Slow Actions/Spells

[GalacticAxekick]

The traditional philosophy of 5e combat treats defense as completely passive. If I attack, your AC defends you. If I cast a spell, your saves defend you. When your turn rolls around, your only concern is usually choosing how you will attack.

I'm experimenting with actions that take 1 round or more to take effect: actions that happen slowly enough for the target to defend themselves actively instead of passively! In exchange, these actions should be extremely powerful

Here are a couple quick ideas. Let me know what you think!

Spoiler: Beam Cannon

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Beam Cannon
3rd level Evocation

• Casting Time: 1 round
• Range: Self (300 ft line)
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Concentration (up to 1 minute)

You draw magical energy into your empty hand, which glows brighter and brighter over the casting time.

At the start if your next turn, the cannon is ready. You can use your action to point your hand in any direction and release the beam, which fills a line 300 ft long and 5 feet wide for the duration. A target exposed to the beam when you unleash it, who touches the beam for the first time on its turn, or who ends its turn within the beam takes 8d6 force damage (4d6 force damage if it has 1/2 cover, and 2d6 force damage if it has 3/4 cover). In any case, a creature that takes damage from this spell must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 30 feet away from you and knocked prone.

As part of the action you use to fire the beam, and as an action on each of your turns for the duration, you can begin to rotate the beam up 90 degrees over the course of one round. Each creature that begins its turn along the beam's path before the start of your next turn must immediately leave the beam's path or take 8d6 force damage and make the aforementioned Strength save.

This spell ends if you move or if you are forcibly moved.

Spoiler: Beam Cannon (playtest notes)

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You probably picked up that Beam Cannon is a Dragon Ball reference. It's evocative of Goku's slow and powerful Kamehameha, and named after Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon. This is the only spell/feature in this post that I have actually tested at my table, but the context there was very different.

At my table, Beam Cannon was a red dragon's breath weapon, and it dealt fire damage. The dragon spent one round with its teeth clenched and firelight pouring through the gaps between them, warning the players about what was about to happen. The players did not think to take cover, but instead scattered so that they would not all be engulfed by the breath weapon. The red dragon released its breath weapon on an NPC ally, then slowly began to pivot its aim 90 degrees.

Over the next round, I told every player that the breath weapon was sweeping in their direction and that if they did not get out of its way first thing on their turn, they would be hit. One player (a Strength-based Wizard) jumped 8 feet high over the flames. Another player (a Sorcerer) used Mold Earth to excavate a trench and fell prone in it. The final player (a Rogue) ran for a nearby wall and make an Acrobatics check to run a short distance UP the wall: just enough to evade the flames.

The Wizard and Rogue were both left with an action to retaliate against the dragon. The Sorcerer spent his action, but continued ducking in and out of his trench to evade future breath weapons while attacking. The dragon adjusted the angles of its breath weapon to thwart player strategies (for example, aiming the beam a few feet off the ground to prevent them from jumping over it), and the players came up with new ways to evade it (falling prone under it, and rushing towards the dragon and strafing around it. This is, in my opinion, the gold standard for a feature that players defend against ACTIVELY instead of PASSIVELY)

Spoiler: Huff & Puff

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Huff & Puff
4th level Evocation

• Casting Time: Action
• Range: Self (60 ft cone)
• Components: V
• Duration: 1 minute

You inhale sharply and draw a 60 ft cone of air into your mouth. Any gases in the area that can be dispersed by wind are drawn into your mouth as well, but do not affect you. If you are in an airtight space smaller 40 foot cube, you reduce it to a vacuum.

On any of your subsequent turns for the duration, you can use your bonus action to exhale the air in a 60 ft cone. Unfixed objects and creatures in the area weighing 1000 lbs or less are blown 30 ft away from you and knocked prone. Fixed structures in the area take 8d6 bludgeoning damage. Exposed flames in the area are blown out. Any gases you have inhaled fill the air.

A creature within reach of a fixed object can make a Strength saving throw to grab hold of it, and avoids being blown away on a success.

A creature with partial cover can make a Dexterity saving throw to hide behind it, and avoids being blown away on a success.

A creature with total cover is not blown away.

You can continue using your actions to inhale and exhale for the duration. Once you inhale, you cannot speak or breathe until you exhale.

