An innocuous but useful spell in the arcane canon is unseen servant, a 1st level conjuration that summons an invisible servant to do your bidding.
While helpful in a wide variety of situation, just as with the other spells mentioned in this blog series, it does have limitations. Therefore, wizards have come up with improved versions of the spell and created magic items associated with those spells.
NEW SPELLS
Take a new look at unseen servant.
Unseen Butler
2nd-Level Conjuration | Bard, Warlock, Wizard
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M (a piece of string and a silver doorbell)
Duration: 1 hour
You cause an invisible, shapeless, Medium-sized force to appear in an unoccupied space on the ground within range. The butler has AC 13, 10 hit points, and it can’t attack.
Once during your turn, as a bonus action, you can mentally or verbally command the butler to move up to 30 feet from you and interact with an object. The butler can perform the same tasks as an unseen servant, but can also perform any tasks that a creature with an Intelligence score of 6 and Strength score of 11 could perform. Once you give it a command, the butler performs the task to the best of its ability until it completes it, then waits for your next command.
You can also order the butler to move to a location and perform a task once a specified set of conditions are met, the spell’s duration expires, or you give it a new command. These conditions could include someone knocking at a door, a bottle of wine falling off a table, or anything else you can envisage within reason. The butler can be tricked into performing this task by illusion or trickery and cannot discern between your allies and enemies.
If the butler drops to 0 hit points or moves more than 120 feet away from you, the spell ends.
Unseen Horde
2nd-Level Conjuration | Bard, Warlock, Wizard
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a piece of string and a handful of wooden shavings)
Duration: 1 hour
You cause up to five invisible, shapeless, Medium-sized forces to appear in an unoccupied space on the ground within range. The servants have AC 10, 5 hit points, a Strength of 2, and they can’t attack.
Once during your turn, as a bonus action, you can mentally order one or more of the servants to move up to 15 feet from you and interact with an object. The servants can perform simple tasks that a group of normal servants could do, such as setting the table, cleaning a room, or carrying furniture. Once you give the command, the servants perform the task to the best of their ability until they complete the task, then wait for your next command. You can order the servants to perform multiple tasks at the same time if there are enough servants to do so. Therefore, you could have two servants folding sheets, two moving a chest, and the final servant stoking a fire all at the same time.
The spell doesn’t end unless all of the servants move more than 60 feet from you. However, individual servants vanish if they move beyond the spell’s range. The spell also ends if all servants drop to 0 hit points.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you conjure two additional servants for each slot level above 2nd.
Unseen Tactician
3rd-Level Conjuration | Bard, Warlock, Wizard
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a piece of string and a silver dagger)
Duration: 10 minutes
You cause an invisible, shapeless, Medium-sized force to appear in an unoccupied space on the ground within range. The tactician has AC 15, 20 hit points, and a Strength and Dexterity of 11. It cannot deal damage or grapple an enemy, but it can take other combat actions as dictated below.
Once during your turn, as a bonus action, you can mentally order the tactician to move to an ally within 30 feet of you and take one of the following actions:
- Pick up or otherwise interact with an object. This object can be one being carried by an ally or someone who is incapacitated.
- Make an Attack action only for the purpose of shoving an enemy or object.
- Use the Help action to aid an ally. The tactician cannot help an ally with Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma checks.
If the tactician drops to 0 hit points or moves more than 60 feet away from you, the spell ends.
NEW MAGIC ITEMS
See if these magic items can serve a purpose in your campaign.
Ring of the Butler
Ring, Uncommon (Requires Attunement)
Numerous minor scratches cover this heavy gold ring. The ring has 3 charges and regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.
While wearing the ring, you can use an action and expend a charge from the ring to summon an unseen butler. Unlike the spell, the butler is dressed in a livery similar to that of a footman or manservant, visible to those around it. You can dismiss the butler as a free action.
Staff of Helping Hands
Staff, Rare (Requires Attunement by a Bard, Warlock, or Wizard)
Carvings of various humanoid hands line the haft of this gnarled wooden staff. The staff has 10 charges and regains 1d6 + 4 charges at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the hands fade away, and the staff becomes a nonmagical quarterstaff.
While wielding the staff, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it: unseen butler (2 charges), unseen servant (1 charge), or unseen tactician (3 charges). In addition, while the staff has at least 1 charge, you can cast mage hand from it as an action an unlimited number of times.
