D&D 5E Let's list the "broken" spells

Laurefindel · Jun 5, 2019

CapnZapp said:
If you must add abilities to your BBEGs for them not to be trivially shut down by hero abilities something's broken alright.

I gotta agree with CapnZapp on that one,

Course correction mid campaign is one thing - adjusting as we go is expected- but when I’m compelled to add a very specific ability to counter a very specific PC spell just to give the fight a fair chance of being fun, something’s wrong.

I never played by the adage that “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”, but if i can’t have fun with the game without fixing it; it was broken.

mortwatcher · Jun 5, 2019

Laurefindel said:
I gotta agree with CapnZapp on that one,

Course correction mid campaign is one thing - adjusting as we go is expected- but when I’m compelled to add a very specific ability to counter a very specific PC spell just to give the fight a fair chance of being fun, something’s wrong.

I never played by the adage that “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”, but if i can’t have fun with the game without fixing it; it was broken.

now this comes down to what you mean by fun
because for me, using that big spell to completely shut the baddie down sure feels great and fun, so I do not see it as broken
if your players are telling you that it feels not fun for them when combats are shut down by those big spells, then you should adjust on a macro level

Stalker0 · Jun 5, 2019

When it comes to Big Bads, its a part of expectation setting for the DM....especially new ones.

If you are new to running Dnd and doing your first few boss fights, you may not know how much special care they actually require to be great. And seeing the boss you planned so carefully for just crushed before your eyes without doing anything....even if ultimately he was meant to die, can be a very disheartening experience.

I think part of the problem is the DMG just doesn't warn new DMs well enough in this area. Good boss fights are actually very tricky, and more tips/tricks to deliver that experience can be helpful to them.

Reynard · Jun 5, 2019

mortwatcher said:
now this comes down to what you mean by fun
because for me, using that big spell to completely shut the baddie down sure feels great and fun, so I do not see it as broken
if your players are telling you that it feels not fun for them when combats are shut down by those big spells, then you should adjust on a macro level

The DM is a player, too, and broken spells that one shot the Big Bad may not be fun for them.

mortwatcher · Jun 5, 2019

Reynard said:
The DM is a player, too, and broken spells that one shot the Big Bad may not be fun for them.

that is true and there are a few solutions to that:
1. you have infinite amount of big bads, they have spells like force-cage 1-2x/day
2. talk with your players, if it makes you that miserable, work with them to change their spell list

I'm aware that high-level D&D experience can be more work for the DM, as the CR system gives up at that point, but by the time you get there, you should have enough experience under your belt to manage, or wrap up the campaign before you get to these problematic spells

Reynard · Jun 5, 2019

mortwatcher said:
that is true and there are a few solutions to that:
1. you have infinite amount of big bads, they have spells like force-cage 1-2x/day
2. talk with your players, if it makes you that miserable, work with them to change their spell list

I'm aware that high-level D&D experience can be more work for the DM, as the CR system gives up at that point, but by the time you get there, you should have enough experience under your belt to manage, or wrap up the campaign before you get to these problematic spells

Alternatively, you can simply ban the problematic spells.

Laurefindel · Jun 5, 2019

mortwatcher said:
now this comes down to what you mean by fun
because for me, using that big spell to completely shut the baddie down sure feels great and fun, so I do not see it as broken
if your players are telling you that it feels not fun for them when combats are shut down by those big spells, then you should adjust on a macro level

It always were down to what people considered fun. D&D is a game, that’s it’s primary function.

Turning a challenging fight into a trivial one can indeed be fun, but when the same trick can be pulled again and again unless the DM introduces specific countermeasures to prevent it; it’s a weakness on the game, not on the players’ (DM included). The trick gets old fast.

I call this broken. Clearly you don’t, showing that there is more to “brokenness” than a yes/no question. Whether I find it fun or not to play with this game’s weakness is one thing, but I must say I’m surprised by the vehemence with which posters deny that some of these spells might constitute a weakness in the first place.