[GalacticAxekick]

Spoiler: Take Aim

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Take Aim. When the archer takes the Attack action, it can forgo one or more of your attacks and aim ranged weapon at a target that it can see. It must concentrate on aiming, and ots concentration breaks if it loses sight of its target.

At any moment before the start of its next turn, the archer can make a ranged weapon attack against the target it is aiming at. It can do this a number of times equal to the number of attacks that it forwent.

Alternatively, at the start of its next turn, the archer can make a ranged weapon attack that automatically scores a critical hit. It can do this a number of times equal to the attacks that it forwent.

Spoiler: Giant Tennis

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Serve. When the giant releases a medium or smaller creature from its grapple on its turn, it can throw that creature up to 20 feet straight in any direction. If it throws the creature upwards, the creature doesn't begin to fall until the giant's next turn.

Swing. When the giant hits a medium or smaller creature or object with a club attack, and when that creature is airborne, the giant can fling it up to 60 feet in any direction. If it flings the creature upwards, the creature doesn't begin to fall until the giant's next turn.

[GalacticAxekick]

Spoiler: Homing Missile

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Homing Missile
2nd level Conjuration

• Casting Time: Action
• Range: 90 feet
• Components: V, S
• Duration: 1 minute

Choose a creature or object within range that you can see. You conjure a dart of magical force, which hovers in the air in the space where you cast this spell and trains its aim on your target. On each of your turns, starting on your next turn, the missile soars 60 feet towards your target. The missile takes the straightest path available, but is able to weave through obstacles. The missile can fit through any opening up to half an inch in diameter, and ignores both 1/2 and 3/4 cover. When the missile touches any creature or object, it deals 6d6 force damage, and this spell ends.

The missile has the following limitations:

• The missile's only sense is sight, and it has a passive Perception score equal to your spellcasting ability score. If the missile's target leaves line of sight, the missile races to its last known location. If the missile's target disappears without trace, the missile soars in circles until it spots its target again.
• The missile cannot stop moving.
• The missile cannot must travel at least 10 feet in a straight line before turning
• The missile cannot make a turn sharper than 90 degrees. In order to turn backwards, the missile must first turn left, right, up or down.

[Intregus182]

For beam canon is it just auto damage or do they get a dex save against the damage?

Im assuming if turn 1 i cast beam canon and right after my turn i get attacked i must make a consentration save or lose the spell right? I think 5e purposely avoided stuff like this because it feels bad to be level 5 use your 3rd level spell slot and then lose concentration doing nothing and wasting your turn along with a spell slot.

Also can you move while casting the spell?

8d6 force damage against all targets in a line plus a str save or be knocked prone for a round charge up isn't over powered to me just because enemies can probably stop the PC from casting the spell at all.

Not trying to be a nay sayer. I love DB and the theme of the spell but i think adding having spells that need 2 rounds to go off wouldn't be fun for a PC although the way you used it on a monster i think works just fine and seems fun!(Aka I'm going to steal it and do it to my players!)

So i guess to me if the spell is meant for a PC i do t think it'll be fun to use since everytime they go to cast it you as the DM should play enemies as being intelligent and if the caster is just standing there with their hand beginning to glow they should be looking to go up and stab them. So in practice i think a PC will take the spell and rarely pull it off. Unless you as the DM specifically don't try and interrupt the spell.

[GalacticAxekick]

For beam canon is it just auto damage or do they get a dex save against the damage?

Auto damage. The whole point is that you have a whole round to dodge by moving out of the way.

I should add a clause saying that 1/2 cover halves the damage, and that 3/4 cover quarters it.

Im assuming if turn 1 i cast beam canon and right after my turn i get attacked i must make a consentration save or lose the spell right? I think 5e purposely avoided stuff like this because it feels bad to be level 5 use your 3rd level spell slot and then lose concentration doing nothing and wasting your turn along with a spell slot.

You dont lose the slot. The official rules already say "When you cast a spell with a casting time longer than a single action or reaction, you must spend your action each turn casting the spell, and you must maintain your concentration while you do so. If your concentration is broken, the spell fails, but you don't expend a spell slot. If you want to try casting the spell again, you must start over."

