About One D&D
As everyone knows, Wizards of the Coast has started the development of the next edition of Dungeons and Dragons, currently called One D&D! In their Unearthed Arcana documents for One D&D, they have released some polemic rules to see how the community reacts. Some of the most notable rules are:
- The end of class-specific Spell Lists. Now the spells are divided into three lists: Arcane (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock and Wizard), Divine (Cleric and Paladin), and Primal (Druid and Ranger).
- Ritual spellcasting can now be performed by any spellcasting class.
- Apparently now all spellcasters are prepared spellcasters, with new rules on how to prepare spells.
- Some spells have been slightly or heavily altered (Aid, Banishment and Guidance, in example).
With so many changes to spellcasting, I think it could be a good time to bring about possible solutions for the known problem of the Spellcasters x Martials disparity.
I obviously know WotC won't read this document, but here are some alterations to rules and spells in the molds of One D&D. All alterations are fully compatible with D&D 5e, but the document will be using One D&D current terminology and formatting style (from the Cleric and Revised Species PDF).
Bonus Action Spellcasting
Bonus Actions are supposed to be swift actions that can be done quicker than a normal Action. As such, there is no specific reason for why a spellcaster cannot cast a spell with a Bonus Action and then use the Cast a Spell Action to cast a 1st level or higher spell. I personally find this rule to be clunky and counterintuitive. I instead think that it should be possible to cast two 1st level or higher spells on the same turn, and that Bonus Action spells should be balanced accordingly.
Shutting Down Magic-Users
As the system currently works, the most reliable way to shut down spellcasters (other than by killing them) is through another spellcaster (i.e. by the Counterspell or Dispel Magic spells). This deepens even further the disparity between martials and spellcasters. Martial characters should have a reliable way to shut down enemy spellcasters. The Mage Slayer Feat is intended to fulfill its role, but I don't find that either D&D 5e or One D&D versions do so.
Mage Slayer
4th-Level Feat
- Prerequisite: Proficiency with Any Martial Weapon
- Repeatable: No
You have practiced techniques useful in battling magic-users, gaining the following benefits:
- Ability Score Increase. Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Interrupt Spellcasting. When a creature within 5 feet of you casts a spell, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature. If the attack hits, the creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw as if to maintain concentration, or the spell fails and has no effect.
- Guarded Mind. If you fail an Intelligence, a Wisdom, or a Charisma Saving Throw, you can cause yourself to succeed instead. Once you use this benefit, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.
Spell Alterations
The spells presented here are from 0th to 3rd level and from the Player's Handbook (with the exception of Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade).
Altered Spells Table
| Spell | Level | Spell List | Alteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booming Blade | 0-level | Arcane | Nerf |
| Friends | 0-level | Arcane | Buff |
| Green-Flame Blade | 0-level | Arcane | Nerf |
| Armor of Agathys | 1st-level | Arcane | Buff |
| Bane | 1st-level | Divine | Nerf |
| Bless | 1st-level | Divine | Nerf |
| Hex | 1st-level | Arcane | Nerf |
| Mage Armor | 1st-level | Arcane | Nerf |
| Shield | 1st-level | Arcane | Nerf |
| True Strike | 1st-level | Arcane | Buff |
| Find Traps | 2nd-level | Divine, Primal |
Buff |
| Flame Blade | 2nd-level | Arcane, Primal |
Buff |
| Jinx | 2nd-level | Arcane | New Spell |
| Conjure Animals | 3rd-level | Primal | Nerf |
For each spell, its spell list from Arcane, Divine and Primal is provided. For the purposes of D&D 5e, there is no alteration in which class-specific spell lists each spell appears. The Jinx spell is available for Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks and Wizards, as well as through any feature that would let you choose a 2nd-level spell from the spell lists for these classes.
About Jinx
The Jinx spell is a new spell in name, but it is supposed to be a weaker alternative to Silvery Barbs in usage.
Booming Blade
0-level Evocation Spell (Arcane)
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: Self
- Components: S, M (a melee weapon you are holding)
- Duration: Instantaneous
You brandish a melee weapon you are holding and make an attack with it against one creature. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack's normal effects and then becomes sheathed in booming energy until the start of your next turn. If the target willingly moves 5 feet or more before then, the target takes 1d6 thunder damage, and the spell ends.
This spell's damage increases when you reach certain levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d6 thunder damage to the target on a hit, and the damage the target takes for moving increases to 2d6. Both damage rolls increase by 1d6 at 11th level (2d6 and 3d6) and again at 17th level (3d6 and 4d6).
