A novel way to acheive intra-spell balance

[Blue]

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.

Oh, I want this spell and it's 4 but I only have three left. Didn't that one have a not-quite-as-useful but a point cheaper spell that'll fit my same need? *sigh* Let me browse the lists again.

Doing the math isn't the only fiddly bit.

That said, I don't mind fiddly as long as players are prepping off-table. I can easily come up with several variant spell lists and say "I'm preparing my urban adventuring list today".

 

[Immoralkickass]

Some spells like Illusory Script can be demoted to Cantrip, and still wouldn't see use. Cantrip selection is quite competitive too.

 

[Yaarel]

Some spells like Illusory Script can be demoted to Cantrip, and still wouldn't see use. Cantrip selection is quite competitive too.

The problem is, cantrips are valuable. Cantrips are ‘always on’. Whereas something like Illusory Script is useful once in a blue moon. Instead of competing with cantrips, it might make more sense as a kind of low-level minor ritual, that is cast for free as long as it is known.

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

In earlier editions I allowed Clerics and Druids to chose their spells when needed, the concept being that their deity would have foresight enough to grant them the spells most needed. It worked perfectly fine for decades of play.

So, my question to those of you who've been playing 5E much longer than I have: What would be the downside if casters never had to prepare spells?

Wizards would "know" and "have prepared" all spells available in their spell list, for example, and can cast whichever one as needed when the situation warrants it. That way, when the less frequently needed utility spell is, in fact, needed, they can do it.

We've already implemented house-rules of all cantrips known (except for archetype casters like Arcane Trickster), cantrip recharge (can't cast the same two rounds in a row), ritual casting of non-ritual spells, and spell slot recovery. Each works fine and the players enjoy them and the flexibility. I see this as just another opportunity for adding more variety and choice. It also removes the hassle of selecting spells for preparing or that players choose the same ones over and over again anyway.

 

[Dausuul]

It's an interesting idea. I wouldn't do a point system, though, that's way more math than is warranted. Just designate certain spells as "cheap." You can learn, say, three "cheap" spells in place of a single normal spell. I think that would incentivize picking some of the niche spells which are useful in just the right situation. Hold person is a good example.

That said, there are a lot of spells that just plain suck for their level, and no one is going to prepare them no matter how cheap you make it. You could give me the ability to prepare Mordenkainen's sword absolutely free and I still wouldn't take it; it's not worth cluttering up my character sheet. Melf's isn't quite that bad, but I still am very unlikely to bother with it, no matter how cheap you make it. I have better things to do with my 2nd-level slots, pretty much always.

The problem is, cantrips are valuable. Cantrips are ‘always on’. Whereas something like Illusory Script is useful once in a blue moon. Instead of competing with cantrips, it might make more sense as a kind of low-level minor ritual, that is cast for free as long as it is known.

It is a ritual.

Though it does set you back a whopping 10 gold pieces.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

This sounds like mostly a lot of extra book keeping.

To this end, I would recommend the simplest possible implementation.

Instead of rating each spell on a scale from one to five "spell preparation points", I would sort everything into two bins: full spells, and half spells. Half spells only take up half of a preparation slot, so you can take two less-impressive spells in place of each more-impressive one.

A more complex implementation would suffer severe diminishing returns on the effort, both in design (trying to decide whether a given spell is worth 2/5 of a slot or 3/5 of a slot), and also in play (trying to decide how to reach exactly 20 preparation points worth of spells, if most of the spells you want to take have odd values).

 

[Immortal Sun]

Better idea: just let them "know" whatever spells they want, and then cast whatever spells they know. Yes, I get that some people like optimizing their spells per day in the vein of crunch-tastic games like Warhammer 40k where you can optimize every single soldier. But 5E is going for an ease of play approach, not a crunch-tastic approach.

If you want to limit their access to new spells, enforce the "spell research" rules. Also a great way to integrate downtime.

 

[5ekyu]

The end result is the same - more variation in spellcasting.

Depends on what you call "more variation."

It changes ehici spells are chosen from what it is now, sure, but that's change, not variety. No reason the spells chosen wont just be the best 5 they can afford then as opposed to the best 5 they can afford now.

If I let you pick 5 cards for a poker hand from the 52 card deck you likely go royal flush... iirc. If I remove your aces, you likely go king straight. flush. (My poker-fu may be weak)

Imo if you want more variety in spells, run a wider variety of challenges, install easier switch rules and have a decent focus/reward on gathering intel.
If sorcs, bards etc could swap one known per long rest and thebpreppies could swap one per short rest and they got Intel on different threats strengths and weaknesses, plus non-combat challenges my bet is you would see a lot more variety.

 

[TallIan]

There are plenty of utility spells that are great for their little niche. That does not equate to being overpowered.

Feather fall isn't overpowered. It's not even useful - until it is. Water breathing - same thing. Speak to Animals & Animal Friendship, add in Speak with Plants and Speak with Dead. Locate Object, See Invisibility. Magic Mouth, Sending, Tongues, Comprehend Languages. Create or Destroy Water.

I could go on and on. This is why the Wizard's ability to cast any ritual in her book, not just the ones she has prepared/known is so good. And there are a lot of niche spells that aren't rituals.

But no one is calling them overpowered.

This is true, some spells are perfectly filling a niche and the only way you will ever see those spells used more is to ensure their niche situation comes up more often.

I think water breathing is a perfect example of how a simple change could make a spell much more common. I see (and take) it often enough because its a ritual so cost 0 resources to cast. If Water breathing was not a ritual I doubt you would see it much - unless you were playing waterworld. Make more of those spells in your list a ritual and you will see them on more spell lists.

See Invisibility I would argue would actually be OP if you made it a ritual. But if the DM throws a lot of invisible creatures at the party, they'll wish that the wizard had that spell.

EDIT: clarified some stuff