D&D 5E A simple houserule for martial/caster balance.

[ECMO3]

I mean that as the caster levels, their lower level spells stop being strong enough to deal with the threats and obstacles of high levels. Especially since 5e spells don't getstronger as you level andtey share the same spell prepared limit.

So a highlevel caster will stop preparing Burning hands and Sleep and prepare utility spells like Chrm Person and Disguise Self. And they will use them liberally since they have nothing else to do with those slots (unless they are a sorcerer)

Ok got it.

IME I don't see this because you run out of prepared spells and there are so many good 3rd level spells. Once I hit 6th level any extraneous slots are going to 3rd level spells. You don't have the slots to keep low level utility spells prepared.

Shield, Silvery Barbs and Absorb Elements are used a lot at high level by me and they scale really well IMO. Feather Fall is also usually prepared for me although not used as much. I usually have Disguise Self prepared at 1st level and 2nd level and drop it at 3rd or 5th. Charm Person is rarely in my book unless we find a scroll or something. At high levels though these (CP and DS) would only be prepared if there was some reason we were going to need it and we knew about it ahead of time.

As far as 2nd level spells, there are not many good ones to stay on the list. Tasha's Mind Whip, binding ice, Whiter and Bloom (which upcasts well) and on a bladesinger blur, but usually by 6th level or so I am only hanging on to two of these, or one if I find some 3rd level scrolls.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Had you stopped here, I would legit have thought this was a joke.

That it is not a joke makes me very sad. The fact the company has a certain class's name in it has nothing whatsoever to do with what the game balance should be. The two are totally unrelated. It would be like arguing that a person's surname should define what job they work...

Maybe I should make candy for a living...

 

[Micah Sweet]

I guess it depends what you want. You can, IMO, cap the game at level 10 and eliminate the high level cool things from everyone. Or, just admit once you get past 10, your martials can do things beyond what is physically possible. They are still doing martial stuff, just beyond what "real" humans can do. Then they can keep pace with high level casters

I wonder if people would accept superhuman martials more if the book was explicit about saying it. If the PH stated in the fighter description that, once you reach a certain level, fighters are capable of feats beyond "the real world". That way at least, you would know where the line is and could self-limit if you don't want that.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Another thing that would help balance casters: have the spell damage actually follow the DMG guidelines. I'm looking at you fireball!

Level Up dropped Fireball's damage to commensurate with other 3rd level spells. I feel it really opens up some variety in what people choose.

 

[DND_Reborn]

If damaging cantrips need to be limited per day then casters need the same limit on attacking with weapons.

Did you mean "casters" here? I think you might have meant martials--but that would be just silly.

Regardless, casters have other things they can do with their spells and can always attack with weapons if necessary. Frankly, I loved seeing the cleric in my game actually attacking with a warhammer instead of just spamming cantrips over and over!

Martials attack with weapons--it is pretty much their "thing".

 

[Micah Sweet]

To build up rather than tear down, you can make short rests take 5-minutes and have as many as you'd like in a day. That would boost martials without hampering casters.

You would have to pull back on WotC's current push to eliminate short rest mechanics. But WotC isn’t going to change any of these things anyway, so that doesn't really matter.

 

[Li Shenron]

Simply cap spells known to 4th level or less (maybe 5th level or less). Casters can keep the slots.

Thoughts?

How about capping cantrips i.e. remove the automatic scaling of cantrips?

This forces casters to consume their spell slots faster.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Clerics have ALWAYS been overpowered. 3e actually powered them down from where they were by the end of 2e. A heavy armored caster class with great saves, the second best attack progression and hit points, with great xp advancement, and any weakness you perceive they have could be eliminated by worshipping the right God?

The issue only existed because Cleric players got it into their heads that they were better off not being support for other characters, and using their tools wrong.

I wouldn't say they were using their tools wrong. Other than maybe healing, where was it written that the clerics job was to make the rest of the party stronger?

 

[dave2008]

I wonder if people would accept superhuman martials more if the book was explicit about saying it. If the PH stated in the fighter description that, once you reach a certain level, fighters are capable of feats beyond "the real world". That way at least, you would know where the line is and could self-limit if you don't want that.

That is often how I have felt too.

 

[Micah Sweet]

If damaging cantrips need to be limited per day then casters need the same limit on attacking with weapons.

I think creating damaging cantrips at all was a mistake. Leave the utility cantrips at will, and make a wizard who runs out of spells use weapons like everybody else.