D&D 5E No Cantrips Module

[Reyemile]

Whether they are or not isn't really the topic of this thread. I'm asking how to go about creating a balanced alternative to at-will cantrips, so that the rules can support both approaches. The question of which approach should be the default and which is the module is a separate issue. There's already a nice flamefest going on that topic.

Define "balanced alternative?" From my perspective, daily-only resource mechanics are inherently impossible to balance against encounter-based mechanics; any solution will be unbalanced by default. So, given that, just make up something that sounds like it would be fun for the type of people who don't want at-will cantrips, and then wash your hands of it cause it's only a module.

 

[gweinel]

I managed to ask Mike Mearls on twitter about no cantrip module and here is what i got:

Yusaku Asano ‏@yusakuasano 33m
@mikemearls hey mike...any chance to see a non-cantrip and/or more traditional vancian module spell system?

Mike Mearls ‏@mikemearls 31m
@yusakuasano Yeah, those are pretty easy to mod from the current system. Just include 0-level slots, link prep to slots.