D&D (2024) Why is Ritual Caster gated?

[bedir than]

The 2024 Ritual Caster feat is gated to level 4 and requires spell casting or pact magic to take it.

How would an origin feat version of this need to be adjusted? I think there's space for a similar feat to tell the story of the not-quite caster who always has to have all of the accoutrements and time in order to get the spell to work just right.

Gating behind a minimum score seems to be obvious. What other limitations are needed?

 

[MoonSong]

The 2024 Ritual Caster feat is gated to level 4 and requires spell casting or pact magic to take it.

How would an origin feat version of this need to be adjusted? I think there's space for a similar feat to tell the story of the not-quite caster who always has to have all of the accoutrements and time in order to get the spell to work just right.

Gating behind a minimum score seems to be obvious. What other limitations are needed?

I'm not sure about the details. Haven't had the chance to see Treantmonks videos. Can you give me a list of what it does?

 

[bedir than]

I'm not sure about the details. Haven't had the chance to see Treantmonks videos. Can you give me a list of what it does?

Finding precise wording is difficult thanks to broken search and the not-quite released nature of the product

You learn a number of rituals (no longer confined to spell list, I think) equal to prof. bonus.
You may cast 1 per long rest as a non-ritual.
You may cast the rituals using spell slots.
You may cast rituals as rituals.
You get a bonus to a casting stat.

 

[Krachek]

Require level 4
And 13 int, Wis or cha.

 

[bedir than]

Require level 4
And 13 int, Wis or cha.

Requiring level 4 means that it wouldn't be an origin feat.

 

[Deset Gled]

How would an origin feat version of this need to be adjusted? I think there's space for a similar feat to tell the story of the not-quite caster who always has to have all of the accoutrements and time in order to get the spell to work just right.

I don't think it can be. Casting Level 1 spells at will is pretty far above what I would be willing to consider an "origin". If you need that much power as a background, starting to group at level 4 is a better option than raising the power of level 1.

The again, I still think that a level 1 wizard with a crossbow who dies to a critical hit from a housecat is a fun way to play D&D, so our positions on low level play may be very far apart.

 

[bedir than]

I don't think it can be. Casting Level 1 spells at will is pretty far above what I would be willing to consider an "origin". If you need that much power as a background, starting to group at level 4 is a better option than raising the power of level 1.

The again, I still think that a level 1 wizard with a crossbow who dies to a critical hit from a housecat is a fun way to play D&D, so our positions on low level play may be very far apart.

Magic Initiate casts a level 1 spell at will (including a reaction spell which takes nearly zero seconds).

Rituals take substantial time and rarely impact combat

 

[MoonSong]

Finding precise wording is difficult thanks to broken search and the not-quite released nature of the product

You learn a number of rituals (no longer confined to spell list, I think) equal to prof. bonus.
You may cast 1 per long rest as a non-ritual.
You may cast the rituals using spell slots.
You may cast rituals as rituals.
You get a bonus to a casting stat.

Maybe I'd leave just the first and third benefits. Edit: and cap rituals to first level at first.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Finding precise wording is difficult thanks to broken search and the not-quite released nature of the product

Just thought I'd add a couple of clarifications because I agree it's a pain.

You learn a number of rituals (no longer confined to spell list, I think) equal to prof. bonus.

A number of level 1 spells that are rituals. You can't e.g. grab water breathing. These spells count as always prepared.

You may cast 1 per long rest as a non-ritual.

This ritual isn't level capped. If you also have e.g. Water Breathing prepared you can cast it for free as an action as your 1/day non ritual

You may cast the rituals using spell slots.
You may cast rituals as rituals.

This last isn't there; rituals aren't class-locked any more.

You get a bonus to a casting stat.

So how would I turn it into an origin feat? Take away the ASI (obviously). Restrict the free ritual to level 1. And probably make it a fixed two or even three rituals it provides as that's your origin not something that grows

 

[MarkB]

The point of Ritual Caster in 2014 was mainly to grant ritual casting to spellcasting classes that didn't have it. Since there are no such classes in the 2024 edition, that requirement is no longer there.

Instead, this feat allows you to broaden your spell choices by being able to select 1st-level ritual spells from any spell list and add them to your prepared spells, allowing you to cast them as rituals or using spell slots. Plus you get to cast one ritual per day quickly, regardless of level.

That being the case, there are two types of character who may want this feat - spellcasters who want access to a wider selection of utility spells, and non-spellcasters who want access to a few rituals. But since the feat also grants a bonus to a mental stat, which is of questionable use to non-casters, that second group is likely to be small.

All that being the case, if you want to make an origin feat version of this, what benefits are you looking to gain from it? Are you envisioning taking it as a caster class in order to widen your repertoire, or as a non-casting class to give yourself a few special tricks? That should inform what, and how much, of this feat you want to keep for a powered-down version.