Thinking E6. Are a LOT of SRD spells over-leveled? Am I being an idiot?

[Deepbluediver]

I wasn't really thinking in terms of higher-level spells (4+), although I could probably find some that could be safely re-levelled. I'm thinking in terms of 2nd and 3rd level spells that, in a coherent E6 fantasy setting, you could see a junior spellcaster doing, that wouldn't wreak havoc with the campaign world. Augury? Zone of Truth? Tree Shape? There's no reason those shouldn't be first-level options. And there are some spells that are so situational that there's no good reason you can't cast them at-will.

Mostly I agree with you, though I'd be careful about anything enchantment related- of all the spell schools, I think that's one of the ones with the most potential for getting out of hand quickly and unexpectedly. I feel like Zone of Truth could kill a lot of narrative roleplay for much the same reasons as the Detect Evil ability.

TLDR: Casters with access to second-level spells are pretty rare. Should that mean that (large list of second-level spells that should be in a low-level, high-magic world shouldn't be there? No. Re-level the spell.

E6 was designed to tell a different kind of story- the mechanical changes are almost secondary IMO. To be honest, I'm not normally a fan of E6 because that's not the normally the story I want to tell. If you're having trouble making E6 align with your vision, maybe figure out what kind of story you want your players to experience first, and make sure it matches up. E6 isn't always objectively better for every group and every campaign any more than D&D Standard is.