D&D 5E Confession: I Sometimes Miss Vancian Casting

[CapnZapp]

I Hope Vancian casting died a slow and painful death after watching its family tortured now if we can just get rid of prepared spells the world will be sunshine lollipops and unicorns

Hey now, don't hold back. Tell us what you really think!

 

[Zak S]

In the context of 5E, any caster operating under Vancian rules should probably be given a substantial boost to her spells to compensate for all those times you will have a square block but the hole is round.

Ya think?--magic is still SO overpowered compared to punchin' and shootin' in 5e. I mean, if you go by the book, you've still got fireballs doing d6xwhatever vs weapons doing one die each.

 

[CapnZapp]

Ya think?--magic is still SO overpowered compared to punchin' and shootin' in 5e. I mean, if you go by the book, you've still got fireballs doing d6xwhatever vs weapons doing one die each.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Vael]

I find 5e style magic so superior to Vancian that I don't miss it now. However, I did feel this way during 4e, simply because AEDU magic was so heavily siloed. Maybe I want another utility spell in place of an attack spell.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Ya think?--magic is still SO overpowered compared to punchin' and shootin' in 5e. I mean, if you go by the book, you've still got fireballs doing d6xwhatever vs weapons doing one die each.

Lets take a look at the numbers:

A fireball cast in its normal slot does an average of 28 damage. 14 if the save is made. Yes the spell can affect multiple targets. A 5th level caster can do this 2 times per day.

A fighter with sword & board, an 18 STR, and dueling style attacks twice per round doing an average of 10.5 per attack. Attacking twice per round thats 21 damage per round all day every day. If the fighter chooses to action surge (cast fireball) then that jumps up to 42 damage for the round. The fighter regains his slot after a short rest also, so he/she can do this 3 times on an average day assuming 2 short rests.

The wizard does have the potential to out damage the fighter but not consistently by any means.

 

[mellored]

I'm glad it's not in the basic PHB.

But i would like to see something similar come back under a more "advanced" class.

Mainly, i'd like to see it under the artificer. You enhance armor to resist bludgeoning, make an amulet that helps dex saves, and a 3 potions of fire. All at the start of the day. Then when you run into a pack of fire elementals, you can use it to cause a cave in.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I’m a fan of Jack Vance and of the OSR, but I’ll admit, I kinda like the inclusion of cantrips that you never run out of. It's a nice hybrid. Especially in adventures where you can’t always take a long rest. I’ve found that in Adventurer’s League, chances to take a long rest are few and far between.

That being said, being low on spells can definitely inspire some truly creative uses.

 

[77IM]

As the DM, I really hate that the party wizard can't run out of counterspell and dispel magic.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

As the DM, I really hate that the party wizard can't run out of counterspell and dispel magic.

First, I ask "Why?" because spending a slot on those spells instead of something else means that's all - no big shiny fireballs (or whatever else you want).

Then I ask, "What do you mean by 'can't run out'?" because there is actually a very strict limit on how many spell slots of at least 3rd level the party wizard can get.