D&D 5E Spells you house rule?

[el-remmen]

I think the biggest issue I have with fireball is that most DMs don't consider the side effects of a spell that "... ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried" within a 20 foot radius. It helps balance things out in my games.

The last (and first) time my current PCs were in the area of a fireball they were on a rowboat and it caught fire.

 

[James Gasik]

I don't know, I mean, I'm happy to finally have spell damage increased relative to hit points- in 3e it was pretty nuts to realize that fireball was still doing the same damage it did in the 70's, but monsters had way more hit points.

I know people bring up the guidelines for spell damage in the DMG a lot, but does an extra d6 really matter that much?

Huh. That's odd. I took Erupting Earth for my Sorcerer because it starts getting better than Fireball when upcast at higher levels.

 

[Flamestrike]

counter example




that is how it goes at mytable... the word before matters

So when a PC yells, 'I draw my sword and attack the Orcs' you allow a player to say 'Before he does that, I ride back to town to stock up on healing potions' or even 'Before he does that, I cast Mage Armor'?

In my games, there is no saying I'm doing something before the event just happened, happened. You need to actually do the thing beforehand.

 

[Flamestrike]

Warcaster is a great feat, bonus to concentration, spells as AOO and weapon for somantic components. I don’t know why any martial caster wouldn’t take it!

Because there are other amazing options, particularly for martials.

 

[James Gasik]

So when a PC yells, 'I draw my sword and attack the Orcs' you allow a player to say 'Before he does that, I ride back to town to stock up on healing potions' or even 'Before he does that, I cast Mage Armor'?

In my games, there is no saying I'm doing something before the event just happened, happened. You need to actually do the thing beforehand.

I mean, unless you're in initiative outside of combat, things all happen simultaneously right? So you see an ally do a thing, you can act at the same time?

I mean otherwise, all that happens is this. Every turn the Cleric isn't doing anything else out of combat, he or she refreshes Guidance on their party members.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Huh. That's odd. I took Erupting Earth for my Sorcerer because it starts getting better than Fireball when upcast at higher levels.

Unless you want the difficult terrain or are dealing with targets resistant to fire, Erupting Earth is generally inferior to Fireball IMO:

1. Damage doesn't surpass fireball until 6th level (and who is going to upcast using a valuable 6th level or higher slot?? There are better spells at those higher spell levels...).
2. Cannot affect targets more than 20 feet above the ground. FB can affect a target nearly 170 feet above the ground.
3. A bit shorter range (EE 120 vs FB 150)
4. A much smaller AoE (see diagram below) for 20' cube vs. 20' radius sphere.

Now, I am not arguing against EE being a great spell when needed, but I think the argument for it being better due to damage at higher levels is fairly weak since it barely surpasses FB at 6th level (by just 1/2 a point!) and doesn't see serious increases until 8th or 9th level slots! And, as I mentioned above, who would use such high-level limited slots to upcast a 3rd level spell? Frankly, extremely few games even get to the level where you can even cast 6th or higher level spells.

 

[Flamestrike]

I mean otherwise, all that happens is this. Every turn the Cleric isn't doing anything else out of combat, he or she refreshes Guidance on their party members.

Yeah, that sounds realistic and like... good immersive roleplaying.

 

[Zubatcarteira]

Tbf, if I had the superpower of making people better at anything, I'd sure as hell be using it all the time.

OT: Simulacrum, gotta rule that it can only be healed by the alchemical lab thingy that the spell specifies, so it can't just take a rest and regain hp. Maybe specify that it can't regain back any resources at all, not just spell slots.

 

[James Gasik]

Unless you want the difficult terrain or are dealing with targets resistant to fire, Erupting Earth is generally inferior to Fireball IMO:

1. Damage doesn't surpass fireball until 6th level (and who is going to upcast using a valuable 6th level or higher slot?? There are better spells at those higher spell levels...).
2. Cannot affect targets more than 20 feet above the ground. FB can affect a target nearly 170 feet above the ground.
3. A bit shorter range (EE 120 vs FB 150)
4. A much smaller AoE (see diagram below) for 20' cube vs. 20' radius sphere.

View attachment 156863

Now, I am not arguing against EE being a great spell when needed, but I think the argument for it being better due to damage at higher levels is fairly weak since it barely surpasses FB at 6th level (by just 1/2 a point!) and doesn't see serious increases until 8th or 9th level slots! And, as I mentioned above, who would use such high-level limited slots to upcast a 3rd level spell? Frankly, extremely few games even get to the level where you can even cast 6th or higher level spells.

As a Sorcerer, I felt I needed to conserve as many spells known as possible. I liked the combination of minor control and the idea that it would be a spell I'd be happy to use at higher levels, allowing me to choose non-damaging spells if I wanted to at higher levels instead.

Also as I wasn't an Evocation Wizard, I didn't mind the smaller AoE, easier to place so I didn't blast my own party (I also used Hypnotic Pattern, a 30 foot cube).

 

[MostlyHarmless42]

1. True Strike: This spell no longer requires concentration. Additionally, it is now cast as a buff effect upon yourself that grants advantage on your next attack roll rather than as a debuff on a target. I specifically avoided the bonus action route due to concerns that it would instantly become a "must have" for every caster.
2. Chaos Bolt: The initial 1d6 counts towards causing a leap to occur. Additional damage done by this spell is now +1d8 damage per additional spell level. This results in the choice of more damage type options and a higher chance of the spell leaping to other targets.
3. Witch Bolt: This spell now has a range of 60ft. - This makes it so a creature that wants to get out of the area still can bit eliminates the stupid "I move out to end the spell and back in" option that only occurs becaus of the turn based nature of initiative.
4. Barkskin: This spell no longer requires concentration.
5. Flame Blade: This spell no longer requires concentration, though it’s maximum duration has been reduced to 1 minute to compensate. You can opt to cast it as originally written if you wish when casting the spell.
6. Hunter’s Mark: This spell no longer requires concentration.
7. Protection From Energy. This spell no longer requires concentration. Additionally, you may have the spell effect one additional target for each spell level you cast it above a 2nd level slot.
8. Counterspell: You can cast this spell as part of the reaction to Identifying a Spell being cast. You do not need to know what spell is being cast in order to use counterspell.
9. Dispel Magic: This spell only dispels one magical effect per casting of the spell. In the cast of where multiple spell or magic effects are on a creature, object, or area, the player will be informed of any effect on the target of which their spell or ability check is capable of dispelling and then the player may choose which effect to remove.
10. Stoneskin: This spell no longer requires concentration.