Spell slot feat idea?

[igor140]

I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with this, but one of my biggest beefs with 5e is the fact that casting classes get so few spell slots. True, wizards get a handful back on a short rest, sorcerers can "create" more, and warlocks get them all back on a short rest...

But when it comes down to it, I still think there should be more low-level spell slots.

So, here's my idea (obviously the wording needs some work):

Name: Font of Power
Prerequisites: Access to 3rd level spell slot (or "5th level caster", whichever phrasing makes more sense)

Your increased proficiency with magic has allowed you to be more efficient with your casting. At the end of a long rest, you select additional spell slots to be added to your current available spell slots. The total sum of these additional spell slots is equal to or less than half of your caster level (as determined by the PHB pg 164), rounded up. None of these spell slots can be 6th level or higher. These additional spell slots dissipate at the end of a long rest.

Alternatively, if you have the Pact Magic class feature, you can choose to gain one additional pact magic spell slot and one invocation. These features are permanent, and the invocation selected with this feat cannot be changed.

So, that is one idea. The intention was to provide more spell slots in a similar way to how the wizard Arcane Recovery feature works, but preemptively.

My other idea was to make a whole collection of feats that added various resources to various class. So, one each for full casters, warlocks, sorcery points*, ki points, druid shapeshifts*, and possibly half (and third) casters.

This potentially opens the opportunity to have multi-class characters (*or a single-class sorcerer or druid) to access more than one of these feats... which I believe would be overpowered in most cases.

One of the main reasons for this is the warlock. Warlocks have been my favorite base class since 3.5, and while I've come to appreciate the changes made to the class in 5e, I think they are a bit thin on resources. I like that warlocks are built around utility and diversity, but their access to that utility is deleteriously limited by their resources. Eldritch Master obviously helps with this a great deal, but that comes SO late that it's more of "neat" thing than a legitimate class feature (kind of like the Archdruid feature); it doesn't augment the way the class plays, it simply allows for one of the defining features to be used reliably. So I'm trying to alleviate that detriment a bit. Warlocks have access to some of the coolest abilities and spells in all of DnD... but they can't be used reliably enough to be meaningful.

Point in case: hellish rebuke, hex, and hunger of Hadar are all amazing spells available only to warlocks... but you don't have enough spell slots to use them effectively in battle (especially if you want access to utility/ support spells). Warlocks only get two spell slots until level eleven. By contrast, a full caster has 15 spell slots at level ten (functionally more for wizards and sorcerers), including two level 5 slots (matching the warlock). Even if you consider regaining spell slots on a short rest, that realistically means six castings per long rest, assuming you can talk the party into taking that many short rests. That is nowhere near enough to be considered a competent casting class.

"But warlocks aren't true casters!"

True, but neither are paladins, and they have four and a half times the spells slots of a warlock (or 50% more, if you consider short resting-warlocks).

"But those warlock slots are at level 5!"

True, but that just means that all of those spells like tongues, fly, comprehend languages, invisibility, etc are either useless or leave the warlock impotent in battle.

"But warlocks have invocations!"

True, but most of those either grant utility kinds of things, or single-use spells limited to 1st or 2nd level. They are awesome and define each warlock separately (which is why I like them), but again, you only get a handful across the whole game.

And, we could go back and forth. But ultimately, I find the same thing to be true of other casters. Shield is an awesome spell, but when your wizard is having to burn a 3rd level slot to stay alive, something has gone wrong. (... possibly with the party configuration, but it's not at all an unusual scenario for a lvl 5 wizard.)

Soooo... yeah. What are your thoughts? One feat so it can only be taken once? Multiple feats at the risk of being overpowered? Is the entire idea off base? Tl;dr?

[PhoenixPhyre]

No. Limits on spell slots are a major balance tool. You have auto-scaling cantrips. Don't be so hasty to blow all your big guns.

[Kane0]

Feat: Talented Magocracy
Prerequisite: Able to cast 3rd level spells
You gain one additional first and second level spell slot. These spell slots are restored at the end of a long rest.

[Vogie]

No. Limits on spell slots are a major balance tool. You have auto-scaling cantrips. Don't be so hasty to blow all your big guns.

Basically, this.

I mean, you already have this already in most classes - you even called them out. Sorcerers can crack high level spell slots to create a bunch of smaller ones, Wizards & land druids can straight up bring them back, and Warlocks have the ability to use utility spells without slots via invocations.

To add to that, anyone can grab an extra low-level spell slot via Magic Initiate, Ritual Caster for... that, some Bards archetypes can use their Bardic inspiration in spell-like or defensive ways, a 1-2 level dip into the "other" type of caster can grant a new style of slot (a spellcaster grabbing pact magic, or visa versa).

If you do want to add even more utility to the already-massive toolkit that spellcasters have, you shouldn't just give it to them. Tie it to their existing unique mechanics.

Expand the ability of Sorcerer to use their Sorcery points - perhaps at a certain level, certain spells could be costed lower, or have an additional effect if cast via sorc points, freeing up spell slots for other things.
Wizards already have their super-rituals, Arcane Recovery, and Spell Mastery/Signature spells. If you did want to expand their power, maybe move Spell Mastery to an earlier level, or splitting the feature up so they get spell mastery (1st level) first, then save Spell Mastery (2nd level) for 18.
Bards and Land Druids could exchange their Wild Shape uses or multiple Bardic Inspiration into refreshing low level spell slots.
And so on.

[Bjarkmundur]

I'd find this kind of feat most useful in a 1/3, 1/2 Caster or Multiclassing scenario, so I wouldn't set the Prerequisites so high.
Here's the one I'm using. It's balanced around a Houserule, so don't mind that.



Magic Initiate
Choose a class spell list. You can add one 1st level spells from your chosen spell list to your list of known spells. It uses the same spellcasting ability score as it’s associated class. You can cast the spell once per long rest. If you already have the spellcasting feature and, choose spells from your own spell list, you cast them using your own spell slots instead.
Alternatively, you can gain one 1st level spell slot, which recharges at the end of a long rest.