D&D 5E (2024) NPCs, and the poverty of the core books

[Cadence]

I don't remember anyone ever preparing absorb elements even after playing with many different groups. So I'm with you, in my experience it's a niche spell that is rarely used.

A druid/barbarian in a game I'm on usually has it ready at least once a day ..

...but it might be an item.

 

[AlViking]

Like I said IME every Ranger, Druid, Wizard, Sorcerer and Artificer have it prepared. It is not often cast and its use is situational, but they always have it IME.

And IME I may or may not have seen it once. Between multiple home games, game days, conventions I've likely played with significantly more than 50 people over the years.

So either it's not as wide spread as you claim, it's just coincidence that the people you play with have it, or you have confirmation bias.

 

[ECMO3]

And IME I may or may not have seen it once. Between multiple home games, game days, conventions I've likely played with significantly more than 50 people over the years.

So either it's not as wide spread as you claim, it's just coincidence that the people you play with have it, or you have confirmation bias.

Or it is coincidence that those you play with don't? I've played with around 50 different players in the last 6 months alone. I am playing in 4 weekly campaigns right now, with 2 more campaigns I play less frequently. I guess our experiences just differ.

I still think fire resistance is pretty common in PCs, even if Absorb Elements is not ubiquitous, and I am also confident that the average party in tier 2+ can easily heal to stay ahead of AOEs for most fights that fall within the design norms.

 

[Maxperson]

Or it is coincidence that those you play with don't? I've played with around 50 different players in the last 6 months alone. I am playing in 4 weekly campaigns right now, with 2 more campaigns I play less frequently. I guess our experiences just differ.

I still think fire resistance is pretty common in PCs, even if Absorb Elements is not ubiquitous, and I am also confident that the average party in tier 2+ can easily heal to stay ahead of AOEs for most fights that fall within the design norms.

There aren't any design norms for deadly encounters. It's X+, where X is the number you see listed as deadly on the chart. Anything and everything above X is still just deadly.