Last week I was attacked by a bear and all of my arms and legs were torn off and my entrails tugged out. With my last ebb of strength I subscribed to this channel and my limbs immediately grew back and the bear not only placed my guts back within me unscathed but also wrote me a sincere apology letter.
To start the semester, I was failing all my courses, and I was going to be expelled on grounds of creating an illegal aquarium on campus. In desperation, I subscribed to this channel, and suddenly, I aced all assignments, past and present, and was being presented an award for my innovative use of fish in creating a productive work environment.
Not saying that subscribing to the channel will allow you relentless endurance during a bear attack. But the evidence shows that it may have something to do with it.
Favorite use of scribes wizard so far: Our party was getting screwed up by the boss (a dragon). I blocked him off with a wall of force so we could flee and, after getting a substantial lead, began ritual casting Tiny Hut over one minute using the awakened spell book feature. Of course, wall of force dropped because of concentration, but we were far enough away that the dragon couldn’t catch up in a minute. We proceeded to short rest to heal and regain some abilities. The dragon was waiting for us. I put my manifested mind next to the dragon and caught it with a spherical wall of force. I then began to casually fireball the dragon at will from the manifested mind’s space before dropping the wall of force so the two rogues could finish it off with readied (sneak) attacks. My character is a chef so my spells are written in the margins of a cook book and my manifested mind is a spectral hobbit Gordon Ramsey named Gordon Took. My spellbook is The Gordon Took Cook Book.
Colby, you inspire me to be a Gishy asshole in every game I play now. You are amazing, and I love seeing content you and Chris create separately, but even more the collaboration you’ve done since the playtest packets have been released, don’t ever quit being your best Gish self.
This really is the single coolest feature a wiz can get if you're not trying to gish. It's so nuts it seems like it should have been from a Crit Role book
@@Fl0wchartNo. You can't. "You brandish the weapon used in the spell’s casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you. **On a hit**, the target suffers the weapon attack’s normal effects and then becomes sheathed in booming energy until the start of your next turn." If your weapon doesn't hit the enemy, the spell doesn't work.
@@CitizenCain1 Yes. You can. When you cast a spell through your Manifested Mind, you treat it as if you are standing in your Manifested Mind's location. No ifs, ands, or buts. Rules as Written, you ARE standing in that spot. You can make attack rolls from that spot if they are part of the casting of that spell.
@@TreantmonksTemple Look, I don’t think WotC have seen this video yet, so we have time. You need to run. Get your family and a few personal items and make for the American border as fast as you can. There’s a family in Maine who work for the Kobold Press underground. They can hide you.
Counterpoint. Any creature that has the ability to swallow has unoccupied space inside of it. It would have to to allow it to swallow creatures and put them in that space.
Counter-counterpoint. Conjuring inside the purple worm would fail for the same reason you can't cast create water inside another creature. You can't conjure inside another creature (even the vacant spaces inside that creature).
All of it bro Just keep stacking what ever it is, it only takes 2min/lvl it's nothing for you in long camp Remember if you find a spell book, don't copy the spells Instead of wasting money, just write your arcane sigil on it for a short rest BOOM, ALL of your spells are transferred to the new book You add all the spells for free!
There is a scribes wizard at my table. This will help me as a dm make sure the player is using these features right & increase their enjoyment of the character 🎉 Thanks
This is a really good rundown. The only thing I'd push back on as a DM is being in a beholder's antimagic cone. I would rule that this breaks your clearly magical connection to your manifest mind.
Doesn’t matter. The only thing an Antimagic Field would do, assuming the spectral mind was not inside it, is cause your telepathy with it to cease functioning, but the ability to cast a spell through the spectral mind does not require the telepathy to be functioning.
@@kristianperez4108 You aren’t considered to be in the Antimagic Field when you cast the spell. “Whenever you cast a wizard spell on your turn, you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind's space, instead of your own, using its senses.”
@@burgernthemomrailer You can't cast it in the first place, so further consideration cannot happen. The same is true if someone tries to counterspell you. These things take precedence the moment you begin or try to begin casting the spell, the book only takes precedence once you have.
@@kristianperez4108 Wrong. From the Antimagic Field spell: “A slot expended to cast a suppressed spell is consumed.” Ergo, a creature inside an Antimagic Field spell can still take the Cast a Spell action. The spell’s effect is simply suppressed. However, if you are not in a space affected by Antimagic Field at the moment of casting, then the spell’s effect is not suppressed, as you are not in a space affected by Antimagic Field.
I like putting up a Wall of Fire (dealing force damage) around your enemies and having your Manifest Mind hover on the opposite side, such that you can Pulse Wave them back into the AoE regardless of which direction they escape. However, ask your DM before assuming you can choose Dunamancy spells from Wildemount.
Yep, I was thinking something similar when he brought up pulse wave. It's a great spell but depends on your DM if they will not only allow you use the source book but also since you're not a Dunamancy sub-class if they would let you take the spell at all since they are intended to only be used with Dunamancy casters only. You could however substitute it with a thunder wave, not as powerful but still gets the job done on at least two of the targets.
How do you use the spell (added to the stuff mentioned in the video): Prepare Knock. Your mind won’t be blocked by doors anymore. Also you can lure guards away from your position and right into a fireball from the mind. On a similar note prepare Arcane lock to remove guards from play (as they can’t burst out of the door). Because the mind is an object most spells can’t even target it so it has inherent protection against blindness/deafness. Finally there might be some idiotic stuff you can do with clone and magic jar (as those need a component decided by your size and as the manifested mind needs less space than you, you could theoretically clone yourself to be tiny. In conclusion this feature is way more powerful than I remember it to be and the scribe wizard as a hole is in my opinion the strongest wizard in terms of utility. Have a nice day AEther
Although the manifest mind cannot pass through objects, it is classified as a tiny object itself; it should be able to circumnavigate anything with a large enough space to pass a coin through. Even in our world is it rare that a door is perfectly fitted ceiling to floor - usually that is only for exterior doors that are meant to keep out the elements. A case could be made that some of the interior doors do have a way for something tiny to go over/under/around it. If there is any kind of ventilation or plumbing in the structure, you could possibly also send the manifest mind through that.
Since the Spectral Mind can't move through objects, monsters can (temporarily) deal with it by putting a bucket over its head like its a bethesda game. Which also means there can be some funny benny hill music playing while they chase it with a butterfly net.
I have recently ( this week ) had a campaign where I sent my book into this tomb and casted a magic circle from 300ft away...against undead...who were pretty much all melee...yeah...Their fault for going against wizards tbh. Maybe this is not the best time to make this joke, but the manifest mind is literally a predatory drone. It's a drone strike angle.
Glad to see manifest mind being recognized for its strength. I played an archivist Artificer during the third Artificer UA, and it had the same feature. An excellent scout. The fact that it is a magical apparition that casts light is a downside compared to familiars that seem to just be a regular animal. As an artificer, I've hidden it inside of or just about flames before, manifesting as flame or bits of smoke. The misty step trick is something I hadn't considered - though obviously I didn't have it on my artificer.
can be argued that Misty Step and Thunder step are working differently, for MS's Range is self (not the spectral object's place, but your original self) whereas Thunder Step's Range is 90 ft
@@kkrisztian2Misty Step has a range of self, but “you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind’s space,” and the spell allows you to teleport to an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you, but you are currently considered to be in the mind’s space, so it still works out.
I've been waiting for a while for the second half of this. It was actually on my mind earlier this week. This is like the echo knight for wizards. And yeah of course it's way better because it's for wizards😂
I have had the absolute pleasure of playing an Order of Scribes wizard as part of a west marches game for several years now where, in addition to getting all the way from level 5-19, I have also been able to spearhead coordination with all the other wizard players in the game to collect every published spell in the game. I am thus both proud and very slightly disappointed that I had already figured out all of these tactics.
There's a lengthy thread on the Beyond forums about Misty Step and whether it works with Manifest Mind in the way you described here. I side with the faction that says it doesn't.
I played a Scribes wizard in a Dragonlance setting that got to play 2 sessions after attaining this ability. I had considered many of these interactions, but not nearly as many as you have Treantmonk. You are a wonderful boon to the 5e community, thank you for your content and continued hard work.
When this subclass came out I had an idea for a character but I ended up scrapping it, now I wanna play that character again. It was going to be a wizard who found a cursed spellbook, now that I understand how spectral mind really works it could be the ghost of the spellbook's creator
Thanks, I was struggling to understand how I could imagine a book becoming sentient as a manifested mind connected to mine. I guess this is the reason the class is not widely played: people struggle with the fantasy behind it.
ive been using scribes wizard for sooo long combined with a dash of your god build (the knowledge cleric fits so well). immensely happy youre covering it!
I will note, there are some interactions you mentioned here that are dubious RAW/RAI. Specifically, the antimagic cone and the misty step across the ravine. Explicitly; 1. The manifested mind ability itself would almost certainly be considered magical, and thus prevented by an antimagic field. 2. In addition, the 30ft limitation of misty step is probably referring to your own location, regardless of where you cast it from. I mention this because I don't want players to see the video, and assume it will always function this way. Similarly, GM's can and probably should interpret the ability to function in the two ways mentioned above.
i am SOO glad i picked Order of Scribes as my first ever character to play in DnD. I looked at this feature initially and thought it was pretty poweful but i didnt realise how powerful and useful it was until i watched your video! Wow thanks for all the tips and suggestions on how to utilise this amazing feature. currently Level4 and cant wait to get to 6th level!
The trivial counter to a spectral mind is to put a bucket over it. Heck, depending on DM ruling, a cloak thrown over it may be sufficient. It can't pass through solid objects after all
One thing I noticed about Manifest Mind is that the description says it can't pass trough objects, so that means that constructs, undead and creatures wearing clothes (like gloves) could interact with it. So they could (try to) grapple it and put it in a box for example. That's one way for a dm to try to kind of limit the power of this feature.
8:48 There is actually a cost to it. A minor and mostly hidden one but a cost none the less. In the PHB it is specified that you can only take one of the “(no action required)” actions per turn. A secondary might be permitted by the Dm but than it takes a hole action to do. So as long as you share your vision with the mind you cant open doors, draw your weapon or pick up something unless you are willing to use up your action.
It doesn't say that you can take one "no action required" action, it says that you can only interact with one object or feature of the environment per turn without using an action. However, it says that you can 'You can communicate however you are able, through brief utterances and gestures, as you take your turn'. It seems much more likely that communicating with you manifested mind is supposed to come under the communication clause, not the object interaction clause. (PHB, chapter 9, your turn, other activity on your turn)
@@luka2784 In the german cover of the book it states that if you wish to interact with a second object you have to use your action. I interpret “Other activities” as such no action requires as they aren’t listed as an action or bonus action or anything else. In case of the manifested mind its even clearer as the mind is part of your environment and is a tiny object and you interact with it. Those informations are from the same part of the PHB you just mentioned so I highly recommend you double check for yourself if the german cover is wrong with this. But as far as I can tell: You’re argumentation is not complete and as such your evaluation is wrong.
@@aetherwolf9288 I see no reason to conclude that anything that says 'no action required' is an object interaction. I think that given specific beats general, and it is specifically stated that their is no action required to communicate with the mind, it would be a very strange ruling to say that sometimes you have to use your action. For instance, lets say I use my object interaction to open a door, and then want to communicate with the mind. I according to you, I wound now have to use my action for a feature that explicitly says no action required. Further more, in the section I referenced, separated to object interaction, their is text on communication, which I previously quoted, which I think would be must more applicable than the object interaction clause.
@@luka2784 Fair points. However your quote specifically only mentions gesticulated communication. Also there is a difference between features that explicitly stated that they require no action and such that don’t mention anything. For example the manifested mind requires no action. Telepathy as a spell doesn’t mention if the communication needs an action or not. I personally would interpret it as if it isn’t specified if it takes no action it acts similar to a sense (like the elder brains psychic links). However if it is specified they can be classed as an interaction (dismissing an echo for an echo knight or breaking the link for an elder brain). Even if you don’t agree the communication action just mentions gesticulated communication. Verbal communication has no direct limit (however it can be assumed to work similar to the sending spell rules).
I've been hunting around for videos about this subclass for a little while now. I've wanted to try it out, but haven't actually played a wizard in 5e, so this is really helpful. Can't wait for the build!
Only counter I can see for this is for an enemy to try to throw a blanket or a container over it. The mind doesn't have a stat block, so it doesn't have any ability to avoid being blanketed. Obviously, use this sparingly and only where it's plausible that a suitable object would be available to trap the mind Edit: Also, the player would have the option to use a spell to help the mind escape, so they're not screwed. Fire bolt, thunderwave, etc
Ah only problem with that is that the mind is intangible, so potentially some objects just pass through, like a blanket, but yeah a crate or panels providing total cover could potentially work it seems
Many of these manifest mind bonus do still apply to familiar, with the familiar being in some ways more capable, just with that serious risk of being splatted. So always worth considering which one suits the way you want to play more. I'd also suggest some of the target self spells and that interaction are open to interpretation - you can cast a spell as if you were in the minds space great you can cast mistystep there, but can't actually target 'self' for the misty step as your 'self' is out of range. So I'd suggest you can misty step the Mind itself, but not your corporeal form from the mind's space as you are not there to target. Obviously like teleporting inside a creature the DM may or may not allow, but it could be interpreted both ways. I think I'd lean towards RAW meaning target 'self' would be targeting the tiny object you are casting through and not the casters own body - so you still gain from the vision bonus letting you see around obstacle but are limited to 30' from where you physically where.
I am so happy a second person realized what I did a long time ago- this is a very powerful school. From blasting to info gathering and every god-wiz trick in the book. Having two locations is made powerful. And if it looks like you then the shenanigans will make the DM toss chips at you till you stop.
In a previous campaign I played a variant of your godmage and my DM gave me a Modron familiar that eventually was upgraded to let me cast spells from its space. Even with familiar durability remote casting was SO fun and so very useful time and again. Especially when a combat starts getting spread out in a larger map, the ability to cast from two different locations was extremely tactically powerful.
Scribes wizard combines hilariously well with echoknight if you cast Resilient sphere on yourself. Than manifest your echo and your mind outside of it and only a disintegrate spell can make you hittable again. 😁😁😁🤣🤪😜 Edit: works best with a gestalt campaign. Though I would be tempted to also either dip order domain or get some sorcerer for metamagic.
I'm normally a forever DM, but I managed to play an Order of Scribes Wizard at a con last year and it's amazing how good the Manifest Mind was for me. However, there's one thing I think you missed, or at least glossed over. Since the Mind persists over a long rest, as long as the wizard is willing to move it wherever they want to see rather than conjure it in place, they can conjure its replacement without expending a spell slot so long as they hadn't conjured it that day. So just conjure it the day before the adventure, then boom--you can replace it for free as needed.
ive manifested the mind through the Conquest paladin's Horse (can travel through creatures), and i affected it with [dragon breath]. it would then breath poison/fire (depending on opponent) during my turn ( I cast it, i concentrate on it, i control it). the Bard would shout "The nightmare is Raging again!" And try to 'intimidate' opponents. Then the conquest paladin would [Aura of Fear].
I might be overly restrictive on this, but I think I would rule that you cannot cast spells from the manifested mind's space if you are in an anti-magic zone, since your main body would still be casting the spell.
If that's the hard rule of how you decide, then it stands to reason that spells cast from the mind's space can be counterspelled unless the enemy can see your body and is within range of it.
@@Levyathyn I am not sure I agree it follows that a caster being in an ant-magic zone preventing using manifested mind, or a familiar to cast a spell outside that zone means that counterspell can only target the caster... This might be harsh, and overly weaken Manifest Mind, and familiars, but I think I would rule counterspell could target either the caster, or the manifested mind/familiar. From a worldbuilding perspective, I would say that you are providing the power for the spell, so being an anti-magic zone would prevent you from supplying the power needed for the mind, or familiar to cast a spell. However, when casting a spell via the mind, or a familiar, they would be proactively coordinating casting the spell, making them a viable target for being counterspelled.
