By [ad_1]
Strixhaven introduces five magical colleges with unique spells, and Silverquill’s Silvery Barbs may be D&D’s most powerful first-level spell.
Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos is the latest Dungeons & Dragons book, and it’s based on a Magic: The Gathering set. It offers an adventure set at a magical university where students study the arcane arts. There are five separate colleges on the campus, each concerned with different occult principles and philosophies. Each college has a unique background associated with it, which confers specialized training based on the character’s past studies, as well as access to a unique spell.
Strixhaven’s new spells add each something fun to the game, but Silverquill College stands out because its unique spell, Silvery Barbs, is among the most game-altering powerful magical abilities. Silverquill mages wield the magic of words. They embody the aesthetics of dark academia, clad in stylish clothes that exude confidence and conviction. They conjure spells from poetry and can cut down their enemies with a sharp word, manifesting both inky darkness and well-spoken radiance in their casting. As such, it should be no surprise that they have access to one of the best spells in the game.
Silvery Barbs spell is a level-one enchantment available to any Wizards, Bards or Sorcerers who takes the new Silverquill background at character creation. There are two parts to this spell, each of which has its own benefits. The first part seems to give an enemy creature disadvantage when they roll a d20, as it forces them to roll a second die and choose the lower score.
Luck-based spells like this that grant opponents disadvantage have historically only become available at higher levels and comes with restrictions due to how powerful they can be. As a first-level spell, Silvery Barbs grants players a huge edge against their enemies from the beginning of the game. However, the phrasing of Silvery Barbs offers some subtle distinctions that make it even more powerful than it seems at first glance, something that YouTuber The Wintry Wyvern addressed in a video on the topic.
As he explains, the average d20 roll is normally 10.5, while rolling twice with disadvantage reduces the average roll to 7.17. The Wintry Wyvern imagines a scenario where a level-one spellcaster with a Spell Save DC of 13 has Silvery Barbs. Normally, an enemy’s 10.5 average would give them a 60 percent chance of failing to beat the Spell Save DC, but with disadvantage, that becomes an 84 percent chance of failure.
Plus, while Silvery Barbs acts similarly to disadvantage, it is actually better. It can be used in conjunction with an enemy having disadvantage, forcing them to roll a third d20 and giving them an average roll of 5.51. On top of this, the spell’s phrasing also bypasses Legendary Resistance (though this is admittedly controversial and could be adjusted in the future).
Casting such an incredible first-level spell as a reaction gives Silvery Barbs versatility, helping players to overcome any attack, saving throw or ability an opponent tries to use. However, even if that fails, the spell still has the additional bonus of helping either the caster or one of their allies by giving them advantage the next time they roll a d20 within a minute of casting it. Silvery Barbs steals an enemy’s good fortune and gives it to the caster or their allies, and because it is a reaction, it can be cast at almost any time, freeing up the spellcaster’s turn. This is the sort of spell that allows a magic user to balance the scales of fate.
About The Author
[ad_2]
