I will try to keep this very short ... Well I will try though I will fail. Pet your cat and have a mead tankard at the rest. ((This is just my POV no one has to take this seriously as it is worth the amount you paid for it) Heat metal not much of an issue. it only works on poor humanoid guards so it is not as popular as you think.. The target has to be metal but not all Armor is metal and there already is a counter Cast Off Armor (common item from XGE). Of course also the damage is good but not great and for Rangers it competes with other options they may want to use (same with a lot of Druids). And if the target is able to reduce damage the entire thing quickly feels far less than effective. Tiny hut is to that useful because it takes at minimum a 1m to set up . and everyone can see the clearly magical dome. Truesight does noting to it (it is an actual field of force energy and is just magic black color not nighttime inside it. An enermy can put things on it, trap around it, set up alarms and even set up a hut right beside yours ... and you started your 8 hour hut first sooo ... (Also the Short rest is the usual issue in the middle of the day and the spell that you use for that is Rope Trick) Spirit guardian is a good spell but nothing to write home about. it is basically good but normal damage for a cleric. After all if they are healing, they can use this to help the party with damage. More over it helps a lot of persons that would detest being a heal bot love this spell to be more of an effective fighting as a cleric. Just calculate it into your game and let the cleric do more then heal and even feel a bit badass. By comparison, consider that does damage, a wizard can just lock the battle down with one Hypnotic Pattern or just fly over a melee shooting down into it without taking a scratch. Counterspell is not really an issue if you realize it’s limitations. - Subtle spell meta magic = No counter (you can get it in a feat) - Moving out of 60’ from counter mage = no counter - Using a spell effect already cast = no counter - The person casting it is behind a one way mirror = no counter - Monk Stun = no counter - Slow = no counter (Messed up action and bonus action too at 120') - Target already cast shield = no counter Just some off the top of my head. Be creative and issue resolved. The only ones of your spells that an issue (to me and YMMV) really is the Conjure spells and mostly the issue is inserting a lot of critters in the battle after it has started. Often this is like doubling the number of combatants on one side and then one person is doing all those actions - which is not great for everyone that gets to watch the “MAIN CHARACTER CASTER”. But those that use it Rangers and Druids really need this kind of firepower. I would incentivize and even offer them the “Summon X” spells from Tasha as a replacement and if needed sweeten the pot (aka let them have a magic item that will let them cast those spells as if they are being cast 1spell slot level higher.). If they really want to do it you control the actual creatures that are summoned and encourage them to let other players help control or work with the summoned creatures. They have to keep track of the creatures hit points (those will be average hps). Also let the summons only do average damage on a hit so as to keep things moving quickly. Spell that you will hate more as a DM: Silvery barbs - If you don’t know why start with the concept of no crits on players and less spell saves of NPCs Force Cage/Wall of Force/Banishment - I understand the utility but really it is an instant game changer when the Adult dragon becomes a parakeet it just feels so anticlimactic. Guidance (though Inspiration does the same) - I think you hear a million times “I meant to” or “can I cast” right after you tell them they failed. Nothing makes the game more unfun then breaking our line thought because they failed a check that was usually incidental. Find Familiar (Part 1) - They are treated as pets If they die, automatic advantage in the pocket at low levels and if they infiltrate another base I think I will scream. Arcane Eye (part 2) - because if you thought Familiars were bad imagine them making out every thing that is in the dungeon and all it cost them was a single spell slot! There are just annoying spells that cause some issues at the table. There are others that are possibly an issue but they are a bit deeper in the game that are annoying. The top four that CAN be a problem children for me being - Contingency, Simulacrum, Wish and Magic Jar. Good spells that always get put into Rube Goldberg machines of spells or being out right abused. They seem to always bring out the worst in some players and make things like character death trivial.
*laughs in cleric*
Mage battles going counterspell is awesome!
RAW you can only take one long rest per 24 hour period.
