Should there even be buff spells?
I don't mean "should we call them 'buffs'?" Because obviously we shouldn't. It sounds like idiot jargon, like "tank" or "dps".
But should there be spells whose sole purpose is to provide a bonus on some activity?
In the original booklets, there is no Strength spell. The spell to increase your strength is either polymorph or maybe growth. In other words, you increase your size or transform into something with a larger size. Similarly, there's no spell to increase intelligence, wisdom, or agility, and instead of increasing charisma or health, there are spells to charm a person or heal wounds. With one exception, the only way to improve your basic ability is to change something that improves the ability as a consequence. This actually feels right, more like the magic of legends, fairy tales and older works of fantasy. The one exception is Bless, which provides a general bonus; as a consequence, Bless always felt a little off, but since legends, fairy tales, and fantasy are full of blessings, I put up with the incongruity, although really I'd like to find a better mechanic.
In the Greyhawk supplement, we get the Strength spell. It's a lower level than Polymorph and doesn't involve any explanation of where the strength comes from. Plus, it literally increases the Strength stat, rather than making the character stronger in the game world; so not only does the spell feel very meta, but also in some cases the spell has no real effect (casting the spell on a thief with Strength 9 means no effect 75% of the time.) And on top of this, it last much longer than the traditional polymorph method. It seems to me that, if you are going to allow raw buff of ability scores, buff spells shouldn't be better than polymorphing into a strong or fast creature.
Later editions added more buff spells for every number on the character sheet to fill out the "gaps", and gave them names like "Bull's Serum". Needless to say, I'm not all that happy with these spells.
I'm not sure I follow. Why aren't you happy with them?
ReplyDeleteMagic making you do stuff better is intrinsic to the game - a Sword +1 is a buff, really. Elven Boots are a stealth buff. So why not a Strength spell?
There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but isn't it better to literally turn into an ogre if you want the strength of an ogre? I think so.
DeleteOtherwise, it feels pretty dissociated.
And people often talk about how a Sword +1 is a boring item. A flaming sword is cooler, and it's clearer how the magic works.
An "Ogre Form" spell is cooler than a "Get Strong" spell, and again - it's clearer *why* it makes you strong, gives some interesting tradeoffs, and a clearer intuitive idea of what's more possible with your new abilities.
It doesn't feel disassociated to me at all - why do I need to turn into an ogre to get stronger? Do I need to turn into a bird to fly? A dragon to throw a fireball? No, I don't, and Strength spells aren't any different.
DeleteThe execution may be lame, but it's not "disassociated" in the way I understand that term.
WRT magic items, my point isn't whether +1 swords are interesting or not, just saying that "buffing" isn't a Greyhawk introduction - it is there in the LBBs. Lots of LBB magic items up your abilities in some way, in a way that is effectively a buff.
What about a spell that temporarily gives a character the strength of a giant/ogre/whatever, rather than just a boost to strength? It could be used to perform a single heroic feat, or maybe fight a combat with a ridiculous bonus to damage or the ability to throw rocks like a giant. Perhaps it need not follow the linear progression of the strength ability table.
ReplyDeletePolymorph would do that, and it wouldn't have the problem that no matter how strong a man is, he's going to find it difficult to throw boulders because his body is small.
Deleteit wouldn't have the problem that no matter how strong a man is, he's going to find it difficult to throw boulders because his body is small.
DeleteIf I can accept the idea that there are magic spells, giants, and a spell that makes a man as strong as a giant, I can accept the fact that a man can hurl boulders despite having a small body.
Polymorph is higher level. I see this as a lower level spell meant to assist the party in combat or clear a dungeon obstacle. Lightning bolt does more damage than burning hands, but a lower level magic-user doesn't have access to that spell. This is the same kind of deal for me.
I dislike buffs for the bookkeeping aspect, having to keep track of how long they last, and how they turn a character into just a support unit, not an active participant.
ReplyDeleteHear, hear. The panoply of ridiculous buff spells in 3E is just disgusting.
ReplyDeleteI like the point that Polymorph used to be a way of getting stronger.
For my part, the problem with buffs isn't disassociation or abstraction, it's duration. There's plenty of precedent for 'having the strength of ten men' or whatever without literally changing form; that doesn't bother me. It's the fact that the later you go edition-wise the longer these things last that gets to me, until you reach the point where the adventure starts with 10 rounds of buffing up the party and those bonuses are expected as an always-on thing.
ReplyDeleteSwitching every buff's duration to 'as long as the wizard concentrates on them' would make them MUCH more interesting to me as a tactical option, and is in keeping with S&S fiction to boot. You want to empower the fighter with great strength, or armor yourself with magical force? Fine, but it goes away when you need to cast another spell or do something else.
I agree that the duration is a big deal, too. Even Greyhawk has Strength last 8 hours.
DeleteThe idea of switching buff and, maybe, most other spells to concentration is interesting in and of itself. I may have to do a post on that.
The idea of switching buff and, maybe, most other spells to concentration is interesting in and of itself. I may have to do a post on that.
DeleteI believe this is the direction D&D 5E is taking for many spells, actually.
An excellent point I had not considered before. Numeric buffs are, in fact, boring.
ReplyDelete