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About this mod
Action cost, concentration, duration, and cooldown are now balanced around utility and opportunity cost.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
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Translations
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." --John Muir
Summary
Action cost, concentration, duration, and cooldown are now balanced around utility and opportunity cost for every PC ability in the game [1][2]. The result is a Vanilla Plus combat experience that's fast paced and dangerous.
My highlights are below, and the full list of changes is available under Documentation.
Notice
Please note that I mod for myself first. I don't do multiple versions or patches for other mods, but I'm happy to offer advice if you want to make and publish your own version. Past versions are available under Files.
Spells
- Blade Ward and True Strike are bonus actions with two turn durations.
- Most buffs (e.g., Resistance and Guidance) are non-concentration with long rest durations.
- Mage Armour and Barkskin work like Unarmoured Defence: they're cast on self and use your Dexterity and Spellcasting Ability Modifiers.
- Cure spells (e.g., Lesser Restoration and Remove Curse) are bonus actions.
- Damage spells have improved scaling and status effects (e.g., Acid Splash applies Acid, and Ice Knife can hit multiple targets).
- Most summon spells fall into two categories: bonus actions with long rest durations (e.g., Find Familiar and Animate Dead) and actions with 10 turn durations (e.g., Conjure Elemental and Planar Ally).
- Some summons (e.g., Flaming Sphere and Grasping Vine) are ignored in favor of their summoners.
- Surface and wall spells fall into two categories: non-concentration with 10 turn durations (e.g., Fog Cloud and Wall of Ice) and concentration with long rest durations (e.g., Cloud of Daggers and Blade Barrier).
- Hunter's Mark and Hex cause 1d6 to 1d10 damage each time you hit the target. Phantasmal Force and Bestow Curse: Additional Damage cause 1d8 to 1d12 damage each turn and each time the target is hit.
- Weaker damage/debuff spells (e.g., Vicious Mockery and Dissonant Whispers) are bonus actions.
- Weaker control spells (e.g., Animal Friendship and Charm Person) are bonus actions; stronger control spells (e.g., Dominate Beast and Dominate Person) are actions. Most are non-concentration.
- Sleep, Colour Spray, and False Life have improved scaling.
- INT and CHA saves are more common.
- Otto's Irresistible Dance, Harm, and Disintegrate have no saving throw.
- Contagion and Flesh to Stone have one saving throw.
- Healing spells (e.g., Cure Wounds and Mass Cure Wounds) are bonus actions. (Prayer of Healing is an exception.)
- Some buffs (e.g., Divine Favour and Crusader's Mantle) are mutually exclusive.
- Smite spells (e.g., Searing Smite and Thunderous Smite) have standardized damage and improved scaling. They don't cost bonus actions.
- Ensnaring Strike, Hail of Thorns, Conjure Barrage, and Lightning Arrow work like smite spells.
- Witch Bolt, Moonbeam, Vampiric Touch, and Eyebite are bonus actions.
- Otiluke's Resilient Sphere and Mirror Image are bonus actions with three turn durations.
- Haste and Slow have three turn durations and affect more targets when upcast.
- Unique spells (e.g., Find Familiar: Quasit and Dethrone) can't be learned from scrolls.
Races, Classes, Etc
- Race, class, and other abilities follow the same design philosophy.
- Breath Weapon (Dragonborn) is a bonus action.
- Race spells (e.g., Darkness and Faerie Fire (Drow)) have short rest cooldowns.
- Cast on self invisibility spells (e.g., Invisibility (Duergar) and Cloak of Shadows (Trickery Domain)) are bonus actions and non-concentration. They have 10 turn durations and short rest cooldowns.
- Class weapon actions (e.g., Diving Strike and Primal Stampede (Wildheart)) have per turn cooldowns.
- Blessed Healer and Disciple of Life (Life Domain) grant temporary HP.
- Some class spells (e.g., Preserve Life (Life Domain) and Radiance of the Dawn (Light Domain)) have cantrip scaling.
- Class reactions (e.g., Indomitable (Fighter) and Misty Escape (Archfey)) have no cooldowns.
- Monk abilities (e.g., Patient Defence and Shadow Strike (Way of Shadow) have their Ki costs rebalanced relative to other classes' abilities.
- Monk spells (e.g., Blade of Rime and Chill of the Mountain (Way of the Four Elements)) have their Ki costs rebalanced relative to the equivalent spells. They also have cantrip-style scaling.
- Divine Smite (Paladin) isn't capped at 4th level.
- Aura of Hate and Aura of Protection use your Proficiency bonus.
- Hide in Plain Sight (Ranger) and One with Shadows (Warlock) have long rest durations.
- Volley and Whirlwind can hit allies.
