Friends
Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard - Cantrip Level Spell
School: Enchantment
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: Self
Components: Somatic and Material
Duration: 1 Minute
Attack/Save: None
Reference: PHB 244
Concentration
For the duration, you have advantage on all Charisma checks directed at one creature of your choice that isn’t hostile toward you. When the spell ends, the creature realizes that you used magic to influence its mood and becomes hostile toward you. A creature prone to violence might attack you. Another creature might seek retribution in other ways (at the DM’s discretion), depending on the nature of your interaction with it.
My Comments: Sooo… basically, you can take a creature that isn’t hostile to you, and make it hostile to you after getting 1 minute of advantage on Charisma checks and you have to waste concentration on it.
I’m sure if I tried I could come up with a good use for this spell, but there are better options for spell choices, so I don’t think I would bother. If I were to home brew this I might say the creature gets a save to figure out it was hornswogled instead of it being automatic, because advantage on CHA checks doesn’t seem that great to me. Also the component of the spell? What the heck?
Bard – “I bet you’d like me better with a little rouge on, wouldn’t you?”
Orc Guard – “Well, now that you mention it, it does look nice… Wait! You were trying to trick me!”
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I homebrew it so that the creature gets to role a wis/cha save, doesn’t know it’s been cast on either a save or a failure, and if it saves it’s immune for 24 hours and feels uneasy around the caster, adding a +5 to the DC, or contested roll, on any cha checks made by the caster and his friends against the target.
I feel like this makes it useable without breaking the game, as this seems to balance the risk to reward.
I think that seems pretty reasonable. Good design!
Hostile doesn’t have to mean the person attacks. Also, a minute is enough to get you passed a guard then hide away or get a better deal on a set of armor.
I’d say you have to look at it from the other party’s point of view and go with what’s reasonable for them. For the shopkeeper who is aware of the spell, you’ve basically just stolen from them and they would definitely call the guard. For the guard you tricked, they might be punished severely so they will definitely go after you.
This spell is amazing on a changeling, or somebody with a good disguise kit.
Need some NPC’s to get into an argument or start a fight among eachother?
Transform into one of them, aproach the other… cast friends. Have a little banter, and flee the scene before a minute ends.
Tada, instant hostility.
On a grander scale… Friends lets you target anybody. Not somebody in range… or in sight.
So how about i transform into the ‘big baddy’, and then cast friends on… lets say Lord Asmodeus.
After one minute, lord Asmodeus should be pretty pissed at ‘the big baddy’. I wonder how a spitefull and murderous god would take his revenge.
Okay, I kind of love your thinking here. Nice way to turn a negative into a positive!
Though on the Asmodeus point, while I like the concept, you would still need to be able to interact with Asmodeus in order for the Charisma check to kick in. This means you have to have some kind of line of communication open; you couldn’t just yell into the wind “Hey Asmodeus, I’m totally intimidating you right now yo!” and get any activation from the Friends spell.