spells

Chris K

Spells that will Knock You Out

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Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art © Rich Hershey / Fat Goblin Games

Check out my latest DMs Guild release: HAGMALGAMS!

A couple months ago, Ben Heisler (a great game designer and podcaster who often works with his equally amazing spouse, Paige Leitman), asked me if I would be willing to collaborate with him on some design work for his excellent D&D actual play podcast, Feats and Fables. Ben plays a tiefling wizard named Khafra who abhors killing. The way Ben put it, he was feeling a little bored in combat encounters because Khafra didn’t want to use spells that could potentially kill enemies. That means almost no spells that reduce hit points. In D&D you can choose to knock someone out with a melee attack when you reduce them to 0 hit points, but not when you reduce them to 0 hit points with a ranged attack or a spell that requires a save, like fireball. That meant Ben had limited options, like sleep, hold person, and shocking grasp (a cantrip that uses a melee spell attack). He wanted a little more variety in his damaging cantrips.

Ben asked me if I could make some some cantrips that knocked people out and then he would discuss them with Paige, the show’s DM. The Feats & Fables crew is allowing me to share the current versions of what I came up with here on my blog. I have four new cantrips to share today plus a feat I created. Paige and Ben are likely to update and share the versions they end up using (if they use any at all).

Cantrips

Here are the cantrips I created.

Bigby’s Baby Hand

Evocation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

A ghostly toddler-sized fist momentarily appears, punching a creature or object within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 bludgeoning damage and is moved 5 feet to an unoccupied space of your choice. If the damage reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the target is knocked unconscious but stable.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

Corrupt Mind

Divination cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

You briefly and invasively stab your consciousness into the mind of a creature with at least 1 hit point remaining in range, causing extreme mental anguish. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d10 psychic damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, you may immediately pick one of the following effects:

  • The target is knocked unconscious, but does not die and is stable.
  • The target is turned to stone and petrified for 1 hour. You must maintain concentration on the target’s petrification for the duration, as if concentrating on a spell. When the petrification ends, the target has 0 hit points and is unconscious but stable.
  • If you and the target share a language you both speak, you can probe the target’s mind for answers. Ask the target one question, which it must answer “Yes,” “No,” or, “I don’t know,” honestly.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

Justicar’s Chains

Conjuration cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: 1 round

You hurl a ball of life-sucking, ethereal chains at a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 necrotic damage, and its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. If the target is reduced to 0 hit points before the start of your next turn, the target is knocked unconscious but stable.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).

Mind Leak

Necromancy cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: 1 round

You attempt to draw a creature’s mental power out through its eyes. A creature you choose within range of the spell must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 psychic damage, and you become invisible to the target until the start of your next turn. This invisibility ends early if you attack or cast a spell. If the damage reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the target is knocked unconscious but stable.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

Feat

Here’s the feat!

Precise Caster

You have practiced casting your spells to get precise results and gain the following benefits:

  • Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1.
  • When you cast a spell with an area of effect, you can reduce all dimensions of the area of effect by 5 or 10 feet. For example, the fireball spell’s 20-foot-radius sphere area of effect could become a sphere with a radius of 15 or 10 feet.
  • When hit with a ranged spell attack and deal damage that reduces a creature to 0 hit points, you can choose to knock the creature out. You make this choice the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls unconscious and is stable.

PDF

Want these spells and this feat in a handy PDF to take with you? Here it is! It will also be linked on the Free Resources page of this site forever.

Spells that will Knock You OutDownload

If you like what you’re reading please consider supporting me on Patreon, supporting me on Ko-fi, follow me on Twitter, like World Builder Blog on Facebook, check out my podcasts, find my products on the DMs Guild, tell your friends about the blog, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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How to Make a D&D Spell

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Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art © Rich Hershey / Fat Goblin Games

Hey guess what? You can preorder my level 1 – 20 fifth edition adventure right now!

This article first appeared on D&D Beyond. I’ve stripped most of the references to the D&D Beyond to keep the advice here more universal and streamlined. If you want advice on how to build a background specifically in D&D Beyond, check out that version of the article.

Do you want to join the ranks of Bigby, Melf, Mordenkainen, and Rary? Then it’s time for you to craft some spells! Spells are one of my favorite elements of fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons to create because magic is limited only by our imaginations. That said, spells have a lot of moving parts that help the incantations find their places in the game. Getting a spell’s level right is the real trick to balancing it all, but in that question there are several other considerations like the spell’s range, casting time, and potential concentration requirement.

Have no fear. This article provides step-by-step instructions for making a balanced spell in D&D.

Before You Start, Ask the Important Questions

Before you begin to design any new element of the game, don’t forget to ask these three questions, the importance of which are discussed in the How to Make a D&D Background post:

  • What do I want to make?
  • Does my creation already exist as official D&D content?
  • Can I reskin or tweak another creation to suit my needs?

