Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Toshi Sep 01, 2014 14:24:06	I am trying to understand wizard's rituals.  So the wizard has a spellbook.  From their book they can prepare a certain number of spells.  Those prepared spells are cast using any spell slot equal or higher.   Now the rituals.  I am a little confused.   1)  The book says that the spell doesn't have to be a prepared one.  Does this mean the wizard can pick any spell in their spell book as long as it has a "ritual" tag?   2) it says that a ritual doesn't expend a spell slot and so you can't cast the spell at a higher level.  What does that mean?  It doesn't make sense to me?   3) finally, how do rituals differ from Clerics, druids and wizards?   Thanks
#2 Danny_Montanny Sep 01, 2014 15:02:46	1) Yes.   2) It means you can only cast it at it's base level if you want to cast it as a ritual. Doing so doesn't expend a spell slot and takes an additional 10 minutes.   3) The Cleric has to have the spell prepaired to cast it as a ritual, the Wizard just needs to have the spell written in their spellbook.
#3 Toshi Sep 01, 2014 15:55:43	So, for #2 you mean if a magic missle was cast as a ritual (just for example) and you are on 9th level, it would only be considered a 1st level spell?  Only one missle would fire instead of  5?
#4 Danny_Montanny Sep 01, 2014 16:21:21	As Magic Missile doesn't have the ritual tag, it's not possible to cast it as a ritual. Most ritual spells are Divinations. The few that aren't are non-combat spells. It's esentially a way to be able to use the useful non-combat spells without decreasing your effectiveness in combat because you spent too many slots on other spells.
#5 Toshi Sep 01, 2014 16:21:37	I know magic missle isn't a ritual.  That's why I put "(just for example)".   I am trying to understand the concept and used magic missle as an example.
#6 Danny_Montanny Sep 01, 2014 16:26:28	Let's use an actual ritual as an example then. Animal Messanger. If you use cast it as a ritual, taking 10 minutes and 1 action and not expending a spell slot, you can only cast it as it's base level 2nd-level spell as per the PHB p. 201-202. If you wish to cast it at 3rd-level or higer, you'll have to cast it as normal, taking 1 action, and expending the spell slot.
#7 Danny_Montanny Sep 01, 2014 16:46:50	If you need a more conceptual approach consider this. "A spell is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the macial energies that suffuse the multiverse into a specific, limited expression" and "manipulating the fabric of magic and channeling its energy into even the simplest spell is physically and mentally taxing, and higher-level spells are even more so." This taxation is represented as spell slots. You want to tug at the weave and launch a fireball at your foes, well it's gonna take some energy to do so (expending the spell slot). So if we take Animal Messenger above and cast it as normal, you're quickly manipulating the energy you need to cast the spell, which is taxing. Now as a ritual, you take your time, slowly building its energy. Layer by layer you add to the spell's power and when you have enough energy, which takes 10 minutes to collect, you can cast the spell as normal. This building of energy isn't taxing on you like casting as normal, so you don't expend a spell slot. But why can't I just sit there and build power for longer to cast it at a higher level? Well... I dunno. It's the way the rules are written is the easiest answer. Probably for ballance issues as rituals are useful and powerful already. Perhaps all that gathering of power is taxing in it's own right and you can only focus on it for so long?
#8 2Chlorobutanal Sep 01, 2014 19:01:47	In your example, Toshi , note that most spells in 5E do not get more powerful when the spellcaster levels up.  They only get more powerful for spending bigger (higher-level) spell slots.   So a magic missile cast by a 1st-level wizard (in a level 1 spell slot) does 3d4+3 damage from 3 missiles.  This is the default, lowest-power version.   A magic missile cast by a 9th-level wizard (in a level 1 spell slot) also does 3d4+3 damage from 3 missiles.   However, the 9th-level wizard can choose to power up the spell by casting it from a bigger spell slot, for example: a level 5 spell slot. A magic missile cast from a level 5 spell slot does 7d4+7 damage from 7 missiles (3 for the base spell, an extra 4 missiles for using a slot 4 spell levels higher than usual.)   If magic missile were a ritual, you could cast it "for free," without using any spell slots (not even a level 1 slot).  To do so as a Wizard, you don't even need to prepare the spell as long as you have already copied it into your spellbook.  A cleric would need to prepare the spell first.   The casting time would be increased by 10 minutes, making it useless in combat.  The "level" of the spell slot would be considered minimum for the spell.  I.e.: It's treated as the default magic missile, 3d4+3 damage, as if cast from a level 1 spell slot.   If fireball were a ritual, it would do 8d6 damage, as if cast from its default spell slot (level 3 spell slot).
#9 Toshi Sep 01, 2014 19:24:48	Perfect.  I think I understand now!  This has brought up something that I didn't realize with 5e.  So a 9th level wizard casting a 1st level magic missle would actually have to use a higher slot to get the 9th level effect?  So it's not based on caster level like 3e?
#10 Polaris Sep 01, 2014 19:29:17	Toshi wrote: