New Spell: Possess Object
“My bladesinger masters told me to become one with my blade. So I did.”
Links: PDF | D&D Beyond: Possess Object
Art Credit: https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=279613
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a sword, a suit of armor, or almost any other object targeted by the animate objects spell, today’s preview will answer that question for you — or at least for your spellcasting character! With possess object, the spellcaster’s body vanishes into an object they’re holding, usually the caster’s own magic weapon, controlling it like a puppet for the duration of the spell. This spell was designed for gishes, bladesingers and hexblades, but any spellcaster can make use of its versatile utility.
This spell has a variety of normal applications that are commonly useful and a myriad of possible uses that can be meaningful across an entire campaign. If the caster has a complete suit of armor on hand, it can be a practical defensive spell that enables floating, faster movement, bonus hit points, and perhaps even a bonus to Armor Class, while still allowing the caster to cast potent instantaneous spells. In many cases (and likely a majority of cases for swordmages, bladesingers, and hexblades), the best option for the caster is to possess a weapon and strike with it, especially since the spell allows the caster to use abilities that trigger off of a melee weapon attack, such as fighting styles, the Eldritch Smite invocation, a battle master fighter’s maneuvers, or the effects of a magic weapon. And a very heavy object might be easy to escape due to its slow speed, but it packs a punch and its harder to knock the caster out of thanks to additional hit points.
But because the spell can target most objects, it has nearly limitless potential uses. Possess a puppet to creep people out and disguise yourself as you cast spells. Possess a magic item that you intend to keep away from an antagonist. You can even possess an item and then allow yourself to be wielded by another character. This doesn’t grant them any bonuses, but everyone feels cool with a talking, spellcasting sword in their hands. And with spells such as fabrication or creation, this spell enables some truly ridiculous shenanigans. Note that since the target object is a material component for the spell, the spellcaster needs to be able to lift the object to cast the spell on it. You won’t be able to possess that anvil, grand piano, or fire giant’s sword without a massive amount of strength!
This spell has gone through a lot of iterations since it was first designed many years ago. Most of that has been refining the wording and clearing up additional rules and edge cases, but the balance of the spell also required significant playtesting to evaluate. Overall, we’re satisfied with where the balance is now, but as with all things in this endeavor, more playtesting is always better! As with any of D&D Unleashed, feel free to comment and leave your input. We’re especially interested in anyone who’s tried the content in a real game. If you have, we’re absolutely hungry for your feedback!
Links: PDF | D&D Beyond: Possess Object
