New Concentration Rule

[Celtavian]

I'm interested in giving full casters a little more flexibility with what they can cast. We've found during play that buffing usually requires a caster's concentration slot preventing them from casting interesting concentration spells in combat. I wanted a rule that alleviated this caster bottleneck without allowing casters to become the buff stacking monsters they were in prior editions. I want my group to give the following rule a try:

Add the following to the bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, and wizard.

Extra Concentration: Beginning at 5th level, you can concentrate on a second spell that can be no more than half of the maximum level spell you can cast (rounded down). One of the two spells you are concentrating on must be a spell cast on at least one other allied target other than yourself (but can include yourself if the spell includes multiple targets). If you are required to make a concentration check, you make a separate roll for each spell. For example, a 6th level wizard can cast up to 3rd level spells, allowing him to cast and concentrate on a second spell of 1st level or lower. So a 6th level wizard could cast fly on the fighter and tasha’s hideous laughter on an enemy while maintaining concentration on both.

Final Edit. This is what I'm going to try for a while.

*Added the need for at least one concentration spell to be cast on allied target.

 

[Sadrik]

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?397687-Concentration-Rules-fix-them-for-a-more-3e-feel

Lots of concentration options here. I also, as a class feature, gave out a second spell could be concentrated on to Mages and Mystics in this.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?450576-New-5e-ideas

I think your idea is workable as an option. More simply, perhaps you could say that casters can concentrate on a number of spell levels equal to their max spell level cast. So at level 5 you can concentrate on 3 levels of spells: three level 1, a level 2 and a level 1, or a level 3. If they get hit they would have to roll a con save for each spell.

 

[Ezel]

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?397687-Concentration-Rules-fix-them-for-a-more-3e-feel
perhaps you could say that casters can concentrate on a number of spell levels equal to their max spell level cast. So at level 5 you can concentrate on 3 levels of spells: three level 1, a level 2 and a level 1, or a level 3. If they get hit they would have to roll a con save for each spell.

This seems like the best option, but it would still let some annoying shenanigans happen pretty fast and with not much of a cost. By level 13 you have the classic flying-greaterinvisibility wizard, shooting fireballs while hard to locate or reach somewhere in the sky. Or a level 11 druid might have his fun conjuring 16 animals, completely destroying the action economy.
To balance this out I would make it so that one con save would end all of the spells a caster is concentrating on (which is also much better if a high level caster decided to have 9 level 1 concentration spells active at once, avoiding 9 saves in one go to happen). Plus activating a new concentration spell while having another one previously active would trigger a concentration save. Meaning that a caster would be allowed to have two spells at once for weird shenanigans, but such power would come with a risk.

Casters are less powerful in 5th edition than in 3rd, but they are still slightly more powerful than non-casters, giving them more options is a very dangerous move. Still it should be ok with enough downsides.

 

[Celtavian]

This seems like the best option, but it would still let some annoying shenanigans happen pretty fast and with not much of a cost. By level 13 you have the classic flying-greaterinvisibility wizard, shooting fireballs while hard to locate or reach somewhere in the sky. Or a level 11 druid might have his fun conjuring 16 animals, completely destroying the action economy.
To balance this out I would make it so that one con save would end all of the spells a caster is concentrating on (which is also much better if a high level caster decided to have 9 level 1 concentration spells active at once, avoiding 9 saves in one go to happen). Plus activating a new concentration spell while having another one previously active would trigger a concentration save. Meaning that a caster would be allowed to have two spells at once for weird shenanigans, but such power would come with a risk.

Casters are less powerful in 5th edition than in 3rd, but they are still slightly more powerful than non-casters, giving them more options is a very dangerous move. Still it should be ok with enough downsides.

I agree. That's why I want to keep it limited. I almost wish spells were divided by offense and defense/utility. Then you could have one of each active.

I was playing a wizard. I found it very constricting that to provide a buff to the party using my concentration slot made it so I was unable to cast a concentration attack spell. I like limited buffs. Buff stacking was annoying in previous editions both as a DM and to track as a player. I don't like providing a party buff to limit the combat options of caster to such an extreme. Casters like to get in on battles with spells like sunbeam or bigby's hand without having to say to the melee martials, "Sorry, can't buff you. My concentration slot is used."