I love these videos, because while my regular game is pretty light on combat and I don't need to worry about optimizing for maximum effectiveness, I feel like because of Chris I always have a good sense of like, a few go-to moves. My two main characters are a scribes wizard and twilight cleric, and I don't make NEARLY full use of all their potential, but whenever we go into combat I definitely feel like I know how to pitch in without dragging the group down (unlike a friend of mine who keeps walking his squishy sorcerer into melee combat and then begging for healing lol)
With a 2 level rogue dip or using the goblin species you can bonus action hide to stay safe. Also, I think you mentioned this, but if I do a cone attack spell from directly above the AoE is now a circle which is a great targeting option
I like the idea. I am hesitant to play small sized races due the size limitation on some teleport spells ( All my Party member are Medium+) but i will consider the rouge dip, thank you :)
I agree that this is strong but I think the second level feat might be the most powerful. You can create some wild combinations with element tweaking, like combining magic missile (fire) with mundane oil fired from a catapult spell or thrown by an ally for horrific damage output (1d4+1>1d4+6). Add an Imbued Wood Focus (fire) and a 1 level dip of Hex Blade warlock and that turns into a minimum of 1d4+9 PER dart (Wiz level 2). (Imbued Wood Focus works for al darts because magic missile technically only performs a single d4 roll)
Im doing an owlin mage that is pretty much an adventures version of Blathers from Animal Crossing and this guide has helped me a think of some really cool ideas. Thanks a bunch!
One thing I’d like to add, it doesn’t say you can see what the Mind sees. Find familiar specifically says you can see and hear through the familiar’s senses, where this says it can share what it sees telepathically. To me this means that it has to describe to you what it is seeing/hearing. The mind would need to make perception or investigation checks to notice certain things and then describe to you what it sees:
Or maybe point buy 🤔 it starts at 8int, 6wis, 6cha and they get 16 points to spend. You can have an all around slightly above average intelligent book, or a really smart book that’s either not that wise, or an a** hole 😂 You have Sheldon in book form 😂
I believe this scribe subclass was once an Artificer subclass. I played it in a Strahd campaign and I really regretted it - the magic eye buddy familiar was great but was overall lacking for an artificer. In the hands of a wizard, however, it looks very powerful.
I really enjoy your work as it is very comprehensive, based on RAW / RAI, and provides useful example(s) for players and DMs. I do have a question based on video and spell description: Am I mistaken or are you saying you can move the Mind in any way / direction except vertically? Based on wording it can only hover (no horizonal movement, no speed listed) at the point where you located the initial casting. So it is a fixed camera, not a drone based video feed. Manifest Mind is still an amazing means of recon and may explain why there is no limit on the number of Minds you can have active at once. You could blanket an area with multiple minds but not move any of them from their casting location. Technically it does not say it is omni-directional so it may be limited in its field of view. I look forward to your thoughts, thank you for all of your excellent work.
The direction something is facing is an optional rule. Creatures are generally assumed to have 360 vision. The mind doesn't technically have it's own move speed but the wizard can move it. "As a bonus action, you can cause the spectral mind to hover up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you or it can see. It can pass through creatures but not objects." Hovering is a type of flight which would allow vertical movement.
I know I'm commenting on an old video, but having played one of these for a bit now, wanted to add some things that DMs can keep in mind so as not to let these get over-overpowered. 1) The manifest mind is a light source that cannot be shut off. It is not sneaky, and can call attention to the whole party sometimes. 2) Unlike a familiar, the wizard does not actually see directly through the manifest mind's senses, rather it can "telepathically share with you what it sees and hears". My understanding is that it just gives a verbal description to you. Lots of room for GM to determine what it assumes is relevant or how much detail. That said, I wish it provided guidance on how it handles something that would need a perception check. There may be an exception when casting a spell through it, as it actually says "using its senses" in that clause; This might be complicated by concentration spells - detect magic comes to mind. 3) This required a judgement call, but but it also opens some remote-casting questions that are not an issue with wizard familiars. I would rule that the misty step example in this video is not possible for two reasons, which come down to what the ability does *not* say. So you cast as if you are in that location, and you cast as if you see from that location, but you aren't actually there. So the target for misty step is "Self". From that location across the ravine and down, you may not have an unobstructed path to "Self" while casting, required to target. Also it would still limit to relocating actual-you 30 feet, because that has nothing to do with the vision or casting location. If the spell had a "Range" of 30 feet, targeting a location you can see, that'd be different. 3a) Side effect of my interpretation of #3: Counterspelling a scribe wizard requires actual-wizard to be a valid target, and I don't believe there would be any indication a spell was being cast.
The best part about using cone spells with the Manifest Mind is that you can basically turn them into circles of whatever diameter you choose. Want to hit four creatures in a 10ft square but need to exclude some allies? Just hover your MM above them and cast straight down.
Can you imagine how fun it would be to play an Echo Knight that multiclasses into an Order of Scribes Wizard? Between the Echoes and the Manifest Mind, you'd have a bunch of options to play with!
You also have to keep in mind the NPCs' competence and knowledge, as well as what the player flavors the Manifest Mind to look like. Because you can have a smart player flavors the manifest mind as a wraith/ghost or a 1-1 copy of the player and they can use rp to make NPCs think that the entity is immune to magic or invulnerable. Because unless the npc has a high passive Arcana or makes a high Arcana roll, they wouldn't know to cast dispel magic on the Manifest Mind.
Just watched the wonderful oneshot with you and the DC20 rules: Romeo and Juliet. Be interested in seeing how high your 1st level PD was and what type of crunchy feedback you're giving the coach. I got the 0.4pdf on your recommendation (and DC10 discount!) and am aiming to drive my 5e table to closely follow it and support it. Sally's stubborn body guarding of Juliet saved a lot of grief in the game and I really enjoyed and laughed out loud a lot (anyone reading this you can watch it at 1.5x speed is fine). I almost never watch any online games, with the exception of Seth Skorkowsky's modern CoC one as tabloid journalists; but will watch any DC20 ones as I think the coach has nailed a heroic fantasy system on the resurrected bones of 5e, similar terms, familiar fantasy concepts and a delightful meshing of action points, squares, health points and cinematic action. One day I might sit back, relax and play some DC20, because DC20 is for everyone.
I can't manifest my own mind, but this video sure expanded my mind about that feature (I'm definitely looking at this subclass in a different way now).
Very nice ideas indeed! I liked especially the casting through walls part. I have been playing around with only casting darkness to my manifest mind 😅By how I have interpreted RAW it would allow me to cast the spell to an object and move the mind to place I can see but it cannot.
I had really intense leg cramps. After a while I noticed the skin on my legs had grown bark like and my toes had extended into roots and had planted themselves in the earth. My lower extremities turned tree like and I could no longer move. Fortunately I had my phone with me and one very small very easy click of the subsribe button and my condition completely cleared up, except I can still plop out an acorn on demand. (loved the DC20 1 shot!)
No I haven’t seen such a thorough explanation of manifest mind before, they ban the subclass the moment they see “Alter the spells damage” and don’t even look at the rest.
@TreantmonksTemple It can be argued that Misty Step and Thunder step are working differently, for MS's Range is self (not the spectral object's place, but your original self) whereas Thunder Step's Range is 90 ft, but can be judged otherwise, according to: "you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind's space" - which one do you think is RAW?
My scribes wizard once got in a measuring contest with a higher level wizard, After about 3 manifested minds the dm realised it was not sustainable to keep dispelling the manifested mind, and just let it get a peek.
