Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 MechaPilot Sep 15, 2014 18:28:27	Since this area seems to be where most of the homebrew stuff is being posted, I'm reposting this from the general discussion section.   I'm glad that 5e includes ritual magic, but I'm not terribly pleased with the way that it works as is.  I have two issues with the current ritual magic system.   1) It doesn't feel terribly magical to me. 2) There are many spells that I think really should have the ritual tag (plant growth being a notable one given the second effect that's possible with the 8 Hour casting time).   In the interest of being proactive about the situation, I have created the following module for ritual magic in 5e.  My intent was to create a system that introduces some risk and instability in rituals while expanding the list of ritual spells and introducing thematic elements that are common in fiction.   Any thoughts, concerns, and constructive ciriticisms would be appreciated.       Ritual Magic Changes Every spell that does not restore hit points or allow the caster to duplicate the effects of anoter spell has the ritual tag. Casting a ritual spell requires an attribute check against a DC equal to 8 + double the level of the spell; if you have a feat or class feature that lets you cast ritual spells then you may add your proficiency bonus to this check. If you fail the check by five or more, you gain one level of exhaustion.  Alternately, your DM may require you to roll on the Wild Magic Surge table. If you fail your concentration Constitution save while casting a ritual spell by five or more, you gain one level of exhaustion.  Alternately, your DM may require you to roll on the Wild Magic Surge table. Rituals require a simple yet prepared space; this is an area that is cleared of debris, usually with some candles, a magic circle drawn upon the ground, or an altar upon which to perform the ritual.  Preparing the space is part of the casting time of the ritual. All ritual spells have a casting time of 10 minutes per spell level; a 9th level spell would take 90 minutes to cast. Ritual enhancements provide kickers, special points, can be spent to increase the power, range, duration, and/or area of effect of ritual spells (see below).   Ritual Enhancements Additional Casters: The spell requires more than one caster and has specific roles for each caster. Each caster must succeed at the ability check to cast the ritual for the ritual to be cast successfully. Each additional caster reduces the chance of successfully casting the ritual, so each additional caster grants one kicker.   Performance: The ritual requires some kind of performance on the part of the caster. Common ritual performances include dances, songs, and ritual re-enactments. The performance generates no kickers unless the caster must roll a check to complete it successfully. A DC 15 check provides one kicker while a DC 20 check provides two kickers.   Additional Time: The ritual takes an extended amount of time, nine hours or more. Casting a lengthy ritual is similar to engaging in a forced march: you must make a Constitution save against a DC of 10 + 1 per hour beyond the eighth or else suffer one level of exhaustion. Each hour beyond eight that you must spend casting the ritual provides one kicker.   Complex: The ritual is very involved and requires keeping track of several parts of the ritual, or the number of times different parts are repeated, and imposes disadvantage on the caster's ability check to cast the ritual. A complex ritual provides three kickers.   Components: The ritual requires one or more special components that are rare: a component is rare if it can only be acquired by questing for it, spending a great deal of time and/or resources to acquire it through a broker, or if you must get it from an unusual or dangerous creature. If a ritual requires more than one special component, the components are almost always different from each other: a ritual is much more likely to require a dragon tongue and a unicorn horn than it is to require two dragon tongues or two unicorn horns. Each special component provides a number of kickers as determined by the DM, with a minimum of one kicker each. For example: a unicorn horn may provide between one and three kickers while the crystallized tear of a deity may provide as many as 20 or 30 kickers (perhaps more).   Special Times: Some rituals can only be performed at certain times. For a time requirement to provide kickers it must occur less often than once a fortnight. A spell that can only be performed on a full moon (or once a month) grants one kicker. A spell that can only be performed once a season (on solstices and equinoxes) provides three kickers. A spell that can only be performed once a year (on a specific day, a specific solstice or equinox, on the first full moon of the year, and so on) provides five kickers. A spell that can only be performed during truly rare times (while Haley's Comet is visible, or in the darkness of a total eclipse) provides at least 10 kickers.   