A novel way to acheive intra-spell balance

[Krachek]

I checked out [MENTION=55582]Treantmonklvl20[/MENTION] guide and here's what I see rated below situational use.

Burning Hands
Disguise Self
Illusory Script
Jump
Arcane Lock
Dust devil
Crown of Madness
Hold Person
Continual Flame
Melf's Acid Arrow
Aganazzar’s scorcher
Snilloc’s snowball swarm
Glyph of Warding
Summon Lesser Demon
Wall of sand
Bestow Curse
Feign Death
Vampiric Touch
Erupting earth

*These are only the level 1-3 spells
I don't find most of these spells to be spells I never would cast, most are just spells that the right situation to cast is rare. Having more spells like that should mean the right situation to cast at least one of them is no longer rare.

Melf's Acid Arrow
Aganazzar’s scorcher
Snilloc’s snowball swarm
Would make great first level spell.

Vampiric touch as a level 2, would take another look.

It would be a bad idea to change hold person. It is a good spell.

 

[Satyrn]

At 8th level, I'm essentially randomly picking half my spells because I really don't care about what I pick once I've prepped the basics, the core of my character. (This may be largely because I'm playing a moon druid and unable to actually cast spells most of the time)

I'd hate a fiddlier way to pick those extra spells.

 

[FrogReaver]

Melf's Acid Arrow
Aganazzar’s scorcher
Snilloc’s snowball swarm
Would make great first level spell.

Vampiric touch as a level 2, would take another look.

It would be a bad idea to change hold person. It is a good spell.

You would also take another look if it meant you could have melf's and 2-3 other spells instead of scorching ray.

 

[FrogReaver]

At 8th level, I'm essentially randomly picking half my spells because I really don't care about what I pick once I've prepped the basics, the core of my character. (This may be largely because I'm playing a moon druid and unable to actually cast spells most of the time)

I'd hate a fiddlier way to pick those extra spells.

Once the costs are established it's really not fiddly though.

 

[Yunru]

You would also take another look if it meant you could have melf's and 2-3 other spells instead of scorching ray.

Only if the 2-3 other spells have a chance to matter.
Look, if a Wizard, who can already pick any situational spell they want, wouldn't pick them, they not gonna get picked.

 

[Satyrn]

Once the costs are established it's really not fiddly though.

This is what I was seeing would happen when preparing my spells: I have to look up the points when I pick a spell, add that to what I've already taken . . . and worst of all, remember the total as I go on to pick my next spell. And then to double check after I was done, adding up points is more work than the current requirement of just counting the spells on my list. Am I wrong about this being the case?

I'm a lazy player.

 

[FrogReaver]

This is what I was seeing would happen when preparing my spells: I have to look up the points when I pick a spell, add that to what I've already taken . . . and worst of all, remember the total as I go on to pick my next spell. And then to double check after I was done, adding up points is more work than the current requirement of just counting the spells on my list. Am I wrong about this being the case?

I'm a lazy player.

I don't think most people find adding 5+4+3+4+2+1+1+2 to be any more difficult than counting to 8.
After getting used to the points costs associated with spells most people will also find their favorite spells preparation point costs ingrained in their memory.

 

[FrogReaver]

Only if the 2-3 other spells have a chance to matter.
Look, if a Wizard, who can already pick any situational spell they want, wouldn't pick them, they not gonna get picked.

Wizards are still fairly limited in the number of spells they can prepare. They don't prepare very situational spells because they have other spells they could prepare that are much less situational. Give a wizard a choice of 1 spell that is good in a lot of situations and 5 very situational spells and I think you will start to see some wizards take the 5 situational spells over the 1 spell that's good in a lot of situations.

 

[Satyrn]

It's not more difficult. It's just more work.

I think you're right when you say it won't affect picking my favorite spells. But that means all the extra work will be around picking those I don't care so much about, and will feel like even more of a chore than filling out the dregs of prepared list already does.

This might not matter, of course. Are any of your players as lazy as I am, or indifferent to a significant chunk of their prepared spells?

 

[Yunru]

Wizards are still fairly limited in the number of spells they can prepare. They don't prepare very situational spells because they have other spells they could prepare that are much less situational. Give a wizard a choice of 1 spell that is good in a lot of situations and 5 very situational spells and I think you will start to see some wizards take the 5 situational spells over the 1 spell that's good in a lot of situations.

I didn't say prepare. Wizards can already have a tonne of spells in their book, so... see previous point.