I'm an 8th level Scribe Wizard at the moment. A fun trick I use as an ambush technique (as well as a way to protect the party as a long rest) is ritual-casting Leomund's Tiny Hut and then leaving the Manifest Mind on the outside. Normally, the Hut prevents spellcasting from going through either direction, but with the Manifest Mind on the outside, I can cast spells while being within the perfect safety of my Hut. And if I don't want to burn a Spell-Platform usage that round (or I have a concentration spell like Flaming Snowball or Summon Undead running), I can use ranged weapons from within the Hut without penalty since "creatures and objects within the dome when you cast the spell can move through it freely." As a joke, I sometimes use my turn to manage the Manifest Mind and whatever BC spell I've running and then just stay inside the Hut reading a book instead of (seemingly) paying attention to the fight around me (something the party finds humorous since I have a tiny blank book I use as a prop to act this out when I do it; I also use slamming it shut as my somatic component for Counterspell). The party benefits too, since we see out but others can't see in; free sneak attack on an Elven Accuracy longbow specialist Rogue is juicy. 🐍
After your previous episode, it makes me wonder if maybe a change to how spell components worked might help with the issue of wizards wearing armor and carrying shields all the time. Specifically, by requiring the spell components/spell focus be in a different hand than the hand that uses the somatic components. Classes like cleric already have the option of emblems on shields, and a number of subclasses that use weapons can also use them as spell foci, so they aren't limited in the same way. But by adding that change, you have situations where the wizard has to make a meaningful decision about whether to keep their hand open to spellcasting certain spells, to limit their spells to ones without material components so that they can use a shield, etc...
Order of the scribe wizards don't get access to Pulse wave. Its only available for Chronugy and Graviturgy wizards so the combo mentioned at 11:00 could not work. I checked a few other sources and they told me that most DMs wouldn't let you use a spell from Wildmount if you were not in that setting anyway, and that wizards can't scribe or use spells that don't show up in their allowed spell lists. Unless i'm missing some detail or rule that allows the use of it .
Question! Say you've got a spell that targets some creature you can see. Well, if you can see around corners... do you even HAVE to cast from the book's position? You're able to see them via the book, so as long as they're within range from you to them for the spell in question, could you technically not use this to bend spells around corners without actually using the limited uses? It only says it's limited uses {when you cast from the book as if you were standing there}. Now obviously, if it's a lightning bolt spell, that's a straight line so going around cover doesn't work. But.... what about Hold Person? Theoretically, could you not lock a target in place in there room BEFORE you even break in, then break in without them being able to cry out since they're Held?
I would ask my DM to allow this combo: . Summon it with a bonus action (hovering 10 feet above an ally). . As a "Magic Action", a variant of the "Ready" action: "Ready: Shield" consuming a spellslot of level 1 (or higher) & lasting for 1 minute, or until is triggered with a reaction. . As a Reaction to an ally within 10 feet being hit (that my character can take, using the Manifested senses), it casts the Spell "Shield" [manifested as a Tiny 1 foot Sphere of invulnerability around it], that then can use up to 10 feet of its remaining movement to interpose itself like a flying Buckler Shield (increasing the effective AC of the ally by +1, possibly turning the hit into a miss). Once triggered, this protective effect lasts until the begining of my character next turn (or until the ally moves away by 5 feet or more), applying its benefit to all further attacks. It can also be used to move the Manifested Mind by targetting & grappling it with an attack (anyone), or with an action (allies). The contested STR & DEX of the Manifested+Shield is 1 & any save roll is treated like a Nat 1 (not an automatic failure).
manifested mind is crazy, I agree, though I'm not sure pulse wave was a great example spell, considering how setting and subclass restricted it usually is.
Among the list of things I don't *think* got covered (I might have missed it, there's so much in this video, holy shit, good work Treant)... Simulacrum stacks exponentially with this, because your Simulacrum can have their own Manifest Mind. Kinda makes me curious just how silly a high level build with Manifest Mind, Simulacrum and Echo Knight all worked in together would look.
Good afternoon, Chris I hope your days treat you well. I for one I'm super geek to see how you are going to optimize a scribe wizard on the full build in the next coming weeks. 😃
This came up in my session last night. I cast Tiny Hut for our party's long rest, but we were attacked. The party was popping in and out of the Hut; so, I obviously couldn't leave. Given Tiny Hut's language about spells and magical effects not passing through the barrier my DM ruled that Manifest Mind would not work. Just wanted to get your thoughts on it.
Summoning the Manifest Mind into the stomach of the purple worm may not work - I would consider that space to be occupied, whether or not there is a character in there already. I'm not sure on the dimensions of the Pit Fiend, but you may have a similar problem there - no "unoccupied space" left in the cage
I’ve homebrewed it requires line of sight to create and goes away on a Long Rest, but it return I let it move through objects. Can’t stay in objects, gets shunted to where it started if it couldn’t make it through.
I think something you missed is that the Manifest Mind is still constantly transmiting everything it sees and hears to you *even while sleeping.* So you can literally take watch while being asleep. That being said, the Manifest Mind has no stats for its perception or senses, though I guess the Wizard still uses their own perception/investigation based on what the Mind transmits.
Just because something is transmitting doesn't mean anyone is receiving it. I would argue that you're asleep and not getting any benefit from this, or unable to rest because it's constantly feeding your mind information about what it sees and hears.
Oh boy. Not optimized or anything, but I used to run a character whose concept was "a teenager", he was a kalashtar undying (really, not optimized you say?) warlock pact of the tome (with shillelagh and find familiar to express his confused nature) and I would flavor many of his magical interactions as the dual spirit of the kalashtar actually appearing as his mage hand and so on. Had this class been out then, this would be so intense! Maybe I'll try to reboot that table then.
I’m not sure if I understand the limitation on casting a spell from the minds space, what if for instance I cast blink ? Could I slip into the astral plane and then teleport to a space near the mind ?
15:39 Does that mean its more difficult to counterspell you, since the Manifested Mind could very easily be outside the range of an enemies counterspell while you are casting through it?
Last week I was attacked by a bear and all of my arms and legs were torn off and my entrails tugged out. With my last ebb of strength I subscribed to this channel and my limbs immediately grew back and the bear not only placed my guts back within me unscathed but also wrote me a sincere apology letter.
Sounds legit
To start the semester, I was failing all my courses, and I was going to be expelled on grounds of creating an illegal aquarium on campus. In desperation, I subscribed to this channel, and suddenly, I aced all assignments, past and present, and was being presented an award for my innovative use of fish in creating a productive work environment.
Rofl I love this
Not saying that subscribing to the channel will allow you relentless endurance during a bear attack. But the evidence shows that it may have something to do with it.
@@karatekoala4270 Better to be safe than sorry.
Favorite use of scribes wizard so far: Our party was getting screwed up by the boss (a dragon). I blocked him off with a wall of force so we could flee and, after getting a substantial lead, began ritual casting Tiny Hut over one minute using the awakened spell book feature. Of course, wall of force dropped because of concentration, but we were far enough away that the dragon couldn’t catch up in a minute. We proceeded to short rest to heal and regain some abilities. The dragon was waiting for us. I put my manifested mind next to the dragon and caught it with a spherical wall of force. I then began to casually fireball the dragon at will from the manifested mind’s space before dropping the wall of force so the two rogues could finish it off with readied (sneak) attacks. My character is a chef so my spells are written in the margins of a cook book and my manifested mind is a spectral hobbit Gordon Ramsey named Gordon Took. My spellbook is The Gordon Took Cook Book.
Chris, you’re a genius. A true Scribe Wiz irl.
Colby, you inspire me to be a Gishy asshole in every game I play now. You are amazing, and I love seeing content you and Chris create separately, but even more the collaboration you’ve done since the playtest packets have been released, don’t ever quit being your best Gish self.
This really is the single coolest feature a wiz can get if you're not trying to gish. It's so nuts it seems like it should have been from a Crit Role book
lol, no kidding!
I play a Githyanki Scribe Wizard wielding a Rapier, and yes, you CAN Booming Blade from the Manifested Mind's location.
@@Fl0wchartNo. You can't.
