True Strike Useless?

[765]

I am struggling to find a good use for it, outside of really slippery enemies with a lot of HP, which I haven't really come across yet, because it feels vs everything else the extra attack I could do instead works just as well.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Yes, it's almost completely pointless. Unless you wanted to set up a really powerful attack that you only get to use once per rest and wanted to be absolutely sure it hit...although since all True Strike does is give advantage, there are plenty other ways to gain advantage, so it's still not that useful.

Blade Ward is another cantrip that is almost worthless.

[765]

Escrito originalmente por pandariuskairos:

Yes, it's almost completely pointless. Unless you wanted to set up a really powerful attack that you only get to use once per rest and wanted to be absolutely sure it hit...although since all True Strike does is give advantage, there are plenty other ways to gain advantage, so it's still not that useful.

Blade Ward is another cantrip that is almost worthless.

I feel that way purely based on my limited experience.
I keep thinking to myself when I jump into the thick of it I might come across a situation where I will want to "just survive", but so far it always ends up being just as good, if not better, to use that action for trying to take out a key target instead, helping me survive that way.

[Jack Hawklight]

I have never used it even once. I have played many hours and multiple playthroughs.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Escrito originalmente por Gaming Celt:

Escrito originalmente por pandariuskairos:

Yes, it's almost completely pointless. Unless you wanted to set up a really powerful attack that you only get to use once per rest and wanted to be absolutely sure it hit...although since all True Strike does is give advantage, there are plenty other ways to gain advantage, so it's still not that useful.

Blade Ward is another cantrip that is almost worthless.

I feel that way purely based on my limited experience.
I keep thinking to myself when I jump into the thick of it I might come across a situation where I will want to "just survive", but so far it always ends up being just as good, if not better, to use that action for trying to take out a key target instead, helping me survive that way.

The problem with it is that all it does is let you roll twice, but it takes you two actions (and thus two turns) to do it, while simply attacking twice achieves literally the same thing (rolling two dice) and has the potential to at least hit twice if you're lucky. And then to make matters worse, it also requires concentration. I mean, it's just absolutely terrible.

True Strike seems to completely forget about the action economy and how it works.

It should be a bonus action instead, or maybe grant a +2 to hit.

Blade Ward is similarly pointless, in that you have to give up an action to take 1/2 damage, but at the expense of hitting your enemy. If you did nothing but use Blade Ward every turn, you'd still die, just half as fast. It's always better to hit and kill your enemy, because killing them will stop them from hitting you. Blade Ward should also be a bonus action, or maybe it should last an additional turn. If it lasted even one turn longer than it currently does, I'd probably consider it worthwhile.

[[Pallet Town] Gary Oak]

Blade ward is very situational. But can be extremely effective.
Eg. My abjuration dex based tank wizard with mage armour on is ambushed or whatever with no misty step available. I can cast blade ward to absorb most the agro for the turn or delay the enemies and keep agro while the rest of the party attack from a distance.
Or use a turn to stack up most of the mob then cast thunderwave on the next turn for more economic value from the spell.
It's a great spell, I rate it.

[Shoob]

It's actually pretty nice in BG3, as compared to the garbage it is in the table top game, but it doesn't really show it's true power at level 4 or below. Eldritch Knights get an ability at level 7 where they may attack once as a bonus action after using a cantrip on their turn. Having advantage on 3 attacks over 2 turns is pretty good, as opposed to 4 regular attacks (albeit with one less bonus action used).
Moreover, dual wielding characters like rangers and rogues can use it to some success, since they can use an off-hand attack after using True Strike on the first turn, and the follow up with another two attacks with advantage on the second turn.
When using the feats Great Weapon Master and Sharpshooter, it can be used to net much easier hits, which with extra attack quickly ramps up the damage you deal. Having the effect be active throughout the turn it is cast and the next one is kind of great with the right build.

[stimpatch]

I don't mind Blade Ward too much, but I find it's most useful when you can drop it on someone right before a combat so you don't waste any actions on it. Think of it this way: If you can prevent 4+ hp of damage that's basically a free heal at the cost of a cantrip.

True Strike on the other hand, is terrible. But that's no fault of Larian or anything -- it's never been any good in tabletop RPG's dating all the way back to D&D 3.0/3.5. I've been tabletop gaming for years, gamed at conventions, etc. Not once have I seen anyone bother with it. Literally anything else you could be doing is always going to be more useful than setting up a True Strike.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Escrito originalmente por stimpatch:

I don't mind Blade Ward too much, but I find it's most useful when you can drop it on someone right before a combat so you don't waste any actions on it. Think of it this way: If you can prevent 4+ hp of damage that's basically a free heal at the cost of a cantrip.

True Strike on the other hand, is terrible. But that's no fault of Larian or anything -- it's never been any good in tabletop RPG's dating all the way back to D&D 3.0/3.5. I've been tabletop gaming for years, gamed at conventions, etc. Not once have I seen anyone bother with it. Literally anything else you could be doing is always going to be more useful than setting up a True Strike.

