D&D 5E Casters should go back to being interruptable like they used to be.

[James Gasik]

Everyone raise your hand if you can't wait for every third random monster past level 5 to unfairness you out of the entire fight.

I mean, lol, you're not wrong. It would suck. But if everyone has the tools to prevent that before it gets to the saving throw stage, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I'd at least be willing to give it a try and see if it works.

Probably not for my current group. They're not...the most tactically minded bunch, lol, and often look to the Wizard (me) to save them, usually while I have an undead wolf or a devil breathing down my neck!

 

[Gammadoodler]

Not if people do thier jobs and interrupt. Assuming I'm understanding the thread.

Except when you can't. Or fail to. I think the general premise is that spellcasting is powerful enough as is and should be more difficult to do in combat.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I mean, lol, you're not wrong. It would suck. But if everyone has the tools to prevent that before it gets to the saving throw stage, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I'd at least be willing to give it a try and see if it works.

I feel like 'player is forced to stop playing' should be considered a fail state in design.

Imagine if there was a videogame with a massively common enemy type whose attacks just locked your game up for the next half hour. No amount of mitigation options prevents this from being a waste of your time. And that's actually better because there it's a machine disrespecting your time, not someone who is probably your friend.

 

[nevin]

Except when you can't. Or fail to. I think the general premise is that spellcasting is powerful enough as is and should be more difficult to do in combat.

Sorry I didn't realize you just wanted it all to fail.

 

[James Gasik]

There are lots of things that can really offset the power of spellcasting. I've been acquainted with quite a few of them lately. Random resistances or immunities, magic resistance granting advantage on saves, legendary saves, silence, and just taking damage in general, lol.

I don't know how these aren't issues to other groups, but in mine, I've had combats where I was basically reduced to spamming cantrips because getting a spell to actually do anything was simply not in the cards.

 

[nevin]

I feel like 'player is forced to stop playing' should be considered a fail state in design.

Imagine if there was a videogame with a massively common enemy type whose attacks just locked your game up for the next half hour. No amount of mitigation options prevents this from being a waste of your time. And that's actually better because there it's a machine disrespecting your time, not someone who is probably your friend.

so you want a game where wizards are only able to do basic damage and there are no save or utility spells? As long as no monster's or baddies can do the same thing it could work. I don't think it would be popular.

 

[James Gasik]

I feel like 'player is forced to stop playing' should be considered a fail state in design.

Imagine if there was a videogame with a massively common enemy type whose attacks just locked your game up for the next half hour. No amount of mitigation options prevents this from being a waste of your time. And that's actually better because there it's a machine disrespecting your time, not someone who is probably your friend.

In my opinion, yeah, being told to sit down and wait to be able to play again is a fail state. But if we're talking about making spells harder to cast in the first place, then maybe you could have a game where spells are more dangerous. I don't know, maybe not, but I'd at least give it a go.

 

[nevin]

There are lots of things that can really offset the power of spellcasting. I've been acquainted with quite a few of them lately. Random resistances or immunities, magic resistance granting advantage on saves, legendary saves, silence, and just taking damage in general, lol.

I don't know how these aren't issues to other groups, but in mine, I've had combats where I was basically reduced to spamming cantrips because getting a spell to actually do anything was simply not in the cards.

happens to my mage all the time but everytime I come to the forums i find I'm incompetent and he should be ruling the party like some Dark Sith Lord.

 

[Clint_L]

There are lots of things that can really offset the power of spellcasting. I've been acquainted with quite a few of them lately. Random resistances or immunities, magic resistance granting advantage on saves, legendary saves, silence, and just taking damage in general, lol.

I don't know how these aren't issues to other groups, but in mine, I've had combats where I was basically reduced to spamming cantrips because getting a spell to actually do anything was simply not in the cards.

We find that there are some combats where spell casters are absolutely the stars...and others where, as you note, they contribute very little. There is something to be said for being able to reliably bash someone's face in with a great sword.

 

[James Gasik]

happens to my mage all the time but everytime I come to the forums i find I'm incompetent and he should be ruling the party like some Dark Sith Lord.

I think some of my issues would be solved if the other casters in my party were...uh...better about their spell selection and usage. Even my Cleric has a tendency to just walk into melee and swing his warhammer +1 around, since he's convinced that if an enemy fails a saving throw, it's a miracle, lol.