Rebalanced Magic (5e Variant Rule)

Rebalanced Magic

Let's face it, spells in D&D 5e are wildly unbalanced, even by Wizards of the Coast's standards. To fix this, below a number of changes to different spells have been suggested. In addition to these, cantrip damage should scale once at 11th level.

Cantrips

• Friends: After the spell ends, the target views you the same as it did before the spell was cast on it. It is not forced to become hostile to you.

1st Level

• Absorb Elements: Increase damage to 1d10. +1d10 per level above 1st.
• Catapult: Catapulting a melee weapon or piece of ammunition allows you to choose bludgeoning or the weapon's/ammunition's damage type.
• Cause Fear: No concentration.
• Chaos Bolt: Decrease damage to 3d8. Each damage die is a bolt with a different attack roll that can target an individual creature. +1 bolt per level above 1st.
• Color Spray: Dexterity save instead of hp-based.
• Earth Tremor: Increase damage to 2d6.
• False Life: Gain 1d8 + spellmod + caster level THP. +1d8 per level above 1st.
• Guiding Bolt: Decrease damage to 3d6.
• Hail of Thorns: Increase damage to 2d6. +1d6 per level above 1st, no limit.
• Healing Word: Decrease range to 30 feet.
• Heroism: Can choose to add the THP again per level above 1st instead of targeting another creature.
• Ray of Sickness: Add concentration, up to 1 minute. While concentrating,target is poisoned and takes poison damage equal to spellmod (minimum of 1) per turn. Makes Constitution save at the start of each turn to end the spell.
• Searing Smite: Increase initial damage to 2d6.
• Shield: Increases AC by spellmod (minimum of 1) and adds THP equal to spellmod (minimum of 1). THP disappears at the end of your next turn.
• Shield of Faith: +1 AC for every two levels above 1st.
• Sleep: Increase health limits to d10s.
• Snare: Decrease casting time to 1 action.
• Witch Bolt: Increase range to 60 feet. Decrease initial damage to 1d10. Increase repeating damage to 2d6. Remove all spell-ending clauses except: "The spell ends if the target is ever outside its range." When cast at 2nd level or higher, increase the initial damage by 1d10 per level. When cast at 3rd level or higher, increase the repeating damage by 1d6 for every two levels above 1st.
• Wrathful Smite: Increase damage to 2d6. +1d6 per level above 1st.

2nd Level

• Branding Smite: Increase damage to 2d8.
• Cloud of Daggers: Caster can use a bonus action on its turn to move the cloud of daggers up to 15 feet in any direction.
• Find Traps: You learn the precise location of the detected traps.
• Flaming Sphere: Increase damage to 4d6.
• Healing Spirit: Targets a single creature instead of a space. The target creature can be changed as a bonus action on the caster's turn.
• Heat Metal: Constitution save success also halve's damage. Repeat Constitution save for each turn a creature remains in contact with the target item.
• Locate Object: Increase the object detection range to 1 mile.
• Maximillian's Earthen Grasp: Increase damage to 3d6.
• Moonbeam: Increase damage to 3d8. +1d8 per level above 2nd.
• Prayer of Healing: Decrease range to 15 feet. Can target any number of creatures that the caster can see.
• Ray of Enfeeblement: Target also gains disadvantage on Strength checks and saves.
• Scorching Ray: Change damage to 1d12 for each ray.
• Shadow Blade: Increase damage to 3d6.
• Shatter: Increase damage to 4d8.
• Skywrite: No concentration.
• Snilloc's Snowball Swarm: Increase damage to 4d6.
• Warding Bond: +1 bonus to AC and saving throws for every two levels above 2nd.
• Warding Wind: No concentration.

3rd Level

• Aura of Vitality: +1d6 per level above 3rd.
• Blinding Smite: Increase damage to 4d6.
• Fireball: Decrease damage to 6d6.
• Flame Arrows: No concentration.
• Life Transference: The necrotic damage cannot be reduced by any means short of a Wish.
• Lightning Bolt: Decrease damage to 6d6.
• Protection from Energy: Includes force and radiant damage. +1 additional resistance per level above 3rd.
• Vampiric Touch: Increase damage to 4d6.

4th Level

• Conjure Minor Elementals: Decrease casting time to 1 action.
• Elemental Bane: Increase damage to 4d4.
• Edvard's Black Tentacles: +1d6 of each damage type per level above 4th.
• Fire Shield: Caster can change the shield to warm or chill as an action on its turn.
• Guardian of Faith: Guardian deals an amount of damage as determined by the caster. Guardian disappears after dealing a total of 60 damage. +10 total damage for each level above 4th.
• Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound: Decrease damage to 2d6 + spellmod.
• Sickening Radiance: Half damage on a successful Constitution save.
• Staggering Smite: Increase damage to 5d6.
• Stoneskin: Material component not consumed, resistance to both magical and nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and AC cannot be below 16.

5th Level

• Cone of Cold: Decrease damage to 8d6. +1d6 damage per level above 5th.
• Conjure Elemental: Decrease casting time to 1 action.
• Conjure Volley: Decrease damage to 8d6.
• Destructive Wave: Decrease each damage type to 4d6.
• Enervation: Half damage on successful Constitution save.
• Geas: +1d10 damage per level above 5th.
• Holy Weapon: No concentration. Increase attack damage to 2d8 + spellmod.
• Maelstrom: +5 feet to radius per level above 5th.
• Mass Cure Wounds: Can target up to 6 creatures within range, no radius restriction.
• Steel Wind Strike: Decrease damage to 4d10.

6th Level

• Blade Barrier: Change to force damage. Add to Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard spell lists.
• Conjure Fey: Decrease casting time to 1 action.
• Harm: Decrease damage to 12d6.
• Investiture of Flame: No concentration.
• Investiture of Ice: No concentration.
• Investiture of Stone: No concentration.
• Investiture of Wind: No concentration.
• Otiluke's Freezing Sphere: Decrease damage to 8d6.
• Primordial Ward: No concentration.
• Scatter: +2 target creatures per level above 6th.
• Tenser's Transformation: Increase hit damage to 2d12 + spellmod.

7th Level

• Conjure Celestial: Decrease casting time to 1 action.
• Fire Storm: Decrease damage to 6d6.
• Mordenkainen's Sword: +1d10 damage per level above 7th.

8th Level

• Holy Aura: Fiends and Undead that fail the Constitution saving throw also take 2d10 radiant damage. Half damage on a success.
• Sunburst: Add to Cleric spell list.
• Tsunami: Increase duration to concentration, up to 1 minute.

9th Level

• Meteor Swarm: Decrease the number of meteors to 3. Decrease each damage type to 3d6. Creatures can be affected by more than one fiery burst at once.
• Power Word Kill: Increase HP threshold to 150.

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