D&D 5E 5e "Anyspell," Would You Allow the Enclosed Spell?

[aco175]

Did I read it right and think that casting a cantrip does not use the spell slot, allowing you to cast any cantrip all the time?

I also think the wizard has a power that lets them study their book and gain a spell they may need later.

I could see a spell that allows you to change a slot to another spell. It burns two slots to get the spell you want though. I may limit to spells in your book, or just 1st level spells though.

As is, it is rather powerful, but could see it in games with certain feats and other min/max combos.

 

[Inanity]

Did I read it right and think that casting a cantrip does not use the spell slot, allowing you to cast any cantrip all the time?

No you must expend a level 2 spell slot (and an reaction) to cast the spell itself.

 

[Coroc]

Would you allow this spell into your game? Any helpful suggestions welcome!
Anyspell
2nd Level Spell [see below]

• Casting Time: 1 reaction [but see below]
• Range: Self [but see below]
• Components: V S
• Duration: Instantaneous [but see below]
• Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard
• You can cast any level 1 spell or any Cantrip on your class(es) spell list(s) without expending a spell slot. If the chosen spell is not a cantrip then the spell is cast as if you expended a 2nd level spell slot (so its cast as 2nd level spell) . You must meet all of the requirements for casting that spell (including verbal, somatic and material components, and action cost; after casting this just cast the other spell as normal is the idea).
• At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can cast a spell that is one level higher for each slot above 2nd and the spell cast is treated as if cast as a spell one level hgiher for each slot.

If one wants to temper its power then require a feat to learn the spell, maybe.

Clarifications: Given how I wrote it you couldnt really cast a spell of 1 reaction using this spell (should that be change? Should we change the duration to 1 or more rounds and have it be able to trigger later?)... you could cast it on someones turn but it would do nothing unless you somehow could cast a spell using no action. and if you cast it on your turn then you have alredy expended the reaction... EDIT: how I wrote it you COULD cast a spell with a casting time of 1 minute or whatever.

The big problem is I imagine: It makes Sorcerers/bards/warlocks to powerful. I dont know, any feedback?

EDIT: another question: should it even have a separate action cost?

Nope.

Same reason I would not introduce a spell called "no spell":
Use any spell slot and imagine anything you like but nothing will come to effect, your spell slot is still lost

 

[ccooke]

I would definitely not allow this spell. There are much more limited variants I would allow, but nothing this general.

Firstly, limited spell selection is one of the ways the power of casters has been curtailed in 5e. Simply negating that, even if the wording was corrected and it did always cost a spell slot one level higher, is overpowered.

Secondly, as written it utterly negates the power balance of multiclassing for casters. With this spell, a Wizard 5/Cleric 5 can cast 4th level spells from both class lists using their 5th level spell slots.

There are, as I said, cases where I would allow things like it. The recent psionic UA has a good example - the ability to (in advance) get access to (a limited set of) spells, a limited times per day. Other examples that I'd find interesting:

* Something like the 3e anyspell - a Channel Divinity for a Cleric domain specialising in some form of magic, allowing you to cast any spell from a set list once per short rest, with some limitations (like casting time). Maybe you always cast the spell as a ritual, taking 10 minutes.

* Some more generalist Wizard subclass, with a once-per-long-rest bonus action that let them swap one prepared spell for another in their spellbook.

There are probably more. Generally, I'd say - limited to changing prepared spells, or temporarily adding a new prepared spell, limited in number of times you can do it per day and limited to spells that you have some reason to be more tied to than just "they're on the class list" - a spellbook, a patron or deity actively feeding you knowledge, etc.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I would also not allow this spell in my game.

Leaving aside the balance concerns, which many have already discussed, this is almost certain to be a massive time sink as casters dig through the various books of spells for an application of anyspell when they are confronted with an issue. While wish can suffer from the same issue, it can only be cast once a day, limiting the issue heavily. What you're suggesting makes this an every round issue.

The only way I could ever see allowing it in it's current form would be if I was running a solo game for one player. That would make delays at the table a non issue, since only the DM would be waiting on the player. It would also add a significant amount of versatility that a solo caster could undoubtedly benefit from.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I agree with what @Fanaelialae is saying. This spell is begging to for digging through books and wasting huge amounts of table-time, or surprising DMs with some obscure/overlooked spell which defeats a situation, which is cute the first time, but increasingly less cute as time goes on, and makes the caster in question very much the "central character" of the party in a lot of ways.

