D&D 5E Spells that make you go Hmm....

[Stormonu]

So, I'm going through 5E, making my own tweaks and as I'm doing so, I'm finding some rather strange, funny and downright bizarre things in spells that I'd like to point out. Feel free to add in.

Slow and Haste are separate spells, but Enlarge/Reduce is one spell. Enhance Ability is six spells in one.

Create Homunculus is a 5th level spell. The Artificer has an ability to create one from 1st level.

Find Familiar is a spell, instead of a class ability. Same for the Paladin's Summon Steed. Compare to Ranger's Animal Companion.

Why is Wild Shape not a 2nd level spell, with the Moon Druid having either bonus castings or free "upcasting"?

You can call up a Tidal Wave (From Elemental Evil Player's Companion) in the middle of a dungeon.

The only telepathy spell available is at 8th level, but there are numerous class/race abilities that grant single-target telepathy at first level.

You can cast demiplane inside another demiplane to lead to a different demiplane (tesseract, anyone?).

The silence spell is an illusion, not a Transmutation - so what's really happening with the sound? Is it being noise-cancelled? Can it be "disbelieved"? If there are creatures immune to illusions in 5E, are they immune to this spell?

 

[BookTenTiger]

A wizard did it.

 

[Gorck]

The only telepathy spell available is at 8th level, but there are numerous class/race abilities that grant single-target telepathy at first level.

There is Rary’s Telepathic Bond at 5th.

 

[Stormonu]

There is Rary’s Telepathic Bond at 5th.

Still...

 

[CreamCloud0]

So, I'm going through 5E, making my own tweaks and as I'm doing so, I'm finding some rather strange, funny and downright bizarre things in spells that I'd like to point out. Feel free to add in.

Slow and Haste are separate spells, but Enlarge/Reduce is one spell. Enhance Ability is six spells in one.

slow targets multiple creatures whereas haste only targets one, that's why it's a separate spell, enlarge/reduce targets the same no matter which you're using so it might as well be a single spell, whereas the versatility of multiple effects for enhance ability is it's draw, like chromatic orb, splitting them up would defeat the point.

Create Homunculus is a 5th level spell. The Artificer has an ability to create one from 1st level.

the artificer is a class thematically designed to specialise in constructing such things.

Find Familiar is a spell, instead of a class ability. Same for the Paladin's Summon Steed. Compare to Ranger's Animal Companion.

should they be class abilities though? i don't see a good reason why only wizard/paladin should be able to summon a familiar/mount.

Why is Wild Shape not a 2nd level spell, with the Moon Druid having either bonus castings or free "upcasting"?

not all things should be spells, being a spell would make it far too easy for other classes to dip to druid 3 for wildshape and never touch it again,

You can call up a Tidal Wave (From Elemental Evil Player's Companion) in the middle of a dungeon.

magic can conjure up a vast assortment of things in many places, why is this one more notable than say, plant growth in the middle of a tundra or call lightning deep in a cave?

The silence spell is an illusion, not a Transmutation - so what's really happening with the sound? Is it being noise-cancelled? Can it be "disbelieved"? If there are creatures immune to illusions in 5E, are they immune to this spell?

the illusion spell school is described as spells that decieve the senses so this seems pretty in line, although spell schools have always been a bit incoherent about which spells are of which school.

 

[Gorck]

Still...

As well as sending at 3rd and message as a cantrip.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

There is Rary’s Telepathic Bond at 5th.

Further ways to communicate in a telepathic manner…
Sending is a 3rd level spell
Message is a cantrip

But, for sure, Telepathy could have come sooner than 8th level

EDIT: ninja’d by @Gorck!

 

[Stormonu]

Call Lightning does require a good bit of headroom, so you can't summon it in most dungeons or caves.

Honestly, other than legacy, I don't see why Create Homonculus is 5th level. Really would rather see it an off-shoot of Find Familiar, maybe just something you can create in downtime.

Also, it seems a waste to keep Find Familiar a spell and is just a legacy thing of itself, and really seems like it should either go to a feat or class ability. The Paladin's steed used to be a class ability and I can't remember in which version it went to a spell. I think its entirely a waste as a spell - especially Find Greater Steed, which is just insulting.

As I said, these are all just inconsistencies between the various spells - in some classes, they're done as abilities, sometimes spells. Sometimes spell combine effects sometimes they split them out.

 

[Gorck]

I think it's peculiar that they have wall of fire, wall of force, wall of ice, wall of stone, and wall of thorns. But it's wind wall, rather than wall of wind.

Edit: also wall of light, wall of sand, and wall of water from XGE

 

[Krachek]

Leomund tiny hut, intent to be a safe shelter, that is often weaponized.