Feat: Shadow Touched - What Spell Should You Choose?
This feat found in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is very similar to Fey Touched in that the character gets a +1 to either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma and also provides a good 2nd-level spell which, in this case, is Invisibility. The main difference is that you get to choose one 1st-level spell from the illusion or necromancy school of magic. While the Fey Touched feat gives you a choice of over twenty 1st-level spells, Shadow Touched has less than ten.
What 5e Builds Could be Helped?
Everyone can be helped by having the ability to turn invisible. And just like Fey Touched, any spellcaster or a build where you want to bolster Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma can benefit. Monks could add a +1 to their Wisdom to improve their armor class and pick up a couple of spells. The Rogue Swashbuckler could add to their Charisma which would bolster their Rakish Audacity feature. This might boost a Paladin’s Wisdom enough to get a +1 to their Wisdom-based saving throws.
The Spells
I was surprised at how few options there are. At first glance, Fey Touched and Shadow Touched seem very comparable, but the lack of choice put them in two different categories of usefulness. The available 1st-level spells for Shadow Touched are:
Color Spray
Cause Fear (XGtE)
Disguise Self
Distort Value (AI)
False Life
Illusory Script
Inflict Wounds
Ray of Sickness
Silent Image
Here is how I would rank each of these spells to choose the best one for your character.
S Tier
(I could not put any of these spells in the S Tier)
A Tier
Disguise Self – Great for infiltrating or hiding in a crowd, but remember you only have an hour before it is done.
Silent Image – The illusion spell that works the way everyone thinks that minor illusion works. Very useful in the right hands.
B Tier
Inflict Wounds – 3d10 necrotic damage is nothing to sneeze at but don’t miss on your spell attack.
Ray of Sickness – Causes less damage than Inflict Wounds, but has a chance of causing the poisoned condition on a failed saving throw. Not bad, but don’t miss on your spell attack and hope that the enemy fails their saving throw.
Distort Value – A little niche, but I like the role-playing aspect of the spell. A Guild Artisan background would play right into this one.
C Tier
False Life – Is 5 to 8 temporary hit points a day really worth not improving your primary ability by another +1?
Illusory Script – I don’t think the spell your wizard only gets if they find it on a scroll is worth it.
Cause Fear – Can cause the frightened condition on a failed saving throw, which can be useful but not always effective.
D Tier
Color Spray – Useful at lower levels but soon becomes obsolete since you can’t upcast it, with an average of 30 hit points affected, it won’t take out too many enemies and only causes blindness for 1 round.
Without a solid S Tier spell to choose from, Shadow Touched just does not compare favorably to Fey Touched. Not to say that there is no role-playing potential, but if I’m giving up a +1 to an ability score improvement, then I want a spell that is not limited by spell attacks and saving throws. You need to have fool-proof spells to really make it worth the sacrifice. Invisibility almost makes it worth it, but I would be hard-pressed to choose this feat for just any build, except my Guild Artisan that traveled to the wrong place and came back different and is developing quite the unsavory reputation.
