Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Mage Hand to open chests

Would be great if Mage hand could interact with chests. I passed a perception check to discover a chest is trapped, so I summoned a mage hand to open the chest from a distance, but I can't interact with it as the mage hand. Seems like a missed opportunity for this spell to be as useful here as it is in actual D&D

I've found mage hand is, at least currently, almost entirely useless. Can't use it to open chests, I can't seem to use it to pick up items, all it can do is attack as far as I can figure out. And there are much better ways of attacking than with a mage hand, which I'm pretty sure isn't even supposed to be able to attack in the first place.

Yes, this is absolutely mandatory. Picking up chests and carrying small items is needed. The only other use I've found for it is shoving bodies out of fire so you can loot them (they rarely have anything to loot though). I don't mind if it can still shove corpses, even if shoving creatures is taken out for being OP.

Yes, Mage hand cannot be used to attack in DnD 5e rules. It's meant to grab light objects, toss light objects, and open chests or bags. I believe you can also use it to open doors. Having it attack seems odd so me.

Wait, it can attack? I never even considered that!

Yeah, it has an attack option if I remember correctly. I only played around with it once just to promptly find out it's pretty useless since you can't use it for...well, the things you actually use mage hand for in D&D lol. Mage hand is just another one of those spells that Larian apparently decided to flip on it's head for no good reason, since in 5e rules Mage Hand can't be used to attack an enemy only to manipulate object and carry small things (less than 10 pounds). But in game, you can't use it for anything except attacking things. It's freaking weird.

I'm hoping it's just down to early access and that this stuff is planned to be fixed before it launches as it's a pretty useless cantrip right now.

I was trying to use it to get the teleportation arrow at the Teahouse and after half an hour of different angles I gave up. Thought it was supposed to work with stuff that's unreachable and small enough. A bug?

I agree, this cantrip doesn't serve any purpose right now. Useless.

I disagree completely that its useless.
General:

I have used it countless times to summon the hand and push creatures off ledges and see them fall to their doom with fall damage and if at least knock them prone where my part is.

I have also used it on occasion when i was funneling and encounter through a door I placed the hand in the entrance so it something would be forced to use an action to kill it where my party was getting in position.

Remember Action Economy is King and one less attack on a party member that could have been a crit!

As an Arcane Trickster:

The Hand is invisible so unless a creature can see invis you can scout entire camps without them noticing. I would then place the invis hand right next to the highest mob archer/ranged and usually start off the battle with them falling to their doom.

The Hand can also be used to disarm traps at a distance, and open chests and doors.

Jaz

But that's the problem. It's not supposed to be able to do that at all. It's a cantrip, it's not supposed to be a one-shot kill or danger-free knock prone skill. It's a dinky little hand to carry very light objects and disarm traps while the no-expendable people are a safe distance away.




Also not supposed to be happening. The hand isn't supposed to be able to block enemies or be able to get killed.




This probably also shouldn't be happening, because you should only be able to move it to places you can see. That's not too egregious, though, as long as it doesn't have a ridiculous roaming range.

Actually the argument i was presenting was that the mage hand is in fact valid and useful to use in combat.

Im a huge DnD fan and I agree that the hand is not supposed to do almost all those things, amongst other mechanics im not thrilled with either.


However once again in the CURRENT STATE of mage hand it is actually a very good cantrip.

Jaz