D&D 5E Concentration: combining two effects

[Sadras]

If you really want casters to take a tour of the spell list every day, limit each spell to being cast 1/day, no matter how many slots you have... so like Vancian, but no memorizing the same spell twice!

This is a nice compromise, I would perhaps add that the only exception to the above would be with Arcane Recovery.

 

[TheSword]

Witch bolt suffers from a lot of problems.

• At levels 1-4, it is usable... ish... but severely mediocre. Even if you're able to sustain the effect throughout combat, it's outperformed by magic missile. (Remember, the up-front damage of magic missile is supplemented by cantrips on subsequent rounds, while witch bolt costs your action as long as you keep it up.)
• You have to maintain concentration and expend your action every round, costing you the opportunity to cast other leveled spells.
• The target can break the effect of witch bolt by moving more than 30 feet away from you, and the spell does nothing to impede movement.
• Its initial range is only 30 feet. Magic missile is 120.
• It deals lightning damage, which is a moderately-resisted type. Magic missile deals force, which is almost entirely unresisted.
• The upcasting potential is pathetic.
• And all that is just at levels 1-4. As soon as you hit level 5, witch bolt goes from "severely mediocre" to "utterly worthless." Never mind magic missile, you do more damage just by casting fire bolt every round. It's a level 1 spell that's outperformed by cantrips. 'Nuff said.

It's too bad, because I really want to like witch bolt. I'd love to play a PC who specialized in Force lightning. I'd be willing to take a mild hit to effectiveness for it. But witch bolt goes way beyond "mild hit to effectiveness" and deep into "self-sabotage."

There are a few things that are being ignored.

- Electricity resistance or immunity is very rare at low levels
- Auto hitting in future turns on the equivalent of a superior damage cantrip is very useful. Particularly against high AC targets.
- Instigating a foe to move away from combat is a potent use of first level spell in and of itself, potentially provoking reaction attacks/deniying actions as the foe withdraws. It can also free up your allies from combat.
- The spell can last a whole combat making it useful for when slots are tight but a single foe would survive multiple rounds.
- The spell has no save (unlike burning hands)
- achieving the initial hit can be easy with advantage but obtaining ongoing advantage can be challenging/inefficient.

In short. Witchbolt has its uses levels 1-4 before cantrips move to double damage. After that not. However it has clear uses as a damage spell and I have seen it used to good theft by both PCs and monsters. It outpaces damage by magic missile + ongoing fire bolts, vs AC 16 after 3 rounds (and is almost identical after two rounds) provided the caster had a decent casting stat and had a method of gaining the first attack.

That said. I don’t want to derail CapnZap’s thread anymore with disucussion of specific spells. So my apologies Capn. Happy to continue the discussion elsewhere.