Micah Sweet
Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
That to me is just an excuse for irresponsible and bad behavior on the part of the designers. If you feel proud of your work, you should have no problem explaining why you designed it the way you did.
D&D 5E What, if anything, bothers you about certain casters/spells at your table?
- Thread starter Swarmkeeper
- Start date
Zardnaar
Legend
Translation. At low level proficient in everything in effect and pseudo expertise on everything else
Swarmkeeper
Hero
Please stick to the question. If you want to bash WotC, take it elsewhere.
ETA: I'd really like to learn something you dislike (if anything) about casters/spells in Level Up 5e. It's already been well established that you dislike WotC.
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Zardnaar
Legend
It's not a + 1 thread if you want to gatekeep become a mod or use report button.
el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
I am not trying to make Swamy’s thread just about shield and playstyle so I will drop it after this but I think you are right in that this seems to be firmly in the region of “depends how people play.” I couldn’t tell you what the average number of combat encounters per adventuring day might be, but at my table we’d never make in-game choices based on that kind of meta-analysis. But would likely try to figure it out based on the scenario, setting, location, previous events related to the particular adventure, etc.
Zardnaar
Legend
Shields only real downside is it can blow through spell slots very fast.
So use it when it's clutch or you do a high risk move like wade into multiple enemies so it's good vs an entire round.
jmartkdr2
Hero
Shield is mostly annoying because it's easily one of the two best defensive reaction in the game (silvery barbs might be better) - which is not the problem itself, but...
Fighters only get Parry, which kinda sucks. It reduced damage, a smidge, in exchange for a much more limited resource. Parry should add to AC. Shield should reduce damage (or negate magic missiles). That's my feeling on the matter.
The spell that actually annoys me the most is similacrum, not just because it's powerful with no meaningful limitation, but because it really does break the game if you use it to even a good chunk of it's potential. I'm thinking about re-writing it to include incapacitating the copied person, so there are two of anyone running around, just a replacement person whose either a backup (like a discount clone) or an enemy agent. (Like a Skrull, because that's a great hook for a high-level DnD game.)
Fighters only get Parry, which kinda sucks. It reduced damage, a smidge, in exchange for a much more limited resource. Parry should add to AC. Shield should reduce damage (or negate magic missiles). That's my feeling on the matter.
The spell that actually annoys me the most is similacrum, not just because it's powerful with no meaningful limitation, but because it really does break the game if you use it to even a good chunk of it's potential. I'm thinking about re-writing it to include incapacitating the copied person, so there are two of anyone running around, just a replacement person whose either a backup (like a discount clone) or an enemy agent. (Like a Skrull, because that's a great hook for a high-level DnD game.)
Zardnaar
Legend
Another way of doing it is you have to feed it spell slots or reduces the primary caster to cantrips only.
At least what you describe won’t interrupt the game each 10 minutes.
p_johnston
Adventurer
To clarify my problem with shield isnt that it breaks the game (though im not a fan of how effective it is) so much as it warps it. Every arcane caster is going to take shield because its good at first level and only gets better with time as 1st level slots become less important. That means PC's either A) always choose sheild and effectivly have one less spell choice/prepared spell option because they feel they have to take it or B) choose not to take it and are making a less effective PC.
In short i dislike options that arent really options.
Counterspell is the same way. When PCs get to 5th level the arcane caster doesnt get to pick 2 3rd level spells. They get to pick 1 and counterspell because the party always needs someone who can cast counterspell.
In short i dislike options that arent really options.
Counterspell is the same way. When PCs get to 5th level the arcane caster doesnt get to pick 2 3rd level spells. They get to pick 1 and counterspell because the party always needs someone who can cast counterspell.
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