[RPG] How would changing the damage type/saving throw from spells affect game balance

damage-typesdnd-5ehomebrewspells

So, let's say we want a mage character based on ice, sure, there are quite a few spells with Cold damage/thematic, but they're not quite what you want… You want him to have a Fireball that deals Cold damage, you want a Frostball, Iceblast, Frost Explosion, call it whatever you want!

So, if I took spells like Fireball, and changed the damage type to ice and the saving throw to CON, would that affect the game balance?

Another example, let's take Sunbeam and turn it into… Darkbeam? It now deals necrotic damage instead of radiant.

I'm aware of this question: What are the most and least-resisted damage types?, I know that a Fireball that deals Psychic Damage and requires an Int save is stronger.

So let's classify saves in two categories: The "common", Dex, Con and Wis, and the "exotic", STR, INT, CHA.

So, if I swap "similar" damage types (fire/cold, necrotic/radiant, etc) and also swap saving throws of the same "category" (Dex => Con/Con => Wis, etc) would that mess up game balance?

Best Answer

WoTC have released an Unearthed Arcana Wizard subclass called Lore Master. One of the features this subclass gives is:

Spell Secrets

At 2nd level, you master the first in a series of arcane secrets uncovered by your extensive studies.

When you cast a spell with a spell slot and the spell deals acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, radiant, or thunder damage, you can substitute that damage type with one other type from that list (you can change only one damage type per casting of a spell). You replace one energy type for another by altering the spell’s formula as you cast it.

When you cast a spell with a spell slot and the spell requires a saving throw, you can change the saving throw from one ability score to another of your choice. Once you change a saving throw in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

This seems to cover both effects that you wish your Mage type character to have.

So WoTC appear to be looking at the same sort of concept that you want for your homebrew campaign.

Looking at this trait however it is evident that WoTC, at least, consider the changing of damage type to be not that big of a deal to game balance, but the changing of the type of saving throw to have a potentially greater effect (and thus needed to be restricted).

Taking your fireball example, changing the saving throw from DEX to anything else would eliminate the rogue’s evasion class feature.

In general the saving throws have been sculpted to the type of effect the spell is imposing.

Some salient examples are:

  • area of effect spells are largely DEX saves (fireball)
  • a spell effecting a targets mental faculties are usually WIS or INT saves (Fear or Feeblemind)

Important Caveat

It obviously comes with the caveat that this subclass hasn’t been playtested as extensively as the subclasses published in the books, and as a result is not necessarily balanced within the game.

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