D&D Next (5E) Updates, Pax East, and a Poll

[Falling Icicle]

I hate "vancian" casting, but it's been a part of D&D since the beginning so I'm willing to accept that it's a sacred cow that they just won't slaughter. As long as Wizards get some at-will effects so that they don't spend much of the day twiddling their thumbs with nothing to do, I can tolerate vancian casting in the game. There also needs to be other options for magic provided. At the very least, they need to provide something like the "spontaneous casting" sorcerer.

They also need to make scribing spells in your spellbook free. I've always loathed the idea that wizards have to pay this enormous and totally unrealistic tax that no other type of spellcaster has to pay. 100 gp per page? That's ludicrous. Do people realize how much money that is, especially in a medieval setting? Even if the entire page was plated in gold it shouldn't cost that much! Scribing spells should be as simple as having a book, pen and ink, and whatever spellcraft type roll is approrpiate to see if you can understand the spell's formula.

I also hope that many of the utility spells are part of a ritual type system, so that casters don't have to choose between competence in battle and being able to do other, interesting things. 4e's ritual casting had some serious flaws, but the idea has alot of potential.

 

[Flobby]

I think they should keep the Vancian Wizard and Cleric and then just use different systems for other classes like the Sorcerer and Priest. Sounds like that would please everyone...Or at least me anyway.

 

[blargney the second]

I used to think Vancian magic was just plain stupid. That is no longer the case. I've grown to appreciate some subtle elegances of the system.

 

[blargney the second]

They also need to make scribing spells in your spellbook free. I've always loathed the idea that wizards have to pay this enormous and totally unrealistic tax that no other type of spellcaster has to pay. 100 gp per page?

There are some other idiosyncrasies in that particular mechanic: OotS #306 - Power Word: Annoy

 

[Lwaxy]

I don't get why it can't just be left to every group if they want to use vancian or not.

 

[Henry]

For me, Vancian is just one of those things that are very indicative of D&D. Without some Vancian resource management as the default, which every edition to date has had, it just isn't D&D to me. It's one of those hard lines in the pavement that I find it hard to cross.

 

[prosfilaes]

As long as Wizards get some at-will effects so that they don't spend much of the day twiddling their thumbs with nothing to do, I can tolerate vancian casting in the game.

Playing a wizard, I've not felt that I've spent much time twiddling my thumbs. There's always crossbow attacks at lower levels, and it's pretty hard to run out of spells at higher levels. If you did give them an at-will attack, either it's going to be useless, or it's going to cut down the cost of blowing all your spells early, which is part of the fun part and balancing feature of Vancian magic. If as a player of a wizard, you feel you need an at-will effect, get a wand.

 

[N'raac]

I don't get why it can't just be left to every group if they want to use vancian or not.

In large part, because "choice" means the possibility the DM or the rest of the group wants to make a choice I didn't want. If I don't like Vancian magic, I'm going to be equally unhappy whether it's the only system, the default system my group chooses to use or one of a dozen alternative systems and my group chooses to use it.

So I then want a system which makes my preferred magic system the only choice, so those fools with different tastes don't select a system not to my liking.

 

[N'raac]

There's always crossbow attacks at lower levels,

Or we just provide the wizard an at-will power which is more or less equivalent to a crossbow anyway.

I don't think there's going to be any suggestion that Wizards keep using 3e Vancian magic, Sorcerers get the same spontaneous casting, and the new Mage class gets to select three first level spells at first level, same as the Wizard and Sorceror list, and use them as often as he likes. If it's usable at will, it's going to be much weaker to balance.

Even if the options are presented as campaign-wide choices (ie all spellcasters use vancian, all casters use spontaneous or all casters use at-will), they'll have to balance against each other if they're going to balance against non-spellcasters.

 

[Alzrius]

Vancian
Caster
4
Life
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