If the spell you’re considering designing doesn’t already exist and can’t be built by tweaking an existing one, it’s time to design your own.

Designing Spells

The Dungeon Master’s Guide provides guidelines for creating a new spell, which are great. I’ll expand on these guidelines to give a more in-depth look. All spells have the following pieces you need to design:

  • Spell level
  • School of magic
  • Casting time
  • Components
  • Spell range
  • Duration
  • Description
  • Ritual
  • Higher level scaling (optional)
  • Classes

For this article, I created two new spells called shorten/stretch limbs and thunder shout.

Step 1. Spell Level

Once you have an idea for your spell, it’s best to pick the spell’s level so you have other spells as guidelines to work against rather than designing the other elements of your spell and then trying to assign it a level later. You can adjust the spell’s level as you design. Think about other spells your spell to which yours is similar to get a target spell level going.

Shorten/stretch limbs is a spell like enlarge/reduce that only affects a target’s limbs. Reduce/enlarge is a 2nd-level spell, so I’ll do the same for shorten/stretch limbs. Thunder shout has an area of effect and deals damage similar to the 3rd-level fireball spell, so I’ll make thunder shout 3rd level.

Step 2. School of Magic

What school of magic fits your idea for the spell? If you’re unsure, look at similar spells and read the description of the different schools of magic.

Based on similar spells, shorten/stretch limbs is a transmutation spell, and thunder shout is an evocation spell.

Step 3. Casting Time

Official spells have one of the following casting times: 1 action, 1 bonus action, 1 reaction, 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 12 hours, or 24 hours. By far the most common of these is 1 action, so consider that the standard for spells.

If your spell is cast as a reaction or bonus action, its overall effect for its level should be less powerful. Compare the healing potential of healing word, which takes a bonus action to cast, to cure wounds, which takes an action. Both are level 1 spells, but healing word only restores 1d4 plus a spellcasting modifier’s worth of hit points while cure wounds heals 1d8 plus the caster’s spellcasting modifier.

If your spell takes 1 minute or longer to cast, you can increase its overall power for its level. Prayer of healing, a 2nd-level spell, heals five more creatures than a casting of cure wounds using a 2nd-level spell slot, but it also has a casting time of 10 minutes. Keep in mind that if you spell takes more than 1 action to cast, odds are no one will cast it during combat.

Shorten/stretch limbs and thunder shout both have a casting time of 1 action, since they are both meant to happen during combat.

Step 4. Components

Components are a bigger part of balancing a spell than many people think. All official spells have at least a verbal or somatic component. (There are no spells the require just material components and no spells that require no components.) Most spells have verbal, somatic, and material components, though the material component usually has no cost. Use that array of components as the standard. If your spell has fewer components, then it’s easier to cast which affects its balance, but not drastically. If your spell has a costly material component, then its effect should be more powerful than the average spell of its level.

Before you decide which components your spell has, review what each means mechanically so you know why the spell is easier to cast without one of the components. Compare healing word and cure wounds again. The former has only a verbal component and is weaker and the latter has both a verbal and somatic component and is stronger. The action economy is the heavier determining factor here, but it should be pointed out that a cleric can’t cast cure wounds while bound and can still cast healing word.

There are two kinds of costly material components, re-usable focuses, such as that required by the scrying spell, and consumed components, like the diamond used with the raise dead spell. Since both raise dead and scrying are 5th-level spells, compare them to another that has no costly material components, destructive wave. Dealing 10d6 damage to and knocking prone each creature within 30 feet the caster chooses with destructive wave is nothing to sneeze at. But compare that magic to the ability to spy on anyone anywhere in the same plane of existence as you and it doesn’t feel as powerful. Then compare both those spells to the ability to bring a dead person back to life and both pale in comparison. The material components help balance the casting of these spells out.

When you’re creating material components that don’t cost any money, have some fun! There’s lots of good jokes in the official spells.

Shorten/stretch limbs and thunder shout both require verbal, somatic, and material components (but no costly material components).

Step 5. Spell Range

A spell’s range also matters more than you might think. As James Haeck points out in his D&D Beyond article about the fireball spell, range helps make this spell awesome (and also helps casters not blow themselves up). Consider the following questions when determining the range of your spell:

  • Does your spell create an area effect? If so, would most people casting the spell want to be included in its effect?
  • What is the range on some similar official spells or the same level? Let those spells guide your design.
  • Does your spell create the effect another spell of the same level does, but at a different range (like healing word and cure wounds)? Then the effect of the spell the allows for greater range should be weaker than the effect of the spell with the shorter range.

Thunder shout is an area effect spell that originates with the caster, so that has a range of self. Shorten/stretch limbs has a range of 30 feet, which is the same as the similar spell of the same level, enlarge/reduce.