Also can you move while casting the spell?

No.

8d6 force damage against all targets in a line plus a str save or be knocked prone for a round charge up isn't over powered to me just because enemies can probably stop the PC from casting the spell at all.

Perfect! Just remember that the beam continue for up to 1 minute and that you can aim it. Its fantastic area control (a wall of damage to shepherd enemies in any direction you like), and potentially (though not likely) 80d6 damage!

So i guess to me if the spell is meant for a PC i dont think it'll be fun to use since everytime they go to cast it you as the DM should play enemies as being intelligent and if the caster is just standing there with their hand beginning to glow they should be looking to go up and stab them. So in practice i think a PC will take the spell and rarely pull it off. Unless you as the DM specifically don't try and interrupt the spell.

How will they stab you from 300 feet away?

[Intregus182]

Auto damage. The whole point is that you have a whole round to dodge by moving out of the way.

I should add a clause saying that 1/2 cover halves the damage, and that 3/4 cover quarters it.

I do like adding those clauses.

I think 8d6 might be too high then. Seeing as how auto hit is the point though I'd change it to 4 or 5d6 force. This is hitting all targets within a 300ft line. Not magic missile that when cast at 3rd level against 1 target deals on average 17 damage.

But then again I;m not really sure how much damage is justified to be added due to the casting time being 2 rounds. I'd say let PC's play test it at 8d6 and adjust damage from there? I'll be curious to see how others analyze the damage though!

You dont lose the slot. The official rules already say "When you cast a spell with a casting time longer than a single action or reaction, you must spend your action each turn casting the spell, and you must maintain your concentration while you do so. If your concentration is broken, the spell fails, but you don't expend a spell slot. If you want to try casting the spell again, you must start over."

Interesting. This got me to think if I've been ruling concentration wrong but nothing like this (2 round cast time)currently exists in the game and i can't recall this ever coming up at my table so that's good that you wouldn't lose the spell slot!

How will they stab you from 300 feet away?

I think more often then not your PC's will be participating in combats that are within melee range or can get within melee range rather quickly.

[GalacticAxekick]

I do like adding those clauses.

Great!

I think 8d6 might be too high then. Seeing as how auto hit is the point though I'd change it to 4 or 5d6 force. This is hitting all targets within a 300ft line. Not magic missile that when cast at 3rd level against 1 target deals on average 17 damage.

When you upcast a spell, it's almost always weaker than the spell slot you're spending. 3rd level Burning Hands, for example, does 5d6 fire damage in a 15 foot cone, vs Fireball: a 3rd level spell that does 8d6 fire damage in a 20 foot radius sphere.

So I wouldn't compare Beam Cannon to Magic Missile

But then again I;m not really sure how much damage is justified to be added due to the casting time being 2 rounds. I'd say let PC's play test it at 8d6 and adjust damage from there? I'll be curious to see how others analyze the damage though!

Will do!

Interesting. This got me to think if I've been ruling concentration wrong but nothing like this (2 round cast time)currently exists in the game and i can't recall this ever coming up at my table so that's good that you wouldn't lose the spell slot!

To be clear, you DO lose your spell slot if your concentration is broken after you cast a spell. You DO NOT lose a spell slot if your concentration is broken WHILE CASTING a spell.

This rarely comes up, because most spells that take longer than an action to cast are spells you don't really cast in combat (like Find Familiar, Augury, Prayer of Healing, Clairvoyance and Magic Circle.

I think more often then not your PC's will be participating in combats that are within melee range or can get within melee range rather quickly.

Then more often than not, my PCs won't be using this spell. That's fine! It doesn't have to be the go-to attack. It's okay if it's a secret weapon for special cases (much like Goku's Kamehameha) or something to use against restrained enemies (like Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon)

At my table, combat usually begins with everyone in the same room or within 60 feet of one another outdoors. But I've also had the players lay siege to a fortress 600 feet away, evading arrows from longbowmen the whole while. I've had my players hunt down a dragon high on a bald, rocky mountain peak, visible from the bottom. I've had my players escort miners out of a tunnel system as underdark creatures rose up from deep below. I've had my players engage in ship-to-ship combat on the high seas.

Beam Cannon would be useful in all of these cases.