D&D 5E Should the Silence Spell, be a Ritual Spell?

[Todd Roybark]

A judicious use of the Silence spell, has saved myself, many times over the years. I have never felt a casting of the Silence spell, to ever have been a waste of resources. Even when the spell has been circumvented. Even if I used all my second level spell slots casting the spell.
A perfectly cast Silence spell is worth the price.

Being able to spam the Silence spell, is quite powerful.

Does Silence, need to be an at will cast, for those with Ritual Magic?

 

[MarkB]

I'm honestly a little surprised that it has the Ritual tag. It seems very much like a tactical spell to me, and while it is indeed very useful in that context, I'm struggling to think of many circumstances in which it would be advantageous to stand around for ten minutes chanting a ritual, in order for the subsequent ten minutes to be Silenced.

 

[billd91]

It definitely has tactical importance, but it could also be used in a situation where you have plenty of time but are about to do something you want kept a bit more secret. Then you could block sound from traveling out of a room and down a corridor or cover up the noise made breaking into something like a chest or lockbox.

 

[Undrave]

I'm honestly a little surprised that it has the Ritual tag. It seems very much like a tactical spell to me, and while it is indeed very useful in that context, I'm struggling to think of many circumstances in which it would be advantageous to stand around for ten minutes chanting a ritual, in order for the subsequent ten minutes to be Silenced.

It could be used to set up a trap? Or as Billd91 points out, silence what you are doing?

 

[NotAYakk]

Two level 3 ritual casters can chain-cast silence into a small room, where a spellcaster is bound, gagged and stripped of material components.

You can cast it before setting off a gunpowder bomb. (Of course, in the real world, an explosion is just a ridiculously loud noise, but in D&D the two should be different; otherwise, silence generates a zone of absolute zero)

 

[ad_hoc]

The real crime is that it has a verbal component.

 

[jasper]

Hush.
Zip it.
QUIET!
Shut up.