I don't think "balancing" it by making it need a Feat is necessarily helpful either. I get the goal - that this should let casters be "wonderworkers", but I feel like there should be some more limits.

Also, I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but a Reaction requires a trigger. You can't just "use your reaction" if you're not reacting to something. So this means the spell essentially couldn't be used out of combat (not without shenanigans), and inside combat, could only be used as a Reaction, and you'd presumably have to specify exactly what you were intending to react to (like Ready an action) before you said it.

So that has to go, period. That's just not how the rules work. It needs to be an Action. And if the spell has a longer casting time, you should need to follow that casting time - skipping a lengthy cast time just by dropping a single spell level is outrageous, balance-wise. If the spell normally requires a Reaction, well, you shouldn't be able to cast it with this.

You also shouldn't be allowed to skip costly consumable components with this (non-consumable, sure).

I'd also suggest, given the versatility of this spell, that you need a much harder limit on it, i.e. that either:

A) It's two levels down - so at 2nd level, it can cast Cantrips, 3rd, 1st level spells, and so on. You might not like that, but the distance in power between a lot of 1st and 2nd, or 3rd and 4th and so on level spells is extremely narrow.

Also, right now? Your 2nd-level spell is as good as Wish in many cases. Wish lets you cast any 8th level or below spell. You shouldn't be able to simulate the normal usage of 9th-level Wish with a 2nd level spell that you're upcasting. That's ridiculous. If if wasn't as powerful, it'd be less of an issue.

Even with this limit, it would still be an astonishingly useful spell, because very often a lower-level spell can just completely solve a situation, and in 5E, you are limited to having a pretty small number of spells "ready to go".

B) It can be cast once a day. This might break your idea of how the spell should work, but it would prevent it wasting huge amounts of table time and stop it becoming the centre of the game.

Personally, I'd balance this by designing a Wizard and Sorcerer subclass which each had access to it, and making it the core of each subclasses identity.

 

[Inanity]

Secondly, as written it utterly negates the power balance of multiclassing for casters. With this spell, a Wizard 5/Cleric 5 can cast 4th level spells from both class lists using their 5th level spell slots.

Oh crap yeah that is potentially a problem. I want the spell to be one that you dont have prepared nor one that you know, but the situation you point out wasnt desirable. I would want to limit it o a spell that is on your list and that you can prepare or learn (or know) neither cleric 5 nor wizard 5 can learn or prepare the spells on their level 4 spell list (they can prepare level 4 or 5 spell but not thoses spells that are level 4 or above). .

 

[Inanity]

Thank you all for your responses. I dont know I tend to think that the reaction cost is steeeep... Using this spell would be a suboptimal choice in combat. in most cases. But the discussion above has lead me to change the spell in various ways....

 

[Inanity]

Also, right now? Your 2nd-level spell is as good as Wish in many cases. Wish lets you cast any 8th level or below spell. You shouldn't be able to simulate the normal usage of 9th-level Wish with a 2nd level spell that you're upcasting. That's ridiculous. If if wasn't as powerful, it'd be less of an issue.

Low level spells can be good if cast at higher levels (its part of the game; think counterspell or dispellmagic, arguable the two most powerful spells in the game). Anyway, this spell is SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKER than wish (it requires a reaction and cant do other stuff than emulate 8th level spells). But you made some excellent points in your comments...

EDIT: with a wish you can emulate any 8th level or lower spell as an action (even if that spell takes 10 mins to cast). Anyspell does no such thing...

EDIT: In almost every case casting wish wth your ONE 9th level spell slot would be better than Anyspell. Yes you can choose ANOTHER ninth level spell in place of wish and use Anyspell for a level or two for utility but eventualy youll want wish...

 

[LordEntrails]

No, I would not allow this in my game. Lots of reasons, many of which you don't want to hear or think are invalid. Some that I haven't seen you dismiss, hand wave or shout down include;

• Changes the concept of how and why a wizard has mastered the arcane.
• Makes spell preparation nearly meaningless.
• Practically obsoletes all other casters.
• Steals the fun from other classes.
• Does not fix something that is broken.