Step 6. Duration

When it comes to your spell’s duration, look at other spells of similar effect and the same level. Duration has a big impact on your spell’s balance. Imagine how much more powerful spells like banishment, greater invisibility, and hypnotic pattern would be if their duration were 1 hour instead of 1 minute? At the very least, a massive increase in the spell’s level would be called for to balance them.

Here’s a guideline: spells that shouldn’t last for longer than a single combat encounter should last 1 minute or less and spells that shouldn’t stay in effect if the characters stop to rest should last 1 hour or less.

Another aspect of duration to consider is concentration. Do the other spells you’re comparing your spell to also require concentration? Would your spell no longer be in effect if its caster is incapacitated? Does it seem unbalanced that a caster could cast this spell and also cast fly, invisibility, stoneskin, or another concentration spell? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then your spell likely requires concentration. Most spells that last more than a round require concentration. Those that do not have weaker effects than those that do.

Thunder shout happens and is over and therefore has a duration of instantaneous. Shorten/stretch limbs has a duration of 1 minute and requires concentration, like enlarge/reduce.

Step 7. Description

Your spell’s description should provide any flavorful and mechanical effects caused by the spell. This is where balance is most important, so review the spell creation guidelines in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and find similar spells to compare to yours. There’s limitless possibilities with magic. Each spell is its own little exception to the rules, so make sure you compare and contrast.

If your spell effect is unique and no other spell that comes close to what it makes happen, take your best guess as to how to balance it for its level and then playtest the heck out of it before making it public.

The Dungeon Master’s Guide gives great advice on balancing spells that deal damage, though it’s not always spot on (fireball and lightning bolt both do more damage than recommended and I’ll let James Haeck tell you why), but between that advice and looking at similar spells, you should be able to create a balanced damage effect. If your spell has an additional effect beyond damage, adjust its damage (or one of the spell’s other variables) to keep it balanced. Thunder shout is such a spell. I compared it to other 3rd-level damage dealers like fireball, lightning bolt, and melf’s minute meteors. Here is its description:

You shout a thunderous word of power that explodes outward from you. Each creature within 20 feet of you (not including you) must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 6d6 thunder damage and be pushed 10 feet away from you. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw takes half as much damage and isn’t pushed.

Spells with other effects can be more difficult to nail down. You should find as many similar spells as you can of the same level and other levels to help you balance it out.

If the spell inflicts a harmful non-damaging effect that a saving throw totally nullifies, make the effect big (and give the subject a chance to save against an ongoing effect at the end of a turn or upon taking damage). For instance, blindness/deafness, a 2nd-level spell, makes a target who fails a saving throw blinded for 1 minute and gives them a repeat save every round. That’s detrimental, but requires many failed saving throws, so few subjects spend the entire minute blinded if it affects them at all. That’s why it’s on the same level as a spell like darkvision.

I compared shorten/stretch limbs to enlarge/reduce, haste, longstrider, and slow. Here is it’s description:

You cause a creature with arms and/or legs that you can see within range to shorten or stretch its limbs for the duration. If the target is unwilling, it can make a Constitution saving throw. On a success, the spell has no effect.

Shorten. The target’s walking speed decreases by 15 feet and it makes weapon attacks with disadvantage.

Stretch. The target’s walking speed increases by 15 feet and its reach with melee weapon attacks doubles.

Step 8. Ritual

Of hundreds official fifth edition spells a mere thirty-three are ritual spells. Spells that can be cast as rituals are utility spells that are not usually cast during combat. They have one other guideline, which is that they’re the kind of spell that can be cast to help the characters move the story forward.

Imagine you’re running an adventure and your players need a key in an underwater cave to advance the plot. None of the characters can survive without air for that long and the druid who prepared water breathing is out of spell slots. Good thing the druid can cast the spell as a ritual and the story can move forward without forty-five minutes of your players arguing about how long air would last in an upside-down bucket and how long medieval wood could withstand the pressure at 20 feet down. Other ritual spells follow this guideline, like Leomund’s tiny hut and phantom steed.

Even if your spell isn’t meant to be cast in combat and can help advance the plot, think long and hard before giving it the ritual tag, especially if your spell has no costly material components since that means the spell can be cast an unlimited number of times. Think about how your players might use the spell in their downtime with unlimited castings. Leomund’s tiny hut just means the character has a magic shelter to live in, but unlimited castings of major image (a non-ritual spell of the same level) means the character can run the world’s longest con.

Neither shorten/stretch limbs nor thunder shout are ritual spells.

Step 9. Higher Levels

Your spell doesn’t need to have a greater effect if cast using a higher level spell slot, but many spells do. If you decide to do this, know that it should not affect the balance of your spell at the lowest level it can be cast, but it could affect the balance of your spell being cast at higher levels.