"You brandish the weapon used in the spell’s casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you. **On a hit**, the target suffers the weapon attack’s normal effects and then becomes sheathed in booming energy until the start of your next turn."
If your weapon doesn't hit the enemy, the spell doesn't work.
@@CitizenCain1 Yes. You can.
When you cast a spell through your Manifested Mind, you treat it as if you are standing in your Manifested Mind's location. No ifs, ands, or buts. Rules as Written, you ARE standing in that spot. You can make attack rolls from that spot if they are part of the casting of that spell.
LOOOOLLLL @@CitizenCain1
Great ideas. This feature is really good.
One note, you can’t summon you Mind inside a Purple Worm because that space is not unoccupied.
Oh no, turns out I cheated!
@@TreantmonksTemple Look, I don’t think WotC have seen this video yet, so we have time. You need to run. Get your family and a few personal items and make for the American border as fast as you can. There’s a family in Maine who work for the Kobold Press underground. They can hide you.
But it can move through creatures, so it's fine.
Counterpoint. Any creature that has the ability to swallow has unoccupied space inside of it. It would have to to allow it to swallow creatures and put them in that space.
Counter-counterpoint. Conjuring inside the purple worm would fail for the same reason you can't cast create water inside another creature. You can't conjure inside another creature (even the vacant spaces inside that creature).
This is just the coolest subclass. I wish they leaned into making some of its features into base wizard features with the playtests
Okay but we *NEED* a spell breakdown for what spells get improved with this subclass
100% agree
All the spells 😂
All of it bro
Just keep stacking what ever it is, it only takes 2min/lvl it's nothing for you in long camp
Remember if you find a spell book, don't copy the spells
Instead of wasting money, just write your arcane sigil on it for a short rest
BOOM, ALL of your spells are transferred to the new book
You add all the spells for free!
@@jackhilton4285 RAW, this would not work. You need a blank book to replace your spellbook with.
Raised an eyebrow at firewall a pit fiend. Seconds later i was reminded of who's temple i'm in
There is a scribes wizard at my table. This will help me as a dm make sure the player is using these features right & increase their enjoyment of the character 🎉
Thanks
This is a really good rundown. The only thing I'd push back on as a DM is being in a beholder's antimagic cone. I would rule that this breaks your clearly magical connection to your manifest mind.
Doesn’t matter. The only thing an Antimagic Field would do, assuming the spectral mind was not inside it, is cause your telepathy with it to cease functioning, but the ability to cast a spell through the spectral mind does not require the telepathy to be functioning.
@@burgernthemomrailerCreatures within an antimagic field cannot cast spells.
@@kristianperez4108 You aren’t considered to be in the Antimagic Field when you cast the spell.
“Whenever you cast a wizard spell on your turn, you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind's space, instead of your own, using its senses.”
@@burgernthemomrailer You can't cast it in the first place, so further consideration cannot happen. The same is true if someone tries to counterspell you. These things take precedence the moment you begin or try to begin casting the spell, the book only takes precedence once you have.
@@kristianperez4108 Wrong. From the Antimagic Field spell: “A slot expended to cast a suppressed spell is consumed.”
Ergo, a creature inside an Antimagic Field spell can still take the Cast a Spell action. The spell’s effect is simply suppressed.
However, if you are not in a space affected by Antimagic Field at the moment of casting, then the spell’s effect is not suppressed, as you are not in a space affected by Antimagic Field.
I like putting up a Wall of Fire (dealing force damage) around your enemies and having your Manifest Mind hover on the opposite side, such that you can Pulse Wave them back into the AoE regardless of which direction they escape. However, ask your DM before assuming you can choose Dunamancy spells from Wildemount.
Yep, I was thinking something similar when he brought up pulse wave. It's a great spell but depends on your DM if they will not only allow you use the source book but also since you're not a Dunamancy sub-class if they would let you take the spell at all since they are intended to only be used with Dunamancy casters only. You could however substitute it with a thunder wave, not as powerful but still gets the job done on at least two of the targets.
How do you use the spell (added to the stuff mentioned in the video):
Prepare Knock. Your mind won’t be blocked by doors anymore. Also you can lure guards away from your position and right into a fireball from the mind.
On a similar note prepare Arcane lock to remove guards from play (as they can’t burst out of the door).
Because the mind is an object most spells can’t even target it so it has inherent protection against blindness/deafness.
Finally there might be some idiotic stuff you can do with clone and magic jar (as those need a component decided by your size and as the manifested mind needs less space than you, you could theoretically clone yourself to be tiny.
In conclusion this feature is way more powerful than I remember it to be and the scribe wizard as a hole is in my opinion the strongest wizard in terms of utility.
Have a nice day
AEther
Sorry knock doesn’t open doors
@@terrypalmer193 Youre right
Play as a tiefling so you can use thaumaturgy to open doors.
@@greoryryryryryr this would be another use of your feature and probably a waste of your race selection.
Although the manifest mind cannot pass through objects, it is classified as a tiny object itself; it should be able to circumnavigate anything with a large enough space to pass a coin through. Even in our world is it rare that a door is perfectly fitted ceiling to floor - usually that is only for exterior doors that are meant to keep out the elements. A case could be made that some of the interior doors do have a way for something tiny to go over/under/around it. If there is any kind of ventilation or plumbing in the structure, you could possibly also send the manifest mind through that.
Since the Spectral Mind can't move through objects, monsters can (temporarily) deal with it by putting a bucket over its head like its a bethesda game. Which also means there can be some funny benny hill music playing while they chase it with a butterfly net.
I pulled out my laptop just to post this same thing.
However it's also intangible, so I don't think it can support the bucket, only can't move through it while it's obeying normal physics haha
Good use of Wilhelm scream. Great video TreantMonk. My favorite subclass among all subclasses.
I have recently ( this week ) had a campaign where I sent my book into this tomb and casted a magic circle from 300ft away...against undead...who were pretty much all melee...yeah...Their fault for going against wizards tbh.
Maybe this is not the best time to make this joke, but the manifest mind is literally a predatory drone. It's a drone strike angle.
Glad to see manifest mind being recognized for its strength. I played an archivist Artificer during the third Artificer UA, and it had the same feature. An excellent scout. The fact that it is a magical apparition that casts light is a downside compared to familiars that seem to just be a regular animal. As an artificer, I've hidden it inside of or just about flames before, manifesting as flame or bits of smoke.
The misty step trick is something I hadn't considered - though obviously I didn't have it on my artificer.
can be argued that Misty Step and Thunder step are working differently, for MS's Range is self (not the spectral object's place, but your original self) whereas Thunder Step's Range is 90 ft
@@kkrisztian2Misty Step has a range of self, but “you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind’s space,” and the spell allows you to teleport to an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you, but you are currently considered to be in the mind’s space, so it still works out.
I finally realized this would make a good blind wizard.
Ever since this subclass came out it’s been my favorite. Hopefully vids like this make the community give it more love.
I've been waiting for a while for the second half of this.
It was actually on my mind earlier this week.
This is like the echo knight for wizards.
And yeah of course it's way better because it's for wizards😂
I have had the absolute pleasure of playing an Order of Scribes wizard as part of a west marches game for several years now where, in addition to getting all the way from level 5-19, I have also been able to spearhead coordination with all the other wizard players in the game to collect every published spell in the game. I am thus both proud and very slightly disappointed that I had already figured out all of these tactics.
There's a lengthy thread on the Beyond forums about Misty Step and whether it works with Manifest Mind in the way you described here. I side with the faction that says it doesn't.
I played a Scribes wizard in a Dragonlance setting that got to play 2 sessions after attaining this ability. I had considered many of these interactions, but not nearly as many as you have Treantmonk. You are a wonderful boon to the 5e community, thank you for your content and continued hard work.
You've sold me with this one... even if it's just the first time watching one of your videos.. you got my sub.
Welcome!
When this subclass came out I had an idea for a character but I ended up scrapping it, now I wanna play that character again. It was going to be a wizard who found a cursed spellbook, now that I understand how spectral mind really works it could be the ghost of the spellbook's creator
Thanks, I was struggling to understand how I could imagine a book becoming sentient as a manifested mind connected to mine.
