So why can ANYONE use rituals?

[Lizard]

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.

There's quite a lot of in-game reasons or world reasons you can use, but the real reason is -- apparently, WOTCs marketers determined most D&D players are narcissists with ADD, and can't stand anyone else being able to do something they can't, or getting 'spotlight' time at the table.

So, everyone can do everything, the fighter and the wizard have the same BAB and defenses, and the trees are all kept equal.

Personally, I think this is a misfire. It presumes everyone who plays D&D likes the same playstyle. If this were true, the wide disparity between how classes play would have left the rules two editions ago. I think D&D, and class-based systems in general, attract players who life different playstyles -- either those who just like fighters, or just like wizards, or those who want their next character to feel different from their last one. 4e says "Nein! You ist all the same!", and I think people who like that would be happier with a pure point-based system, either simple like BESM or complex like Hero.

To be fair, in my one play session, it did seem like the cleric and the warlord -- both leaders -- played out very differently, so we'll see how it goes. 4e seems very much to be a game which reads poorly but which might play well.

 

[Andur]

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.

Technically, you can pick up the Ritual Caster feat at first level and have to already have to have Arcana or Religion trained. So Human Fighter 1:

Feat: Skill Training: Arcana, Ritual Caster

1st level Human Fighter can now learn and use first level Rituals.

 

[Baka no Hentai]

I guess it really depends on your view of "HOW MAGIC WORKS" in your campaign setting.

In mine, Arcane Power is everywhere, and easily accessible to those who know how to use it. So it makes sense that those who put forth the effort would be able to access it, at least in some rudimentary fashion. Rituals give such people a means of harnessing that power given the time and materials to use them. The same with Divine rituals, if a worshipper gains favor from their God and makes a request in the proper manner with the proper tribute, why would said God deny them simply because they didnt take levels of Cleric?

If your campaign setting favors the notion that only Wizards, Warlocks and Clerics should be able to access *any* amount of Divine or Arcane power, then you are free to house-rule the system to fit your needs.

 

[Mallus]

There's quite a lot of in-game reasons or world reasons you can use, but the real reason is -- apparently, WOTCs marketers determined most D&D players are narcissists with ADD, and can't stand anyone else being able to do something they can't, or getting 'spotlight' time at the table.

... or the designer's realized that it's bad design to place the lion's share of effective problem-solving abilities in the hands of relatively few classes. Note: the 'if you want to meaningfully participate in the game, play a spellcaster' argument is inherently unhelpful. Or, why is greater player participation a bad thing, precisely?

... or the designer's realized that placing magic rituals in reach of all PC's makes the game resemble a number of it's source materials better.

... or the designer's realized that this kind of line-item access to wahoo makes for greater flexibility in character design than 3.x's clunky, never-quite-right-even-after-a-lot-of-tries take on magical multiclassing.

 

[hong]

There's quite a lot of in-game reasons or world reasons you can use, but the real reason is -- apparently, WOTCs marketers determined most D&D players are narcissists with ADD, and can't stand anyone else being able to do something they can't, or getting 'spotlight' time at the table.

You say this like it's a negative thing.

 

[1of3]

4e says "Nein! You ist all the same!", and I think people who like that would be happier with a pure point-based system, either simple like BESM or complex like Hero.

I'm glad my 4E hasn't started talking. You know, it's "seid" not "ist".

 

[ThirdWizard]

EDIT: Won't be baited.

 

[marune]

You say this like it's a negative thing.

You know what, most of the time I agree with you.

 

[AllisterH]

I'm not sure why "anyone" is considered a guy who is Trained in Heal/Arcana and then spends resources on Ritual Training.

Isn't this by definition,not "anyone"?

 

[Daniel D. Fox]

Technically, you can pick up the Ritual Caster feat at first level and have to already have to have Arcana or Religion trained. So Human Fighter 1:

Feat: Skill Training: Arcana, Ritual Caster

1st level Human Fighter can now learn and use first level Rituals.

Arrg, didn't see that. I thought it was Paragon! I may need to houserule that, but honestly - my players won't attempt to cheat other characters out of stuff like that simply to min/max at 1st level.

Either way, the DM firmly controls what Rituals enter the game. Since Ritual Caster doesn't "grant" Rituals upon purchase of the feat, general players can bicker about itall they want; DM fiat rules once again by definition of the rules.