Circle Casting Details Revealed for Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun

A variety of effects can be added to spells via Circle Casting.
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Wizards of the Coast has explained the effects of Circle Casting in Dungeons & Dragons. Next month, Wizards of the Coast will release Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun, a player-facing campaign setting book. One of the major draws of Heroes of Faerun is the addition of Circle Casting, a new way to greatly enhance spells through a group casting. More details were provided about Circle Casting via a D&D Beyond article posted this week. While some spells (such as the newly revealed Doomtide and Spellfire Storm) have specific effects that activate during a Circle Casting, any D&D spell can be enhanced via Circle Casting. The following generic options are available when a spell is cast via Circle Casting.

  • Augment: Stretch your spell's range by thousands of feet.
  • Distribute: Let your allies share the burden of Concentration, keeping the spell's effects steady.
  • Expand: Widen the spell's influence, increasing its area of effect.
  • Prolong: Sustain the spell's effect for hours beyond its typical duration.
  • Safeguard: Shape the Weave to spare your allies from the storm you unleash.
  • Supplant: Replace costly Material components with the collective strength of your circle.

Not every spell can be cast via Circle Casting. Eligible spells must have a casting time of an action or 1 minute or longer and is cast using a spell slot. When a spell is cast via Circle Casting, a primary caster is chosen, and the primary caster chooses the targets, maintains Concentration if needed, provides components, expends the spell slot, and makes any other choices the spell requires. Some Circle Casting options require every member of a Circle to expend spell slots as well.
 

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Christian Hoffer

Christian Hoffer


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And they've released zero new rule sets or subsystems since that time.
I don't think itnis extremely likely that they will dd this stuff to the SRD.

Ironically, expanding the SED to be much more all-encompassing was part of the OGL changes being proposed to third parties. Apparently they had an SRD with the Artificer and a Ron of 5E Races added in ready to go...
 

There's no reason to believe that under the hood an NPC mage doesn't work just like a regular old wizard PC class. But since that mage is only going to have 15 minutes of fame (if that), there's no reason to add all of the complexity of a PC class. To justify otherwise in-world lore would have .001% of people that casts spell (e.g. PCs) would have to operate under completely different rules of magic.

I understand that people really feel compelled to make mountains out of molehills but I just don't see this one. If nothing else if you want NPCs that have explicit spell slots build them using character classes.
Yeah, an NPC Mage is going to be "on-screen" doing their thing for 12-18 seconds. The stat block is just a representation of what a given character can do in less than 20 seconds of combat.
 


I don't think itnis extremely likely that they will dd this stuff to the SRD.

Ironically, expanding the SED to be much more all-encompassing was part of the OGL changes being proposed to third parties. Apparently they had an SRD with the Artificer and a Ron of 5E Races added in ready to go...

Di they ever update the 5.1 SRD?
As the SRD isn't meant to play the game but to enable creators to create for profit they don't need to put much into it.

The only subsystems I'm surprised hasn't been added are Traps and Bastions. Both are things that can't directly be created from the released rules. I wish both these and Circles were added.

BUT

They aren't necessary to create similar systems as Black Flag and A5e both have similar rules.
 

Wizards of the Coast has explained the effects of Circle Casting in Dungeons & Dragons. Next month, Wizards of the Coast will release Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun, a player-facing campaign setting book. One of the major draws of Heroes of Faerun is the addition of Circle Casting, a new way to greatly enhance spells through a group casting. More details were provided about Circle Casting via a D&D Beyond article posted this week. While some spells (such as the newly revealed Doomtide and Spellfire Storm) have specific effects that activate during a Circle Casting, any D&D spell can be enhanced via Circle Casting. The following generic options are available when a spell is cast via Circle Casting.


Not every spell can be cast via Circle Casting. Eligible spells must have a casting time of an action or 1 minute or longer and is cast using a spell slot. When a spell is cast via Circle Casting, a primary caster is chosen, and the primary caster chooses the targets, maintains Concentration if needed, provides components, expends the spell slot, and makes any other choices the spell requires. Some Circle Casting options require every member of a Circle to expend spell slots as well.
Circle Casting sounds awesome — kind of like D&D’s answer to coordinated spell rituals. Basically:


  • Works only for spells with ≥1-minute cast time or that use a spell slot.
  • One primary caster handles targeting, Concentration, and the slot.
  • The group boosts the spell with options like:
    Augment – huge range boost
    Expand – bigger AoE
    Prolong – lasts way longer
    Safeguard – protect allies
    Supplant – replace costly materials
    Distribute – share Concentration

Some options make everyone spend a slot too.
Feels perfect for wizard circles, druid groves, or cult rituals — tons of RP flavor and tactical depth without breaking balance (as long as the DM keeps an eye on it).
 

As the SRD isn't meant to play the game but to enable creators to create for profit they don't need to put much into it.

The only subsystems I'm surprised hasn't been added are Traps and Bastions. Both are things that can't directly be created from the released rules. I wish both these and Circles were added.

BUT

They aren't necessary to create similar systems as Black Flag and A5e both have similar rules.

I was honestly under the impression from stuff they said that Bastions were supposed to be added as well, so that is surprising..

I mean perhaps they will add things over time. Plus they maybe busy doing SRDs for previous editions.
 

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