Feat: Crusher - What Spells Should You Choose?
I know at face value that the Crusher feat in 5e from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything seems like it is more suited for the martial classes and not so much for your spellcasters, and you’d be mostly right. There is one exception and that is the Warlock the Genie (Dao) because once per turn, you get to add your proficiency bonus as bludgeoning damage to one of your attacks (spell or weapon). This makes the Crusher feat a great addition to the Genie Dao Warlock in Dungeons & Dragons.
Now you do have to take an attack action for the features of the feat to kick in. These features are you can move the creature you hit five feet to an unoccupied space if they are no more than one size larger than you. Any creature you score a critical hit on with bludgeoning damage will then have all attack rolls against them be made with advantage until the start of your next turn. So, this helps your party get a better chance of hitting an enemy, but not you.
This feat does not make sense for all other spellcasters. Here is the list of spells that all other spellcasters, besides the Warlock the Genie (Dao), have that do bludgeoning damage when an attack action is made:
Magic Stone (cantrip) – This is available to Druids and Warlocks
Bigby’s Hand (5th level) – This is available to Artificers, Sorcerers, Warlocks (the Fathomless subclass only), and Wizards
As you can see this spell list is anything but impressive. Two spells that get augmented is not enough to warrant the acquisition of this feat instead of an ability score increase or picking up Fey Touched or Spell Sniper.
The spells that meet the criteria for the Warlock the Genie (Dao) that can be used with this feat are:
Cantrip: Chill Touch, Eldritch Blast, and Magic Stone
1st Level: Witch Bolt
2nd Level: Ray of Enfeeblement and Shadow Blade
3rd Level: Vampiric Touch
7th Level: Crown of Stars
This is a total list of eight spells that the Warlock the Genie (Dao) can add their bludgeoning damage bonus to on their attack action. The most important is Eldritch Blast, which we all know Warlocks use all the time. This is also a half-feat, so you can add a +1 to your Constitution, which is never a bad thing for hit points and concentration saves. This is a niche feat for spellcasters since only one subclass can really enjoy the benefits of it.
If I were to create a spellcaster character for this feat, it would obviously be a Warlock the Genie (Dao). I would choose to be a variant human and pick up the Crusher feat at first level. I would also take the Pact of the Blade to conjure up bludgeon damage-dealing weapons. I would either dip into Sorcerer to pick up Quicken spell so that you can attack with your pact weapon and bonus action Eldritch Blast. This would give you the option to move any opponent that you hit plus any crits would trigger the advantage bonus until the start of your next turn. Dipping into Sorcerer only opens up Bigby’s Hand as a possible bludgeoning damage spell but since it is a 5th level spell this does not become an option unless you do more than dip into Sorcerer.
A melee-based Ranger who uses this feat can also pick up the fighting style of Druidic Warrior which allows you to get the Magic Stone cantrip. This is really nice given that you would have a ranged attack with Magic Stone that picks up all the special features of the feat.
So, that’s it, there is only one spellcaster that will want this feat. Everyone else would be in the martial classes, but it is always fun to think outside the box. Have you ever used a feat in an unexpected way? Let me know down in the comments section below.
