What is the point of this spell in 5E? In 3.5 it was absurdly OP for it's level, but now I don't see any benefit at all. After casting it you go in and out of the material plane each round completely at random, perhaps to your benefit, and maybe to your detriment. Where's my advantage? Why would I want to use up a 3rd level spell slot for it?
Is the only value here offered to characters that have a capability that allows them to gain advantage on spell rolls so they have a better chance to be where they want to be from one round to the next or something?
I think it's useful. You never lose actions because of it. You're untouchable half the time, unless your enemies can reach into the ethereal plane. You get to pick the square you reappear in, iirc. Sounds like a fun spell to me.
At first I thought it was a waste too, but then someone pointed out that it is one of the few defensive spells that does not require concentration; therefore it can be used in conjunction with other more powerful offensive or defensive spells and it will not stop functioning if the caster is hit and fails his/her Con save.
It could be a life saver.
Grifford wrote:
I think the posters need to re-read the spell. You are on your plane at the start of every one of your turns, so you can act to attack, etc. Fifty percent of the time, at the end of your turn, you go the Ethereal Plane. While there, you cannot be attacked, but you can see what is happening nearby on your plane. So half the time, you are away and cannot be attacked, which is a big benefit for a wizard. But they are always around on their turns to attack and help the party, and while gone, still see what is happening.
Exactly as posted above.
The only possible activity that you lose from the blink spell is your reaction (50% of the time, assuming you can't take your reaction on your turn, which some casters can do). Otherwise, you have a 50% chance of being effectively invincible each round and a 50% of being targeted normally. This is a really cool way to implement the blink spell in my opinion, which was similar in net effect in 3e.
Additionally, it is not a concentration spell, so it's a "free" spell defense- similar to mirror image or Armor of Agathys.
The last thing I think is really cool is the ability to do a 10' "teleport" when re-appearing. All of these together make blink one of my favorite spells in 5e.
I'll have to go back and re-read the spell, although by that wording it sounds like you only gain the 50/50 benefit if you win initialtive, so it's not really the 50/50 benefit of 3.5 (not that I think it should be since that spell was very OP for its level). If you're on the Prime at the start of the round, and don't blink away until after your turn, and the enemies act first...meh. I suppose the Alert feat and a high dexterity would be important character features to maximize the usefulness of 5E Blink.
It's not exactly 50/50, but it's pretty close, as in any prolonged encounter, you will spend half of every other creature's turn out of harm's way. I imagine most encounters won't begin with an active blink spell, so it's no more important to win initiative to start "blinking" than it is to cast the spell in the first place. If you lose initiative, at worst you suffer one complete round of enemy turns before you have a chance to "blink." It certainly doesn't invalidate the spell for the entire combat.
In the event that an encounter begins while you are under the effect of blink, I suppose the DM could have you roll a d20 to determine if you "blinked out" immediately before combat started.
2Chlorobutanal wrote:
Huntsman57 wrote:
Arithezoo wrote:
Guest703856308 wrote:
From a power gaming perspective I wouldnt touch Blink with an 11 foot pole. But it is a pretty fun spell for sure.
Why not? It's a non-concentration defensive spell that averages out to "resistance to all damage (except things that hit ethereal creatures)" and also allows 10' "teleports" and the ability to "see ethereal."
2Chlorobutanal wrote:
Guest703856308 wrote:
Chances are whoever is casting Blink is one of the squishiest memebers of their party, so that's not much of a downside. Possible exception of a Trickery Cleric.
One benefit of it not being a concentration spell is that you can ready and hold a spell that you cast while ethereal. Then you can drop that spell on your enemies when you return to being material.
Huntsman57 wrote:
Prism wrote: