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

In it's current state, it's not really much use, but this spell could be very useful if Larian could add some functionality to what the hand can do:

Combat Abilities:
Unarmed Strike: [Implemented] Currently deals 0+1 damage or 1 damage. Would be nice if this improved to 1-3.
Trip or Topple: [Suggested] Allow the hand to attempt to trip or topple an enemy to create prone for 1 round.
Grapple: [Suggested] Allow the hand to attempt to grapple an opponent, a successful grapple reduces speed and AC and attack by -1 for 1 round.
Shove: [Implemented] Would be nice to indicate in the tip what the strength of the hand uses. I've only tried shoving once or twice unsuccessfully.
Throw: [Implemented] Issue here is since the hand can't pickup anything, it doesn't have anything to throw so useless.

Other Abilities:
Pick Up Item: [Suggested] Allow the hand to pick up and carry 1 item up to 2 pounds in weight. This would allow the hand to pickup and carry an item and optionally throw it.
Drop: [Suggested] Allow the hand to safely drop the carried item or give it to the MC or party NPC.
Open: [Suggested] Allow the hand to open doors and containers that are not locked.
Interaction: [Suggested] Allow the hand to move levers, turn wheels, press buttons, basically simple actions.

I'm hoping that Larian will add some of the above abilities because the spell seems pretty useless in it's current state.

Thoughts?

It is completely useless currently. Being able to shove with Mage Hand is just stupid and picking up items is the most basic use for it and should have been implemented from the start.

Mage Hand:

It is only a cantrip, not a summoned extra party member. Out of your combat suggestions, the only one I think would make any sense would be indirectly tripping someone. This would require a series of actions to set up and usable rope though and the mage hand would be used to pull the rope, maybe tightening a noose around someone's leg or clotheslining someone. Even that might be pushing it a bit but I could see it working for a video game (also some DMs will allow this sort of thing without debating force and weight and all that math stuff.)

My reason behind trip is that the hand could grab a foot and cause a prone condition. As to grapple, the hand could grab a arm and hinder that arm from moving or a grab a leg and hamper movement. Either seem like logical extensions for combat if unarmed strike is allowed.

There is more things that should be changed acording to Mages Hand ...

First of all i would like to point out that this Cantrip have duration ... and yes i know its suppose to have duration in tabletop too ... but i really dont see the reason, nor any gameplay-wise benefit from that, so i dare to say this should be changed to "as long as you keep concentration".

Second, hand (as far as i know) is able to fly as far from its caster as it manages during its minute existence ...
That should on the oposite being changed back to tabletop style, with adding maximum range.

And last, but probably most importantly ... hand (and honestly even Magic Familliars, and most summons in general) should not be threated as self-concious followers ...
Since this is only magical construct that Caster controls by his own mind hand should:
1) Have its initiative roll ALLWAYS tied to its caster ...
2) Use its caster Actions and Bonus actions ... practicaly working as exactly that what is is, pro-longed hand of its caster.
3) If you would demand some combat usage ... i gues the best you could get is delivering Casters touch-spells (wich is something i really hope familiars will get) ... i believe that is something Mage Hand should not do either, but i would say it seems logical, if Wizard is able to give his enemy Shocking Grasp through his Toad minion, he should also be able to give his enemy Shocking Grasp through his Mage Hand.

Why? Or based on what?
I mean what would be logic behind such change? I believe you certainly dont want to tell us that hand have +2 Strength modifier, do you?

As far as i know this thing is not even suppose to attack by itself, so even this damage is allready buffed.

I like this idea ... kinda ...
But chances should be incredibly small.

Seems a little too powerfull ...
Reducing 3 stats seems too much to me. :-/

I would have no problem with hand grapling either leg, to reduce movement speed, or hand, to reduce AC ... both should be relatively easy o shake (like dif 5 or 7) and hand should be destroyed if saving throw will pass.

Isnt there percentual chance of sucess for shoving? O_o

While i would see no problem with Mage Hand accesing Wizards own inventory ... it should not work other way around tho. :-/

Also i have to disagree here, since Mage Hand still can throw around all objects that are just there around you ... i usualy throw crates and weapons that lay on the ground.

It allready can throw items on the ground ...
It would be nice if it could also hold them and bring them to the mage.

+1

+1

+1 And "pour the contents out of a vial".

Well, since the hand isn't supposed to be used in combat, 1 point of damage seems pretty worthless, 1 to 3 seemed more useful but it's not based on anything. DMs can change rules as they wish, so I assume Larian can do the same.

As far as Grapple goes, I didn't mean to infer that all three stats would be affected. You would choose where the hand grappled, leg effects movement, weapon hand effects attack, shield hand effects A/C. Only lasts one round if the saving throw succeeds.

I like the idea that the hand would be an extension of the mage's hand allowing touch spells to be used through it. +1

I did not know that the hand could pickup and throw something. Never tried it mostly because I only tried using the hand a couple of times and it didn't work the way I suspected. Thanks for the reply on this.

Mostly though, this was just a discussion topic on a spell that is more useful in the tabletop game than how it is currently implemented in the EA. I'm assuming that someone with Larian scans these topics and maybe take back a suggestion or two.

Also i just remembered ...
The hand is flying, it would be great to allow it hower over chasms, abyss, holes and cracks ... like when you get to that place, where Tiefling kids are hiding ... there is chest across the chasm ... you can get Mage Hand there ... but the only way to get chest back to you is to throw it and hope it will not break.
(usualy it does ... and funy enough, when it does, you loose the loot, since the gem that was inside was too fragile )

So if the Hand could hower over that chasm while holding the chest ... that would be awesome. :3

This seems self-explanatory to me ...
"Im using in combat something that is not supposed to be used in combat ... and it feels worthless when used in combat" ...
Maaaaaayyyyybeeeee it have something to do with the fact that its not supposed to be used in combat?

