Tyranthraxus
Explorer
I can see it now. A Group of Emerald Enclave adventurers arrive in the town of Barovia and immediatly setup a Greenhouse safehouse only to have the Plants turn on them all as they sleep and drain them dry of blood.
Factions in Barovia: How will they work?
Z. H. Darkstar
Explorer
That sounds awesome! I think that it'd be an interesting change of pace to see an adventure where being in a faction adds an extra layer of challenge without much of a benefit.
EE Druid: "Why are the plants attacking us?"
DM: "Why do you feel the need to sow seeds everywhere you go?"
Drunkard Bard: "I told you that sowing seeds was MY job, you stupid hippie!"
CapnZapp
Legend
Scrolls come with a significant risk of failure for an underleveled caster in 5E.
In previous edition, the risk was only 5% per caster level missing. Now you need to make a DC 15 spellcasting check: that's easily a 40-50% miscast chance for many characters.
I'd say the probability any such scroll is useless has roughly doubled.
Just a FYI...
Z. H. Darkstar
Explorer
Actually it's more like a 25-40% range (~33% avg) of failure in the case of Raise Dead. Since it's a Cleric/Druid spell, you can make the safe assumption of Guidance factoring into the equation. That means that a 1st level Cleric/Druid with Wis 16 will get +6 - +9 on the check. While it's still roughly a 1 in 3 chance that RNGesus will say no, chances are not exactly as bleak as you thought.
With Guidance the Cleric should have a +4 - +7 on the check since they are only getting the +3 from Wisdom and the 1-4 from Guidance.
Z. H. Darkstar
Explorer
Why wouldn't a spellcaster be able to add proficiency bonus to a spellcasting check? That makes no sense.
kalani
First Post
Because you can't gain proficiency with such checks (as it is neither a skill nor a tool, but an unmodified ability check).... It is also why the DCs for most spellcasting ability checks are also relatively low (dispel magic/counter spell only have a DC of 10+ spell level).
A bard however, could add half proficiency bonus to a spellcasting ability check the same way they could with Initiative.
A bard however, could add half proficiency bonus to a spellcasting ability check the same way they could with Initiative.
I am not sure why the proficiency bonus would be included, it is an ability check using the spellcasting modifier. This would work much like Counterspell.
It also gives a reason to be an Abjuration Wizard besides the ward. They are specifically called out as being able to add their proficiency bonus to spellcasting checks (like counterspell and dispel).
CapnZapp
Legend
I beg your pardon, but I believe you're missing my point.
Let's not get caught up on the specifics of the roll.
My point is that the DC isn't "only" 10 + spell level. A DC of 15 (for a fifth level spell) is a brutally hard DC.
Perhaps not when you're trading fireballs with your enemy, and one more or less doesn't matter much.
But it sure is a high DC when an adventure provides you with a scroll with the intention that it should give your team one extra life.
In previous edition it did. In 5th edition, that is no longer true - the miscast chance is no longer a mere 5% when you "are almost there".
Either you are of high enough level, and then you succeed 100%. Or you aren't, and then you're staring at a significant, very large risk.
Whether that risk is 25% or 50% isn't the important part. That it's there, and that veteran adventure designers may well trip up on this, is.
Thank you.
Let's not get caught up on the specifics of the roll.
My point is that the DC isn't "only" 10 + spell level. A DC of 15 (for a fifth level spell) is a brutally hard DC.
Perhaps not when you're trading fireballs with your enemy, and one more or less doesn't matter much.
But it sure is a high DC when an adventure provides you with a scroll with the intention that it should give your team one extra life.
In previous edition it did. In 5th edition, that is no longer true - the miscast chance is no longer a mere 5% when you "are almost there".
Either you are of high enough level, and then you succeed 100%. Or you aren't, and then you're staring at a significant, very large risk.
Whether that risk is 25% or 50% isn't the important part. That it's there, and that veteran adventure designers may well trip up on this, is.
Thank you.
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