I figure this is a good middle ground given most of the strongly needed party buffs are low level. Allow the caster to cast a fly on a melee martial or a bless and still use some other fun attack spell.

 

[Ezel]

I don't like providing a party buff to limit the combat options of caster to such an extreme. Casters like to get in on battles with spells like sunbeam or bigby's hand without having to say to the melee martials, "Sorry, can't buff you. My concentration slot is used."

I figure this is a good middle ground given most of the strongly needed party buffs are low level. Allow the caster to cast a fly on a melee martial or a bless and still use some other fun attack spell.

Actually, you know what? There is a way for overpowered casters not to be hated: if their overpowering is there to make the others stronger without completely solving the situation by itself. The main problem is not concentration stacking in general, it's concentration stacking all on the wizard or all on the big enemy.

So I would go with this ruling:
Casting another spell that requires concentration. [substitute this ruling with the usual]
When you concentrate on another spell that requires concentration you lose concentration if the combined level of the spell slots of all the concentration spells is more than half your caster level (rounded up). When you are concentrating on two spells or more you give one instance of concentration to all spells, if the effect of one of your concentration spells ends for any reason, all your concentration spells end immediately. If you cast more than one concentration spell on the same target, you lose concentration.

This means that by level 11 you can buff 2 other allies and yourself with Enhance Ability and have no problems. However you can't be the classic annoying flying invisible fireballshooter. Also if you cast an offensive concentration spell on an enemy while you are buffing two allies you are going to have problems since if they win a saving throw ending their spell, your buff will also disappear. This ruling makes it so that it's best to use only one big offensive debuff at a time, but makes it nice to buff allies with a lot of little things.

 

[Sadrik]

To balance this out I would make it so that one con save would end all of the spells a caster is concentrating on (which is also much better if a high level caster decided to have 9 level 1 concentration spells active at once, avoiding 9 saves in one go to happen).

This is not possible, casters only have 4 1st level spells. With a few closet cases.

Plus activating a new concentration spell while having another one previously active would trigger a concentration save. Meaning that a caster would be allowed to have two spells at once for weird shenanigans, but such power would come with a risk.

I think this adds too many rolls and too much wiff factor. Oh look at the amazing powerful wizard, he cannot concentrate on two level one spells, kerflush. I think no roll to establish.

I do think that rolling for each spell when taking damage is better than all or nothing too. Three level 1 and three level 2 spells would fill up a 9th level spell, that is the most you could do - six rolls. Though if you are level 17+ and trying to maintain all these low level spells you might not be that good at the game, or are in a rare pinch of only having low level spells.

 

[Ezel]

"Only" six saves every time you get damaged is a bit of an understatement.

Oh look at the amazing powerful wizard, he cannot concentrate on two level one spells, kerflush. I think no roll to establish.

Well, to be fair, it still gives you the chance to do it, as opposed to not being able to try at all with vanilla rules. You have to remember that any ruling to add concentration options is a buff to casters and casters are already a bit more powerful than non-casters in 5e. Anyway I already changed my mind on concentration rolls every time when casting a new concentration spell, it's not present in the following ruling that I made.

With the rules that I made up here you can have your 6 spells active, and you end up not having too many problems if you are buffing 6 different allies with them and keep out of the enemies' range.

 

[Inchoroi]

When thinking about it, the first thing that popped into my head was allowing a person who can cast spells to be able to concentrate on a number of spell levels equal to your spellcasting ability modifier plus proficiency bonus. It would make things very interesting...but, really, don't see it as necessary.

 

[Celtavian]

Final Edit on Concentration rule. This should keep casters from getting out of control and allow them to provide some party buffs.

 

[Ezel]

I think it still needs the joined concentration check and to stop at any time when the other spell stops. Plus a symmetric buff on the martials (of any kind) would be preferable. Let us know how it goes anyway.