D&D 5E 5e has everything it needs for Dark Sun

[Steampunkette]

Defiling should be better than preserving, full stop. That's why there's the temptation to do it.

Defiling should be the default for arcane casting, and not defiling should take either an at-cast time penalty or require investment of character resources (a preserving subclass or a feat).

I... had not considered a -feat- for it...

A Preserving feat that allows you to cast your preserving spells without a cast-time penalty would work well in the "Preserving at a Cost" variant option.

@TwoSix, @Steampunkette

I realize defiling needs to be "tempting".

But trading mechanical benefits for narrative punishments has been causing D&D to become broken, since the days of 1e.

It's also got mechanical problems. Like destroying the precious, precious, water that you need to survive.

And if a person were to use the Journey system, as I suggested, you could have it literally destroy the Spell's Level in Supply. Which could cost you several days worth of survival.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I feel like a modified version of the Rune Knight's level 3 ability, Giant's Might, to turn you huge/large along with the damage increase would probably be the best way of doing it. Complete with the increase in reach. Except it being a passive feature.

I mean Eberron's Bugbear has a 10 foot reach built in, not like making your character large would be a big deal issue aside from spacing of rooms. You can even flip the Halfling's small hiding work the same way but reverseish.

Another possibility is to add the benefits of Large over a few levels. Like attacking with reach at 3rd level. Deal extra damage from large size at 5th.

Feels clumsy but there is precedent.

 

[Minigiant]

Defiling should be better than preserving. It's supposed to be tempting to the point that an Arcanist who isn't purposely going down a preservative path out of morals will stop even worrying about it. Preserving is a, for lack of a better word, a handicap. To an Arcanist, defiling would feel normal.

PC arcanists would be normally preservers. A PC defiler would het used to defiling and accidentally defile around people shouldn't.

The mechanics should support the lore.

 

[TwoSix]

But trading mechanical benefits for narrative punishments has been causing D&D to become broken, since the days of 1e.

That was true in the old 2e-3e days, but as a community we have a much better sense of how to marry narrative concerns with mechanical bonuses.

 

[Weiley31]

Another possibility is to add the benefits of Large over a few levels. Like attacking with reach at 3rd level. Deal extra damage from large size at 5th.

Feels clumsy but there is precedent.

Like a reverse version of the spells that certain races can get and unlock via leveling up.

Sounds good to me. Heck you could treat it like a Lineage since that is the new big thing with 5E right now.

 

[Yaarel]

Another possibility is to add the benefits of Large over a few levels. Like attacking with reach at 3rd level. Deal extra damage from large size at 5th.

Feels clumsy but there is precedent.

Perhaps Large size requires a Constitution of 16 or higher? Thus some Half Giants are Medium. The ones that attain Large size need need to invest in Constitution, which leaves less points to assign to other stats.

Meanwhile, the use of Large weapons is just a damage bonus, and can be accounted for among the traits.

 

[Yaarel]

That was true in the old 2e-3e days, but as a community we have a much better sense of how to marry narrative concerns with mechanical bonuses.

Narrative benefits can come with narrative costs.

But mechanical benefits must come with mechanical costs.

Balance matters.

 

[Steampunkette]

Defiling should be better than preserving. It's supposed to be tempting to the point that an Arcanist who isn't purposely going down a preservative path out of morals will stop even worrying about it. Preserving is a, for lack of a better word, a handicap. To an Arcanist, defiling would feel normal.

PC arcanists would be normally preservers. A PC defiler would het used to defiling and accidentally defile around people shouldn't.

The mechanics should support the lore.

... oh... OH.

What if Preserving is spellcasting at a cost... and Defiling just... isn't.

To Preserve while casting you take longer, spend more, or whatever... And defiling is just normal everyday 5e casting instead of getting a bonus/penalty?

That way players view Defiling as "Normal Casting" and Preserving as "Weak Casting"... That's a hilariously simple solution.

Functions for Preserving to weaken:
1/2 Duration
Disadvantage on Concentration Checks to maintain the more tenuous magic
Smaller Damage Dice Sizes (Fireball as 8d4 isn't a -huge- change, damage-wise, but it could be viewed as a painful loss by many players)
Increased Casting Times (Uses Action -and- Bonus Action, Takes multiple initiative counts to finish, requires a reaction to launch the spell)

 

[TwoSix]

Narrative benefits can come with narrative costs.

But mechanical benefits must come with mechanical costs.

Balance matters.

Of course it does (depending on the game type, of course), but it doesn't need to be as simplistic as "mechanical benefit = mechanical drawback". You just have to not being doing a basic dungeon crawl or a story arc, you need to do be playing where the "story drawback" will actually hinder progression.

 

[Rikka66]

... oh... OH.

What if Preserving is spellcasting at a cost... and Defiling just... isn't.

To Preserve while casting you take longer, spend more, or whatever... And defiling is just normal everyday 5e casting instead of getting a bonus/penalty?

That way players view Defiling as "Normal Casting" and Preserving as "Weak Casting"... That's a hilariously simple solution.

Functions for Preserving to weaken:
1/2 Duration
Disadvantage on Concentration Checks to maintain the more tenuous magic
Smaller Damage Dice Sizes (Fireball as 8d4 isn't a -huge- change, damage-wise, but it could be viewed as a painful loss by many players)
Increased Casting Times (Uses Action -and- Bonus Action, Takes multiple initiative counts to finish, requires a reaction to launch the spell)

That's a lot to remember and a lot to convert. I will be very surprised if, assuming preserving/defiling is an overlay system and no
subclass based, preserving is not just default spellcasting rules.