Now, this is a Homebrew mechanic I've had stuck in my head for a while now. But never put on paper yet, but I wanted to see what people thought of it.
As spellcasters may know, there's really only two ways to increase the power of the spell, using a higher spell slot, or leveling up till you hit the threshold where 1d6 becomes a d8 and so on. Ignoring things like Items and Feats for now.
Then, I thought of casting time.
So, what if you could increase the power of a spell, by increasing it's casting time?
So, let's take Acid Splash, the cantrip. It does 1d6 of acid damage if the enemy fails a Dex Save.
But, instead of casting it in 1 Action, you focus on the spell and increase it's power without using a spell slot? Then, you wait until your next turn, and launch the spell, and instead of it doing 1d6, maybe it's 1d12.
A Trade-off, since if this applies to other spells as well, if you're hit, the DM might rule that you've lost that spell, it's spell slot, and you've then wasted a turn or so.
the basic idea might be interesting, but wouldn't it still be still better, taking your example, to cast Acid Splash on each turn?
With the one full turn cast, you risk getting hit, possibly triggering a Concentration check, and having wasted a full turn if you fail. Additionally, rolling 1d12 with the expenditure of two turns gives you less damage when compared to 2d6 (considering casting the spell with two actions in two turns), as the max damage, with a failed save, would still be 12, but the minimum damage, again on a failed save, would be 2, and overall would have higher chances of getting a higher damage output. Not much would change if the Dex save is successful, but you have higher chances of getting a failed save on two rolls rather than one.
Furthermore it should be taken into consideration how this house-rule would interact with Concentration spells. Would you be able to use it when you are already keeping up a Concentration spell? Would your Concentration spell be lost?
It would probably be more interesting, just brainstorming here, to have a house-rule that would impose disadvantage on the saving throw. Something along the lines of "when using a spell slot of higher level, you can either increase the damage the spell does (or duration or any other comparable effect) OR impose disadvantage on the saving throw for the target. This might actually be a bit OP, all considered, but it's just an example of other ways to make a spell more powerful within the current system, imho.
Like I said, never made any concrete mechanics for the idea before, so it's something that could be worked on.
I figured then it would also give Spellcasters who want to ready an action some way to power up while doing so.
Part of the idea is that it would be a great combat starter. Like, if you lay a trap for someone, while you're just waiting for [X] to show up, you start powering up an attack spell, and you continue to do so.
It grows in power, and when the Monster, Villain, or what have you shows up, you manage to blast it with a lot of damage from a what would normally be a low level spell.
I reckon that would be a cool mechanic for an Elemental Monk. Easiest implementation would be to spend turn 1 Action to concentrate, use any number of future actions to concentrate, then use an action to unleash the spell and you can cast it twice at the cost of one casting, or add more castings at increased Ki cost if the concentration was held longer. Maybe add a risk that the spell goes off targeting yourself if concentration is broken. The limited spell list of a monk limits risks of players attempting to double Wish or other such nonsense, and I think this visual of a monk gathering and harnessing these forces is very grounded in fantasy tradition.
Well, what about this as a modified function for Monks.
If they spend an Action preparing to use a Ki based technique, then they can use Ki that's just floating about in nature and use that instead of their own.
1 Action for every Ki Point the technique would use with them being able to shorten the wait by using their own Ki. So, a 2 point Ki attack, they wait one turn, then use only a single of Ki point of their own to activate the Technique. Restrictions would be that they can't change the technique mid-wait, they have to be able to use the technique naturally, and they have to roll concentration checks if they get hit.
This would also allow them access to their Ki abilities after they've spent all their points, since they wouldn't be using their own Ki.
Thinking of spellcasters. I do not see it as a cleric thing or a wizard thing. Clerics would just be getting bigger prayers/miracles while wizard would have more complex spells or rapid repetition (whats worse that one fireball? A DOZEN FIREBALLS!). Warlocks feel like a different flavor imo.
Sorcerors seem like a class to focus this on. Pulling magical energy and recklessly holding it to become less stable but more destructive seems like a pretty cool idea. Now it could be its own subclass but I think this behavior really lends itself to a lot of different flavors of sorceror, so why constrain it to just one? My initial inclination would be a feat that would require a moderately high charisma, ability to cast arcane spells and have spell slots. This would lock it in to Sorceror and be somewhat of an advanced technique. Use a table for the progression and put a cap.
For Example, a fast and loose spit ball:
Super Power Up Spell Attack (defintiely not Kamehameha...nope)
Required: Chr 17+, Arcane Spell Slots
When you cast a spell, you may choose not to release it as it finishes. See the below table for the progression. It starts at the normal casting time and may be held a number of time increments equal to your charisma modifier. When the stage of Turn is reached, each additional choice to hold and increase the spell just adds another turn. It takes a Full Round Action to release the spell.
lowest
mid
high
highest
Reaction
Bonus
Action
Turn
When the Turn stage is reached, the character may not take move actions and is forced to forgo their action while charging up the spell. This has a number of effects on spells. For each step held, one application of the below values may be applied (they do not all have to be the same). Stages are calculated on each other (ex: If two steps are used for Duration and the spell normally lasts 8 hours its would be calculated as [((8*1.5)*1.5) = 18 hours]).
Type of Spell Effect
Effect of Charging
Duration
For each step held increase the duration of the spell by 50%.
Static Numeric Value
For each step held increase the total numeric pool of the spell by 25%.
Number of Dice
For each step held increase the total dice rolled by 50%.
