It‘d drop it by a couple of levels, I guess. You’re still talking a 6th-7th level spell.
I‘d drop the damage significantly, and - more importantly - the excessive amount of healing the caster gets out of draining everybody nearby.
D&D 5E (2014) New Spell: Vampiric Aura
- Thread starter Stalker0
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It‘d drop it by a couple of levels, I guess. You’re still talking a 6th-7th level spell.
I‘d drop the damage significantly, and - more importantly - the excessive amount of healing the caster gets out of draining everybody nearby.
Probably 7th or 8th just because of the damage and the continuous effect. If it was just an instantaneous spell, I could drop it to 6th evenat 60ft
This spell is in a weird place. On the one hand, it's a damage output powerhouse and is practically guaranteed to restore you to full hit points every round. On the other hand, it has a wide AoE, is centered on the caster, and doesn't distinguish between friend and foe - in other words, you're going to blast your own party unless they are careful to keep their distance.
I wouldn't go with this approach. It's not a matter of tweaking the range and damage - the way the spell is designed sets up bizarre incentives for party tactics and is a recipe for conflict with the other PCs. Instead, I would focus more narrowly on the problems with vampiric touch as it exists:
1. Concentration requirement for a melee spell is a major drawback.
2. The spell does not grant temp hit points. Instead, it restores hit points - which is only useful if you're taking damage - which means your concentration is even more likely to be disrupted.
3. The spell's damage output is abysmal, lower than a cantrip (!), and the healing is even less.
If one removed the concentration requirement, and boosted the damage and/or healing, vampiric touch would work much better. A "gishy" caster could use it as their primary attack, and a regular wizard could use it as an emergency defense against getting beat down in melee - do some damage and keep yourself alive until you can escape or be rescued. And if you want a more ranged-friendly option, you can just give it a range.
I wouldn't go with this approach. It's not a matter of tweaking the range and damage - the way the spell is designed sets up bizarre incentives for party tactics and is a recipe for conflict with the other PCs. Instead, I would focus more narrowly on the problems with vampiric touch as it exists:
1. Concentration requirement for a melee spell is a major drawback.
2. The spell does not grant temp hit points. Instead, it restores hit points - which is only useful if you're taking damage - which means your concentration is even more likely to be disrupted.
3. The spell's damage output is abysmal, lower than a cantrip (!), and the healing is even less.
If one removed the concentration requirement, and boosted the damage and/or healing, vampiric touch would work much better. A "gishy" caster could use it as their primary attack, and a regular wizard could use it as an emergency defense against getting beat down in melee - do some damage and keep yourself alive until you can escape or be rescued. And if you want a more ranged-friendly option, you can just give it a range.
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