If your spell deals damage, then giving it another die of damage for each level beyond at the first which it can be cast is a great option as seen in fireball, lightning bolt, and phantasmal killer. That’s what I did with thunder shout.

If your spell has an effect beyond damage, once again look at similar spells. Blindness/deafness, conjure animals, and sleep all have higher level effects, but work in different ways. Many spells also have no effect at higher levels, like shorten/stretch limbs.

Step 10. Classes

What spells get access to your class? I have no better advice for this than what’s provided in the Dungeon Master’s Guide:

“Make sure the spell fits with the identity of the class. Wizards and sorcerers don’t typically have access to healing spells, for example, and adding a healing spell to the wizard class list would step on the cleric’s turf.”

Thunder shout is almost a souped-up version of thunderwave. I’m going to make that one available to bards, druids, sorcerers, and wizards like thunderwave. Since shorten/stretch limbs is similar to enlarge/reduce, I’m going to my spell to sorcerers and wizards to match.

Step 11. Edit and Playtest

Now that you’ve created your spell, read it outloud and edit. Even the most experienced designers need to edit their work. Then send your work to a friend to make comments. A second pair of eyes helps you understand if the design intent of your spell is coming through.

If you have the opportunity to playtest your new spell, take it! Nothing is a better test of your design work than actually seeing it in action. It’s a great excuse to get friends together for a game of D&D! Give your spell to someone else to use during the playtest, again to see if the design intent comes through. Change anything you think needs it after playtesting.

Step 12. Make Your Work Public

It’s time to make your work public! That means sharing the spell with your group, posting it to a blog, putting it up for sale on the DMs Guild, or on D&D Beyond.

Here are the final versions of shorten/stretch limbs and thunder shout.

GO MAKE STUFF!

There you have it! A step-by-step process for creating a D&D spell. I can’t wait to see what people create. Share your creations with me on Twitter @JamesIntrocaso on in the comments below.

If you like what you’re reading please follow me on Twitter, like World Builder Blog on Facebook, check out my podcasts, find my products on the DMs Guild, tell your friends about the blog, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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New Druid Circle – Circle of the Sky

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Hey I just wanted to let you know I’m contributing to Mike Myler’s Book of Exalted Darkness which you can back on Kickstarter right now!

At the beginning of the year I unveiled my plan to make Enora my first fully published world.

With that world comes new monsters, races, subclasses, and more. I’m now adding a druid circle to the flying world – the Circle of the Sky.

Note that what is below is considered playtest material. Please let me know what you think!

Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art © Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games

Circle of the Sky

The Circle of the Sky is made up of guardians and warriors who wield the power of lightning and thunder to destroy their enemies from above. These protectors watch from the trees, mountains, and sky, preferring to ambush their prey as a falcon does a mouse. The circles meet at high places, like the peaks of mountains or tops of trees, to exchange reports about the movements of marauding monsters, such as gnolls or orcs, and plan coordinated attacks. Circle of the Sky druids are vigilant and suffer none who would destroy nature for personal gain.

Bonus Cantrip

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn the hurl lightning cantrip.

Cushion of Air

Starting at 2nd level, you can cast the feather fall spell on only yourself without needing to expend any spell slots or material components. You must finish a short rest before you can use this feature again.

Circle Spells

Your mystical connection to the sky infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to druid circle spells connected to the sky as indicated on the Circle of the Sky Spells table.

Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.

Circle of the Sky Spells

Druid Level Spells
3rd gust of wind, shatter
5th lightning bolt, fly
7th freedom of movement, greater invisibility
9th cloudkill, telekinesis
Embrace of the Gray Sky

Starting at 6th level, you can add your Wisdom modifier to any spell you cast that deals lightning or thunder damage. In addition, when you make an attack in a beast shape while using Wild Shape, that attack deals an extra 1d6 thunder damage.

Limitless Heights

When you reach 10th level, you can cast the levitate spell on yourself at will without expending any spell slots or material components, and you are resistant to thunder and lightning damage.

Skyborn Champion

At 14th level, you can expend two uses of wild shape to transform into an air elemental.

In addition, you can use your action to give yourself and a number of creatures within 30 feet of you that you can see a fly speed equal to their walking speed for 1 hour. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

New Spell: Hurl Lightning

Of course for this new class, we need a new cantrip. Hurl lightning is described below and can be added to any druid’s spell list at the DM’s discretion.

Hurl Lightning

Evocation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 90 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

You throw a small bolt of lightning at a creature or object within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. You have advantage on the attack roll if the target is wearing metal armor or made of metal. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 lightning damage.

The spell’s damage increased by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).

