D&D 5E Fireball tweak idea

[Quickleaf]

It's an innovative idea. Reminds me of XGtE's chaos bolt, which determines its damage type based on the result of a d8, and if both d8s are the same, the spell jumps to another target.

However, this does make fireball feel like something that belongs in a wild mage's arsenal, rather than an evoker's or pyromancer's (who I would expect to have come degree of control over how big the blast is, e.g. with a check like @Helldritch suggests). If that's what you're aiming for, go for it!

 

[Shiroiken]

The days where the fireball would fill the entirety of its 33500 cubic foot of volume are long gone. That was 33.5 10x10x10 square. Seeing your fireball coming right at you was unpleasant to say the least. That is why there was spells like lightning bolt, Melf's minute meteor, Snilloc's snowball swarm and the like.

This used to be the main balancing factor of Fireball. It had a large are of effect, but you couldn't always contain it. Outdoors it's pretty amazing, but in a dungeon you're far more likely to blow up yourself (and your companions). I had one TPK happen when the magic-user cast fireball in a 10x20 ft room.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

it is the only efficient area spell

You have put your finger on the problem precisely.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

A Fireball must be cast in such way that most of its radius will be used. Thus if you cast a fire ball in a 15 feet room, the center of the fireball will be in the door square, this means that yes, if you are within 20 feet of that square you're done for.

Outdoors, do you have to cast the fireball so it bursts 20 feet above the ground?

 

[Helldritch]

Outdoors, do you have to cast the fireball so it bursts 20 feet above the ground?

The radius is taken into account. Not the spherical volume. Crazy nitpicker

 

[Krachek]

You have put your finger on the problem precisely.

And the solution would be to have more other efficient area spell, not bug the only one!

 

[Reynard]

You're assuming a fiction where wizards are common enough to be a reasonably frequent hazard for ordinary humanoids.

So is 5E. Or, at least, is is assuming a world in which "The World is Magical" including "creatures endowed with magical abilities." That's the base line.

 

[Ashrym]

I love the flavor the randomness brings.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

So is 5E. Or, at least, is is assuming a world in which "The World is Magical" including "creatures endowed with magical abilities." That's the base line.

Our world has high-explosive artillery shells, but that doesn't mean every street criminal is going to expect or tactically account for them.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

And the solution would be to have more other efficient area spell, not bug the only one!

That's how you get power creep. Any damage spell at 3rd level (and even higher) currently has to measure up to this spell that is deliberately and explicitly overpowered, dealing 33% more damage than the DMG guidelines say it should. If fireball did not exist, I'd wager, you would not be saying that there are zero efficient area damage spells. There would be plenty of efficient area damage spells. They're only inefficient when compared to fireball.

So I could just drop the damage down to 6d6 where it ought to be by the book. But I don't really want to do that. I do want fireball to be the scary iconic room-clearing spell it has always been. But I want casters to have to think about whether it's the right spell for the situation.