D&D 5E Defiler/Preserver Basic Idea (Darksun)

Jacob Lewis

Ye Olde GM
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cbwjm

Seb-wejem
I liked 3e that had a defiler able to apply metamagic to their spells on casting. They gained an ever increasing interaction penalty (I think) and there were also some spells like detect defiler that worked similar to detect evil but based on their defiler score.

I like to tie defiling to arcane recovery. Out of spell slots but really need to get off that final spell? Defile! You can tap into your arcane recovery power instantly to cast your spell.
 

77IM

Explorer!!!
Supporter
Defiling should be really tempting - both over the long term and in the moment. It should be tempting to start, and harder and harder to stop.

In the lore once a Wizard defiled they would struggle to go back to harmony with the land. In the same way that an alcoholic can’t have just one drink’. Preserved and Defiler was a subtype, kit or character option. It’s a bit like Fallen Palladin. Redemption should be possible but would require effort.

Idea: once you use a spell slot to defile, that slot can ever after only be used to defile.

For example, you've got three 2nd-level spell slots, and you use one to cast scorching ray with a defiling effect. The spell gets a power boost, plants die, everyone hates you now, etc. But also, you now have two 2nd-level normal spell slots, and one 2nd-level spell slot that you must use with a defiling effect (spell gets a boost, plants die, everyone hates you more, etc.). If you have a particularly nasty encounter and feel the need to power boost your scorching ray twice, well, now you are down to one 2nd-level normal spell slot, and two 2nd-level defiling spell slots.

Obviously this doesn't work at all for warlocks (but honestly I think warlocks would be Templars in the setting -- Pact of the Dragon King). And maybe there's a way to cleanse your spell slots; like each time you level up, or spend a year without defiling, you can turn one defiling spell slot back into a normal one.
 

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