If you like what you’re reading please follow me on Twitter, like World Builder Blog on Facebook, check out my podcasts, find my products on the DMs Guild, tell your friends about the blog, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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Big Spell Slots Do Big Things

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A few weeks ago I was running a game in my homebrew setting Exploration Age. The characters were on a beach slinging ranged attacks at an approaching metal warship full of anarchist dragonborn. That’s when Vegas Lancaster, who plays Ichabod Dragonsblood, drow bard, asked, “Hey can I cast heat metal on the warship?”

I laughed. “I don’t think the spell can heat up a warship.”

Vegas shot back, “Well it says, ‘Choose a manufactured metal object, such as a metal weapon or a suit of heavy or medium metal armor, that you can see within range. You cause the object to glow red-hot.’ No real parameters on the object otherwise.”

I’m sure this was one of those moments where rules as written clashed with rules as intended. The Dungeons and Dragons default assumption is that most boats, buildings, and other large objects aren’t made of metal so this would never come up. I didn’t realize I’d break the game with my (admittedly ridiculous) battleship.

Since there were plenty of other enormous metal objects in the party’s future, I didn’t want to say yes outright. I also didn’t want to kill a player’s cool idea, so I said, “You can heat the entire ship… if you use an 8th level spell slot.” Vegas agreed and the dragonborn fried.

That got me thinking about how spells could be used with higher level spell slots to do things beyond their normal description and the “at higher levels” description. I came up with a rough system below. Let me know what you think! I’m definitely still playing with it.

Using Higher Level Spell Slots

When it comes to using higher level spell slots in creative ways, there are two things I’m keeping in mind:

  1. I don’t want to step on the sorcerer’s toes. Metamagic is one of the sorcerer’s biggest class features. I’m not going to try to replicate what exclusively belongs to that class.
  2. Warlocks are use higher level spell slots to cast lower level spells. Pact Magic means a high-level warlock is always using 5th level spell slots to cast spells. While this won’t have too great an impact, since the intent is for warlocks to be able to cast a few powerful spells between short rests, I am still going to keep an eye on this, particularly as it pertains to spells that don’t already have an “at higher level” effect.
Increase Area of Effect

Spells that have an area of effect which is a cone, cube, cylinder, line, or sphere, and already contain an “at higher levels” effect in their description are eligible for this spell slot upgrade, which is used in place of the current “at higher levels” effect. The spell’s area of effect dimensions are doubled when the spell is cast using a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s initial casting slot.

Eschew Materials

Spells that have a material component for which there is no cost listed are eligible for this spell slot upgrade, which is used in place of any current “at higher levels” effect. The material component is not required to cast the spell if the spell is cast using a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s initial casting slot.

Change Save

Spells that require a saving throw are eligible for this spell slot upgrade, which is used in place of any current “at higher levels” effect. If the spell requires a Constitution, Dexterity, or Wisdom saving throw, you can change the save to be one of the others in that list if the spell is cast using a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s initial slot. If the spell requires a Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma saving throw, you can change the save to be any other save if the spell is cast using a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s initial slot. You must describe how your spell has changed to require this new save.

Change Damage Type

Spells that deal damage are eligible for this spell slot upgrade, which is used in place of any current “at higher levels” effect. You can change the damage type of the spell to any other damage type if the spell is cast using a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s initial slot.

Increase Effect

At the DM’s discretion, you can increase the effect of a spell to make it more potent. You propose how you’d like to use the spell. For instance you might say, “I’d to target a creature with and Intelligence score of less than 4 with Tasha’s hideous laughter,” or, “I want to block both undead and fiends with my magic circle.” The DM then determines if this action is possible and if so, what level spell slot should be used to create the desired effect.

To decide which slot should be used, DM’s should first ask, “Does this new effect come close to the effect of another spell?” If the answer is yes, then the spell slot required should be that comparable’s spell’s level plus two. For instance, if a character wants to shape a fireball spell into a 60-foot-cone, that’s an area similar to the 5th-level cone of cold spell, so the DM might tell the character this is possible using a 7th-level slot.

If the desired effect isn’t similar to any spell that already exists, then think about the scale sliding in powers of two. If the change is rather minor, it should cost a spell slot two levels higher than the initial casting. If it is a major change, it should cost four levels higher than the initial casting. If the change completely redefines what the spell can do, it should cost six levels higher than the initial casting. DMs should let the player know this is an experimental process and that rulings may change.

In all cases the spell should gain no other benefits from the higher level casting than what the player and DM agree upon.

If you like what you’re reading please follow me on Twitter, like World Builder Blog on Facebook, check out my podcasts, find my products on the DMs Guild, tell your friends about the blog, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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002 – Worldbuilding and Spell Design

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A new episode of Table Top Babble is now up!

