Expand your spell list with this spellcasting feat from Arcana Unleashed.
Magic connoisseur is a brand new general feat from Arcana Unleashed. Like some general feats, it requires taking a specific origin feat to qualify for it (in this case, magic initiate). Like magic initiate, it grants some extra spells known to expand your spellcasting repertoire beyond your own class list.
There’s a lot of options for spells to take with this feat so this guide will give you a hand choosing which spells to take with this feat.
How does magic connoisseur work?
This feat works a lot like fey touched and shadow touched. You learn a 1st and 2nd level spell which you can cast once for free. Unlike those two feats though, you can choose the 2nd level spell and are limited by the spell list you used for magic initiate rather than a specific school of magic. This means you can choose from the wizard, cleric or druid spell lists.
You can change the spells when you level up and can repeat cast them with spell slots you have, but that’s essentially how it works.
Which spells should you choose?
You can obviously choose whichever spells you like and there are many good options, but with so much choice, it can be hard to pick. Below I’ve summarised some great spells you could choose from each spell list and some of my top picks for the feat.
Cleric spells
Level 1 spells
- Bless: Great buff for the party to improve attack rolls and saving throws.
- Cure wounds: You can spread some extra healing within the party or make your wizard/sorcerer into a bit of a healer if you lack a cleric.
- Detect magic: Great utility spell and one that someone in the party should have.
- Healing word: It’s good to have at least a couple of characters that can revive from 0HP. Spread the healing around a bit and as this is only a bonus action, it won’t disrupt your attacks too much either.
- Shield of faith: +2 AC is great on any character, but especially nice on a tank. Someone like a fighter probably won’t need to concentrate on other spells so can be a good choice for them.
Level 2 spells
- Aid: Increased maximum hit points for 3 party members and it stacks with sources of temporary hit points too.
- Blindness/deafness: Great for a concentration-less debuff.
- Lesser restoration: Need someone in the party that can heal from conditions? Then lesser restoration is a good option.
Druid
Level 1
- Cure wounds: The druid list can also help with healing, and cure wounds is the highest healing option at this level.
- Detect magic: Great utility spell and one that someone in the party should have.
- Entangle: A great spell for restricting movement at 1st level, and it affects an area. Great option.
- Healing word: Druids can also help with bonus action healing which is ideal for reviving downed allies without eating into your action.
- Thunderwave: Low level AoE damage dealer. You’ll need to get close to enemies so it’s best on frontline builds.
Level 2
- Aid: Increased maximum hit points for 3 party members and it stacks with sources of temporary hit points too.
- Barkskin: Great on a wizard or sorcerer who might struggle to get their AC as high as this, even with mage armor, at least if their dexterity isn’t that high. Low Dex builds that lack heavy or medium armor training might like this too.
- Battle familiar: Excellent way to summon a familiar that can fight and doesn’t consume your concentration. It’s even better with some familiar feats.
- Lesser restoration: Another way that druid spells can help with healing, this time from conditions.
- Moonbeam: Great spell for moving around the battlefield and having the beam pass through as many enemies as possible each turn for a bunch of damage over an encounter. Great if you have nothing better concentrate on or to use your action on.
- Pass without trace: Great for helping the whole party sneak around.
- Spike growth: Discreet AoE damage dealer and great for slowing enemies down. If your DM roleplays it right, enemies won’t know it’s there (at first).
Wizard
Level 1
- Burning hands: Decent low level AoE damage dealer. Works best on classes that don’t mind getting into melee range.
- Detect magic: Great utility spell and one that someone in the party should have.
- Feather fall: Solid safety spell for when the party takes a fall. Someone in the party should have this.
- Find familiar: Great utility spell and pair it with something like battle familiar or some of the familiar feats for a familiar that can fight.
- Magic missile: Really reliable source of damage.
- Shield: Great protective spell, but this feat only grants one use of it. Probably better on classes that can repeat cast this spell (like a ranger).
- Sleep: Decent save or suck spell that has a small area, but potential to knock multiple creatures unconscious.
- Thunderwave: Like burning hands, is good for some AoE damage for builds that don’t mind being close to the action.
Level 2
- Battle familiar: Decent summon that’s even better because it doesn’t require concentration or a bonus action to command.
- Blindness/deafness: Great for a concentration-less debuff.
- Darkness: Solid way to create areas where people can’t see. Even better if you have blindsight.
- Death armor: Some damage against melee attacker’s is great on a tank.
- Dragon’s breath: Repeated AoE damage can be really useful, especially when you don’t need to concentrate on any other spells. You could hand this to a familiar to give them a strong attack to use.
- Invisibility: Great for stealth, escaping combat and even an enhanced attack.
- Misty step: Useful for getting into or out of danger like the reach of an enemy or their grapple.
- Shatter: if you need to deal some AoE damage, this is perhaps your best option before level 3. Especially if you want to do so at range.
- Suggestion: Get someone to do something for you, including during combat which can easily draw an enemy out of the encounter.
- Web: Probably the best way to restrict enemy movement at this level. Strong AoE option.
Is magic connoisseur any good?
I think so. It is technically of a similar power level to fey touched and shadow touched (which are both great) but with a fair bit more flexibility as you can actually choose your level 2 spell and there’s a bigger range of choice than just 2 spell schools grant.
It also means that you can fashion spellcasters with spellcasting gaps (like wizards and healing) into something that can tackle those gaps. It’s great for non-casters too so they can have a spell to concentrate on (like a fighter with shield of faith). Though I do think this feat is better on full casters.
Overall, I think this a top feat that can be good for just about any class (other than a barbarian).
