D&D 5E Spell Rarities

[Krachek]

I don't like the idea the wizard can pick any 2 spells they want if they aren't in the "common" category. The most potent power the wizard has is their versatility, and I think they should work for it.

Do you also consider removing plate mail, and add rarities for battle master maneuvers!

 

[Reynard]

Do you also consider removing plate mail, and add rarities for battle master maneuvers!

Plate mail is already "level up" gear given its cost, but to answer the question you were actually asking: I am in fact "picking on" the wizard because the class is extremely powerful, especially considering how most of the restrictions that used to inherent in it have been eroded throughout the editions.

 

[R_J_K75]

I don't like the idea the wizard can pick any 2 spells they want if they aren't in the "common" category. The most potent power the wizard has is their versatility, and I think they should work for it.

Ive also struggled/contemplated this myself. Seems too easy compared to post-3E paradigm.

EDIT: What Im getting at was the power shift to the players more than the DM 3E forward. Its somewhat comeback around in 5E.

 

[Krachek]

Plate mail is already "level up" gear given its cost, but to answer the question you were actually asking: I am in fact "picking on" the wizard because the class is extremely powerful, especially considering how most of the restrictions that used to inherent in it have been eroded throughout the editions.

Class balance is a thing, world building is another matter.
You may perfectly feel that Wizard class deserve a nerf at your table, due to playstyle, players skill, DM style and encounter building preference.

 

[R_J_K75]

Class balance is a thing, world building is another matter.
You may perfectly feel that Wizard class deserve a nerf at your table, due to playstyle, players skill, DM style and encounter building preference.

Id agree and each table their own but within reason and it has to have a good reason too. If it serves a purpose in the game world then all the better but if its just to make the setting "unique" and not much else I believe its just a detriment.

 

[Aldarc]

In my next campaign I am going to curate various PC options at the start of play to reflect a somewhat grounded fantasy world. The actual campaign is a sandbox in the wild full of wonder and magic and horror, so that stuff will be discoverable during play.

By far the biggest list of things to deal with is spells, so i thought I would crowd source a little, if you would be so inclined.

What PHB spells do you think would fall into different "rarity" categories (common, uncommon, rare, very rare, unique). Note that it isn't really about power level so much as what would be found in a functioning civil society. That is, fireball might be rare (in the hands of the military-arcano complex only) not because of its power, but because it would be controlled. Stone to Flesh might by very rare simply because it has been lost to time, while Raise Dead and similar spells might have been actively suppressed.

Note also that most of the reasoning is just background flavor. The characters will be exploring the Land Beyond the Wall and discovering ancient spellbooks and magics written on the walls of tombs, etc.

Thanks!

Consider class spell lists. For example, why does someone become a Warlock? Is their patron offering spells that Wizards commonly know? Or rather is it that their Patron is offering rarer and more exotic spells that Wizards don't commonly know?

 

[Reynard]

Class balance is a thing, world building is another matter.

I'm not sure in D&D they are separated by too far a distance. There is a lot of suggested world building in the mechanics, and if you change one you kind of have to reflect it in the other, otherwise you can end up with the flavor text fighting against the system and vice versa. And for classes like the wizard, something as simple as including spell rarities impacts both flavor and mechanics.

 

[Reynard]

Consider class spell lists. For example, why does someone become a Warlock? Is their patron offering spells that Wizards commonly know? Or rather is it that their Patron is offering rarer and more exotic spells that Wizards don't commonly know?

Something like this is probably the best use for the Warlock (a class I am not generally very fond of). In fact, an evil Patron should offer something "good" to entrap a soul. I might be inclined to add something like Raise Dead to the Fiend portfolio, for example.

 

[Quickleaf]

I agree with @Steampunkette that this needs to start as a narrative/story question for yourself. Then, once you know the story beats around magic in your campaign, you can deal with mechanistic concerns (e.g. ok fireball is more powerful than most 3rd level spells so it is only known by the Fire Cult of Fthaga).

When I was planning my Khemti/Egypt campaign, I knew I didn't want Leomund's Tiny Hut in the game for mechanistic concerns (long story short it's way powered up in 5e compared to past editions). Instead of tweaking that one spell, I thought about the narrative, and went with: "None of the traditional D&D named spells exist in this setting, but there are a host of new Khemtian spells you can learn." This then progressed to five principles of magic unique to the setting, such as spell foci by spell school, the power of True Names, and so forth. Finally, there are mystery cults/schools which PCs can join to get access to some exclusive spells.

Yeah, I ended up addressing that one little mechanistic concern I had, but more importantly the adjustments to the spells and magic system changed the feel of magic in the game to something more Egyptian-esque.

 

[ph0rk]

Do you also consider removing plate mail, and add rarities for battle master maneuvers!

When battle master maneuvers open portals to other planes of existence, this might not be a laughable comparison.