NPCs randomly getting mad at me for using spells?

[Quadsword]

So I'm a warlock. After clearing the goblins at the gate, I went and fought the bugbear assassin for some easy XP (and yeeted the poor bastard off a cliff with eldritch blast. I laughed for nearly a minute straight when that happened).

I randomly get confronted by an NPC who got mad at me for "casting unsavory magic", whatever the heck that means. Thankfully, I passed a persuasion check and he left me alone. Please don't tell me my main method of attack is going to get random NPCs mad at me.

[Yojo0o]

You been using the Friends cantrip?

[Lord Adorable]

If you use spells like Friends or Charm Person, the tooltips do tell you that when the spell effect wears off the person you used it on will realize you did something to them.

And they do not like it.

[Quadsword]

Originally posted by Lord Adorable:

If you use spells like Friends or Charm Person, the tooltips do tell you that when the spell effect wears off the person you used it on will realize you did something to them.

And they do not like it.

Doesn't that kind of render it useless then?

[Lord Adorable]

Originally posted by Quadsword:

Originally posted by Lord Adorable:

If you use spells like Friends or Charm Person, the tooltips do tell you that when the spell effect wears off the person you used it on will realize you did something to them.

And they do not like it.

Doesn't that kind of render it useless then?

The trick is to finish talking to them while it is in effect and then run away as fast and as far as possible until it ends. They will get merely irritated instead but otherwise not attack you.

[Yojo0o]

Originally posted by Quadsword:

Originally posted by Lord Adorable:

If you use spells like Friends or Charm Person, the tooltips do tell you that when the spell effect wears off the person you used it on will realize you did something to them.

And they do not like it.

Doesn't that kind of render it useless then?

With people you expect to see again, yes.

In tabletop, I've made use of Friends in interrogations, with wandering merchants, or while disguised. Never in a friendly city or other hub.

[Ghost]

Originally posted by Yojo0o:

Originally posted by Quadsword:

Doesn't that kind of render it useless then?

With people you expect to see again, yes.

In tabletop, I've made use of Friends in interrogations, with wandering merchants, or while disguised. Never in a friendly city or other hub.

^ This. Disguise yourself first or don't use it on people you expect to interact with again.

[Lord Adorable]

Originally posted by Ghost:

Originally posted by Yojo0o:

With people you expect to see again, yes.

In tabletop, I've made use of Friends in interrogations, with wandering merchants, or while disguised. Never in a friendly city or other hub.

^ This. Disguise yourself first or don't use it on people you expect to interact with again.

That's actually a great idea. Disguise Self can also be used to cast 'Speak with Dead' on someone you killed so long as the corpse dosn't 'see' you do it.

[RealDealBreaker]

Originally posted by Quadsword:

Originally posted by Lord Adorable:

If you use spells like Friends or Charm Person, the tooltips do tell you that when the spell effect wears off the person you used it on will realize you did something to them.

And they do not like it.

Doesn't that kind of render it useless then?

No, as others have said it is really for those situations where you do not expect to encounter the target again. But think of it this way: as a cantrip you can cast the spell as often as you want (i.e., it uses no resources) and didn't have a downside it would be a disgustingly overpowered ability.