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James Introcaso chats with Wolfgang Baur, Steve Winter, and Dan Dillon of Kobold Press about worldbuilding in RPGs, designing new spells, and the upcoming Kickstarter for the Midgard Campaign Setting for 5th Edition D&D.

Subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher. Grab our RSS feed.

Follow Table Top Babble on Facebook or Twitter.

If you like what you’re reading please follow me on Twitter, like World Builder Blog on Facebook, check out my podcasts, find my products on the DMs Guild, tell your friends about the blog, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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Bonus Action 013 – Spellcasting Part 4 – Spellbooks

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A new episode of my podcast, Bonus Action, is up on The Tome Show’s website.

In this episode Sam and I discuss the rules for spellbooks in D&D. You can find an explanation of this rule in the Player’s Basic Rules D&D PDF on pages 30 and 31 or in the Player’s Handbook on pages 114.

Sam’s Blog

Play on Target Podcast

If you like what you’re reading please follow me on Twitter, check out my other podcasts, The Round Table and Gamer to Gamer, tell your friends, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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Summon the Angels!

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On Thursday last week I posted about the idea of bringing complex rituals into Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. These rituals are spells of immense power which consume time and expensive resources. They also put the caster and allies at risk. For more on the design ideas behind complex rituals and the way they work check out that blog post or the PDF at the end of this post.

In that post I only posted one complex ritual, conjure greater fiend. I promised more would be coming your way and I’m ready to make good on that promise. Below is the conjure greater celestial complex ritual.

Hey if you need a few more celestials to summon, check out my post on archons.

Sam about to get his summon on.

But First Some Changes…

After getting a lot of feedback, I made a few changes to the way complex rituals work. Anyone can lead a complex ritual, not just a spellcaster. As a result the spell slot consumption number and class and level prerequisites have been eliminated from the process. This should help simplify things. It also opens up the possibility for ANYONE with the right components to attempt to these rituals, which ultimately makes them more attractive to PCs and NPCs alike. After discussing it with folks on forums and Facebook, I think this change allows for some really cool and unique stories. Instead of lead spellcaster, the person leading the ritual’s title has been changed to ritual leader. So thanks so much for all that feedback!

I’ve made the updates to last week’s post and the PDF below. Ok! Onto the ritual.

Conjure Greater Celestial

Casting Time: 4 hours

Environmental Conditions: The ritual must take place after the sun has risen and before it completely sets.

Focuses: A headdress of angel feathers worn by the ritual leader (worth 4000 gp), a brazier made of a pure silver blessed by a celestial being (worth 4000 gp), a decanter carved from a single piece of jade (worth 1000 gp), the horn of a unicorn (worth 1000 gp), and the written holy incantation for this ritual (worth 5000 gp)

Sacrifices: 4 dragontree logs carved with holy symbols (worth 300 gp each), a brick of incense made from ghost orchid flowers (worth 2700 gp), a cask of holy water blessed by a unicorn (worth 1000 gp), and a creature with the fiend type

Recipe
  1. The ritual leader begins chanting the incantation and name of the celestial being conjured. If the ritual leader does not know the celestial’s name, instead the name of a specific type of celestial (e.g. deva) is chanted. This celestial must have a challenge rating 10 or lower.
  2. Light the dragontree logs in the brazier to make a fire.
  3. Pour the holy water into the decanter and place the decanter over the fire.
  4. When the water is boiling pull the decanter off the flames and pour it over the fiend.
  5. Put the holy incense on the fire.
  6. Kill the fiend with the unicorn horn.
  7. Using the fiend’s blood, draw the sacred symbols indicated in the incantation upon the ground. The creature drawing the symbols must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check or the ritual does not work.
  8. Continue to chant. At the end of four hours of total chanting the ritual leader communes with the celestial before it appears and must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check in order to call the being forth. If this check fails the ritual does not work. If it succeeds, the celestial appears under the ritual leader’s control.
Effect

Once the ritual is complete, the celestial is friendly to the ritual leader and its companions. Roll for initiative for the celestial, is has its own turns. It obeys any verbal commands the ritual leader issues to it (no action required by the lead caster) as long as they don’t violate its alignment. If the ritual leader issues no commands to the celestial, it defends itself from hostile creatures, but otherwise takes no action.

As an action the ritual leader can release the celestial from its control and return the celestial to the place from which it was summoned.

Every 24 hours the celestial is under the ritual leader’s control, the ritual leader must make a Constitution check (DC 10 + the number of days since the ritual was completed). Failing this Constitution check means the ritual leader suffers one level of exhaustion, which cannot be restored in any way until the celestial is no longer under its control.

If the caster dies before dismissing the celestial, the celestial does might return to the place from where it was summoned, or, depending on what it observed and was made to do during its time of servitude, the DM might decide the creature becomes hostile toward the ritual leader’s allies (and the ritual if returned to life).

