D&D 5E Am I too strict?

[DND_Reborn]

This brought me to think that for the warlock:
Not enough spells to cast. Spamming EB is fun at first but it gets boring fast. Doing the Hexblade is fun, but most prefer to either play an EK (for a magical martial character) or simply go for a full fledge martial character with no pact and with feats. For my players, it seems that the warlock is a caster that does not know what he really wants to do. The versatility of the warlock depends a lot on what he is willing to sacrifice to get it. Don't get me wrong, the warlock is strong. But mechanically something simply does not add up. Maybe a few more spells or a bit more pact features... I simply do not know. Most of the players that play a warlock (from their own admit) are doing it for a change of flavor and only if there is a wizard in the group...

To address this, one thing you might want to consider is having the spells in the warlock's Expanded Spell list be known spells automatically. This does give them another 10 known spells, but since they are "pre-selected" we haven't found this to be an issue. It adds a bit more versatility to warlocks, but nothing crazy IME.

 

[Chaosmancer]

To address this, one thing you might want to consider is having the spells in the warlock's Expanded Spell list be known spells automatically. This does give them another 10 known spells, but since they are "pre-selected" we haven't found this to be an issue. It adds a bit more versatility to warlocks, but nothing crazy IME.

We do this too, works really well.

Spell casting can bring in money too. Clerics druids and bards are notoriously good at that. But if someone wants a spell to be cast, we automatically refer to what the PHB and DMG say.

I was really referencing the selling of the right to copy a spell from your spell book. It goes from common occurence in a big city to extremely rare in rural area. But it does happen. Prices vary from spell to spell and from area to area.

Right, and the PHB says that a first or second level spell can cost up to 50 gp. 3rd level cleric has two 2nd level slots, so that could be 100 gp a day right there. And since it is something as simple as "cure disease" that is fairly easy to do anywhere.

They can also make and sell scrolls as well, according to the DMG for even more money. Potentially meeting the wizard spellbook costs.

But, their upkeep maxes (without accounting for magical gear) at less than 175 gp per level, while a wizard starts with 50 to 100 gp and maxes at around 900 gp per level.

 

[Helldritch]

To address this, one thing you might want to consider is having the spells in the warlock's Expanded Spell list be known spells automatically. This does give them another 10 known spells, but since they are "pre-selected" we haven't found this to be an issue. It adds a bit more versatility to warlocks, but nothing crazy IME.

Already done. We started this way. When we understood that it was just an added choice, we went for keeping things as they were.

The sorcerer is still in the murk on this side.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Already done. We started this way. When we understood that it was just an added choice, we went for keeping things as they were.

The sorcerer is still in the murk on this side.

Ok. Another option is to allow all caster classes bonus cantrips equal to their spellcasting ability score modifier. So, a Wizard with INT 16 gains 3 more cantrips. It still makes the selection "tough" but allows for more options for all the caster classes.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

For the sorcerers:
Sorcerers were great in 3.5 because they did not prepare spells. Their strength was that they were able to cast a spell when they needed it. Now, it is a class feature of all characters that are spell casters... which leave the sorcerer with their metamagics options as their defining edge (which was a wizard thing before).

I'm pretty sure wizards still have to prepare spells whereas the sorcerer has access to all theirs. Wizards don't have to guess amounts of memorizations anymore but still don't have access to their entire arsenal without resting to swap out a choice.

 

[MoonSong]

I'm pretty sure wizards still have to prepare spells whereas the sorcerer has access to all theirs. Wizards don't have to guess amounts of memorizations anymore but still don't have access to their entire arsenal without resting to swap out a choice.

There's no point to it. A wizard can prepare more spells than a sorcerer of the same, or even higher level, knows.

@Helldritch, if you want more sorcerers, maybe you should buff them a little -like allowing them to not use material components and adding to either their spells known or sorcery points-, and to make warlocks more common, make long rests harder to achieve?

 

[Helldritch]

I'm pretty sure wizards still have to prepare spells whereas the sorcerer has access to all theirs. Wizards don't have to guess amounts of memorizations anymore but still don't have access to their entire arsenal without resting to swap out a choice.

No, but they do have the rituals and this is hard to beat. As long as the wizard has a ritual in his spell book, he does not need to prepare it whereas any other caster must have the spell prepared to cast the ritual. Of course taking the feat can change that... but it is one less feat.

@Helldritch, if you want more sorcerers, maybe you should buff them a little -like allowing them to not use material components and adding to either their spells known or sorcery points-, and to make warlocks more common, make long rests harder to achieve?

1st part, not sure it would be such a good thing. For the underlined part. Already done since the start of 5ed. 2 short rests before a long rest. Otherwise, random encounter that gives no exp until the 6-8 encounters are met. No paladin nova, no ever raging barbs and no 5mwd in my games. I am trying to find a good balance. It is not that the classes do not perform well, far from it. But the wizard's versatility beats the crap out of the warlock and sorcerer.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I'm pretty sure wizards still have to prepare spells whereas the sorcerer has access to all theirs. Wizards don't have to guess amounts of memorizations anymore but still don't have access to their entire arsenal without resting to swap out a choice.

This could be a feature if the number of spells a sorcerer knows were greater than then number a wizard had prepared daily. Unfortunately, it is the opposite--the wizard has more prepared daily than the sorcerer knows. This means there is no benefit to the sorcerer from that whatsoever. And that isn't even counting rituals.

 

[FrozenNorth]

Yeah, as a houserule it's ...a houserule, and it apparently doesn't deter your players from playing wizards (though if it's been as clear "from the beginning of 5E" as you say, I wonder why you have a player complaining about it now ...) but I don't think you can legitimately claim it's a clear reading of

I find “from the beginning of 5e” to be a weird formulation, kind of like when 5e came out 6 years ago, you called up all the players and informed them of the house rule...

I mean, if the player wasn’t playing a wizard at the beginning of the campaign, maybe he wasn’t paying attention to the wizard-specific houserules brought up at that point. It would explain why he felt blindsided by this houserule...

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

Am I too strict?

Yes.