D&D 1E Fireball throughout the ages

[Garthanos]

Homebrew Fireball with Bat Guano on the side for 4e

The area effect lingering flame makes it more damage only better as at the same time, battlefield control.

 

[tetrasodium]

AD&D: 300'
3.x: > 400'
5e: 150'

So you're saying the range on Fireball in 5e is too short, right?

"many spells"

firebolt is new but it's 120ft

I'd also include ranged weapons in that ranged silliness

Also wrt fireball specifically, that range used to come with the caveat that it had a good chance of killing your allies without costly metamagic while now it's easy for an evoker to just sculpt them out & thanks to the fact that your allies can run circles around a baddie without an AoO they can just move so you won't hit them.

edit: when I used a battlemap & they would frequently result in ranges beyond the map's edge it wasn't a big deal, but using a tvbox it's maddening because I can handle spell sniper firebolt & stuff. This is a pic from my game the other day. The party was spread over about 200-300 feet by the time the fight ended & the only baddie on screen there when I took that picture was the one with the black circle. The rods from god combat gets tiresome logistically to gm

 

[Morrus]

Thing is, do long ranges really factor in? I've never run game which started at such a long range that long-ranged casters and archers got several shots in as the melee guys plodded across the empty battlefield. Despite those changing range numbers, the gameplay hasn't really changed for me. YMMV.

 

[tetrasodium]

Thing is, do long ranges really factor in? I've never run game which started at such a long range that long-ranged casters and archers got several shots in as the melee guys plodded across the empty battlefield. Despite those changing range numbers, the gameplay hasn't really changed for me. YMMV.

with a normal battlemap no they weren't even noticeable... with a digital one like so capable of handling it, yea it gets cumbersome for the gm if you do anything outdoors once players get used to the fact that they can actually use that without relying on totm for the ###ft marked out by this wiggly line

 

[dave2008]

it removes the worries that went with being squishy if you can stand 2-4 rounds of dashing away from the fight & accurately target opponents/squares with pinpoint accuracy

Ok, I think I misunderstood. I thought you were saying the reduced the ranges and that was bad

 

[tetrasodium]

Ok, I think I misunderstood. I thought you were saying the reduced the ranges and that was bad

I worded my gripe poorly too

 

[dave2008]

I worded my gripe too

OK, but the fireball spell got significantly shorter in range, so your comment doesn't make sense.

 

[Henry]

Sigh I miss my compression fireballs and bouncy lightning.
I'm in the middle of an old school style 5e game right now -- I wonder if the DM would go for it if I proposed it?

 

[Helldritch]

I really miss the danger associated with these spells. It was also a restricting factor as the fear of hitting an ally was real and the consequences were potentially disastrous.

I remember a paladin getting caught in a fireball cast by a "friendly" magic user. The paladin rolled a one on his save. magic items save... We had a very naked, disarmed and angry paladin at the table. His only magic item left was... a ring of jumping. Boy was he mad.

 

[pogre]

I remember a paladin getting caught in a fireball cast by a "friendly" magic user. The paladin rolled a one on his save. magic items save... We had a very naked, disarmed and angry paladin at the table. His only magic item left was... a ring of jumping. Boy was he mad.

Jumping mad even!