Making Dancing Lights, Friends and Light a More Attractive Choice

[JohnTitusRenzi]

Dancing Lights
4 torch lights or 1 medium humanoid sized light as described and
Cast this at the beginning of the encounter as your first action.
All targets are distracted by your dancing lights and reroll their initiative - 1d4.

Friends
cha checks at advantage as described
or
Your target is hostile to you. Rolls a Wisdom Save vs your Spell DC.
On a failed save, the target attacks one of your allies, not you
till the start of its next turn

Light
(notice that the spell description was already suggesting this in a vague way)
20ft+20ft dim light illumination
and
1 target is marked in illumination
and is attacked at advantage
till the start of your next turn

 

[transcendantviewer]

I personally don't believe Light needs anything special. It technically does that already, when a DM is a bit creative. But aside from that, it's free light. Forever. Without a gold cost. You just stick it on somebody's weapon, have them make an Intimidation Check, and everybody believes he's got a Flaming Sword. I don't know how to feel about your modification to Friends, but I do kind of like what you did with Dancing Lights. Problem is... Once initiative is established, you can't change it. The only way this mode of Dancing Lights would work would be if you were going first in the initiative order, before they get to act. I'm still fond of using it with a bit of planning to set up an ambush or a decoy, however.

 

[jodyjohnson]

I like the changes to Friends and Dancing Lights. I would be fine with the spell modifying the Initiative order since I write down the numbers (-1d4 or even -1d8 to make an actual difference with a failed save).

 

[jodyjohnson]

Problem is... you can't change it. ....

Blasphemy on the House rule forums.

Especially in light of how many tables add Delay back in as a house rule.

 

[Eltab]

I haven't played with Friends yet, but for the uses suggested by the description, I would have the PC and target make an opposed skill check at the end of the normal duration to see if the PC can 'hold the effect' for a while longer (Persuasion vs. Insight, I suppose). When the PC is done, another opposed check keeps the effect up for a little while longer so he has time to clear the area. Effect drops definitively when line of sight / line of effect is broken. THEN the target realizes 'he was using magic on me'.