Greater Effects

Using this complex ritual you can summon a celestial with a challenge rating higher than 10 up to 20. For every number of the challenge rating higher than 10, add another dragontree log and fiend consumed by the ritual. The DCs for the Intelligence (Religion) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks made during the casting of the ritual increase by 1 for every number of the creature’s challenge rating higher than 10.

PDF

If you’d like a PDF which outlines the basic rules of using complex rituals, contains the ritual above, and contains the conjure greater fiend ritual, simply click on the link below.

Complex Rituals

You can pick up that PDF whenever you like over in the Free Game Resources section of this site. If you go there feel free to also explore the backgrounds, magic items, monsters, D&D fifth edition rules modules, spells, adventures, and more I have made for fifth edition D&D.

If you like what you’re reading, please check out my podcasts on The Tome Show, follow me on Twitter, tell your friends and share this blog post, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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Summoning Big Fiends

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Let’s be buds.

Big time summoning rituals are part of many Dungeons and Dragons games. I’m not talking about the conjure elemental and conjure celestial spells in the Player’s Handbook. Nor am I talking about the summoning spells I created for fifth edition D&D. I’m talking about the magic we read about in novels which bring pit fiends, balors, and more into the Material Plane. This magic is costly, rare, dangerous, and time-consuming. Unfortunately complex rituals like this don’t have rules players can use in fifth edition… until now! These rituals don’t just summon powerful creatures. They could also be used to raise undead armies, grow castles from the earth, or create a frosty, horrible Winter for an entire region of a country.

Why give PCs access to such powerful magic? Well for one thing it gives them a way to spend some of the gold they seem to accidentally stock pile in fifth edition. For another it allows them to go questing for specific ritual ingredients. Most importantly this magic invites players to gain a significant amount of power but only by risking life and limb. I like bringing those kinds of high risk, high reward mechanics into my games.

PCs and NPCs alike can access these complex rituals, but they must have all the components in exactly the right place. This isn’t the kind of spell they can cast each and every day. That’s by design. The rituals are meant to be fun, but not completely break the game.

So without further adieu here’s the rules for the complex fiend summoning ritual in my game. More of these rituals will follow. Stay tuned!

Complex Rituals

Certain magic spells are too powerful to be cast in the normal way. Summoning creatures of great power, raising undead armies, and calling forth castles from the earth are examples of magic that goes beyond a simple spell. This magic is known as a complex ritual.

All complex rituals require certain components, described below.

Casting Time

Most rituals have a casting time of 1 hour or longer. The ritual leader must maintain concentration during this time. If the ritual leader’s concentration is broken, the spell fails and any spent sacrifices at the time of broken concentration are consumed.

Environmental Conditions

Each complex ritual requires specific environmental conditions. These could include time of day, weather, phases of the moon, and location. For instance a ritual to raise an army of the dead might have to take place after the sun goes down in a graveyard during a full moon.

Focuses

Focuses are material items needed to cast the ritual which are not consumed during the process of casting.

Sacrifices

Sacrifices are materials needed to cast the ritual which are consumed during the process of casting.

Recipe

This recipe outlines the specific steps taken to cast the ritual. Any ability checks related to the ritual are mentioned here. It is recommended that the DM make the character’s ability checks for them and keep the result secret.

Effect

The complex ritual’s effects are listed along with its duration. Most rituals have a variable duration.

Greater Effects

Some complex rituals can be cast to greater effect – summoning more powerful creatures, raising larger numbers of undead, etc. Achieving these greater effects often requires more cost and more risk.

Conjure Greater Fiend

Casting Time: 4 hours

Environmental Conditions: The ritual must take place after the sun has completely set and finish being cast before the sun rises.

Focuses: A fiendish mask made of animal bones and gems worn by the ritual leader (worth 4000 gp), a brazier made of a pure gold washed in the blood of fiends (worth 4000 gp), a set of unholy handbells forge from cold iron and rubies (worth 1000 gp), an unholy dagger carved from the bone of a fiend (worth 1000 gp), and the written unholy incantation for this ritual (worth 5000 gp)

Sacrifices: 13 candles made from wax mixed with fiend blood (worth 100 gp each), 13 sticks of incense made from corpse flowers (worth 200 gp each), a cask of celestial blood (worth 1000 gp), and a goat, pig or similar animal

