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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 7994053" data-attributes="member: 6801286">I disagree. D&D is in many ways an interactive narrative experience, so that sense of awe is determined largely in the narration. Of course you could also add mechanical effects to make the magic more awe inspiring, but I disagree that a large mechanical overhaul of the game system is required to accomplish this goal.When the druid summons an Elemental Monolith from the sea, I can describe it as a colossal creature so tall, that seagulls circle it like tiny flies; perhaps mistaking the lumbering elemental for an island (narration). I can also have nearby enemies make a morale check or flee in terror (mechanical).Either method or a combination of both, can help enhance that sense of awe when magic is used. No radical change in the rules is needed to get there. What also helps is to be lenient in the rules, in regards to what a spell is allowed to do. My players often run into edge cases, where it would seem a spell should be able to do something very specific, but by the rules as written, this would not be the case. I tend to allow such edge cases, especially if it makes for a better story.Such was the case when one of my players wanted to use the spell Arcane Lock recently. As per the rules of 3.5 (which my group plays), Arcane Lock only allows the caster to freely pass. However, it made sense to me as a DM that a wizard should be able to designate others to pass as well (and this is the case for the 5e version of the spell). So I applied houserules, to facilitate something that seemed logical for the spell to be able to do.In regards to the Elemental Monolith, the spell description doesn't say that it has a frightful presence, or that enemies must make a morale check when they see it. But narratively speaking, when a colossal elemental the size of a small island rises from the sea, wouldn't most sensible people flee in terror? So I apply the rules that already exist for such cases, despite it not literally being in the spell description.I think especially when players cast higher level spells (Elemental Monolith is a 9th level spell), the DM should treat those spells as something awe inspiring, and narrate them as such. These are spells that very few people on the planet should be able to cast. It is not something people see every day. By having non-player characters react accordingly, the players will feel more powerful (and rightly so).</blockquote>

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