D&D (2024) 2024 Spell Changes

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Spike Growth being a sphere now does lead to extra arguments with GMs about whether 'moving within the area' means within the sphere, or only the ground. It's the difference between being able to jump / fly / get thrown over it, and just taking an automatic 10d4 damage if you're at the center of it when it's cast (if you don't have a teleport / ranged weapon).

 

[mellored]

Spirit Guardians meanwhile asks for no particular builds on your team, and you cannot avoid the damage, only halve it... but the only scaling it gets is through the number of enemies + upcasting the spell. It's like a base level of performance that applies at all times, and if my team was facing 10 Orcs, I would gladly spend one of my attacks on grappling the Cleric to deal an automatic average 6 x 10 = 60 damage to the group.

Sure, but an element monk could just use their blast for 12 damae x 5 targets = 60 damage, and more concentrated. And possibly still be able to flurry.

I mean, how many clerics would cast SG if it only lasted a turn and got their spell slot back?

So it's not overpowered at all. It’s situational teamwork.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

So it's not overpowered at all. It’s situational teamwork.

It's not overpowered for regular gameplay activities, it just looks silly to be carting the Cleric around, I think is the point.

It also has world implications, because mass combats wouldn't worry about the regular fireballs, but about halfling clerics in someone's backpack being passed around the frontline.

 

[pukunui]

Spike Growth being a sphere now does lead to extra arguments with GMs about whether 'moving within the area' means within the sphere, or only the ground. It's the difference between being able to jump / fly / get thrown over it, and just taking an automatic 10d4 damage if you're at the center of it when it's cast (if you don't have a teleport / ranged weapon).

It only affects the ground in the sphere. So if you can move without touching the ground, you should be fine.

 

[MarkB]

In one of Treantmonk's videos he mentioned that dimension door got a small buff, in that it now allows you to bring any willing target with you regardless of size. He remarked upon it being good for small characters, letting them bring their medium allies, but it occurred to me that it's also great for a mounted character - you can bampf out of there, and bring your horse with you.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

This was from Treantmonk's first video, quoting the new book

View attachment 375352

So, with this ruling, and not knowing exactly what Sorcerer says, you could cast a Bonus action spell, then use your action to activate a Wand of Fireballs, because it does not cost a spell slot to use the wand.

... it does not cost a spell slot... that we know of...

But yeah, I do think you're right. Magic items will be the way to go beyond physical/mental limits.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

It only affects the ground in the sphere. So if you can move without touching the ground, you should be fine.

That may be the intent, but the wording is not exact. They could have written 'the ground', but instead they refer to 'the area', and the most previous area-like item in the spell description is not ground, but the 20ft diameter sphere.

Perhaps the spikes are, like, really tall.

It's not a serious question about how the spell works (especially with the giant spikes needing to be hard to see), but after 10 years, they should not be making copy-pasted spells worse written, rather than nailing the language down.

 

[pukunui]

That may be the intent, but the wording is not exact. They could have written 'the ground', but instead they refer to 'the area', and the most previous area-like item in the spell description is not ground, but the 20ft diameter sphere.

Perhaps the spikes are, like, really tall.

It's not a serious question about how the spell works (especially with the giant spikes needing to be hard to see), but after 10 years, they should not be making copy-pasted spells worse written, rather than nailing the language down.

I agree. The wording is awkward. These sorts of things really make me wonder what they were thinking. I'd love to be able to sit down with the designers and dig into the nitty-gritty. Sometimes these things boil down to them being "too close" to the work and not being able to see that something is not as obvious to other people as it is to them. Sometimes it's that stuff got garbled in editing and they didn't catch it before it went to the printer. Other times, they've actually got some reasonable explanations (if only they'd be more willing to share them).

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

They actually clarified Verbal components! I did not think it'd ever happen.

'A verbal component is the chanting of esoteric words... the words must be uttered in a normal speaking voice.'

 

[Nijay]

They actually clarified Verbal components! I did not think it'd ever happen.

'A verbal component is the chanting of esoteric words... the words must be uttered in a normal speaking voice.'

Wait, so if you cast Thaumaturgy on yourself for the booming voice effect, you can't cast spells with a verbal component for a minute?

I'm not sure this clarifies underwater casting.