D&D 5E My Simple Spell Rarity House Rule

[el-remmen]

Makes for a more dynamic game, adds balance and makes finding a unique spell all the more exciting. It also gives the DM some control of which spells they allow in their game.

BTW, I do this for clerics and druids as well - but granting them new spells to add to or replace from existing spell lists that they find on scrolls or are awarded for doing stuff for their churches/orders or going a holy quest.

 

[Blue]

Regardless, I'm not a fan of spellcaster players having access to and being able to pick whatever spells they want.

This is a hill I will gladly die on to disagree.

Back in AD&D I played a Magic User in a six month campaign where we got up to 5th level. During that time, I never found any 2nd level scrolls or spellbooks. DM assured me they were around, we just never made the right choices to come upon them. Upcasting didn't even exist back then, and my character had the power level of a 2nd level character for months and months.

That's completely freaking ridiculous.

This is one of the small but required changes thaty should never be rolled back. Wizards are competent, Intelligent people focused on the Arcane, they can work out two formulas every few months from their readings, experimentations, seeing people cast, and the like so it doesn't even have versimlitude going for it. But from making this a playable game perspective it is absolutely required to be in the base rules because different DMs will have different ideas (just like my DM did back then) and it really makes the game unfun.

If you want to make it a house rule and your players trust you to give them out, that's fine. I'd even play with you. Limit spell selection like the OP suggested but still have free spells per level? Easy. But when working across the gamut of all DMs regardless of experience and of the adventures they are running this absolutely needs to be a rule in the books.

Summation: Because not all DMs run the same, to preserve tthe wizard being viable from a game perspective, Wizards are required to increase spells known outside what they find. All of the other classes can.

 

[el-remmen]

Summation: Because not all DMs run the same, to preserve tthe wizard being viable from a game perspective, Wizards are required to increase spells known outside what they find. All of the other classes can.

Fair enough, but personally I develop rules and ideas based on fair minded players and DMs, not the worst and extreme examples.

 

[Blue]

Fair enough, but personally I develop rules and ideas based on fair minded players and DMs, not the worst and extreme examples.

New DMs are neither worse nor extreme - and they are likely more numerous than long time experienced DMs like us. Or a DM running an adventure that doesn't give out a lot (and most of them don't) and doesn't want to "show favoritism" by granting extra treasure to one character. As I mentioned, if I trusted a DM I'd play with that rule. But when you look across all DMs you need to have a playable game first that knowledgable people can then tweak to fit their table's preferences.

 

[beancounter]

That's a good idea, but the spell level may not be in cinque with the creator of the spell, or the level of the party.

For example - Hunger of Hadar is a 3rd level spell, but Hadar is star-like elder evil that may be a bit too much for a 5th level party to handle. And by the time they are high enough level to beat an eldritch horror, a 3rd level spell will be below their radar.

 

[GMMichael]

Essentially it comes down to this. . . any spell with a name attached is a rare spell and is not available as a spell that a PC can simply choose when they go up a level. In other words, these spells can only be found in-game. Of course, this mean the DM has to be fair-minded in littering adventures with scrolls or spell books with some of these spells.

I like it. In addition to providing spells in-game, I further increase spell rarity by making spellcasting a dangerous endeavor (brain trauma); if a caster lacks the strength for a spell, it could leave him catatonic.

 

[R_J_K75]

BTW, I do this for clerics and druids as well - but granting them new spells to add to or replace from existing spell lists that they find on scrolls or are awarded for doing stuff for their churches/orders or going a holy quest.

As did I at times in previous editions. I dont house rule much or at all in 5E simply because we play once or every other week for only a few hours so its worth keeping everyone relatively on the same page regarding the core books.

 

[el-remmen]

That's a good idea, but the spell level may not be in cinque with the creator of the spell, or the level of the party.

For example - Hunger of Hadar is a 3rd level spell, but Hadar is star-like elder evil that may be a bit too much for a 5th level party to handle. And by the time they are high enough level to beat an eldritch horror, a 3rd level spell will be below their radar.

I don't understand this post. I did not say the only way to get these spells is by defeating those who created them.

 

[el-remmen]

New DMs are neither worse nor extreme - and they are likely more numerous than long time experienced DMs like us. Or a DM running an adventure that doesn't give out a lot (and most of them don't) and doesn't want to "show favoritism" by granting extra treasure to one character. As I mentioned, if I trusted a DM I'd play with that rule. But when you look across all DMs you need to have a playable game first that knowledgable people can then tweak to fit their table's preferences.

To be clear, I didn't say wizards don't get to choose their spells, just that named spells can't be among those chosen. That leaves the vast majority of core spells (and spells from supplemental books as well if those are accessible to the table). So, I really don't see your vehement objection applying.

Maybe @R_J_K75 meant choosing any spells at all, but I can't speak for them.

That said, you definitely should not play with rules you don't like.

 

[beancounter]

I don't understand this post. I did not say the only way to get these spells is by defeating those who created them.

I know. I was just commenting on one aspect of your idea.