D&D 5E Spellcasting Using the Recharge Mechanic

[Micah Sweet]

The possibility to roll a 1 and block casting until a rest is too punishing.

For a 5th level caster, recharge on 5-6, can make you cast one spell a fight including cantrip, very often. Considering fight lasting 3-4 rounds, really easy to roll under 5 few times in a row and be block for the rest of the fight.

The fun for a caster is to cast spell, not roll high on recharge dice!

Disagree. The fun of playing a PC is playing that PC. It shouldn't be dependent on being able to use your oh-so-cool superpowers every turn, IMO.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

For example, at 7th level if you cast fireball, your recharge number is 6. If you don't roll a 6 on your next turn, you can't cast any spell of any spell level.

ah ok, got it. I thought that each spell level had its own recharge roll.

 

[Voadam]

Do things other than casting spells. This might be weapon attacks, using the Help or other actions, or using magical items.

Which is entirely the point. If you enjoy slinging around cantrips and spells every round--having magic so prevalent in your game--this isn't for you.

In 1e there was sort of a flip in caster style as they progressed. At low levels they were a weak person with either really strategic per day spells (sleep) or they could even have no really useful combat spells at all. They avoided melee and sometimes poorly threw small things (daggers, darts, flask of oil). As they advanced their spell resources improved so they could cast more in combat, and usually at some point they got something like a 100 charge wand to use magic every combat round. There was a flip point where high level magic users became really powerful with a lot of resources nobody else could really match in or out of combat.

This system seems to aim to turn the wizard/sorcerer/warlock into the low level OSR MU model across all levels. In 5e wands and such do not seem designed to take over the same combat magic spamming role that they had in mid-high level AD&D since they have fewer charges (though with the built in recharge feature). In a mid to high level combat it looks to me like a sorcerer might expect to get off his first spell definitely, then probably one or two more over a five round combat (with about one in six combats being one spell only because of a 1 on the recharge roll before recharging).

 

[Voadam]

What did they do back in the day? Use a crossbow, or a staff, or a dagger. To demand magical pew-pew ad infinitum is really starting to feel like entitlement from my perspective.

That being said, I'm supporting a possible optional rule here, not demanding anyone's game use it.

I think for genre feel a sorcerer throwing a d4 damage spell is better than a mechanically equivalent throwing of a d4 dagger or dart. Since the structural mechanical incentives is for a 1e low level magic-user to contribute to a fight by throwing small damage things a short distance, I would prefer it was narratively flavored more appropriately.

I really hated the narrative feel of 3e crossbow casters. I thought the development of combat cantrips was a superior narrative option.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think for genre feel a sorcerer throwing a d4 damage spell is better than a mechanically equivalent throwing of a d4 dagger or dart. Since the structural mechanical incentives is for a 1e low level magic-user to contribute to a fight by throwing small damage things a short distance, I would prefer it was narratively flavored more appropriately.

I really hated the narrative feel of 3e crossbow casters. I thought the development of combat cantrips was a superior narrative option.

But its not just narrative. With infinite cantrips, they now have an infinite, magical attack (which circumvents resistance to nonmagical attacks), with a damage type likely to be favorable straight out if character creation.

And that's just the attack cantrips. The out of combat ones, like Mage Hand, are just as bad.

 

[Voadam]

I find OSR/3e MU mechanical designs tends to incentivize making a first level dungeon crawling wizard who looks like this:

or this

Instead of something like

 

[Micah Sweet]

I find OSR/3e MU mechanical designs tends to incentivize making a first level dungeon crawling wizard who looks like this:

View attachment 270005

or this
View attachment 270009

Instead of something like
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I don't disagree, but I also don't see it as a bad thing.

 

[Clint_L]

I'd be interested in hearing how it works out. My gut reaction is to be cautious around things that can randomly prevent players from using their core ability because with a bit of bad luck I can see a magic user being unable to cast any spells in a fight, which doesn't seem like a super fun experience for that player, and it won't be their fault.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Do you give casters some other sort of benefit to make up for the loss of their assumed default power level that is based on being able to cast a spell every round? If not, do you reduce the power level of non-casters in some way also? Or do you consider casters are too powerful compared to non-casters and this produces a better balance? Or do you feel they are balanced, but want casters to be weaker than non-casters? Just trying to see what the desired goal is regarding maintaining or adjusting relative balance between casters and non-casters.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

If you roll a 1 on the recharge, you cannot cast any spells until you finish a short or long rest.

Ooooof, so what there's a 16.67% chance you just lose all spellcasting? That seems... extreme. Do you use 1hr short rests?

Casting spells of 6th level or higher are limited to once per long rest (akin to Mystic Arcanum).

All spells? Like you get 1 6th level spell per LR? Or each? If it's each, doesn't that massively advantage preparation casters whilst being extremely bad for Sorcerers/Bards?

As a general question, how do you handle out of combat and between combat?

You can reduce the recharge number by 1 on subsequent attempts if you want to recover your magic sooner.

How though?