Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Cantrips, a Curious Thing
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="James Gasik" data-source="post: 9052162" data-attributes="member: 6877472"><p>Always, lol.</p><p></p><p>And yeah, I'm aware that not all game mechanics are meant to be described as they function, but it does lead to a narrative dissonance (and there are some gamers who get very hung up on form not matching function).</p><p></p><p>But as it stands, magic users have multiple "gas tanks". There's your first level spell tank, your second level tank, and so on. But occasionally you can cast a ritual with no fuel requirements (though it may require additives like expensive material components), and then there's cantrips, which apparently run on off the 13.5 to 15 volts your alternator produces for you just driving your car around. And this would be all well and good (if a bit strange, because one wonders why you don't just have a spell point system or something) if cantrips didn't become more efficient than some low level spells.</p><p></p><p>Personally, I'm leaning towards a theory that the model for how spellcasters gain spell slots and new powers is something set by the Gods of Magic (and the reason Warlocks break this model is because you're getting your power from an exploit, not an intentional mechanic). Some internal energy is consumed to cast spells (this is a big difference from earlier editions, which stated that almost all the energy of spells have an external power source, and that even casting a level 1 spell would leave a caster fatigued and gasping for breath).</p><p></p><p>But the magic that powers Cantrips and Rituals <strong>is </strong>derived from an external source, one that is limitless, but can only be tapped for a very specific amount of energy. What this source is can be left to the imagination; the Gods, the Weave, the "Plane of Magic", arcane energies leaking through cracks in the barrier between the planes and the outer realms, the dreams of a sleeping eldritch creature, whatever.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="James Gasik, post: 9052162, member: 6877472"] Always, lol. And yeah, I'm aware that not all game mechanics are meant to be described as they function, but it does lead to a narrative dissonance (and there are some gamers who get very hung up on form not matching function). But as it stands, magic users have multiple "gas tanks". There's your first level spell tank, your second level tank, and so on. But occasionally you can cast a ritual with no fuel requirements (though it may require additives like expensive material components), and then there's cantrips, which apparently run on off the 13.5 to 15 volts your alternator produces for you just driving your car around. And this would be all well and good (if a bit strange, because one wonders why you don't just have a spell point system or something) if cantrips didn't become more efficient than some low level spells. Personally, I'm leaning towards a theory that the model for how spellcasters gain spell slots and new powers is something set by the Gods of Magic (and the reason Warlocks break this model is because you're getting your power from an exploit, not an intentional mechanic). Some internal energy is consumed to cast spells (this is a big difference from earlier editions, which stated that almost all the energy of spells have an external power source, and that even casting a level 1 spell would leave a caster fatigued and gasping for breath). But the magic that powers Cantrips and Rituals [B]is [/B]derived from an external source, one that is limitless, but can only be tapped for a very specific amount of energy. What this source is can be left to the imagination; the Gods, the Weave, the "Plane of Magic", arcane energies leaking through cracks in the barrier between the planes and the outer realms, the dreams of a sleeping eldritch creature, whatever. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Cantrips, a Curious Thing
Top