D&D (2024) Playtest 8 Spell Discussion

[mellored]

Where the spell that gets rangers echolocation or exploding arrows or instant traps or heighten senses or dogs or bees or dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark they shoot bees at you

Snare is a spell, though it could use an upcast to make it faster.

But yea. Ensnaring Stike is kinda lonely. More ranger smite spells would be welcome.

Shoot an arrow and teleport to the target.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Snare is a spell, though it could use an upcast to make it faster.

Nearly every spell should have an upcast feature, IMO.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I'm disappointed the new Conjure Animals is just pure damage, that still necessitates a lot of rolling if used against bigger groups. While not having any mechanical flavor based on whether it's wolves, crows or velociraptors you're summoning.

Oh well, the important thing is that they replaced the old travesty with anything, so it's not like I can downvote this, come survey.

 

[James Gasik]

Take away counterspell and no one loses a fireball.

And any wizards who go late in the initiative order deserve what they get. We're breeding a better breed of wizard here! (Just kidding, wizards never breed.)

Of course they do, they breed monsters all the time! "A Wizard did it" is a meme for a reason you know!

 

[mellored]

The fact that these move when you move makes me think Moonbeam could use the same treatment.

Also, Conjure Elemental doesn't seem to do anything if no one moves. Seems like it should get 1 attack when cast.

 

[Stalker0]

The Conjure spells are new spells in every way but name.

This is my thought. I like these new spells, they are solid spells. I just don't think they are "conjure" spells. The conjuring part here is pure flavor. Especially the cojure celestial, you don't even see a celestial its just a beam of light. The spell could be called "holy light" and use the same mechanics and no one would bat an eye.

These are neat spells....just not conjure spells.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Conjure Elemental doesn't seem to do anything if no one moves.

Oh... that is very true. It only applies 'when a creature hostile to you Moves', which makes it sound like of their own volition (especially with the capitalization), as all the other spells are 'when the enemy enters/starts their turn in the aura/cube/cylinder'. That's a pretty big bug for a lv5 spell.

 

[bedir than]

Nearly every spell should have an upcast feature, IMO.

I believe they are increasing the number of spells with upcasting. Crawford talked about that for the Sorcerer and Twin Spell, iirc

 

[Ashrym]

Quick opinion on classes in the spell description: I like it too. I find it to be an easier reference when reading a spell than looking at class lists to see which classes access a particular spell.

The worst seem the Conjure elemental.
You just bring a powerful elemental spirit, then nothing.
You have to wait that an enemy move closer.
You can’t move the spirit, and if the fight shift place your spirit is stuck there.
They really don’t want we use this spell!

Conjure Elemental seems far better than Cloud of Daggers as a similarly conjured stationary effect. Am I missing something here?

Says who? There's no real world analogue, so WotC determines what bards use and they use components and/or an instrument.

Not following. If you're saying there's no real world analogue to bards you're just not seeing them. Bards are present in history and myth. Clerics are self-referenced as a contrast.

Modern interpretations can be from those myths and legends, history, similar role in other cultures, and more modern examples like: KISS in movies, cartoons, an comics; Alice Cooper, lord of nightmares (think Dynamite's CHAOS!verse version); or God of Stories Loki, the bard of Asgard, from Marvel comics.

As for why Bards get them? Who even knows at this point.

Because bards are historically, mythologically, and traditionally tied to druids. If we want to make that style of bard we need a reasonable number of druid spells from which to select.

IMO, make Magical Secrets a level 1 thing that scales.

Learn 1 additonal spell per spell level, these spell can come from any list.

That sounds like a lot of secrets.

it's a lot more fitting for a Bard than... a beam of moonlight.

What, you've never heard of a moonlight serenade?

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

What, you've never heard of a moonlight serenade?

Is that where you show up with a boombox over your head?