Friends
0-level Enchantment Spell (Arcane)
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: 30 feet
- Component: S
- Duration: 1 minute
You magically influence the mood of a humanoid you can see within range that isn’t hostile towards you. For the duration, you have advantage on all Charisma checks directed at the target. When the spell ends, it realizes that you used magic to influence its mood and becomes hostile toward you. A creature prone to violence might attack you. Another creature might seek retribution in other ways (at the DM's discretion), depending on the nature of your interaction with it.
Green-Flame Blade
0-level Evocation Spell (Arcane)
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: Self
- Components: S, M (a melee weapon you are holding)
- Duration: Instantaneous
You brandish a melee weapon you are holding and make an attack with it against one creature. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack's normal effects, and you can cause green fire to leap from the target to a different creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of it. The second creature takes fire damage equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.
This spell's damage increases when you reach certain levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d6 fire damage to the target on a hit, and the fire damage to the second creature increases to 1d6 + your spellcasting ability modifier. Both damage rolls increase by 1d6 at 11th level (2d6 and 2d6) and 17th level (3d6 and 3d6).
Armor of Agathys
1st-level Abjuration Spell (Arcane)
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: Touch
- Component: V, S, M (a cup of water)
- Duration: 1 hour
You touch a willing creature, creating a coat of spectral frost upon the target and its gear. The target gains 5 temporary hit points for the duration. If a creature hits the target with a melee attack while the target has these hit points, the creature takes 5 cold damage.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, both the temporary hit points and the cold damage increase by 5 for each slot level above 1st.
Bane
1st-level Enchantment Spell (Divine)
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: 30 feet
- Component: V, S, M (a sprinkling of holy water)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Up to three creatures of your choice that you can see within range must make Charisma saving throws. Targets that fail this saving throw have a -2 penalty to d20 Tests until the spell ends.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 1st.
Bless
1st-level Enchantment Spell (Divine)
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: 30 feet
- Component: V, S, M (a sprinkling of holy water)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You bless up to three creatures of your choice within range. The targets gain a +2 bonus to d20 Tests until the spell ends.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 1st.
Hex
1st-level Enchantment Spell (Arcane)
- Casting Time: Bonus Action
- Range: 90 feet
- Component: V, S, M (the petrified eye of a newt)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You place a curse on a creature that you can see within range. Until the spell ends, you deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to the target whenever you hit it with a spell attack. Also, choose one ability when you cast the spell. The target has disadvantage on ability checks made with the chosen ability.
If the target drops to 0 hit points before this spell ends, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to curse a new creature.
A Remove Curse cast on the target ends this spell early.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd or 4th level, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 8 hours. When you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 24 hours.
Mage Armor
1st-level Abjuration Spell (Arcane)
- Casting Time: Bonus Action
- Range: Touch
- Component: V, S, M (a piece of cured leather)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
You touch a willing creature, surrounding it with a protective magical force. Until the end of the spell, the target can calculate its AC as 13 + its Dexterity modifier.
Shield
1st-level Abjuration Spell (Arcane)
- Casting Time: Reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or targeted by the Magic Missile spell
- Range: Self
- Component: V, S
- Duration: 1 round
An invisible barrier of magical force appears and protects you. Until the start of your next turn, you have a bonus to your AC equal to your Proficiency Bonus, including against the triggering attack, and you take no damage from Magic Missile.
True Strike
1st-level Divination Spell (Arcane)
- Casting Time: Bonus Action
- Range: 30 feet
- Component: S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You extend your hand and point a finger at a target in range. Your magic grants you a brief insight into the target's defenses. You have advantage on your first attack roll against the target until the end of your next turn.
Find Traps
2nd-level Divination Spell (Ritual) (Divine, Primal)
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: Self
- Component: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
You sense the presence of any trap within 30 feet of you. A trap, for the purpose of this spell, includes anything that would inflict a sudden or unexpected effect you consider harmful or undesirable, which was specifically intended as such by its creator. Thus, the spell would sense an area affected by the Alarm spell, a Glyph of Warding, or a mechanical pit trap, but it would not reveal a natural weakness in the floor, an unstable ceiling, or a hidden sinkhole.
This spell merely reveals that a trap is present. You don't learn the location of each trap, but you do learn the general nature of the danger posed by a trap you sense and which direction the trap is on.
Flame Blade
2nd-level Transmutation Spell (Arcane, Primal)
- Casting Time: Bonus Action
- Range: Self
- Component: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You weave together threads of fire to create a sword of fiery flames in your hand. This magic sword lasts until the spell ends. It counts as a simple melee weapon with which you are proficient. It deals 2d8 fire damage on a hit and has the finesse, light, and thrown properties (range 20/60). In addition, you can use your spellcasting ability modifier instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifiers when making attack rolls with it.
