So why can ANYONE use rituals?

[Sitara]

From what I gather, everyone can use rituals. Apart from being very disappointing, why is this?

It makes no sense that a fighter can cast tenser's Floating Disc. Shouldn't it have been better to leave rituals to arcane and divine power sources only? (so only wizards, paladins, clercis and warlocks could use them?)

Is anyone else planning to houserule this right away? Since rituals don't really affect combat, at least not directly, I don't see any balance issues. Just a flavor (magic should be reserved for magic users) type thing.

 

[Andur]

Anyone who meets the prerequisites can use rituals.

Why can't a Fighter who has a sufficent ability scores and has trained in the "arts" not be able to have a floating disc? Just because he uses martial instead of arcane powers? Totally not related...

I have a cookbook, I can read, and I have ingredients, why can't I make a cake or a souffle or even poached eggs just because I'm an soldier? Or can only CIA graduates cook?

 

[Rechan]

Why shouldn't anyone be able to use rituals?

Seriously. The magic is in the ritual itself - say the right thing, do it in the proper procedure, have the elements in hand, and it goes off. It's the equivalent of "Hastar Hastar Hastar", or saying "Bloody Mary" in front of a mirror five times. Or more accurately, tossing salt over your shoulder to ward off spirits, and other "Do X, Y, and Z or else".

Knowing the words and the proper procedure is what accounts to being trained in Religion or Arcana.

It also means that an exceptional blacksmith doesn't have to beg a wizard or a cleric to help him make a magical item; he can do it himself, if he's got enough chops and skill.

 

[RandomCitizenX]

From what I gather, everyone can use rituals. Apart from being very disappointing, why is this?

It makes no sense that a fighter can cast tenser's Floating Disc. Shouldn't it have been better to leave rituals to arcane and divine power sources only? (so only wizards, paladins, clercis and warlocks could use them?)

Is anyone else planning to houserule this right away? Since rituals don't really affect combat, at least not directly, I don't see any balance issues. Just a flavor (magic should be reserved for magic users) type thing.

Anyone can use a ritual so that parties can get by without a caster in the party. If it fits the flavor of your setting then houserule it to casters only. I know my game will be leaving it as is since I want to be able to have moments similar to Conan the Barbarian, where the resurrected Conan even though the PCs left alive were a rogue and a ranger.

 

[NHBaggesen]

Well, it is only everyone with the Ritual Casting feat that can perform rituals (though others can help, if I understand correctly). So performing rituals require some sort of training, and size they are also keyed to skills like Arcane and Religion that is a other functional limitation. All in all I'd say that if a fighter or rogue has taken the required feat, and has training in the appropriate skills then it is ok that they can perform rituals.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Because rituals are the vending machines of the universe.

You put in your money and out pops a ritual.

 

[hong]

Fighter who can cast floating disc --> ftrN/wiz1 in 3E parlance

 

[inkmonkeys]

Because rituals are the vending machines of the universe.

You put in your money and out pops a ritual.

Someone's been reading their Dresden.

 

[Daniel D. Fox]

Technically, non-casting classes cannot use Rituals until they're Paragon level (and pick up the feat Ritual Caster), and THEN they have to pick up the required Skill with another feat (Skill Training for Arcana or Religion).

I like this approach, especially for a low magic game.

 

[Agamon]

To do so requires an Arcane skill check. Not sure if it needs to be a trained skill check, but that sure makes sense. So that's a couple feats the fighter would have to take to do just Arcane rituals. Getting those feats cold translate in game to learning to "be more like a wizard".
Not a big deal.

Mechanic-wise, it follows the idea that anyone can fight, anyone can heal, anyone can find traps and anyone can cast spells. No role is absolutely completely necessary.