That was my feeling too, if I could 'prep' Blade Ward before going into battle, it's free damage prevention - but I also found that preventing a couple of hit points here and there not worth using up one of my choices of cantrips, so I'd only do that if I were playing a Wizard and could learn all the spells (I know in TT you can't scribe cantrips, only leveled spells, but right now in BG3 you can also learn cantrips), or if I had so many cantrip choices and not enough cantrips to choose from (Sorcerers).

[KingOfFriedChicken]

I often used it if my fighter was the first in initiative in one playthru with Great Weapon Master and Action surge. with the -5 getting advantage made a difference and you get a 2nd attack if you either kill or crit, especially if it was a crit on boss/mini boss style foe in the game thats a 2nd strike you get. NOW i know you could just use action surge and hope for 3 strikes but thats just how i did that play thru. i wouldnt say it was useless.... but it wasnt the most useful skill i could have chosen. I think forcing yourself to use a skill to test it is better then just saying its useless without trying at all though.

On another note it can trigger arcane tricksters sneak attack because it grants advantage again not super useful if its full party or not the first initiative but its also not a spell slot used in some cases.

I think a nifty rework of this if it was possible and people agreed is allowing any next attack that hit the target to get that advantage so if a spell caster was low on spells they could still use true strike for the next player in initiative like ranger or rouge to gain a single strike of advantage might be a cool rework and not make it OP.

[765]

Escrito originalmente por Shoob:

It's actually pretty nice in BG3, as compared to the garbage it is in the table top game, but it doesn't really show it's true power at level 4 or below. Eldritch Knights get an ability at level 7 where they may attack once as a bonus action after using a cantrip on their turn. Having advantage on 3 attacks over 2 turns is pretty good, as opposed to 4 regular attacks (albeit with one less bonus action used).
Moreover, dual wielding characters like rangers and rogues can use it to some success, since they can use an off-hand attack after using True Strike on the first turn, and the follow up with another two attacks with advantage on the second turn.
When using the feats Great Weapon Master and Sharpshooter, it can be used to net much easier hits, which with extra attack quickly ramps up the damage you deal. Having the effect be active throughout the turn it is cast and the next one is kind of great with the right build.

Aaahhh makes sense...

[dolby]

Escrito originalmente por Shoob:

It's actually pretty nice in BG3, as compared to the garbage it is in the table top game, but it doesn't really show it's true power at level 4 or below. Eldritch Knights get an ability at level 7 where they may attack once as a bonus action after using a cantrip on their turn. Having advantage on 3 attacks over 2 turns is pretty good, as opposed to 4 regular attacks (albeit with one less bonus action used).
Moreover, dual wielding characters like rangers and rogues can use it to some success, since they can use an off-hand attack after using True Strike on the first turn, and the follow up with another two attacks with advantage on the second turn.
When using the feats Great Weapon Master and Sharpshooter, it can be used to net much easier hits, which with extra attack quickly ramps up the damage you deal. Having the effect be active throughout the turn it is cast and the next one is kind of great with the right build.

All of this can be done without using it especially if you play the game as party based rpg. Advantage Is so easy to get. Even now without backstab.. Not to mention, sadly it's just one of a few buffs that 5e actully gives players.. If you ask me that's the main problem for a video game.

Having pretty much one MAIN debuff - buff for everything.
It doesn't streamline anything in a video game cos you don't need this kind of streamlining in a video game... Games are already approachable they don't need diluted and simple systems like this. They do fine without them.

Anyway even in the cases above the cantrip it's an edge case at best.
The game is kinda full of examples like this.

I would adapt the ♥♥♥♥ out of 5e. ANd i would end my adaptation with rework of cantrips.

At least Larian did some homebrew around changes so that's good.
Maybe one day we will see the numbers for EA on how many times FIrebolt or eldritch were cast compared to True Strike. That gap in the number is absurd i'm sure.

[Beetle in a jar]

For years players of DnD 5e have been saying the same thing. True strikes uses are so niche that it is essentially useless.

[765]

Escrito originalmente por This is a Profile Name:

For years players of DnD 5e have been saying the same thing. True strikes uses are so niche that it is essentially useless.

I can see the nature of the spell being an issue for balance where even the slightest improvement could shift it way past "good" and into "mandatory/meta", but that's just a guess.

Though off the top of my head I can come up with a few balancing ideas, like making it a bonus action but costing HP to cast.

[dolby]

Escrito originalmente por Gaming Celt:

Escrito originalmente por This is a Profile Name:

For years players of DnD 5e have been saying the same thing. True strikes uses are so niche that it is essentially useless.

I can see the nature of the spell being an issue for balance where even the slightest improvement could shift it way past "good" and into "mandatory/meta", but that's just a guess.

Though off the top of my head I can come up with a few balancing ideas, like making it a bonus action but costing HP to cast.

ow yeah that would be cool for those threshold HP items. Wouldn't have to FF anymore:))

THere is loads of stuff you could do. Just the question of how close to 5e you want to be.

[guard65]

The only way True Strike would work correctly is if it costed a bonus action and was only usable once per combat. More than once per combat and you will have advantage on every attack round because why not use it every round.