Circle Casting Details Revealed for Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun

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.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Are you suggesting I'm Buster or whoever casts this is Buster?

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Are you suggesting I'm Buster or whoever casts this is Buster?

 

[W'rkncacnter]

This is desperately needed. Martials are so unbalanced no. Thank goodness WOTC seems to finally be waking up and putting some bite back into casters.

ecmo?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Honestly, looking at the full rules, I quite like it. It's power creep, to be sure, but it encourages cooperation in a nice way.

It's actually rare that they introduce new subsystems that don't feel half-baked (I'm looking at you, Bastions!)

It's nice to see one that works for me.

 

[Li Shenron]

I don't understand how it works within combat initiative: "The secondary casters must take the Magic action and be near the caster to contribute to the spell", but when does it happen? Does the spell go off when the last caster takes their action? Does the primary caster need to be the first taking the action? Does everybody need to declare they're circle-casting together in next turn, no matter the initiative order?

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

I don't understand how it works within combat initiative: "The secondary casters must take the Magic action and be near the caster to contribute to the spell", but when does it happen? Does the spell go off when the last caster takes their action? Does the primary caster need to be the first taking the action? Does everybody need to declare they're circle-casting together in next turn, no matter the initiative order?

Presumably in combat you'd need to ready your magic actions and use your reactions to ensure they all happen at once.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I don't understand how it works within combat initiative: "The secondary casters must take the Magic action and be near the caster to contribute to the spell", but when does it happen? Does the spell go off when the last caster takes their action?

Yes.

Does the primary caster need to be the first taking the action?

Looks like. But you could "Ready" helping the primary, if you go first and are a secondary caster.

Does everybody need to declare they're circle-casting together in next turn, no matter the initiative order?

Helpful, but not necessary.