Spell Slot Consumption Number: 10

Recipe
  1. The ritual leader begins chanting the incantation and name of the fiend being called forth. If the ritual leader does not know the fiend’s name, instead the name of a specific type of fiend (e.g. yochlol) is chanted. This fiend must have a challenge rating 10 or lower.
  2. Light and begin burning all the unholy candles in a 30-foot-radius circle. These must burn during the entire ritual or it fails.
  3. Light the incense in the unholy brazier. The incense must burn during the entire ritual or it fails.
  4. In the circle of candles, draw the unholy symbol indicated in the incantation using the celestial blood. The creature who does this must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the creature fails this check the fiend summoned as normal in step 7, but can escape the circle and is not under the ritual leader’s control. The fiend is hostile toward the ritual leader and its allies.
  5. Ring the unholy handbells in the exact sequence indicated by the incantation. The creature ringing the bells must succeed on a DC 10 Charisma (Performance) check. If the creature fails this check, it can try again one more time. A second failure means the ritual fails.
  6. Inside the circle, kill the animal using the unholy dagger. Leave its body there and the ritual leader should continue to chant.
  7. After three hours of chanting, if the other steps were completed correctly, the fiend should appear in the circle. If the circle of celestial blood was made properly, the fiend cannot leave the circle of candles. The ritual leader must continue to chant the incantation for one more hour. If something disrupts the caster’s concentration, the circle of celestial blood, the candles, or the incense during this final hour, the fiend is able to leave the circle and is not under the ritual leader’s control. The fiend is hostile toward the ritual leader and its allies.
Effect

Once the ritual is complete, the fiend is friendly to the ritual leader and its companions. Roll for initiative for the fiend, is has its own turns. It obeys any verbal commands the ritual leader issues to it (no action required by the lead caster) as long as they don’t violate its alignment. If the ritual leader issues no commands to the fiend, it defends itself from hostile creatures, but otherwise takes no action.

As an action the ritual leader can release the fiend from its control and return the fiend to the place from which it was summoned.

Every 24 hours the fiend is under the ritual leader’s control, the ritual leader must make a Constitution check (DC 10 + the number of days since the ritual was completed). Failing this Constitution check means the ritual leader suffers one level of exhaustion, which cannot be restored in any way until the fiend is no longer under its control.

If the ritual leader dies before dismissing the fiend, the fiend does not return to the place from where it was summoned and becomes hostile toward the ritual leader’s allies (and the ritual leader if returned to life).

Greater Effects

Using this complex ritual you can summon a fiend with a challenge rating higher than 10 up to 20. For every number of the challenge rating higher than 10, add another candle, stick of incense, cask of celestial blood, and animal consumed by the ritual. The DCs for the Intelligence (Arcana) and Charisma (Performance) checks made during the casting of the ritual increase by 1 for every number of the creature’s challenge rating higher than 10.

PDF

If you’ve been following this blog, you knew this was coming. Take the rules for complex rituals and conjure greater fiend  with you wherever you go in the handy PDF below.

Complex Rituals

You can pick up that PDF whenever you like over in the Free Game Resources section of this site. If you go there feel free to also explore the backgrounds, magic items, monsters, D&D fifth edition rules modules, spells, adventures, and more I have made for fifth edition D&D.

Feedback please!

What do you think of these complex ritual rules? Do you want to see more of them? What would you change? Sound off in the comments below! I hope to show off more of these at a future date.

If you like what you’re reading, please check out my podcasts on The Tome Show, follow me on Twitter, tell your friends and share this blog post, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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Round Table 82 – Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide and Modern Magic

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A new episode of my podcast, The Round Table, is up on The Tome Show’s website.

I sit down with Rudy Basso, Vegas Lancaster, Joe Lastowski, and Round Table newbie Chris Bridges! We talk about the upcoming Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide and the latest Unearthed Arcana article, “Modern Magic.” This podcast was recorded on August 6, 2015.
Please rate and review us on iTunes, it helps a boat load!
Links:
The Tome Show on Facebook
The Tome Show on Twitch
Behind the Screens – My New d20 Modern Campaign
Modern Myths Game Store
Acts of Geek
Game O Clock YouTube Channel
vegaslancaster.com
You Name It Collectables

If you like what you’re reading please follow me on Twitter, check out my other podcasts, Bonus Action and Gamer to Gamer, tell your friends, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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Round Table 76 – Psionics, April Survey Results, and Spell Lists!

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A new episode of my podcast, The Round Table, is up on The Tome Show’s website.
I sit down with Rudy Basso, Alex Basso, and Allison Rossi to discuss the possibility of psionics in D&D fifth edition, the D&D fifth edition April survey results, and the recent official D&D spell list put out by Wizards of the Coast. This podcast was recorded on June 23, 2015.
Please rate and review us on iTunes, it helps a boat load!
Links:
The Tome Show on Facebook
The Tome Show on Twitch
Tavern on South
Game O Clock YouTube Channel
http://www.twitch.tv/padfoot240
Hello from the Magic Tavern Podcast
DM’s Block Podcast

If you like what you’re reading, please check out my podcasts on The Tome Show, follow me on Twitter, tell your friends and share this blog post, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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