D&D 5E Spells you house rule?

[Quickleaf]

I'm curious what, if any, spells you house rule? Reasoning and/or play experience is welcome!

I'm looking at implementing these changes for purely functional reasons (as they don't work well as written)...

• Jump is not subjected to speed limits.
• True Strike is a bonus action and grants advantage on ALL attacks you make next turn.

I'm looking at these changes to make travel interesting & curses/disease a longer-term threat....

• Leomund’s Tiny Hut doesn’t create a force field blocking creatures/attacks. It only offers protection from inclement weather, wind, and temperature.
• Lesser Restoration does not infallibly cure disease; instead, it grants a diseased creature one immediate and automatically successful saving throw against the disease.
• Remove Curse has 3 changes: (1) First, it requires a material component specific to the nature of the curse. (2) Second, it functions like detect magic in that every curse has an effective level. If the curse is 3rd level or less, it is removed automatically. For each curse of 4th level or higher on the target, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the curse’s level. (3) Third, if you fail the check by 5 or more, something bad happens – the curse might jump to you, the curse might progressively worsen, the curse caster might become aware you attempted to lift the curse, etc.

And these changes are purely nostalgic because every time I've run the OSR versions of these two spells we enjoyed it...

• Fireball fills up the area of the spell, so if cast in a confined space it may create backdraft.
• Lightning Bolt bounces off of unyielding barriers up to the spell’s maximum range. It can be angled.

 

[SakanaSensei]

I’m not even really sure how I’d “fix” it, but I hate the play experience of Guidance. It’s either a constant game of “DM may I” or a shouting match of “Guidance!” After ever check is called for, and I hate it.

 

[Krachek]

A buff to fireball and lightning bolt, why not!

 

[DND_Reborn]

Wow... where to begin...?

Well...

1. light, dancing lights, and produce flame are all 1st level spells (and have been upgraded accordingly). (No cantrip portable light in my game, thank you!)
2. guidance is limited to once per creature per short or long rest.
3. eldritch blast increases in damage like other cantrips instead of getting more "beams"
4. magic stone can work on three pieces of ammunition, not just stones.
5. shillelagh grants a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls at 5th level, +2 at 11th, and +3 at 17th.
6. goodberry lasts 8 hours and each berry counts as a half-ration of food OR water.
7. Enlarge/Reduce increases weapon damage by a full weapon die, not d4.
8. Mage armor can be up cast, with each spell level higher granting +1 to the AC (so 5th level is AC 17).
9. After the first round, call lightning only requires a bonus action instead of an action.
10. Fly gives you a flying speed of 60 or twice your walking speed, whichever is greater.
11. Leomund's Tiny Hut protects you from the elements, etc. but is not a force dome.
12. Revivify brings you back to life but with six levels of exhaustion.
And more...

 

[DND_Reborn]

I’m not even really sure how I’d “fix” it, but I hate the play experience of Guidance. It’s either a constant game of “DM may I” or a shouting match of “Guidance!” After ever check is called for, and I hate it.

We make it usable once per creature per short or long rest. It helps a lot.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

The only spell I generally house rule in a major way is Goodberry. I make the berries poor nutrition that won't sustain you for more than a day or two on their own. I think as written it just completely eliminates provisioning as a part of travel at a level where the need for food still has interesting adventuring potential.

That's my only nerf. There's a few spells I'll occasionally bend the rules on in players favor for rule of cool reasons, and there are some spells that have been houseruled for a campaign because we made a mistake and decided to stay consistent, but that's about it.

 

[cbwjm]

I'm curious what, if any, spells you house rule? Reasoning and/or play experience is welcome!

I'm looking at implementing these changes for purely functional reasons (as they don't work well as written)...

• Jump is not subjected to speed limits.
• True Strike is a bonus action and grants advantage on ALL attacks you make next turn.

I'm looking at these changes to make travel interesting & curses/disease a longer-term threat....

• Leomund’s Tiny Hut doesn’t create a force field blocking creatures/attacks. It only offers protection from inclement weather, wind, and temperature.
• Lesser Restoration does not infallibly cure disease; instead, it grants a diseased creature one immediate and automatically successful saving throw against the disease.
• Remove Curse has 3 changes: (1) First, it requires a material component specific to the nature of the curse. (2) Second, it functions like detect magic in that every curse has an effective level. If the curse is 3rd level or less, it is removed automatically. For each curse of 4th level or higher on the target, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the curse’s level. (3) Third, if you fail the check by 5 or more, something bad happens – the curse might jump to you, the curse might progressively worsen, the curse caster might become aware you attempted to lift the curse, etc.

And these changes are purely nostalgic because every time I've run the OSR versions of these two spells we enjoyed it...

• Fireball fills up the area of the spell, so if cast in a confined space it may create backdraft.
• Lightning Bolt bounces off of unyielding barriers up to the spell’s maximum range. It can be angled.

I like the restoration idea, do you also extend it to the conditions it cures? Main reason I like it is that I was considering converting a 4e adventure, but lesser restoration kind of messed it up since the town in the adventure has a cleric that could probably cure the demonic disease spreading through the region, whereas in 4e it required a ritual with limited supplies.

I also do the Leomund's tiny hut change, though no one has ever had the spell so it has never come up. Your jump change is also a good one.

 

[cbwjm]

The only spell I generally house rule in a major way is Goodberry. I make the berries poor nutrition that won't sustain you for more than a day or two on their own. I think as written it just completely eliminates provisioning as a part of travel at a level where the need for food still has interesting adventuring potential.

That's my only nerf. There's a few spells I'll occasionally bend the rules on in players favor for rule of cool reasons, and there are some spells that have been houseruled for a campaign because we made a mistake and decided to stay consistent, but that's about it.

I saw a change to good berry where it consumed the material component which helped reign it in a bit.

 

[Shiroiken]

I'd houseruled Healing Spirit before the errata. I've added the -4 penalty from Raise Dead to Revivify, since that spell is just too good IMO. I haven't bothered with anything else.

 

[Quickleaf]

I like the restoration idea, do you also extend it to the conditions it cures? Main reason I like it is that I was considering converting a 4e adventure, but lesser restoration kind of messed it up since the town in the adventure has a cleric that could probably cure the demonic disease spreading through the region, whereas in 4e it required a ritual with limited supplies.

I've played with the other ones, but not the change to lesser restoration yet. For the other conditions, no, not the same change. Just for diseases.

I want diseases & curses working as longer-term hazards.

Whereas conditions are more short term. I'm also doing poisons a bit uniquely, but that's another story.