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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Spell casting - Sans components



RedFred
2017-03-08, 01:06 AM
Hello all,

Little bit of lore first (you can skip this, what I really want is your help with the mechanics).
In my home-brew setting, magic is similar (for those of you who know Jim Butcher's work) to that in The Dresden Files. It is the use of will to project your own energy and manipulate external energy as desired . Most races don't have the necessary reserves of energy to do this on a large scale. Their bodies can't produce anything like the energy spell-casting requires, but what little they do have can be used to carefully influence the world around them as desired, by using formulas and theory to calculate how best that energy is to be applied. This is how wizards work. Sorcerers have something in their ancestry that means they have the necessary energy, all they need is the will to apply it. In other words, to cause a avalanche, a wizard leans where to place one snow-flake just so while a sorcerer just shakes the mountain. Alternatively, you could think of wizards as electricians, they can't produce electricity in any meaningful way but what little their bodies produce (i.e. that which is used to move muscles in hands/arms etc.) can be used to influence the external world, similarly sorcerers would be more like electric eels.

The alternate magic-point system in the PHB works well for this, but my issue is with the spell components. Material is fine, energy can be channeled, stored, shaped etc with wooded staves, crystals etc just as we use metals that are natural resistors, conductors etc. Verbal components I'm thinking of making optional, flavor-wise their like Kiai in martial arts, not actually necessary but useful for focusing the mind and will. Somatic components would be similar, so what I want is a way of balancing making verbal and somatic components optional to spell casting. Thoughts?

GalacticAxekick
2017-03-08, 08:15 AM
Hello all,

Little bit of lore first (you can skip this, what I really want is your help with the mechanics).
In my home-brew setting, magic is similar (for those of you who know Jim Butcher's work) to that in The Dresden Files. It is the use of will to project your own energy and manipulate external energy as desired . Most races don't have the necessary reserves of energy to do this on a large scale. Their bodies can't produce anything like the energy spell-casting requires, but what little they do have can be used to carefully influence the world around them as desired, by using formulas and theory to calculate how best that energy is to be applied. This is how wizards work. Sorcerers have something in their ancestry that means they have the necessary energy, all they need is the will to apply it. In other words, to cause a avalanche, a wizard leans where to place one snow-flake just so while a sorcerer just shakes the mountain. Alternatively, you could think of wizards as electricians, they can't produce electricity in any meaningful way but what little their bodies produce (i.e. that which is used to move muscles in hands/arms etc.) can be used to influence the external world, similarly sorcerers would be more like electric eels.

The alternate magic-point system in the PHB works well for this, but my issue is with the spell components. Material is fine, energy can be channeled, stored, shaped etc with wooded staves, crystals etc just as we use metals that are natural resistors, conductors etc. Verbal components I'm thinking of making optional, flavor-wise their like Kiai in martial arts, not actually necessary but useful for focusing the mind and will. Somatic components would be similar, so what I want is a way of balancing making verbal and somatic components optional to spell casting. Thoughts?I don't think you need to worry about this.

In 5e, spells are balanced without components in mind (except the few that use expensive components). We completely ignore components at my table, with no issues.

Stan
2017-03-08, 10:20 AM
In 5e, spells are balanced without components in mind (except the few that use expensive components). We completely ignore components at my table, with no issues.

This is pretty much what we do most of the time. You've got your focus or your pouch, then forget about components for the rest of the campaign. Verbal components come up only of you're trying to be super quiet. Material components come up only if you've been made prisoner and stripped or something. Somatic components come up only if your hands are bound or you are not keeping a hand free and haven't paid the feat tax of warcaster.

One of the sorcerer's few advantages over wizard is they have the option of subtle spell. If you get rid of components entirely, you lose this difference. Not a huge deal though as the sorcerer can take other options.

If you want to model components as focus aid, you could add a DC 10 (or maybe 5 + spell level) concentration check to try to cast a spell without components - this should come up only when there is a reason to avoid components or you are prevents from hand movements/speaking or something.

freeWeemsy
2017-03-14, 05:45 PM
Like the other posters said, I think that most tables don't worry too much about components. There are enough stupid ways to cheese the system to allow you to cast spells(for example dropping your offhand weapon, using your hand for a somatic component, then using your free action to pick your offhand back up) that I hardly enforce it at my table.

The only notable exception I can think of that might impact game balance is the silence spell would be weakened by not needing verbal components. A common tactic I use in my games is silencing our melee users so they can jump in the middle of the enemy spellcasters and deny they the ability to cast spells.