D&D 5E Variant Wild Magic Surge Table and features

[Laurefindel]

Input needed on this alternate Wild Magic Surge Table and variant Wild Magic Surge and Tides of Chaos class features. All constructive comments and criticism are welcome.

Spoiler: Design Notes and Goals

This variant aims to address two distinct aspects
1) player, not DM, has control over wild magic surge.
2) reduce the amount of scattered "wand of wonders" effects and eliminate "your skin turns blue" type of cosmetic effects.

The goal for the second point is to match my interpretation of wild magic, that is, a lack of control over the output of magic, not so much over the magical effects themselves. Most of the surges affect spell slots, metamagic, and action economy; the foundation of the sorcerer base class. It still includes a few "you cast this spell instead", but I'm unsure about keeping them. I might eliminate them to weight the result toward the center of the table.

To diminish the burden of rolling for a magic surge whenever the player wants, the die rolled for wild magic surge acts both as the trigger and the result. Basically, roll on the Wild Magic Surge Table (remade for a d20) and if that result is the same as the d20 you or the DM rolled, that effect happens.

The revision of the Wild Magic Surge and Tides of Chaos features are simply made to represent those changes.

Wild Magic Surge
Starting when you choose this origin at 1st level, your spell casting can unleash surges of untamed magic. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher requiring an attack roll or a saving throw, you can choose to select one of the targeted creatures and make a special wild magic roll using a d20.

If the wild magic d20 yields the same result as the d20 used to make your attack roll against the selected creature, or yields the same result as the d20 used by the selected creature make a saving throw, a wild magic surge occurs. Consult the Wild Magic Surge and apply the effect listed under the result obtained on the wild magic roll.

Tides of Chaos
Starting at 1st level, you can manipulate the forces of chance and chaos to gain advantage on one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. Once you do so, you must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

Any time wild magic surge occurs, you regain the use of this feature if Tides of Chaos was used since the last rest.

​	Wild Magic Surge Table
d20​	Effect
1​	Roll on this table at the start of each of your turn for the next minute, ignoring this result.
2​	The spell is cast without consuming a spell slot.
3​	The spell consumes an extra spell slot of same level or lower.
4​	Maximise the damage of the next damaging spell cast within the next minute.
5​	For the next minute, all attack rolls made against the target are made with disadvantage, and the target has advantage on saving throws against all of your spells.
6​	The next spell you cast within the next minute ignores all magic resistances and damage resistances (but not immunities).
7​	The spell fails and the spell slot is spent. You cast true seeing as a 6th level spell instead.
8​	Your highest-level unspent spell slot is instantaneously converted to sorcery points (equal to the spell slot’s level).
9​	The spell fails and the spell slot is spent. You cast levitate as a 2nd level spell instead.
10​	Roll an additional d20. You can opt to use the result of this roll on one of your attack rolls made with this spell, or impose the result of this roll on one of your opponents saving throw this round.
11​	The spell uses the highest spell slot available. The effects of casting a spell at higher level apply normally.
12​	The spell fails and the spell slot is spent. You cast time stop as a 9th level spell instead.
13​	All your sorcery points are instantaneously converted into any number of spell slots, as you see fit.
14​	The spell fails and the spell slot is spent. You cast heroism as a 1st level spell instead.
15​	You cannot take any bonus action for the remainder of the round. If the wild magic surge occurred on a spell with a casting time of one bonus action, you cannot take any action for the remainder of the round.
16​	You gain resistance to all damage for the next minute.
17​	For the next minute, you take 1d10 necrotic damage every time you cast a spell of 1st level or higher.
18​	You gain a number of sorcery points equal to spell’s level
19​	You lose a number of sorcery points equal to spell’s level
20​	You regain all expended sorcery points

 

[MNblockhead]

Looks balanced and well crafted and you seem to have met your goal. But I guess I like the "cosmetic changes" and weirdness in the original table.

 

[Lanefan]

Quick thoughts:

#4 needs clarification: the next spell cast by who?

While this looks cool at first glance, I worry that with such a limited number of possible effects it would become repetitive or even predictable rather quickly once this sees play. I use a WMS table of nearly 300 effects and even there some things repeat more often than I'd like; ideally you'd never see the same effect twice.

And, I also like the weird stuff.

 

[MNblockhead]

Quick thoughts:

#4 needs clarification: the next spell cast by who?

While this looks cool at first glance, I worry that with such a limited number of possible effects it would become repetitive or even predictable rather quickly once this sees play. I use a WMS table of nearly 300 effects and even there some things repeat more often than I'd like; ideally you'd never see the same effect twice.

And, I also like the weird stuff.

Hmmm...seems like a good idea for a thread. Come up with a thousand effects, throw them in a spread sheet, randomize and then just go down the list. Cross it off after you use it.

 

[Laurefindel]

Hmmm...seems like a good idea for a thread. Come up with a thousand effects, throw them in a spread sheet, randomize and then just go down the list. Cross it off after you use it.

Or make twenty different, smaller tables. Every game pick a new one.