Sacrifice: The spell requires the sacrifice of a living animal or person. Normal animals provide no kickers unless they are pure/unblemished, in which case they provide one kicker. Humanoid sacrifice provides three kickers, five if the creature is chaste or virginal.   Blood-letting: The caster can shed her own blood to enhance the ritual.  Instead of taking damage from the cut, she decides how many HDs to spend on this blood loss.  Every HD that is spent in this way deals damage to the caster and generates one kicker.   Ritual Preparation: The caster must prepare herself before attempting the ritual.  This can include basic preparations such as ritual purification, meditation, prayer, sacrifice, and so on.  As long as this basic preparation lasts 8 hours or less, no kickers are granted.  If the basic preparation must occur for an extended period of time, you get 1 kicker for three days, 2 kickers for a week, or a amximum of 3 kickers for a month or longer.   If the caster must undergo extraordinary preparation, you gain kickers dependent upon the nature of the preparation.  Extraordinary preparation can include such things as drinking the blood of a creature (who may be unwilling to give it up), performing an act of evil so heinous that it scars your soul, slaying a creature with blade that will be used in the ritual, and so on.  The DM will determine the number of kickers provided based on how onerous the preparations are.  Each preparation that is difficult to accomplish grants one kicker.  Each preparation that requires tremendous sacrifice or hardship by the caster grants three kickers.   Multiple Locations:  The ritual must be cast at mutliple locations to take effect.  The caster must succeed at the ritual casting check at each location.  Each location after the first adds 1 kicker.  Some rituals must be cast at multiple locations at the same time.  In this case, each ritual caster must separately succeed at their ritual casting check.  Each location after the first adds two kickers, this already includes kickers to account for the primary caster at each additional location.   If you wish to combine this requirement with the Additional Casters requirement, you can do so by requiring additional casters at the primary ritual site, or by requiring additional casters at all the locations.   Spending Kickers Spell affects an additional target: 1 kicker. Spell imposes disadvantage on saves against its effects: 1 kicker Spell's duration increases by one step, see duration below: 1 kicker Spell's area of effect increases by 100%: 1 kicker Spell is cast as if from a slot one level higher: 1 kicker The spell's damage die type increases by one step (d6s to d8s, and so on): 1 kicker Remove the concentration requirement from the spell: 1 kicker Spell's range increases by 100%: 1 kicker Targets automatically fail saves against the spell: 3 kickers   Duration Steps 1 round, 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, 10 years, 1 century (or permanent).
#2 DoctorBadWolf Oct 20, 2014 1:09:03	I'd prefer something a bit more case by case for casting time, but otherwise this is cool.
#3 Tac0man Dec 12, 2014 9:28:44	I must thank you for this it's extremely useful. I made. Feat that allows a player to attempt to turn a spell into a ritual. The player tells me what they want the spells effect would be. I have then spend x amount of gold and make a few arcana checks. I then use this to design the ritual alerting the effectiveness based on their rolls. So far my player has made a rope trick that uses a slightly expensive focus and ten minutes to cast the spell with an enough space to hold the entire party and their npc followers .
#4 Elfcrusher Dec 12, 2014 10:04:37	Ritual Magic can go under the heading of "Things we wish had been expanded in the DMG in place of random dungeon tables and cosmology."
(Reply to #4) AaronOfBarbaria	Elfcrusher wrote:
#6 cowleymen Dec 12, 2014 11:06:08	I have to admit, there are a lot of things that I think that should fall under ritual magic, and one of them is that I wish any one could perform a ritual. I mean, looking at this, any one could, and I love that. But there are a few things that I hope get some love from WoTC. Like ritual summoning of Outsiders. Love what you have written.
(Reply to #5) Elfcrusher	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
(Reply to #7) AaronOfBarbaria	Elfcrusher wrote:
#9 Timmee Dec 12, 2014 16:48:33	Great work!   Love the detail. Fairly complex, but definitely brings depth to the game.   I'll incorporate some this for sure.
#10 Elfcrusher Dec 12, 2014 20:39:33	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
#11 AaronOfBarbaria Dec 12, 2014 22:14:22	I am extremely passionate when it comes to people that appear to be putting down the way others play the game, especially when it is in a way that sounds like "I never need any help in that area, so nobody else does either" which is what wishing entire sections of the book were something else sounds like