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D&D 5E ritual casting overpowered?


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Tensor's Floating Disk capacity is 500lb maximum.

Something that I just started wondering: Should we assume that TFD even functions above water? The description says it floats above the "ground" and talks about how well it can / can't handle elevation changes but says nothing about interaction with liquids.
 

None of those requirements come even remotely close to the massive benefits the spell returns for any group
If I have to choose between rope trick and any one from among invisibility, mirror image, misty step, scorching ray, see invisibility, or web, which I would have to do since each spell known means choosing not to learn another (with free spells from gaining a level) or involves spending money that I might rather spend elsewhere, then I am almost always going to skip rope trick.

It's a good spell, yes, but it isn't the only good spell - and the benefit of it (a short rest) I can already get without casting a spell, unlike the other spells I mention.

So yeah, the requirements are close to the benefits - it is your estimation of the benefits which are off, since you have elevated "can do what you can already succeed at doing more often than not" to higher position than "gives you a capability you wouldn't otherwise have."
 

Something that I just started wondering: Should we assume that TFD even functions above water? The description says it floats above the "ground" and talks about how well it can / can't handle elevation changes but says nothing about interaction with liquids.

I've never had the TFD float above water, there's zero rules support for that AFAICS.
In a 4e game I did once let PCs 'surf' it over a small river, ruling that the water surface gave enough
support that it didn't sink until the end of the move action. That was cool, but obviously not RAW.
 

If I have to choose between rope trick and any one from among invisibility, mirror image, misty step, scorching ray, see invisibility, or web, which I would have to do since each spell known means choosing not to learn another (with free spells from gaining a level) or involves spending money that I might rather spend elsewhere, then I am almost always going to skip rope trick.

It's a good spell, yes, but it isn't the only good spell - and the benefit of it (a short rest) I can already get without casting a spell, unlike the other spells I mention.

So yeah, the requirements are close to the benefits - it is your estimation of the benefits which are off, since you have elevated "can do what you can already succeed at doing more often than not" to higher position than "gives you a capability you wouldn't otherwise have."
rope trick in a dungeon with a responsive enemy or random encounters is OP in my view. in wilderness or city adventure its UP.
 

What I expect is for things to be balanced. I expect that if a party of air-breathing humans want to venture underwater, they should have to expend SOME resources to do so.

Why? All that means is there is a resource tax JUST to start the adventure. Do you have water breathing? Check Yes or No. If No skip the adventure. That isnt even remotely fun, interesting, or "challenging".
 

It's worth pointing out a couple of things:

1. Out of all of the ritual casters, the only two who don't do so without filling up a valuable spells known/prepared slot are the wizard and the tome warlock. The warlock exchanges a fair amount for the ability and the wizard has more subtle (and financial) costs--either s/he has to choose it as one of two spells gained upon leveling, or s/he has to spend money on writing the spell into a spellbook. This, of course, is in addition to any additional cost that casting might have.

2. Rituals don't just take 10 minutes to cast--they increase the casting time by 10 minutes. This means that, for example, the ritual-casting of 11 Magic Mouths would take 121 minutes (one minute too many to fit within the 2 hour light activity portion of a long rest--if the DM even counts ritual-casting as light activity--I wouldn't). The relevance of this second point is obviously situational, but should be kept in mind for those times it matters.
 

Why? All that means is there is a resource tax JUST to start the adventure. Do you have water breathing? Check Yes or No. If No skip the adventure. That isnt even remotely fun, interesting, or "challenging".

That's a matter of perspective... and play style. If the GM prepares something and that is the adventure, then sure, it's a tax for entry. If the campaign's more of a sandbox, it's not a tax, it's a key to unlock that adventure. Without the key, you simply investigate some other adventure area.
 

That's a matter of perspective... and play style. If the GM prepares something and that is the adventure, then sure, it's a tax for entry. If the campaign's more of a sandbox, it's not a tax, it's a key to unlock that adventure. Without the key, you simply investigate some other adventure area.

So again, the DM wasted a lot of time designing a place the party wont/cant go without being down some spell slots. Its basically the "dungeon that saps resources just to go there". Like an adventure in the city of brass! Boy it must be fun to only spend your slots on protection from fire Mr Cleric! Alternately we can use a pinch of hand-wave-ium to get to the fun part.
 

So again, the DM wasted a lot of time designing a place the party wont/cant go without being down some spell slots. Its basically the "dungeon that saps resources just to go there". Like an adventure in the city of brass! Boy it must be fun to only spend your slots on protection from fire Mr Cleric! Alternately we can use a pinch of hand-wave-ium to get to the fun part.

If you insist on seeing it that way, we're just going to have to agree to disagree. There should be the possibility of adventuring in areas that require special means or resources to reach. Hand waving everything inconvenient kind of cheapens the reward.
 

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