I guess this is the reason the class is not widely played: people struggle with the fantasy behind it.
ive been using scribes wizard for sooo long combined with a dash of your god build (the knowledge cleric fits so well). immensely happy youre covering it!
I will note, there are some interactions you mentioned here that are dubious RAW/RAI.
Specifically, the antimagic cone and the misty step across the ravine.
Explicitly;
1. The manifested mind ability itself would almost certainly be considered magical, and thus prevented by an antimagic field.
2. In addition, the 30ft limitation of misty step is probably referring to your own location, regardless of where you cast it from.
I mention this because I don't want players to see the video, and assume it will always function this way. Similarly, GM's can and probably should interpret the ability to function in the two ways mentioned above.
i am SOO glad i picked Order of Scribes as my first ever character to play in DnD. I looked at this feature initially and thought it was pretty poweful but i didnt realise how powerful and useful it was until i watched your video! Wow thanks for all the tips and suggestions on how to utilise this amazing feature. currently Level4 and cant wait to get to 6th level!
This video was awesome, wizard with a spell portal seems like so much fun
The trivial counter to a spectral mind is to put a bucket over it. Heck, depending on DM ruling, a cloak thrown over it may be sufficient. It can't pass through solid objects after all
One thing I noticed about Manifest Mind is that the description says it can't pass trough objects, so that means that constructs, undead and creatures wearing clothes (like gloves) could interact with it. So they could (try to) grapple it and put it in a box for example. That's one way for a dm to try to kind of limit the power of this feature.
" The spectral mind is intangible and doesn't occupy its space". You can't grapple something you can't touch
8:48 There is actually a cost to it. A minor and mostly hidden one but a cost none the less.
In the PHB it is specified that you can only take one of the “(no action required)” actions per turn. A secondary might be permitted by the Dm but than it takes a hole action to do.
So as long as you share your vision with the mind you cant open doors, draw your weapon or pick up something unless you are willing to use up your action.
It doesn't say that you can take one "no action required" action, it says that you can only interact with one object or feature of the environment per turn without using an action. However, it says that you can 'You can communicate however you are able, through brief utterances and gestures, as you take your turn'. It seems much more likely that communicating with you manifested mind is supposed to come under the communication clause, not the object interaction clause. (PHB, chapter 9, your turn, other activity on your turn)
@@luka2784 In the german cover of the book it states that if you wish to interact with a second object you have to use your action. I interpret “Other activities” as such no action requires as they aren’t listed as an action or bonus action or anything else.
In case of the manifested mind its even clearer as the mind is part of your environment and is a tiny object and you interact with it.
Those informations are from the same part of the PHB you just mentioned so I highly recommend you double check for yourself if the german cover is wrong with this.
But as far as I can tell: You’re argumentation is not complete and as such your evaluation is wrong.
@@aetherwolf9288 I see no reason to conclude that anything that says 'no action required' is an object interaction. I think that given specific beats general, and it is specifically stated that their is no action required to communicate with the mind, it would be a very strange ruling to say that sometimes you have to use your action. For instance, lets say I use my object interaction to open a door, and then want to communicate with the mind. I according to you, I wound now have to use my action for a feature that explicitly says no action required. Further more, in the section I referenced, separated to object interaction, their is text on communication, which I previously quoted, which I think would be must more applicable than the object interaction clause.
@@luka2784 Fair points.
However your quote specifically only mentions gesticulated communication.
Also there is a difference between features that explicitly stated that they require no action and such that don’t mention anything. For example the manifested mind requires no action. Telepathy as a spell doesn’t mention if the communication needs an action or not.
I personally would interpret it as if it isn’t specified if it takes no action it acts similar to a sense (like the elder brains psychic links). However if it is specified they can be classed as an interaction (dismissing an echo for an echo knight or breaking the link for an elder brain).
Even if you don’t agree the communication action just mentions gesticulated communication. Verbal communication has no direct limit (however it can be assumed to work similar to the sending spell rules).
I've been hunting around for videos about this subclass for a little while now. I've wanted to try it out, but haven't actually played a wizard in 5e, so this is really helpful. Can't wait for the build!
This is why ur the GOAT bro❤
My first time seeing this was in the capable hands of Emily Axford on critical role, and she’s a notorious powergamer lol
Only counter I can see for this is for an enemy to try to throw a blanket or a container over it. The mind doesn't have a stat block, so it doesn't have any ability to avoid being blanketed. Obviously, use this sparingly and only where it's plausible that a suitable object would be available to trap the mind
Edit: Also, the player would have the option to use a spell to help the mind escape, so they're not screwed. Fire bolt, thunderwave, etc
Ah only problem with that is that the mind is intangible, so potentially some objects just pass through, like a blanket, but yeah a crate or panels providing total cover could potentially work it seems
Many of these manifest mind bonus do still apply to familiar, with the familiar being in some ways more capable, just with that serious risk of being splatted. So always worth considering which one suits the way you want to play more.
I'd also suggest some of the target self spells and that interaction are open to interpretation - you can cast a spell as if you were in the minds space great you can cast mistystep there, but can't actually target 'self' for the misty step as your 'self' is out of range. So I'd suggest you can misty step the Mind itself, but not your corporeal form from the mind's space as you are not there to target. Obviously like teleporting inside a creature the DM may or may not allow, but it could be interpreted both ways. I think I'd lean towards RAW meaning target 'self' would be targeting the tiny object you are casting through and not the casters own body - so you still gain from the vision bonus letting you see around obstacle but are limited to 30' from where you physically where.
I am so happy a second person realized what I did a long time ago- this is a very powerful school. From blasting to info gathering and every god-wiz trick in the book. Having two locations is made powerful. And if it looks like you then the shenanigans will make the DM toss chips at you till you stop.
In a previous campaign I played a variant of your godmage and my DM gave me a Modron familiar that eventually was upgraded to let me cast spells from its space. Even with familiar durability remote casting was SO fun and so very useful time and again. Especially when a combat starts getting spread out in a larger map, the ability to cast from two different locations was extremely tactically powerful.
Scribes wizard combines hilariously well with echoknight if you cast Resilient sphere on yourself. Than manifest your echo and your mind outside of it and only a disintegrate spell can make you hittable again. 😁😁😁🤣🤪😜
Edit: works best with a gestalt campaign. Though I would be tempted to also either dip order domain or get some sorcerer for metamagic.
I'm normally a forever DM, but I managed to play an Order of Scribes Wizard at a con last year and it's amazing how good the Manifest Mind was for me. However, there's one thing I think you missed, or at least glossed over. Since the Mind persists over a long rest, as long as the wizard is willing to move it wherever they want to see rather than conjure it in place, they can conjure its replacement without expending a spell slot so long as they hadn't conjured it that day. So just conjure it the day before the adventure, then boom--you can replace it for free as needed.
05:00 He got it
ive manifested the mind through the Conquest paladin's Horse (can travel through creatures), and i affected it with [dragon breath]. it would then breath poison/fire (depending on opponent) during my turn ( I cast it, i concentrate on it, i control it).
the Bard would shout "The nightmare is Raging again!" And try to 'intimidate' opponents.
Then the conquest paladin would [Aura of Fear].
I might be overly restrictive on this, but I think I would rule that you cannot cast spells from the manifested mind's space if you are in an anti-magic zone, since your main body would still be casting the spell.
If that's the hard rule of how you decide, then it stands to reason that spells cast from the mind's space can be counterspelled unless the enemy can see your body and is within range of it.
@@Levyathyn I am not sure I agree it follows that a caster being in an ant-magic zone preventing using manifested mind, or a familiar to cast a spell outside that zone means that counterspell can only target the caster...
This might be harsh, and overly weaken Manifest Mind, and familiars, but I think I would rule counterspell could target either the caster, or the manifested mind/familiar.