I could see a very high level version as well which would allow spending these steps to suppress damage immunities at the cost of taking damage and making concentration rolls as well.
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Now, this is a Homebrew mechanic I've had stuck in my head for a while now. But never put on paper yet, but I wanted to see what people thought of it.
As spellcasters may know, there's really only two ways to increase the power of the spell, using a higher spell slot, or leveling up till you hit the threshold where 1d6 becomes a d8 and so on. Ignoring things like Items and Feats for now.
Then, I thought of casting time.
So, what if you could increase the power of a spell, by increasing it's casting time?
So, let's take Acid Splash, the cantrip. It does 1d6 of acid damage if the enemy fails a Dex Save.
But, instead of casting it in 1 Action, you focus on the spell and increase it's power without using a spell slot? Then, you wait until your next turn, and launch the spell, and instead of it doing 1d6, maybe it's 1d12.
A Trade-off, since if this applies to other spells as well, if you're hit, the DM might rule that you've lost that spell, it's spell slot, and you've then wasted a turn or so.
What do you guys think, viable as a mechanic?
the basic idea might be interesting, but wouldn't it still be still better, taking your example, to cast Acid Splash on each turn?
With the one full turn cast, you risk getting hit, possibly triggering a Concentration check, and having wasted a full turn if you fail.
Additionally, rolling 1d12 with the expenditure of two turns gives you less damage when compared to 2d6 (considering casting the spell with two actions in two turns), as the max damage, with a failed save, would still be 12, but the minimum damage, again on a failed save, would be 2, and overall would have higher chances of getting a higher damage output.
Not much would change if the Dex save is successful, but you have higher chances of getting a failed save on two rolls rather than one.
Furthermore it should be taken into consideration how this house-rule would interact with Concentration spells. Would you be able to use it when you are already keeping up a Concentration spell? Would your Concentration spell be lost?
It would probably be more interesting, just brainstorming here, to have a house-rule that would impose disadvantage on the saving throw. Something along the lines of "when using a spell slot of higher level, you can either increase the damage the spell does (or duration or any other comparable effect) OR impose disadvantage on the saving throw for the target.
This might actually be a bit OP, all considered, but it's just an example of other ways to make a spell more powerful within the current system, imho.
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
Like I said, never made any concrete mechanics for the idea before, so it's something that could be worked on.
I figured then it would also give Spellcasters who want to ready an action some way to power up while doing so.
Part of the idea is that it would be a great combat starter. Like, if you lay a trap for someone, while you're just waiting for [X] to show up, you start powering up an attack spell, and you continue to do so.
It grows in power, and when the Monster, Villain, or what have you shows up, you manage to blast it with a lot of damage from a what would normally be a low level spell.
I reckon that would be a cool mechanic for an Elemental Monk. Easiest implementation would be to spend turn 1 Action to concentrate, use any number of future actions to concentrate, then use an action to unleash the spell and you can cast it twice at the cost of one casting, or add more castings at increased Ki cost if the concentration was held longer. Maybe add a risk that the spell goes off targeting yourself if concentration is broken. The limited spell list of a monk limits risks of players attempting to double Wish or other such nonsense, and I think this visual of a monk gathering and harnessing these forces is very grounded in fantasy tradition.
Well, what about this as a modified function for Monks.
If they spend an Action preparing to use a Ki based technique, then they can use Ki that's just floating about in nature and use that instead of their own.
1 Action for every Ki Point the technique would use with them being able to shorten the wait by using their own Ki. So, a 2 point Ki attack, they wait one turn, then use only a single of Ki point of their own to activate the Technique. Restrictions would be that they can't change the technique mid-wait, they have to be able to use the technique naturally, and they have to roll concentration checks if they get hit.
This would also allow them access to their Ki abilities after they've spent all their points, since they wouldn't be using their own Ki.
Thinking of spellcasters. I do not see it as a cleric thing or a wizard thing. Clerics would just be getting bigger prayers/miracles while wizard would have more complex spells or rapid repetition (whats worse that one fireball? A DOZEN FIREBALLS!). Warlocks feel like a different flavor imo.
Sorcerors seem like a class to focus this on. Pulling magical energy and recklessly holding it to become less stable but more destructive seems like a pretty cool idea. Now it could be its own subclass but I think this behavior really lends itself to a lot of different flavors of sorceror, so why constrain it to just one? My initial inclination would be a feat that would require a moderately high charisma, ability to cast arcane spells and have spell slots. This would lock it in to Sorceror and be somewhat of an advanced technique. Use a table for the progression and put a cap.
For Example, a fast and loose spit ball:
Super Power Up Spell Attack (defintiely not Kamehameha...nope)
Required: Chr 17+, Arcane Spell Slots
When you cast a spell, you may choose not to release it as it finishes. See the below table for the progression. It starts at the normal casting time and may be held a number of time increments equal to your charisma modifier. When the stage of Turn is reached, each additional choice to hold and increase the spell just adds another turn. It takes a Full Round Action to release the spell.
When the Turn stage is reached, the character may not take move actions and is forced to forgo their action while charging up the spell. This has a number of effects on spells. For each step held, one application of the below values may be applied (they do not all have to be the same). Stages are calculated on each other (ex: If two steps are used for Duration and the spell normally lasts 8 hours its would be calculated as [((8*1.5)*1.5) = 18 hours]).
I could see a very high level version as well which would allow spending these steps to suppress damage immunities at the cost of taking damage and making concentration rolls as well.