Blindness

Level 2 Necromancy spell available to Bards, Clerics, Sorcerers, and Wizards. One Constitution save, and a creature is Blinded for ten turns: Disadvantage on everything it swings, Advantage for everyone swinging at it. No Concentration. That last part is why it is better than it looks.

Spell description: Magically blind an enemy creature.

Spell properties

• Range: 18m (60ft)
• Duration: 10 turns
• Save: CON save
• Conditions applied: Blinded
• Cost: Action + Spell Slot
• Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

Affects one additional creature for each spell slot level above the 2nd.

How to obtain Blindness

• Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard, Cleric at Class level 3

Source item: Scroll of Blindness

When to cast Blindness

Blinded is two conditions in one. The target attacks with Disadvantage and gets attacked with Advantage, which means your whole party hits it more and it hits back less, for ten turns, and your caster is free to concentrate on something else entirely. Very few Level 2 debuffs give you that much for no upkeep.

Put it on the enemy who kills you. The single big melee threat, the archer on the ledge, the boss whose attacks you cannot afford. Blinded archers are barely archers at all.

The save is Constitution, which is the save monsters are best at. It lands reliably on casters, on Rogues, on anything thin, and it bounces off ogres and giants. Do not throw it at the thing with the biggest chest.

Upcast it and you Blind an extra creature per slot level. Two Blinded frontliners for a Level 3 slot is a real trade, and it stacks with every Advantage-hungry character you own, Rogues most of all.