Rag, isn't that a bit condescending? If Larian never intended for it to be used in combat(and I agree, they shouldn't) then why did they make it usable in combat? What other use does the hand's attack option have? Kethlar obviously expanded his idea on a function that Larian has already implemented. So maaaaayyyyybeeeee you can tune down your responses a bit. You seem to be the only one that find them witty anyway.

Hey Rag, you can get to that chest by having Laezel jump over to it, or use the jump spell (or misty step). That's how I always get it.

@PrivateRaccoon

I also don't agree with you here. Sure, a familiar or other summon is bound by magic to follow its masters command. But a familiar is not some lifeless thing. It's a spirit, with its own individuality. It's a person. When not given a direct command from its master, it is free to move and think and act within the bounds of the summoning spell. An animated body though would be more in lines with what you're suggesting.

I do believe he knows that but he suggested another option to get it which would be more in line with the intended use of Mage Hand in accordance with the TT rules.

The arcane trickster mage hand of ....."a bunch of random letters". Has a tonne more functionality like pickpocket, disarm and some other stuff I cannot remember and is also invis so can do sneaky really well too. I think it can carry 10lbs also. Currently not working as intended in BG3 as far as I am aware I tired it in patch 2-3 and it was trash.

I'd just like for the hand to have an inventory that can support up to ten pounds. That way the hand can pick things up and transfer them and such.

And to be able to interact with the environment. Opening chests, opening doors, closing doors, pulling levers, pushing buttons. Basic stuff you'd assume the hand can do.

I'd also like the hand to have the "fly" ability since it floats.

*

Other than that, I don't care so much about all the combat stuff. Whatever's interesting and balanced is fine with me.

It allways have ben usable in combat ... and it still have its uses in combat, it simply should not attack, thats it.

Well ... concidering DnD Tabletop rule for this spell:
You can use the hand to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial.
+ From Larian ... shove.

In my opinion, that is still pretty usefull spell in combat ...


Im aware.
The point of using Mage Hand was to retrieve it without spending two lvl 2 spellslots to misty step there anc back ... or without spending ability you can use once per rest, and wich you will need a little later (down by the idol).

okey

The description of the generic mage hand in the phb does indeed say you can interact with anything physical and is basically an extension of your hand in every way so you can carry a "thing" of 10lb I am pretty certain. It is however VERY obvious to an observer that the mage hand is coming from the caster as it looks like a large wispy magic extention going from the caster to the hands destination. It is incapable of performing complex actions like the arcane trickster. Mage hand should be more useful than it is currently.

Mage Hand shouldn't require concentration at all.

Mage Hand should be useful for picking up or interacting with items at a distance. Obviously it should be able to float over chasms.

It's ~fine for Mage Hand to have combat abilities AS LONG AS it takes your action to control the hand. Otherwise, for the cost of a cantrip, you're effectively getting an entire additional turn. It's a cantrip; it shouldn't be that powerful. Especially given how OP Shove is in BG3 with instadeath pits.

If it doesn't require your action, then the hand (which can only pick up things < 10 lbs) should really only be able to handle items or maybe do an unarmed strike for 1 damage. And in this case it should require concentration for balance purposes, given that you're no longer spending an action to make it do things.

Legerdemain. Literally meaning "light of hand" (from leger de main, medieval french). Synonymous with "sleight of hand".

Yeah no I didn't know that you made me look it up so I thought I'd share

Ok, let me clarify, What other use does Unarmed Strike have except in combat? That was the implementation from Larian that Kethlar expanded his idea upon. The idea you ridiculed with your sarcastic response. Not what use Mage hand has according to the PHB. Not shove. Unarmored Strike, one of the current options available to the hand during its action phase.

If you think that it shouldn't have Unarmored strike, that's fine. I agree with you. But its there, and you basically told Kethlar he shouldn't use it because that's not what Mage hand is for. You could have just gone with, that, instead of making strike more useful, it could be removed altogether. Which you also did. In your first response. And then, when Kethlar explained his reasoning, you, as usual, had to act like a douche, thinking you were witty.

Yeah, my misstake ... poor wording. :-/
I mean until canceled.

Nah ...
I stated that it shouldnt even do that ... instead it does something, but it sucks ...
And while it sucks, im personaly against it being better ... bcs even if it sucks, its still better than it should be.

And it seems reasonable to me that it sucks, since its not supposed to be used this way.
That is why i said it sucks, bcs its suppose to suck.

I mean its nice that you wish to stand up for someone.
It certainly grade(?) you up ... but if i can sugest you something, in the future, when you will do that again ... try to avoid the behavior you blame others for.

That is all i shall say on this matter, if you wish to continue.

Lol, I just couldn't remember the spelling thanks mate.

Honestly I don't really care if they never give it any further combat uses, the fact that it can shove is plenty. What it really needs is exploring uses. It needs to be able to trigger traps from afar, or work levers, turn handles, etc. That's exactly what it's for. The fact it it can't operate the crane/platform controls in Grymforge, or the lava wheel during the Grym boss fight is ridiculous! That's EXACTLY what it's supposed to be used for. I can't express how frustrating it was to put my party on the moving platform, cast mage hand and have it not able to do anything for me.

Mage hand should ABSOLUTELY be able to trivialize some puzzles throughout the game.