Quickleaf
Legend
Here's the knock spell from the 5e PHB:
Here's the knock spell from the OSR Cairn RPG:
D&D goes down the rabbit hole of "precise" language, which really unnecessarily increases word count without offering much more clarity. The problem is that when you multiply this effect across all the spells, it increases the cognitive load on the players (including GM) and the handling time at the table - more so for newer players.
Do we really need a list of examples for what constitutes a "container... that prevents access"? Probably not. We can figure that out.
Do we need the "multiple locks" proviso? Not if we stipulate one lock up front.
Do we need to know that the spell makes a sound "audible from as far away as 300 feet"? We've literally never checked whether something is within 300 feet when knock is used, since that's such a vast distance in a built environment, instead going entirely by feel.
Do we need to elucidate what suppressing a spell effect means? Probably not.
So functionally, the knock spell could be written in One D&D more succinctly as (taking it from 137 words to 29 words)....
Knock
2nd-level transmutation (action, V)
One mundane or magical lock that you can see within 60 feet unlocks - loudly. An arcane lock is instead suppressed for 10 minutes.
Knock
2nd-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous
Choose an object that you can see within range. The object can be a door, a box, a chest, a set of manacles, a padlock, or another object that contains a mundane or magical means that prevents access. A target that is held shut by a mundane lock or that is stuck or barred becomes unlocked, unstuck, or unbarred. If the object has multiple locks, only one of them is unlocked.
If you choose a target that is held shut with arcane lock, that spell is suppressed for 10 minutes, during which time the target can be opened and shut normally. When you cast the spell, a loud knock, audible from as far away as 300 feet, emanates from the target object.
Here's the knock spell from the OSR Cairn RPG:
Knock: A nearby mundane or magical lock unlocks – loudly.
D&D goes down the rabbit hole of "precise" language, which really unnecessarily increases word count without offering much more clarity. The problem is that when you multiply this effect across all the spells, it increases the cognitive load on the players (including GM) and the handling time at the table - more so for newer players.
Do we really need a list of examples for what constitutes a "container... that prevents access"? Probably not. We can figure that out.
Do we need the "multiple locks" proviso? Not if we stipulate one lock up front.
Do we need to know that the spell makes a sound "audible from as far away as 300 feet"? We've literally never checked whether something is within 300 feet when knock is used, since that's such a vast distance in a built environment, instead going entirely by feel.
Do we need to elucidate what suppressing a spell effect means? Probably not.
So functionally, the knock spell could be written in One D&D more succinctly as (taking it from 137 words to 29 words)....
Knock
2nd-level transmutation (action, V)
One mundane or magical lock that you can see within 60 feet unlocks - loudly. An arcane lock is instead suppressed for 10 minutes.
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