Agree. Until you get to 30s, the ability check modifiers don't scale with higher challenges.Would allowing non-magical martials have physical ability scores of up to 20+tier do anything?
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Agree. Until you get to 30s, the ability check modifiers don't scale with higher challenges.Would allowing non-magical martials have physical ability scores of up to 20+tier do anything?
Again…. You are talking about solving the problem via very setting specific stuff. Not as good as generic solutions IMO.One solution would be, to do non-magical options on a item level. Nonmagical Items, that can be used by martial to mimic or do even other stuff than magic can do.
You just need to advanced from medieval fantasy to renaissance fantasy and have a Leonardo Da Vinci run rampant with Fantasytech. You want a fireball equivalent for casters? Here is a powder bomb to throw! Lightning bolt? Here is a Tesla Coil to wind! (Or pretend, you can have charges where the martial has to charge condensators on a long rest in order to use items). You wanna fly? Here is an ornithopter.
The answer to too strong magic is always science. Science and advancement always level the playing field.
I’m with the folks who say change the game world. We’re talking DMG/Monster Manual stuff here.Note this is a plus thread.
If your response to the thread title is any variation of "nothing" or "there is no problem" or "I haven't experienced this problem" or "I like that this is a problem," then this thread isn't for you. Please keep that comment to yourself and move on.
The premise of the thread is: in D&D 5E there is a caster / non-caster gap and casters dominate non-casters.
If you want to argue against the premise of the thread, then this thread isn't for you. Please keep those comments to yourself and move on.
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So the question is: what specifically can D&D 5E do to fix this problem?
The two obvious broad solutions are varying degrees of nerf the casters and buff the non-casters.
Cool. But how?
It did. Having the thief keel over from a heart attack after the haste spell concluded made for subsequent castings rare.Aging was also an absolute in 1e. You had a randomly determined max age, after which you died - and the very few ways of reversing aging, like the Longevity potion, couldn't be counted on.
So, yeah, 1e tried.
If onlywelcome to mana.
That sounds kinda similar to my system! If you’re doing Animism (Commune) to call out to and treat with a spirit, it’s pretty obvious that you might need a name or an item from thier sacred place or related to thier purpose, while Alchemy (Preparations) will generally require at least one each of: a base, a catalyst, fuel, a container, and an external source of power. If what those should be isn’t obvious from context, you and the GM work them out on the fly based on symbolic sympathy and other magical principles of the setting.I'm partial to the system in Fabula Ultima. You can create effects on the fly, as long as it fits with the theme of your "school" of magic. It can be very costly in terms of mana, depending on what you're trying to accomplish, and the GM can require an appropriate component.
Oof yeah. I’d also say, if your idea was how mana generally worked, I would be all for mana as the default. I despise D&D spellpoints. If I’m spending a resource to cast spells, a level 1 spell should cost 1 of the resource.It's not new for me.
DM advice is a key place to bring casters’ ceiling of power down a bit in total terms*, alongside the interruptibility I mentioned upthread and that you touch on here.I’m with the folks who say change the game world. We’re talking DMG/Monster Manual stuff here.
- A large network of portals that can be used by anyone.
- Make Magic visible and identifiable to all people
- Magic items that mimic spells and allow spells to be negated/retarded.
- Make potions, elixirs and unguents craftable by alchemical non magical means.
- NPCs that provide services that fulfil the need for key spells.
- Make have a world where spellcasters are distrusted and hunted.
- Use foes that are not easily overcome by Magic.
Fair enough, I can live with that, though it would be nice if high level martials could actually get said abilities!Oh, I don't believe its possible for a high level martial to exist without supernatural abilities in a form I'd want in my game. It would require you either radically redefine what "mundane" means, or that you go narrative, neither of which are acceptable options to me. At some point you have to flip that switch.
If other people want to advocate for that, that's fine.