If you drop the weapon or throw it, it dissipates at the end of the turn. Thereafter, while the spell persists, you can use a bonus action to cause the sword to reappear in your hand.
The flaming blade sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for every two slot levels above 2nd.
Jinx
2nd-level Enchantment Spell (Arcane)
- Casting Time: Reaction, which you take when a creature you can see within 60 feet of yourself is about to make a d20 Test
- Range: 60 feet
- Component: V
- Duration: Instantaneous
On an act of bad faith, jealousy, or maybe pure sadism, you whisper your hateful desires of seeing the failure of the triggering creature, magically altering its fortune. The creature has disadvantage on the d20 Test.
Conjure Animals
3rd-level Conjuration Spell (Primal)
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: 90 feet
- Component: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You call forth fey spirits that take the form of beasts and appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range. Choose one of the following options for what appears:
- One beast of challenge rating 1 or lower
- Two beasts of challenge rating 1/2 or lower
- Four beasts of challenge rating 1/4 or lower
Each beast is also considered fey, and it disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.
The summoned creatures are allies to you and your companions. In combat, the creatures share your initiative count, but they take their turns immediately after yours. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don't issue any, they take the Dodge Action and use their Move to avoid danger.
Some Notes
Here are some notes about the changes on the spells.
Band and Bless
I think some of the reasons that make CR such an unpredictable balancing system are that the math of D&D 5e is unpredictable, meaning that there are situations where a level 1 player can get a +9 bonus to attack rolls, for example. Having less dice as bonus and penalties and more flat numbers is a way to enhance the balance of the system overhaul by making the bonuses more predictable. In practice, this change means a -0.5 to the bonus/penalty granted by those spells (the average result of a 1d4 is 2.5), and as it now applies to abiity checks, this isn't a big nerf.
Hex
This is mostly to stop the combo of Hex + Hunter's Mark with a level 1 dip on the new Ranger from One D&D (Expert Classes PDF). As I think the new Ranger from One D&D is taking a step on the right direction with the class (in some aspects), it makes more sense for me to adress the problem by altering Hex.
Mage Armor
Casting Mage Armor at the start of the adventuring day basically gives the caster a +1 Studded Leather armor. At the early levels, this means compromising one precious 1st-level spell slot, but as the levels advance, 1st-level spell slots stop being a very expensive resource, and so Mage Armor becomes a free magic armor.
Using concentration is a good way to make it have a resource cost, and to counterbalance it, it doesn't need to be cast on someone not wearing armor anymore, so it can be used as a supportive spell for Dexterity-based martials. Also, its action cost is reduced to a Bonus Action to compensate the fact that it has to be cast on the combat now (and to be in pair with Shield of Faith).
Shield
Theoretically, the weakness of the spellcasters is that they are usually fragile, but this spell negates that. For comparison, the Defensive Duelist feat acts on a similar way, adding your Proficiency Bonus to your AC against the triggering attack. However, Defensive Duelist only works against melee attacks and only against one attack per reaction.
It is true that Defensive Duelist has no cost other than the action economy, and as such Shield still works against multiple attacks, but I don't think it is fair for this spell to give a +5 AC bonus from level 1. As I said about Bane and Bless, numerical bonuses should be more constant, and the Profiency Bonus exists to be the numerical value that scales with level, so I find it fair that Shield would use it. Applying the Proficiency Bonus to various numbers that should scale with level has became a tendency on D&D 5e for some time now.
Flame Blade
I find Shadow Blade too strong, especially because of the advantage on attack rolls. This is one of the spells responsible for the Bladesinger being a better martial than many martials. Also it was too similar to Flame Blade On the other hand, I think it fulfills an important niche. Due to this, I think it is better to have both spells to be combined in one and the advantage to be gone.
Jinx
Silvery Barbs is one of the strongest 1st-level spells in the game. At the same time, I personally find it to be very boring flavor-wise. Jinx should be a weaker alternative, at the same that it should fulfill an open niche in flavor.
Conjure Animals
Conjure Animals is at the same time a hated spell and a powerful one (due to being able to conjure eight wolves). Having it be tied to the caster's Initiative count is a way to make it quicker and more practical, and I think the spell should be weaker. But to be honest, I find the way the Summon spells from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything work to be the best alternative for conjuration.
d20 Tests
From the Cleric and Revised Species One D&D PDF, a d20 Test encompasses the three main d20 rolls of the game: Ability Checks, Attack Rolls, and Saving Throws. If something in the game affects d20 Tests, it affects all three of these rolls.
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