It is an interesting place you occupy on these new rules: where the 2024 Ranger is deeply underpowered for having free castings of a 1st level spell, but 2024 casters with free castings of a 1st level spell are now 'massively advantaged' over those without.
Because that particular 1st-level is mediocre unless you're running a specific build to get four attacks per turn, and isn't exploitable with anything else the Ranger gets.
But now any Sorcerer (or anyone who dips into the class) can abuse Quickened Spell alongside spell-casting items. Warlocks can spam invocations alongside regular spells and drop their Mystic Arcanum on the same turn as another 5th-level spell—or even another Mystic Arcanum. Subclasses that get free castings get a huge advantage over those that don't.
It's a design choice that massively empowers some classes and builds, because 2024 5e is built solely for the player who doesn't give a crap about things like character, hence those details being dropped from the character sheets. The only way to not see the obvious problem with it is to be exactly the type of player it's meant to pander to.
So you think Quickened spells are prone to abuse now where they weren't before? Are you aware that the wording of Quickened has been updated to very explicitly state that this can only be used once a turn now, where it didn't before? I suspect not because it does not appear that you have watched the video in this thread or reviewed the RPGBot article that you are also doom-posting in.
Warlocks could also already spam invocations along with regular spells. Several of the 2014 Invocations were at will or could be cast without spell slots. Big deal. Action economy is the limiting factor here in 2024, just as it was in 2014; Magic requires an action in most cases.
Warlock's Mystic Arcanum spells also do not scale in 2024. Additionally, while you can change them now, you can only do so when you level up.
Having looked through the Invocations in the UA7, most of the ones that grant slot-free casting are out-of-combat spells, like Disguise Self, Alter Self, Speak with Dead. The ones that looked useful in combat, when being able to cast more than one spell per turn most often counts, were Jump, Invisibility and False Life. Jump was changed to a Bonus Action in that UA. As far as I’m aware, the others are still Actions.
Because that particular 1st-level is mediocre unless you're running a specific build to get four attacks per turn, and isn't exploitable with anything else the Ranger gets.
You don't need a 4-attack build. Even 2 attacks (+2d6) per round is okay damage for a 1st-level slot, and most builds can get to 3 without trying. For comparison, Witch Bolt is +1d12 per round from the same slot, which is actually less damage on average, and ends early if the enemy leisurely strolls away from you on top of being a less reliable damage type. The fact that Rangers who optimize even slightly can get more attacks than that is a good thing.
Just to point out, the updated Witch Bolt is now actually usable, and amazing on Warlocks.
Range: 60ft; Initial Damage: 2d12; Bonus action for 1d12 regardless if first attack missed; initial damage upcasts by 1d12 per slot above 1.
I'm not buying that 5.24 is for powergamers(at least any more than any previous edition). One of the things Treantmonk himself (and he is heavy into power gamer theory crafting) has said multiple times is that the floor has been raised for most of the previously "bad" options. Removing all the "wrong" options that used to populate the PHB is a huge boost to anyone who plays with a min/maxer despite not being one themselves.
Before the player dropped out, my group had a Dragonborn Draconic (black) sorcerer who managed to create a character with zero acid based spells, and no spells that worked with their metamagic. And because the character was created at level 7, they also forgot to pick 2nd and 3rd level spells (because D&D Beyond somehow let's you do that), merely having 1st and 4th level spells.
This is definitely a case of simplifying the rules first and foremost. There are some balance changes, but they're relatively minor. Sorcerers with a casting item is probably the biggest thing, and, frankly, they needed the juice.
The big loser/winner here is counterspell. No more countering the opponent's counter.
This is definitely a case of simplifying the rules first and foremost. There are some balance changes, but they're relatively minor. Sorcerers with a casting item is probably the biggest thing, and, frankly, they needed the juice.
The big loser/winner here is counterspell. No more countering the opponent's counter.
True, but that was ridiculous in the first place. Here's Treantmonk's new video for rebalanced spells
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So you think Quickened spells are prone to abuse now where they weren't before? Are you aware that the wording of Quickened has been updated to very explicitly state that this can only be used once a turn now, where it didn't before? I suspect not because it does not appear that you have watched the video in this thread or reviewed the RPGBot article that you are also doom-posting in.
Warlocks could also already spam invocations along with regular spells. Several of the 2014 Invocations were at will or could be cast without spell slots. Big deal. Action economy is the limiting factor here in 2024, just as it was in 2014; Magic requires an action in most cases.
Warlock's Mystic Arcanum spells also do not scale in 2024. Additionally, while you can change them now, you can only do so when you level up.
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Having looked through the Invocations in the UA7, most of the ones that grant slot-free casting are out-of-combat spells, like Disguise Self, Alter Self, Speak with Dead. The ones that looked useful in combat, when being able to cast more than one spell per turn most often counts, were Jump, Invisibility and False Life. Jump was changed to a Bonus Action in that UA. As far as I’m aware, the others are still Actions.
Just to point out, the updated Witch Bolt is now actually usable, and amazing on Warlocks.
Range: 60ft; Initial Damage: 2d12; Bonus action for 1d12 regardless if first attack missed; initial damage upcasts by 1d12 per slot above 1.
I'm not buying that 5.24 is for powergamers(at least any more than any previous edition). One of the things Treantmonk himself (and he is heavy into power gamer theory crafting) has said multiple times is that the floor has been raised for most of the previously "bad" options. Removing all the "wrong" options that used to populate the PHB is a huge boost to anyone who plays with a min/maxer despite not being one themselves.
Before the player dropped out, my group had a Dragonborn Draconic (black) sorcerer who managed to create a character with zero acid based spells, and no spells that worked with their metamagic. And because the character was created at level 7, they also forgot to pick 2nd and 3rd level spells (because D&D Beyond somehow let's you do that), merely having 1st and 4th level spells.
This is definitely a case of simplifying the rules first and foremost. There are some balance changes, but they're relatively minor. Sorcerers with a casting item is probably the biggest thing, and, frankly, they needed the juice.
The big loser/winner here is counterspell. No more countering the opponent's counter.
True, but that was ridiculous in the first place. Here's Treantmonk's new video for rebalanced spells