Dissonant Whispers: Killing Me Softly With His Song
Usable By: Bard
Spell Level: 1
School: Enchantment
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Duration: Instantaneous
Components: V
You whisper a discordant melody that only one creature of your choice within range can hear, wracking it with terrible pain. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 3d6 psychic damage and must immediately use its reaction, if available, to move as far as its speed allows away from you. The creature doesn’t move into obviously dangerous ground, such as a fire or a pit. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage and doesn’t have to move away. A deafened creature automatically succeeds on the save.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.
Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
Could it be? A save or die that always does SOMETHING? A spell that scares the pants off of whatever you want, regardless of size, creature type, and CR, and it's only 1st level? This spell SLAPS.
Dissonant Whispers is excellent. If you’re a bard looking for a moderate damage option that also interacts with the action economy, this is the spell for you. Forcing creature movement through a reaction offers incredible utility in navigating environments. It can set up opportunity attacks, put distance between a friend and certain death, or just get the kobold to run over its own unactivated pitiful trap.
The floor here is fairly high. Worst case scenario, you spent a 1st level spell and got functionally the damage of a shortbow hit. Alternatively, you could get your rogue an extra sneak attack for the round, move the big bad eating your wizard far away, or set up your friend's area of effect spells by herding enemies into close proximity while dealing twice the damage of a shortbow hit.
Having a tool to force movement is something you’ll always be able to find some amount of utility out of, regardless of level. Forcing an ancient red dragon to burn a legendary resistance on your 1st level spell or face a few opportunity attacks and forcing it waste its next turn dashing makes a massive impact for just a 1st level spell. You can up-cast it if you have to, but seeing as the damage scaling is mediocre, you’ll likely get the most out of your slots by spending just a 1st to get the reposition at higher levels, and rely on the damage just in the early tiers of play a bit more.
If you’re playing a bard, and want to be able to damage and control the battlefield, Dissonant Whispers delivers. Having this in your back pocket will make your life so much easier.
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