- Defensive Duellist and Shield Master: Block are passives.
- Lucky uses your Proficiency bonus, and Luck Points recharge on short rest.
- Magic Initiate grants spell slots equal to a level 1 caster, and the spells it grants can be upcast.
- Unique summons like Boo and Scratch can be used together.
Items
- Most item spells (e.g., Hunter's Mark (Hunting Shortbow) and Melf's Acid Arrow (Melf's First Staff)) have short rest cooldowns.
- Arcane Vehemence (Spellthief) and The Shadow Itself (The Deathstalker Mantle) can activate multiple times per turn.
- Some item spells and passives (e.g., Caitiff's Restoration (Caitiff Staff) and Executioner (Killer's Sweetheart)) are reworked.
- Some item spells and passives (e.g., Life Essence Harvest (Staff of Cherished Necromancy) and Call Lightning (Markoheshkir)) are replaced.
- Defensive item abilities (e.g., Lightning Aura (The Real Sparky Sparkswall) and Blazing Retaliation (Shield of Scorching Reprisal)) are bonus actions.
- Nature's Embrace (Shapeshifter Hat) and Godswill (Amulet of the Devout) have no cooldowns.
- Item reactions (e.g., Absorb Elements (Cloak of Elemental Absorption) and Innate Fortitude (Magic Amulet)) have no cooldowns.
- Adroit Caster (Gemini Gloves) and Quickspell Flinger (Quickspell Gloves) are passives.
- Some unique item spells (e.g., Hellcrawler (Helldusk Gloves) and Shadow Teleportation (Dark Justiciar Boots)) have no cooldowns.
- Brand the Weak (Amulet of Branding) and Virulent Venom (Poisoner's Ring) last their full durations.
- Tyrant Tongue (Champion's Chain) and Voice of the Circle (Envoy's Amulet) grant Advantage in their respective skills.
- Ki Restoration (Lesser) and Ki Restoration (Greater) (Sentient Amulet) restore 1d4 Ki and 1d8 Ki, respectively, once per short rest.
- Eyestalk actions (e.g., Ray of Fear and Wounding Ray (The Spectator Eyes)) are bonus actions with per turn cooldowns.
- Callous Glow (Callous Glow Ring) and Malefic Excretion (Caustic Band) grant 1d4 bonus damage.
- Most weapon actions (e.g., Backbreaker and Concussive Smash) have per turn cooldowns.
- Utility weapon actions (e.g., Disarming Strike and Flourish) are bonus actions.
- Pommel Strike and Topple use your Strength Modifier; Illuminating Shot uses your Dexterity Modifier.
- Tenacity and Mobile Shot are free actions.
- Some unique weapon actions (e.g., Bolt of Celestial Light (Gontr Mael) and Searing Blood (Rupturing Blade) are reworked.
Creatures
- Wild shape, summon, and other abilities follow the same design philosophy. (Ranger's Companion and Pact of the Chain are handled by my other mods.)
- Electrified Flail, Scorching Strike, and Hiemal Strike have per turn cooldowns.
- Invisibility (Air Myrmidon) and Prowl (Panther) are actions and non-concentration with long rest cooldowns.
- Utility abilities (e.g., Burrow (Badger) and Goading Roar (Bear)) are bonus actions.
- Secondary attacks (e.g., Corrosive Spit (Dilophosaurus) and Rend Vision (Dire Raven)) are bonus actions.
- Familiars' attacks (e.g., Claws (Conjured Cat) and Maiming Pinch (Conjured Crab)) do 1d4 + Unarmed Melee Ability Modifier damage.
- Cambion, Deva, and Djinni have Extra Attack.
- Some abilities' DCs have been adjusted (e.g., Claws (Ghoul) and Dreadful Glare (Mummy)).
- Strike of the Guardian (Guardian of Faith) works like Divine Smite and doesn't damage the Guardian of Faith.
- Strength Drain (Shadow) and Devour Intelllect (Us) can cause Atrophied.
Update 3.1
- Banishment and Banishing Smite have 3 turn durations. Extraplanar beings have Disadvantage on their saving throws.
- Elemental Weapon grants 1d8 bonus damage.
- Enthrall applies Hypnotised.
- Expeditious Retreat is non-concentration and has a 10 turn duration.
- Eyebite: Sickened applies Blinding Sickness. Eyebite status effects have 2 turn durations.
- Feign Death causes enemies to ignore the target.
- Magic Weapon uses your Spellcasting Ability Modifier for attack and damage rolls.
- Stoneskin has a 10 turn duration.
Other Mods
For a list of my other mods, check out Better Kitchen Sink.
Notes
- Effects are changed only sparingly.
- NPCs have access to many of the same abilities.