D&D 5E Reversible Spells

[Cleon]

EDIT PC: Oh! and @Cleon , that would be the oft overlooked and underutilized "Fire Shield" that could be cast with either burning or cold damage flames. And yes, if memory serves, you could decide at casting which you wanted./EDIT

Yes, I was pretty sure it was called either fire cloak or fire shield but couldn't be bothered checking.

 

[Tovec]

Yup. This is how it worked.

I'm not sure if having the one spell automatically meant you could prepare the reverse, but I'm pretty sure, at least for BX/BECM you could. 1e might have altered that.

But yes, one simply didn't memorize "Cure Light Wounds" or "Light" and then cast "Cause Light Wounds" or "Darkness" if the opportunity presented it self. Houserules, obviously, could/would/[undoubtedly]did change this easily.

EDIT PC: Oh! and @Cleon , that would be the oft overlooked and underutilized "Fire Shield" that could be cast with either burning or cold damage flames. And yes, if memory serves, you could decide at casting which you wanted./EDIT

This all works perfectly fine IMHO. But it will rely greatly on how many spells the caster learns/knows, how many per day and how they are cast (meaning the refresh rates if any).
If they know MANY spells then there is reason to have cure light/inflict light to be different spells. If they know few then that is fine. If they prepare (some classes shouldn't in my opinion) that will change things too. Maybe certain classes should be more limited in how they cast these spells if they are spontaneous or get a recharge per day. That would make a spell like transmute anything to anything else much more powerful, doubly so if they can do the reverse whenever they recharge or cast again. Being always able to summon ice instead of fire whenever you want is a huge advantage when it comes to spells.


One thing I hope they DO is allow spells with longer durations to cancel both their opposite but also their same effect. You have Haste and they have Haste? You can cancel their spell effect - once they cast it. You have haste and they have slow, the same.
Thoughts on this aspect - anyone?

 

[steeldragons]

I could see Slow cancelling Haste. I've always allowed Darkness/Light to cancel each other out and Continual Light/Darkness,15' rad. to do the same. And, obviously, many "reverse" spells are specifically designed to undo their...reverse (rock-to-mud/mud-to-rock, stone-to-flesh/vice verse). But I don't quite get how casting Haste after an already cast Haste will/would/should negate your enemy's Haste.