or have allowed in a game they were DM'ing. Like I said upthread, I allowed one of the characters in a game I recently ran to use it, for the sake of objectivity. It's a very useful spell, but it's not an automatic win button all the time.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Dec 24, 2022My DM doesn't let characters have Silvery Barbs.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Dec 29, 2022I recently played a one shot where my and another character both had silvery barbs. In the ten rounds of combat, I cast it was cast three times, and never felt unbalanced. I found I generally had better uses for my reaction with shield/ rune knight storm rune. It did lead to an epic moment, when it turned at crit that would have killed me into a normal hit, but it overall felt fun not OP to play with. I'm sure their can be problems for it but even with two players using it I didn't have any issues.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Dec 30, 2022Were any of the uses to force a re-roll on a saving throw? I don't think anybody is disputing that a forced re-roll on an attack or ability check is probably fine (still strong for a 1st-level spell to be that flexible though), but it's the saving throw re-rolls that make this spell become broken and very abusable.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Jan 11, 2023Yes it was used on saving thows, one of the times was rerolling a save to psychic lance. It still didn't dominate, and it wasn't like we didn't use it when it would have been good. It was definitely useful but not much more so than other spells and abilities.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Mar 24, 2023It is certainly OP when compared to equivalently leveled spells, but it is hardly campaign breaking. I laugh at the ones who say they stopped DMing because of the presence of one spell. Ridiculous. Banning a spell, especially one from a very nitch/specific campaign setting is fairly common. Not to mention, you're the DM. If you don't like banning things, then modify it. Maybe its a 2nd level spell. Maybe the target gets a save. Whatever. It is hardly the evil some make it out to be. Also, if it is spammable then maybe you aren't using enough encounters in a game day. Characters are not supposed to be fresh with all their resources for every encounter. If so, then its time to ramp up the enemies. Casters with silvery barbs still have finite 1st level spells. IMO, you are making a mistake if they can just spam that singular spell in every encounter. What about their other 1st level spells? Don't they need to use those as well? Personally, my caster only uses it to counter critical hits which can be incredibly dangerous as you go up in levels. People complain that the spell makes no sense, but I look at it as luck stealer. When an enemy gets a "lucky" strike, I alter their reality and steal that luck and give it to one of my allies. It doesn't guarantee them a critical hit, but with advantage it doubles their chances.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 21, 2024Well said
Infinitely harder for players to adjust than the DM
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 25, 2024I don't get the hate for the spell. In my game three of the party have the spell but guess who also has the spell? The DM and the spell gets traded both ways and deciding when to use it to the best result makes for exciting combat.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 25, 2024The problem is that it's just not well balanced; the ability to force re-rolls on saving throws alone is powerful, especially since you can do so in reaction to your own spells. For example, you could cast hold monster, and if (and only if) the target succeeds on the save, you can burn your reaction and a 1st-level slot on silvery barbs to force a re-roll, which is effectively the same as casting hold monster twice on the same target, but at a fraction of the cost. There are very few effects in the game that allow you to force disadvantage on enemy saving throws, and many of these come from high level magic items, not 1st-level spells.
Next is the fact that it's not imposing disadvantage, it's a full re-roll (which is generally more powerful, since it also stacks with disadvantage). Third is the sheer versatility, since it's not just saving throws, it also works on attacks and checks, the latter of which makes it useful out of combat. And lastly, as if that wasn't good enough already, you can grant a creature advantage if silvery barbs succeeds, and that advantage can be used for absolutely anything (it's not even connected to the creature you originally targeted). Oh, and it's a reaction spell so lets you make use your of reaction, so it's maximising your action economy.
It's just such a no-brainer to this spell (if permitted by your DM) on any character that is able to do so, because very few spells can even begin to compete with the sheer value that silvery barbs gives as one of your limited spells known/prepared choices. While you'll certainly encounter situations as with any spell where you could have used it, but choose not (to save resources etc.) you're very unlikely to never have an opportunity to use it during an adventuring day, since it's useful in and out of combat. It's basically a lesser version of bane, guiding bolt and/or shield all rolled into a single 1st-level reaction spell that you only need to trigger on success.
My groups have been using a more balanced version that only triggers disadvantage on attacks or checks (not saves), while still granting the advantage on success, and that's a lot more reasonable; while it's still useful and versatile, it's far less of a no-brainer compared to other spells.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 27, 2024Not everything has to be balanced, Classes and subclass abilities are not balanced. Balance is only needed when you view the game as adversarial instead of cooperative storytelling.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 27, 2024Balance problems exist every bit as much in cooperative games as they do in competitive ones; sub-classes being underpowered means they struggle to deliver the cool character concept a player has unless the DM steps in to give them extra support (stronger magic items etc.). While most DMs won't mind doing that, it's work they shouldn't need to do.
Balance should never be an afterthought, because nobody wants their character to fell underpowered or less useful to the party (unless that's your core character concept, but it's a lot easier to play a balanced (sub-)class as incompetent if that's what you want to do, rather than to play an underpowered one as some kind of hero when they struggle to keep up with the group).
However the issue with an unbalanced spell is that the moment a spell becomes a no-brainer, it means you're seeing less spell variety in the game if every class that can take said no-brainer is doing so. Silvery Barbs gives you a lot for a single 1st-level pick, but limited numbers of spells known/prepared is supposed to be a major limiting factor of spellcasters, who are already overly strong in 5th edition. When spellcasters can have an answer to any problem, the last thing they need is a way to take even more of them at once.
This isn't a problem unique to silvery barbs of course, plenty of other spells over or under perform compared to others of the same level. For example, fireball is generally considered stronger than lightning bolt (though some people do prefer the narrower area), and is generally better than vitriolic sphere (a higher level spell) although the latter scales slightly better (but really they're both bad for upcasting).
But at no point should we be excusing Wizards of the Coast for rushing out poorly balanced rules, especially when it's as obvious as in this case (just compare silvery barbs to the other Strixhaven signature spells, the others are all 2nd-level for a start, and silvery barbs is still better than most of them overall). They can and should be doing better, because it shouldn't be up to DM's to fix problematic rules – we're not the ones being paid to write them (most of us aren't paid at all).