Mind Spike vs. Scorching Ray

dnd-5espells

I am currently playing through my first ever D&D campaign. I am a Warlock with the Fiend as my Patron, and I am gearing towards a high damage spellcaster build (currently Eldritch Blast spam).

I am approaching Level 4 Warlock where I gain access to Level 2 spells. Because my patron is the Fiend, I could choose to learn Scorching Ray. I am also considering Mind Spike. I am debating which one to choose, based on how much damage I can expect from each one and how well they scale as I level up further.

SR is 3 attack rolls for 2d6 each, so assuming I hit 1.5 out of 3 rolls on average, this would be 11.5 expected damage.

MS does not require attack rolls but instead has a Wisdom saving throw. Assuming half of those throws are successful, MS would have 10.125 expected damage.

I am not sure these assumptions hold, but they seem like reasonable benchmarks.

So SR has slightly higher damage, but there are a few other considerations:

  • As enemies get stronger, I need higher attack rolls for SR, but I will also be gaining proficiency/charisma bonuses as I level up.
  • MS is more reliable damage because an enemy will always take at least half of 3d8. But assuming enemies typically have higher Wisdom as the game progresses, the number of successful saves will presumably increase.
  • SR gets an additional 2d6 with each level while MS gets an additional 1d8, but the 2d6 for SR requires an attack roll.
  • MS has the added benefit of knowing the target's location on a failed save. I am not sure how useful this is.

Any advice on which to pick would be appreciated, based on expected damage immediately as well as at higher levels.

Best Answer

The 2 spells are very different, so it's hard to compare them.

You've made the analysis on damage (dies) and a bit on type, but there is a lot else:

  • Delivery: Spell Attack vs AC (SR) vs Wisdom Save (MS)
  • Failure mode: Hit or Miss (SR) vs Hit or Half (MS)
  • Damage Type: Fire (SR) vs Psychic (MS)
  • Range: 120 ft. (SR) vs 60 ft. (MS)
  • Components: VS (SR) vs S (MS)
  • Concentration: None (SR) vs 1h (MS)

Stuff that may not matter:

  • Range: 60 ft. is already pretty generous in battle, you're unlikely to miss it.
  • Components: Having to be discreet is situational, and attacking while having to be discreet even more so.
  • Concentration: You cannot cast a Concentration spell while concentrating on another spell; may not be an issue depending on your play style.

Personally, I'd go with Mind Spike:

  • Its damage type is better. Fire is resisted by a large number of typical foes -- Dragons, Elementals, Fiends, Slaadi, Incorporeal are typical categories of foes with resistance or immunity to Fire -- while Psychic is only really resisted by Constructs -- even a raging Bear Totem Barbarian does not resist Psychic.
  • Its failure mode is better. Randomness is the enemy, and doing half-damage on failure is better than getting nothing.
  • Its delivery mode is still fairly good. Sure AC is better, but Wisdom save is still the second weakest defense -- and from experience not that far behind AC.

And that's because I'm the paranoid kind of player. The one who doesn't like relying on dice, or a cooperative DM.

Further, I find the utility aspect a nice cherry on top. Invisible enemies are a plague, so once again my paranoid self appreciates the counter-measure.

Related Topic