From a worldbuilding perspective, I would say that you are providing the power for the spell, so being an anti-magic zone would prevent you from supplying the power needed for the mind, or familiar to cast a spell. However, when casting a spell via the mind, or a familiar, they would be proactively coordinating casting the spell, making them a viable target for being counterspelled.
I love these videos, because while my regular game is pretty light on combat and I don't need to worry about optimizing for maximum effectiveness, I feel like because of Chris I always have a good sense of like, a few go-to moves. My two main characters are a scribes wizard and twilight cleric, and I don't make NEARLY full use of all their potential, but whenever we go into combat I definitely feel like I know how to pitch in without dragging the group down (unlike a friend of mine who keeps walking his squishy sorcerer into melee combat and then begging for healing lol)
With a 2 level rogue dip or using the goblin species you can bonus action hide to stay safe. Also, I think you mentioned this, but if I do a cone attack spell from directly above the AoE is now a circle which is a great targeting option
I like the idea. I am hesitant to play small sized races due the size limitation on some teleport spells ( All my Party member are Medium+) but i will consider the rouge dip, thank you :)
I wouldn't recommend a Rogue dip. The class will just slow down your spell progression and not of the Rogue's other features are worth it.
Tell me you're playing Curse of Strahd without telling me you're playing Curse of Strahd
I agree that this is strong but I think the second level feat might be the most powerful. You can create some wild combinations with element tweaking, like combining magic missile (fire) with mundane oil fired from a catapult spell or thrown by an ally for horrific damage output (1d4+1>1d4+6). Add an Imbued Wood Focus (fire) and a 1 level dip of Hex Blade warlock and that turns into a minimum of 1d4+9 PER dart (Wiz level 2). (Imbued Wood Focus works for al darts because magic missile technically only performs a single d4 roll)
Im doing an owlin mage that is pretty much an adventures version of Blathers from Animal Crossing and this guide has helped me a think of some really cool ideas. Thanks a bunch!
One thing I’d like to add, it doesn’t say you can see what the Mind sees. Find familiar specifically says you can see and hear through the familiar’s senses, where this says it can share what it sees telepathically.
To me this means that it has to describe to you what it is seeing/hearing. The mind would need to make perception or investigation checks to notice certain things and then describe to you what it sees:
If I were DM’ing for this character I think I’d have them roll mental stats for the book 😅
Or maybe point buy 🤔 it starts at 8int, 6wis, 6cha and they get 16 points to spend. You can have an all around slightly above average intelligent book, or a really smart book that’s either not that wise, or an a** hole 😂
You have Sheldon in book form 😂
I believe this scribe subclass was once an Artificer subclass. I played it in a Strahd campaign and I really regretted it - the magic eye buddy familiar was great but was overall lacking for an artificer. In the hands of a wizard, however, it looks very powerful.
I really enjoy your work as it is very comprehensive, based on RAW / RAI, and provides useful example(s) for players and DMs.
I do have a question based on video and spell description:
Am I mistaken or are you saying you can move the Mind in any way / direction except vertically?
Based on wording it can only hover (no horizonal movement, no speed listed) at the point where you located the initial casting. So it is a fixed camera, not a drone based video feed.
Manifest Mind is still an amazing means of recon and may explain why there is no limit on the number of Minds you can have active at once. You could blanket an area with multiple minds but not move any of them from their casting location. Technically it does not say it is omni-directional so it may be limited in its field of view.
I look forward to your thoughts, thank you for all of your excellent work.
The direction something is facing is an optional rule. Creatures are generally assumed to have 360 vision.
The mind doesn't technically have it's own move speed but the wizard can move it.
"As a bonus action, you can cause the spectral mind to hover up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you or it can see. It can pass through creatures but not objects." Hovering is a type of flight which would allow vertical movement.
I have to play a scribe wizard now! Great breakdown of these mechanics
So happy your covering the scribes wizard, it is my fav wiz subclass and I've been singing its praises for years, excited to see your build
Thanks Chris. Great series. My favorite subclass of wizard. Thematic and appropriate.
I know I'm commenting on an old video, but having played one of these for a bit now, wanted to add some things that DMs can keep in mind so as not to let these get over-overpowered.
1) The manifest mind is a light source that cannot be shut off. It is not sneaky, and can call attention to the whole party sometimes.
2) Unlike a familiar, the wizard does not actually see directly through the manifest mind's senses, rather it can "telepathically share with you what it sees and hears". My understanding is that it just gives a verbal description to you. Lots of room for GM to determine what it assumes is relevant or how much detail. That said, I wish it provided guidance on how it handles something that would need a perception check. There may be an exception when casting a spell through it, as it actually says "using its senses" in that clause; This might be complicated by concentration spells - detect magic comes to mind.
3) This required a judgement call, but but it also opens some remote-casting questions that are not an issue with wizard familiars. I would rule that the misty step example in this video is not possible for two reasons, which come down to what the ability does *not* say. So you cast as if you are in that location, and you cast as if you see from that location, but you aren't actually there. So the target for misty step is "Self". From that location across the ravine and down, you may not have an unobstructed path to "Self" while casting, required to target. Also it would still limit to relocating actual-you 30 feet, because that has nothing to do with the vision or casting location. If the spell had a "Range" of 30 feet, targeting a location you can see, that'd be different.
3a) Side effect of my interpretation of #3: Counterspelling a scribe wizard requires actual-wizard to be a valid target, and I don't believe there would be any indication a spell was being cast.
The best part about using cone spells with the Manifest Mind is that you can basically turn them into circles of whatever diameter you choose. Want to hit four creatures in a 10ft square but need to exclude some allies? Just hover your MM above them and cast straight down.
Can you imagine how fun it would be to play an Echo Knight that multiclasses into an Order of Scribes Wizard? Between the Echoes and the Manifest Mind, you'd have a bunch of options to play with!
Player Character by remote!
Pretty much! ^_^ And with the Echo Knights you could teleport!@@TreantmonksTemple
I friggin love these hyper analysis videos!!
Now this is cool, I love how creative Chris is!
I literally just asked Colby about this. Thank you.
These strats are delightful. I would generally never take pulse wave, but I have to try the pulse from above now!
You also have to keep in mind the NPCs' competence and knowledge, as well as what the player flavors the Manifest Mind to look like. Because you can have a smart player flavors the manifest mind as a wraith/ghost or a 1-1 copy of the player and they can use rp to make NPCs think that the entity is immune to magic or invulnerable.
Because unless the npc has a high passive Arcana or makes a high Arcana roll, they wouldn't know to cast dispel magic on the Manifest Mind.
Just watched the wonderful oneshot with you and the DC20 rules: Romeo and Juliet. Be interested in seeing how high your 1st level PD was and what type of crunchy feedback you're giving the coach. I got the 0.4pdf on your recommendation (and DC10 discount!) and am aiming to drive my 5e table to closely follow it and support it. Sally's stubborn body guarding of Juliet saved a lot of grief in the game and I really enjoyed and laughed out loud a lot (anyone reading this you can watch it at 1.5x speed is fine). I almost never watch any online games, with the exception of Seth Skorkowsky's modern CoC one as tabloid journalists; but will watch any DC20 ones as I think the coach has nailed a heroic fantasy system on the resurrected bones of 5e, similar terms, familiar fantasy concepts and a delightful meshing of action points, squares, health points and cinematic action. One day I might sit back, relax and play some DC20, because DC20 is for everyone.
Only missed opportunity was making your manifested mind Mega Mind.
I can't manifest my own mind, but this video sure expanded my mind about that feature (I'm definitely looking at this subclass in a different way now).
Hey Chris, did you know the wildfire Druid can do a lot of this with their level 6 ability too?
Yes, Wildfire is an underappreciated druid subclass.
You can also use the mind to do something cheeky like ritual casting forbiddance inside a still-sealed tomb.
Very nice ideas indeed! I liked especially the casting through walls part. I have been playing around with only casting darkness to my manifest mind 😅By how I have interpreted RAW it would allow me to cast the spell to an object and move the mind to place I can see but it cannot.
Abilities like these are the most fun because there’s so many things you can do with it therefore it allows you to be very creative.
I had really intense leg cramps. After a while I noticed the skin on my legs had grown bark like and my toes had extended into roots and had planted themselves in the earth. My lower extremities turned tree like and I could no longer move. Fortunately I had my phone with me and one very small very easy click of the subsribe button and my condition completely cleared up, except I can still plop out an acorn on demand. (loved the DC20 1 shot!)
“I am here, but really I am over there.”
Scribe wiz, circa a year.
If I interpreted your X post correctly, I'd like to wish you a happy birthday !
12:40 Emily Axford actually did this play on Critical Role with her order of scribes wizard. What an awesome and versatile subclass
No I haven’t seen such a thorough explanation of manifest mind before, they ban the subclass the moment they see “Alter the spells damage” and don’t even look at the rest.
@TreantmonksTemple It can be argued that Misty Step and Thunder step are working differently, for MS's Range is self (not the spectral object's place, but your original self) whereas Thunder Step's Range is 90 ft, but can be judged otherwise, according to: "you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind's space" - which one do you think is RAW?
Echo Knight and Scribes both summoning creatures to fight for them. Classic
My scribes wizard once got in a measuring contest with a higher level wizard,
After about 3 manifested minds the dm realised it was not sustainable to keep dispelling the manifested mind, and just let it get a peek.
I'm an 8th level Scribe Wizard at the moment. A fun trick I use as an ambush technique (as well as a way to protect the party as a long rest) is ritual-casting Leomund's Tiny Hut and then leaving the Manifest Mind on the outside. Normally, the Hut prevents spellcasting from going through either direction, but with the Manifest Mind on the outside, I can cast spells while being within the perfect safety of my Hut. And if I don't want to burn a Spell-Platform usage that round (or I have a concentration spell like Flaming Snowball or Summon Undead running), I can use ranged weapons from within the Hut without penalty since "creatures and objects within the dome when you cast the spell can move through it freely." As a joke, I sometimes use my turn to manage the Manifest Mind and whatever BC spell I've running and then just stay inside the Hut reading a book instead of (seemingly) paying attention to the fight around me (something the party finds humorous since I have a tiny blank book I use as a prop to act this out when I do it; I also use slamming it shut as my somatic component for Counterspell). The party benefits too, since we see out but others can't see in; free sneak attack on an Elven Accuracy longbow specialist Rogue is juicy. 🐍
Awesome video!
After your previous episode, it makes me wonder if maybe a change to how spell components worked might help with the issue of wizards wearing armor and carrying shields all the time.
Specifically, by requiring the spell components/spell focus be in a different hand than the hand that uses the somatic components. Classes like cleric already have the option of emblems on shields, and a number of subclasses that use weapons can also use them as spell foci, so they aren't limited in the same way.
But by adding that change, you have situations where the wizard has to make a meaningful decision about whether to keep their hand open to spellcasting certain spells, to limit their spells to ones without material components so that they can use a shield, etc...
Order of the scribe wizards don't get access to Pulse wave. Its only available for Chronugy and Graviturgy wizards so the combo mentioned at 11:00 could not work. I checked a few other sources and they told me that most DMs wouldn't let you use a spell from Wildmount if you were not in that setting anyway, and that wizards can't scribe or use spells that don't show up in their allowed spell lists. Unless i'm missing some detail or rule that allows the use of it .
Love order of scribes. currently playing one but sub optimally as a summoner.
I have a Tortle Scribes Wizard and it is so awesome
Question! Say you've got a spell that targets some creature you can see. Well, if you can see around corners... do you even HAVE to cast from the book's position? You're able to see them via the book, so as long as they're within range from you to them for the spell in question, could you technically not use this to bend spells around corners without actually using the limited uses? It only says it's limited uses {when you cast from the book as if you were standing there}.
Now obviously, if it's a lightning bolt spell, that's a straight line so going around cover doesn't work. But.... what about Hold Person? Theoretically, could you not lock a target in place in there room BEFORE you even break in, then break in without them being able to cry out since they're Held?
I would ask my DM to allow this combo:
. Summon it with a bonus action (hovering 10 feet above an ally).
. As a "Magic Action", a variant of the "Ready" action: "Ready: Shield" consuming a spellslot of level 1 (or higher) & lasting for 1 minute, or until is triggered with a reaction.
. As a Reaction to an ally within 10 feet being hit (that my character can take, using the Manifested senses), it casts the Spell "Shield" [manifested as a Tiny 1 foot Sphere of invulnerability around it], that then can use up to 10 feet of its remaining movement to interpose itself like a flying Buckler Shield (increasing the effective AC of the ally by +1, possibly turning the hit into a miss).
Once triggered, this protective effect lasts until the begining of my character next turn (or until the ally moves away by 5 feet or more), applying its benefit to all further attacks.
It can also be used to move the Manifested Mind by targetting & grappling it with an attack (anyone), or with an action (allies).
The contested STR & DEX of the Manifested+Shield is 1 & any save roll is treated like a Nat 1 (not an automatic failure).
manifested mind is crazy, I agree, though I'm not sure pulse wave was a great example spell, considering how setting and subclass restricted it usually is.
Among the list of things I don't *think* got covered (I might have missed it, there's so much in this video, holy shit, good work Treant)... Simulacrum stacks exponentially with this, because your Simulacrum can have their own Manifest Mind. Kinda makes me curious just how silly a high level build with Manifest Mind, Simulacrum and Echo Knight all worked in together would look.
I like keeping the manifest mind out side of tiny hut when i cast it. Then I can still fight while in the hut if something comes upon us.
Good afternoon, Chris I hope your days treat you well. I for one I'm super geek to see how you are going to optimize a scribe wizard on the full build in the next coming weeks. 😃
Working on it now!
This came up in my session last night. I cast Tiny Hut for our party's long rest, but we were attacked. The party was popping in and out of the Hut; so, I obviously couldn't leave. Given Tiny Hut's language about spells and magical effects not passing through the barrier my DM ruled that Manifest Mind would not work.
Just wanted to get your thoughts on it.
Thank you for your information video
Gonna predict you talking about Absorb Elements being able to grant Damage Resistance to ANY and ALL damage types.
Summoning the Manifest Mind into the stomach of the purple worm may not work - I would consider that space to be occupied, whether or not there is a character in there already.
I'm not sure on the dimensions of the Pit Fiend, but you may have a similar problem there - no "unoccupied space" left in the cage
Great, thank you!!
I've had fun while disguised as a prison guard, and used the summoned mind to casue mayhem, really help sell the lie. :D
I’ve homebrewed it requires line of sight to create and goes away on a Long Rest, but it return I let it move through objects. Can’t stay in objects, gets shunted to where it started if it couldn’t make it through.
I think something you missed is that the Manifest Mind is still constantly transmiting everything it sees and hears to you *even while sleeping.* So you can literally take watch while being asleep. That being said, the Manifest Mind has no stats for its perception or senses, though I guess the Wizard still uses their own perception/investigation based on what the Mind transmits.
Just because something is transmitting doesn't mean anyone is receiving it. I would argue that you're asleep and not getting any benefit from this, or unable to rest because it's constantly feeding your mind information about what it sees and hears.
Oh boy. Not optimized or anything, but I used to run a character whose concept was "a teenager", he was a kalashtar undying (really, not optimized you say?) warlock pact of the tome (with shillelagh and find familiar to express his confused nature) and I would flavor many of his magical interactions as the dual spirit of the kalashtar actually appearing as his mage hand and so on. Had this class been out then, this would be so intense! Maybe I'll try to reboot that table then.
I'd love if the build included wishlist spells to look out for to copy into the spellbook.
I’m not sure if I understand the limitation on casting a spell from the minds space, what if for instance I cast blink ? Could I slip into the astral plane and then teleport to a space near the mind ?
15:39 Does that mean its more difficult to counterspell you, since the Manifested Mind could very easily be outside the range of an enemies counterspell while you are casting through it?