Most spells available at first level?

[ren1999]

Ellington,
5th edition is going to have vancian spells scale in power based on the spell slot they're prepared in rather than the caster's level. Would it be possible to have most, if not all, of the spells

Level 1: 2d6 damage
Level 2: 4d6 damage
Level 3: 5d6 damage, 20 ft radius"

Yes, something like that. But no 1st level cleric type character is going to be able to chose Raise Dead. There's got to be levels for powers.

Now, I'm thinking of how much of a pain it is to roll 5d. Cut down the scale to 3dice.

My Dungeons & Dragons Hybrid Game for Firefox and Chrome kira3696.tripod.com/CombatTracker.rar

 

[Lwaxy]

Technically some of my groups are using something similar. It works ok except some spells just don't work out in lower or higher slots for balance reasons.

 

[Kingreaper]

I think it's best to keep the change of spells over levels to numerical effects only.

So fire blast is always single target, but goes up in damage and range as you up the slot

Chain Lightning increases in damage, and possibly the number of links in the chain.

Nothing goes from single target to AoE by slot increase; those two things are seperate spells. But Cure Wounds may be a single spell that can be prepared at various levels.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

Monte Cook already proved it can work, at least within plus or minus one spell level, in Arcana Unearthed/Evolved, with his "diminished/heightened" spell mechanic. Usually, the diminished or heightened spell does only change something numerically, but a few spells change more.

And by no means did he feel compelled to have such options for each spell. If he had a good option for spell X for a diminished version, he included it. Otherwise, not. It isn't at all confusing, and rarely did it cause balance issues. (Some particular spells still being very powerful caused some balance issues, but it wasn't usually the diminish or heighten that was the root of the problem.)

I'd say such a system has a heck of a lot better chance of working well than some of the theoretical stuff we've all been discussing, if only because of actual play experience with a working system.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Yes, something like that. But no 1st level cleric type character is going to be able to chose Raise Dead. There's got to be levels for powers.

Exactly this. Some spells may scale by level, but it's going to be the spell effect that determines what level it's ultimately slotted into. There won't be a first level version of Wish, because the spell effect is so potent. Contrast that with Fireball - damage in a radius. Not exactly earth-shattering, and 4E already showed you could have a low-level version.

 

[The Red King]

Exactly this. Some spells may scale by level, but it's going to be the spell effect that determines what level it's ultimately slotted into. There won't be a first level version of Wish, because the spell effect is so potent. Contrast that with Fireball - damage in a radius. Not exactly earth-shattering, and 4E already showed you could have a low-level version.

1st leve wish is called "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

You have a 1% chance for your limited wish request to come true. Have a 5% multiplier per level.

 

[Tony Vargas]

What exactly would be a level 1 version of the "anything" spell wish? Beg? Obviously suicidal backfiring wish?

Prestidigitation.