Decrease Ritual Casting Times

[Herald of I]

This is the intention of speeding up casting times. The only incentive to ritual casting now is if you've exhausted every other option. If you want to spend the money on the reagents to ritual cast instead of doing a skill check, add a bit of flavor to the game for doing that via magic as opposed to doing a skill check, then I'm all for it.

As such, I've implemented the following houserule:

• All rituals with a time expressed in minutes is reduced to 1/10th the time, with a minimum casting time of 1 minute. (This means a 5 minute ritual, as well 10 minute ritual both take one minute. A 50 minute ritual takes 5 minutes)
• (Note that this does not affect rituals that have hours for cast times, as I'm sure that if they put at least an hour cast time on there, it has a reason for it.)

It's done nothing but make the magical characters feel more magical. You know, how the higher level wizard was in 3e where he could use some of his spells for utility. No problems in my game, Herald of I, my houserule has created the effect I want. If you're trying to do the same, then I hope you get the same results.

Great! That's pretty much what I'm going for. I've been hesitant to change rituals outside of the usual ten minute time, as they seem to have bigger effects, or require time sensitive work outside the actual casting. I'm trusting my players to not repeatedly spam rituals, but given the component cost, I'm still not seeing any game breaking effects even if they do.

I'll give the decreased times a shot and see how it goes.

 

[Ahglock]

Point out that your players are likely to spend 10 minutes of their life doing absolutely nothing on a regular basis.

Also point out that they could get a scroll of the ritual and cast that in 5 minutes.

Since I don't think it will effect balance, i think people should feel free to change things as they like here. I happen to think really long ritual cast times are just lame. It is just a taste thing, and really long rituals just feel like hokey bad B movie stuff to me, and do not fit how I like to see magical rituals work in a campaign setting.

 

[IceFractal]

I agree on that. Long and elaborate ritual to return the dead to life? Definitely. Long and elaborate ritual to open a door? Or dig a small hole? That's just pathetic.

I mean, rituals cost money - significant amounts of money. That means they should be faster than mundane means, not slower.

 

[Herald of I]

I agree on that. Long and elaborate ritual to return the dead to life? Definitely. Long and elaborate ritual to open a door? Or dig a small hole? That's just pathetic.

That was exactly my thought. Magic seems pretty worthless if it takes longer to cast a spell to do something, than to actually just do it.

 

[Stalker0]

I agree on that. Long and elaborate ritual to return the dead to life? Definitely. Long and elaborate ritual to open a door? Or dig a small hole? That's just pathetic.

I mean, rituals cost money - significant amounts of money. That means they should be faster than mundane means, not slower.

Completely agree here. Heck I wish a few rituals took only a couple of rounds, so the players could have the fun of trying a ritual in combat. Even 2 rounds is still a very significant investment of time.

But on the other hand, I wish rituals like raise dead were more...invested. Like it takes 7 days and requires the participation of a loved one or something like that.

 

[MurderMunkey]

I agree on that. Long and elaborate ritual to return the dead to life? Definitely. Long and elaborate ritual to open a door? Or dig a small hole? That's just pathetic.

This is why you have a Rogue in the party.

 

[WhatGravitas]

This is why you have a Rogue in the party.

Yes, the rogue should be the more efficient and useful alternative - but if the ritual takes longer than simply hacking the door apart, then it becomes nigh useless.

If the ritual takes several rounds, then you're still slower (and more expensive) than the rogue, but perhaps still better off than ramming it until it pops open (though not cheaper). That's probably a nice spot of balance.

Then you have the following choices:

• Very fast and cheap: Rogue
• Fast and expensive: Ritual
• Slow and cheap: Bruiser

This would mean the rogue still excels at doing that stuff, but in absence of the rogue (no rogue/thievery character in party or pre-occupied), you have two choices - ritual or bruiser, that would mean that the strong characters would have their way to open it and the magic characters as well, both with their unique quirks (one is cheaper, one is faster).

Cheers, LT.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Since I don't think it will effect balance, i think people should feel free to change things as they like here. I happen to think really long ritual cast times are just lame. It is just a taste thing, and really long rituals just feel like hokey bad B movie stuff to me, and do not fit how I like to see magical rituals work in a campaign setting.

I never said they weren't free to. I was just pointing out that 10 minutes is not a "really long" time. Likely it's how long you spend, say, fixing yourself lunch, or getting ready to leave the house when you're not in a rush. For adventurers in a dungeon to say "ten minutes is far too long - we'll be bound to be caught!" is just being silly, especially when short rests, which are generally taken all the time, are 5 minutes.

 

[Stalker0]

For adventurers in a dungeon to say "ten minutes is far too long - we'll be bound to be caught!" is just being silly, especially when short rests, which are generally taken all the time, are 5 minutes.

There's a bit of a difference between a group quietly resting for 5 minutes watching for their enemies as opposed to all sitting in a circle drawing ritual lines and speaking some kind of big incantation.

Rituals aren't some oven where you pop in some ingredients, and 10 minutes later the magical bread is done, it requires participation to complete.

 

[cheshire_grin]

For adventurers in a dungeon to say "ten minutes is far too long - we'll be bound to be caught!" is just being silly, especially when short rests, which are generally taken all the time, are 5 minutes.

I think that's a good point -- compare also, in terms of fluff, how long Gandalf spent trying to open the door into Moria. Ten minutes isn't all that long, to be honest; it's long enough that the DM can plausibly interrupt it for story purposes, but short enough that it's equally plausible not to.