I will try to keep this very short ... Well I will try though I will fail. Pet your cat and have a mead tankard at the rest. ((This is just my POV no one has to take this seriously as it is worth the amount you paid for it)
Heat metal not much of an issue. it only works on poor humanoid guards so it is not as popular as you think.. The target has to be metal but not all Armor is metal and there already is a counter Cast Off Armor (common item from XGE). Of course also the damage is good but not great and for Rangers it competes with other options they may want to use (same with a lot of Druids). And if the target is able to reduce damage the entire thing quickly feels far less than effective.
Tiny hut is to that useful because it takes at minimum a 1m to set up . and everyone can see the clearly magical dome. Truesight does noting to it (it is an actual field of force energy and is just magic black color not nighttime inside it. An enermy can put things on it, trap around it, set up alarms and even set up a hut right beside yours ... and you started your 8 hour hut first sooo ... (Also the Short rest is the usual issue in the middle of the day and the spell that you use for that is Rope Trick)
Spirit guardian is a good spell but nothing to write home about. it is basically good but normal damage for a cleric. After all if they are healing, they can use this to help the party with damage. More over it helps a lot of persons that would detest being a heal bot love this spell to be more of an effective fighting as a cleric. Just calculate it into your game and let the cleric do more then heal and even feel a bit badass. By comparison, consider that does damage, a wizard can just lock the battle down with one Hypnotic Pattern or just fly over a melee shooting down into it without taking a scratch.
Counterspell is not really an issue if you realize it’s limitations.
- Subtle spell meta magic = No counter (you can get it in a feat)
- Moving out of 60’ from counter mage = no counter
- Using a spell effect already cast = no counter
- The person casting it is behind a one way mirror = no counter
- Monk Stun = no counter
- Slow = no counter (Messed up action and bonus action too at 120')
- Target already cast shield = no counter
Just some off the top of my head. Be creative and issue resolved.
The only ones of your spells that an issue (to me and YMMV) really is the Conjure spells and mostly the issue is inserting a lot of critters in the battle after it has started. Often this is like doubling the number of combatants on one side and then one person is doing all those actions - which is not great for everyone that gets to watch the “MAIN CHARACTER CASTER”. But those that use it Rangers and Druids really need this kind of firepower. I would incentivize and even offer them the “Summon X” spells from Tasha as a replacement and if needed sweeten the pot (aka let them have a magic item that will let them cast those spells as if they are being cast 1spell slot level higher.). If they really want to do it you control the actual creatures that are summoned and encourage them to let other players help control or work with the summoned creatures. They have to keep track of the creatures hit points (those will be average hps). Also let the summons only do average damage on a hit so as to keep things moving quickly.
Spell that you will hate more as a DM:
Silvery barbs - If you don’t know why start with the concept of no crits on players and less spell saves of NPCs
Force Cage/Wall of Force/Banishment - I understand the utility but really it is an instant game changer when the Adult dragon becomes a parakeet it just feels so anticlimactic.
Guidance (though Inspiration does the same) - I think you hear a million times “I meant to” or “can I cast” right after you tell them they failed. Nothing makes the game more unfun then breaking our line thought because they failed a check that was usually incidental.
Find Familiar (Part 1) - They are treated as pets If they die, automatic advantage in the pocket at low levels and if they infiltrate another base I think I will scream.
Arcane Eye (part 2) - because if you thought Familiars were bad imagine them making out every thing that is in the dungeon and all it cost them was a single spell slot!
There are just annoying spells that cause some issues at the table. There are others that are possibly an issue but they are a bit deeper in the game that are annoying. The top four that CAN be a problem children for me being - Contingency, Simulacrum, Wish and Magic Jar. Good spells that always get put into Rube Goldberg machines of spells or being out right abused. They seem to always bring out the worst in some players and make things like character death trivial.
Great read, thanks. Would love to have seen the long version 🤣👍