D&D (2024) 2024 Spell Changes

[Chaosmancer]

Is there still spells requiring magic attack rolls?

Yep, they still have attack roll spells.

 

[ECMO3]

2014 Spirit Guardians doesn't deal damage when cast, only when a creature starts its turn there or enters for the first time on its turn.

Yes. So you cast spirit guardians someone moves them into the aura, they take damage and they take it again at the start of their turn.

Not being start of the turn is the difference. This affords the enemy an opportunity to move out (assuming they have enough movement).

This removes the unintuitiveness of these spells not dealing damage on the caster's turn, but it either allows for the double damage noted above or requires more detailed bookkeeping in order to prevent it.

No because it happens at the end of the turn not the beginning. The only time they take double damage is if they stay in it for their turn, or leave and come back in, which in either case they should.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

And speaking of doubling effectiveness, the madmen buffed Web... Previously a creature needed to save if it was in there on its own turn, now it needs to save whenever it gets pushed into the webbed area, and then again at the start of its turn in case it made the save.

 

[Weiley31]

Yeah, but nothing makes it personal quite like "I've tethered you on a bolt of lightning and am going to specifically hurt you every round."

About the only thing more personal would be “Now young Skywalker, you WILL die.”

 

[Demetrios1453]

I am still surprised TM and some others have not been gushing over the new Shining Smite. I mean that thing is CRAZY STRONG against a BBEG. One attack, your entire party will have advantage against the boss for basically the rest of the fight, no save, no legendary resistance....nadda. Just pure pain. heck if it was just the paladin itself it would be pretty good, but its the ENTIRE PARTY.

Suddenly rogues are paladins' best friends!

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I am still surprised TM and some others have not been gushing over the new Shining Smite.

I dunno about that... there's a lot of ways to gain Advantage (more with melee, just have people bring their Topple masteries) and most spells are just straight saves rather than to-hit. And it's only reliably staying up once the Paladin can pass DC10 concentration saves 95% of the time.

But sure, it seems like a conditionally great opener... though the condition is more about party composition, rather than the situation, so some tables this may be cast 100% of time, while others never. Not the smoothest design.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I am still surprised TM and some others have not been gushing over the new Shining Smite. I mean that thing is CRAZY STRONG against a BBEG. One attack, your entire party will have advantage against the boss for basically the rest of the fight, no save, no legendary resistance....nadda. Just pure pain. heck if it was just the paladin itself it would be pretty good, but its the ENTIRE PARTY.

It's not that great, that's why.

It's not that people are missing it or forgetting about it.

It gives you Advantage. Advantage is generally speaking, fairly easy to obtain in 5E. Possibly slightly easier in 2024 than 2014, even, generally. It's a bit weird that people are still acting like it's this shocking hard-to-obtain deal. The idea that some are expressing, that Rogues, who generally have ways to get Advantage or Sneak Attack without help, will be cheering in the streets is very strange indeed.

Shining Smite hits one creature, and is Concentration, and is used by a melee character, so the assumption it is "for the rest of the fight" is not a good one. Paladins, as frontliners, are often very hit hard or multiple times or both (especially by a boss!), don't have CON save proficiency, and whilst they do have Aura of Protection from what, 6th onwards (I dunno if they moved it around), cannot be relied upon to keep this up.

It's not bad, either, especially if your group is weak on other ways to get Advantage and/or using very few spells or only those with Attack Rolls (but what group is?), but I would say it pretty much pales in comparison to a lot of other spells against a boss, including other smites - Blinding Smite always Blinds, always last at least one of the boss' turns, meaning they get Disadvantage on attacks (and Advantage against them) and can't Legendary Resistance out of it until at least the end of their turn, because they don't get a Save until then. It's also not Concentration.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Plus, if I want Paladin concentrating on a spell, it's still going to be Bless.

(which also helps them make those concentration saves to keep it up..)

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I suspect when they revise the Bladesinger the AC calculation might be more like that of Monks, College of Dance Bards and Barbarians as 10 + Int Mod + Dex Mod, with no stacking with Mage Armor or anything like that and always active. Still could be potentially high, but not ridiculously high.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Right, as long as only one of the spells is cast expending a spell slot. So, no more casting two fireballs a round with action surge.

Action Surge now specifically notes that it can't be a Magic Action.

The jury is still out on how this rule interacts with magic items. Could you still cast fireball from a wand or scroll, then cast another with action surge in the same turn?

Casting from a Wand or Scroll is also a Magic Action now (not a Use Item - now called Utilize) so, no.