D&D 5E Ditching concentration - did you do it?

[GameOgre]

I ditched it. At first it was you could keep multiple concentration spells going based on level, the higher level the more you could do.

Eventually I just tossed it.

Sure it effected my game in minor ways. It's better to be a caster now than it was before but the players still mostly do not play casters.

Really it just was not that big a deal. I think one of my players asked me about a feat that make it harder for casters to get off a spell right next to someone with that feat and I told him, take the feat and we will do it like it tells you to with the feat and if a npc has the feat we will do the same. He didn't end up taking it though so it never came up.

I think it's mostly a forum issue. Sure could someone decide to be a #$#$% and create a situation that was messed up because of the house rules? Sure, in your game, at your table, with your friends,it's not a issue.

 

[Rhenny]

You mean beyond accidentally because people all the time forgetting they have to do con saves? At least the DM forgets too for the monsters, so it evens out

This is me totally. I need a bell to go off when a caster who is concentrating takes damage, etc. or I may forget it. I'm much more vigilant at policing casters who cast multiple concentration spells.

 

[LapBandit]

It's a core part of how D&D 5E balances itself! I'd be more than interested in how you will limit full casters in its absence.

 

[ccs]

As the DM I often completely forget about it.
1) I don't apply it to my monsters/NPCS at all.
2) I only think about it concerning pcs in dramatic moments. Or more likely long after those moments have passed....
3) I know my players are both alternately keeping track of it & forgetting about it. Probably as they see fit. I don't really care.

In the 5e game im a player in? We voted to keep it for now. My vote was that it made no difference to me.

 

[jodyjohnson]

It's a core part of how D&D 5E balances itself! I'd be more than interested in how you will limit full casters in its absence.

One of the options would be to just play an "unbalanced" game and be fine with that. Failing that, kill them early and often.

 

[Kithas]

We gave one of our Rangers the ability to Concentrate on two spells at once, once per day, because of story reasons. Basically once per day he gets stupid broken is what ends up happening, there's a reason you can't do swift quiver+hunter's mark...

 

[Sunseeker]

Dear lord no. I've got a regular player who is a min-maxxing wizard. When one of our other players DMed he gave this guy a "Ring of Concentration" and said it gives him an extra concentration slot. Holy moly it's just too devastating.

Sometimes I ignore the con check though.

Personally I'd like to replace "con check" with "Concentration" taking up your bonus action every turn. I liked the "sustain" mechanics from 4e.

 

[IgnatiusJ.Reilly]

We don't use the concentration check on damage. With so few spell slots, and having only one concentration spell ongoing at a time, the rule seems limiting enough really.

 

[Horwath]

I would not remove concentration.

maybe option that you can concentrate on more spells but their total level cannot be higher than your highest spell level you can cast.

I.E. 11th level wizard can cast 6th level spells so he could concentrate on two haste spells(3rd level) at the same time.

Or if its too much you can say that second spell is counted as level higher. So he could as 11th lvl spellcaster concetrate on one 3rd lvl spell and one 2nd lvl spell.
3rd concentration spell would be counted as 2 lvls higher, etc...
I.E. concentrating on 3 1st lvl spells would require ability to cast 6th level spells; 1+(1+1)+(1+2)=6.

Also worth considering is moving concentration check to spellcasting atribute with proficiency.

 

[Diamabel]

My group has been experimenting with a couple different methods of concentration-

Unlimited concentration slots, with increasing DC to maintain concentration- if you fail, you lose them all. This one is strong, but very risk/reward based. Additional caveat of no invisibility+fly.

1+1 Casters gain +1 concentration slot based on a class/subclass based factor- spell school for wizard, element for dragon sorcerer to list a couple. Much more limiting, but opens more options than 1 slot only.

I have found that a single concentration slot simply makes too many spells not worth casting. I'm flying! guess I can't cast the cantrip create bonfire!

I think the "one for us and one for them" has promise- self/group buff+ still have a chance to affect the battlefield with cc/area spells.