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Personification
2019-10-08, 04:26 PM
There are certain tropes and abilities that I can think of that, due to the nature of 5E, can't really be made in the normal ruleset. These are spells that, while not very powerful, indicate high skill and power. The first example of this that I thought of was the ability for a wizard to transform a projectile into a puff of smoke (or something similar) right before being hit by it. The solution would be spells that are low level, but can only be learned if you have access to spell slots of a certain level.

For example:

Transmute Projectile
1st level transmutation (wizard) (can only be learned by characters with access to 5th level spell slots)
Range: 30 ft.
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: 1 reaction
One small flying nonmagical object (such as an arrow) weighing less than 3 pounds transforms in midair into a harmless puff of smoke, bubbles, or a similar unthreatening visual effect. It deals no damage to any target it was aimed at.


Obviously the wording needs work, but I want to know if people like the concept for homebrew (I neither expect nor want anything like this to be published, as it would add a layer of complexity that could scare away new players while being wholly unnecessary) and if they can expand on the idea. Please reply with more examples if you can think of any.

Trandir
2019-10-08, 06:25 PM
Well this is intresting.

What about a class or subclass feature like this:

Academic Research
At lv 7 a (insert spellcasting class)'s research finaly payed of. You discover new heights of magic allowing more potent and complex spells to be performed without effort. When you get this feature you choose a school of magic and you can learn refined spells (put progression sistem here).


These spells would work only for wizards really. I can't think of any flavor reason why classes that receive their powers or are just born with it would improve the basic spellcasting over time, they get higher spell slots for that.

Another idea that could work is to just put prerequisites to learn/prepare spells. Just like you did. Maybe divide spells by power with the spell level sistem and add the "difficulty" of a spell that varies from easy (no requirements), medium (from lv 5), hard (from lv 11) and legend (from lv 17).
Exemple:

Level: 3
Difficulty: medium
School: evocation
Time: 1 action
And the rest of fireball


Level: 1
Difficulty: Legend
School: Evocation
Time: 1 action
Range: 5 feet
Components: V, S, M (a pair of glasse, a reading desk and something to drink)
Duration: 5 days
Classes: Wizard


A living talking book is summoned in front of you. Its pages contain 18 (2 per level) random spells decided after the book is summoned. The book will talk to you for the whole duration of the spell if ignored and will not let you consult the spells easly. If the summoner can listen his babbling for 4 consecutive days without sleeping it will concede him to consult untill the duration ends. The book is linked to the summoner and all effects and damage inflicted to it are inflicted on the summoner instead. The Book has 5 AC and +3 bonus on all saves. Multiple babbling books can talk so loud that it's impossible to take any form of rest.

AdAstra
2019-10-09, 01:47 AM
It’s a neat concept, but it’s pretty mechanically fiddly and doesn’t really mesh well with many class themes, as said by Trandir. However, It could be very interesting to refluff spells this way. You could even treat going up in level and gaining new slots not as your reserves of magic growing, but as your ability to use magic becoming more efficient due to practice and skill.

For example, at first level, Shield might be a clumsy sweep of an arm, creating a bubble of force across your entire body for the duration. By 17th level, you’re instead creating an intricate pattern of forcefields of varying shape and size, each perfectly positioned to deflect each blow off course, existing for only an instant before dispersing or moving to block another attack. Or a burst of force bolts to intercept attacks before they can even reach you, or something similar to your “make the projectiles disappear” spell, each arrow and bolt contained in a bubble of force before being crushed. A minimum-level Fireball, rather than saturating an entire area with flame, could instead be a swarm of miniature bolts, seeking targets with ruthless precision and unerring accuracy (ironically this depiction almost fits the mechanics BETTER than the default). Conjure Animals from a 5th level druid? Slowly pulled from the feywild with great effort and the carefullest prayer, the fey spirits occasionally flickering, their assumed forms losing coherency at times. Conjure Animals from an Archdruid? A simple wave and request causes the spirits to spring from their home plan, eager for battle, ready to protect their caller at any cost, animal guises seething with energy, but unerring in their form and purpose.

There’s a lot one can do merely with the descriptions of one’s spells, and while it’s not exactly what you probably want, it is a far simpler solution.