Heroes of the Forgotten Realms adds a really interesting new mechanic in the form of Circle Casting. It's shockingly compatible with I think most spells already in the game, and could really alter how your players and NPC spellcasters approach the casting of magic.
The idea here is a trope that has long been a part of fantasy: that a mage might be powerful, but a group of mages is even more powerful, and their magic can be more potent in various ways.
Here's the basics: a group of spellcasters (those who have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic features) can get together (within 30 feet of one another) and cast a spell collectively. There's one primary caster, who has to have the spell prepared and is going to be the one who expends the spell slot and potentially material components when the spell is completed (some enhancements require the secondary casters to also expend spell slots).
The action economy of this is fairly simple: the primary caster uses a Magic action to initiate the spell. If the cast time for the spell is 1 action, they have to just maintain concentration until each of the secondary casters has taken an Magic action to make their contribution, and then the spell goes off. If the cast time is longer, each participant needs to continually use Magic actions to contribute (if the casting time is 1 min or more, they also have to concentrate). If a reaction were triggered by the casting of the spell, the initiation of the spell is when that occurs.
Once the last designated secondary caster contributes to the spell for the full duration, the spell is cast. If something interrupts it, like concentration being broken, the spell fails but the spell slot(s) is retained as well as any material components.
Effects you can add to a spell are the following:
Augment: increase the range of a spell (with a range of 5 feet or more) by 1000 feet per secondary caster, to a maximum of 1 mile.
Distribute: For spells that require concentration, each secondary caster also maintains concentration on the spell, and as long as at least one of the participants maintains concentration, the spell persists.
Expand: Increase the area of effect by 10 feet in one dimension per secondary caster (though spheres just get an increased radius). Each secondary caster must contribute a spell slot of any level to accomplish this (not expended if the spell fails).
Prolong: Extends the duration of a spell that lasts 1 minute or longer. 1-3 secondary casters increase it by 1 hour, 4-6 by 8 hours, and 7 or more increase it by 24 hours. Secondary casters must contribute a spell slot.
Safeguard: For area effect spells, you can carve out safe zone comprised of contiguous 5-foot cubes equal to the primary spellcaster's spellcasting ability modifier plus one for each secondary caster. If the spell effect moves (like Cloud Kill), the zone moves with it.
Supplant: For spells with costly components that are consumed, each secondary caster can reduce the gold cost of the component by 50 g. Each secondary caster must contribute a spell slot (not sure what happens if this reduces the cost to 0 - I'd probably rule you can go without the component).
So, now that we know what it does, how would we use this?
Naturally, this is in a player-facing book, so players would be encouraged to try this out. Most classes in D&D have the Spellcasting feature (and with Pact Magic, Warlocks push the potential participation even further into the majority). While Barbarians, Monks, and all but a single subclass each of Fighters and Rogues will be left out of the fun, I'd guess that at most tables, the majority will be able to take part.
Given the requirement for everyone to participate, I suspect that in a lot of cases, you'll want to use this feature out of combat, though not exclusively.
I think the likely best possible use of this is extending the duration of powerful spells. Lots of spells have 1 minute durations, which is code for "you don't get to cast this before the fight starts." Powerful spells like Conjure Minor Elementals come with a big cost in basically taking your whole first turn to get started. If you try to cast it while anticipating a fight, the DM could reasonably say that you won't really benefit from its full duration. But if that duration is upped to an hour, or eight hours, that becomes something you can truly have going right from the start.
Similarly, if you have a big party, casting a bunch of buff spells before a long rest with 24 hours of extended duration could be really good.
All this being said: I really like this for NPCs, and in particular, villainous NPCs.
I can imagine in some kind of siege-like situation, attackers might have a number of mages hurling fireballs, but with a group of apprentices around to allow them to throw them from a mile away, well out of range of the fortress' archers. An evil group of necromancers might create a massive Cloudkill spell (or Doomtide, one of the new ones) to sweep over an entire village and kill everyone there.
A (relatively easy) objective in a combat encounter could be to prevent the circle-casting of a powerful spell. Maybe some powerful villains are trying to resurrect a deadly champion or leader, using the Supplant option to do so without the costly component. You need to charge in and break up the spell before they can complete the spell.
I think the benefits here are interesting, but not so powerful that it's going to totally take over the game. Naturally, I'll need to see it in action (and talk to my DM about whether he'll allow it in the campaign with two wizards and two paladins in the party - sorry to our sole Fighter/Rogue). My own regular six players in my Ravnica game are also all-but-one spellcasters (the Ancestral Guardian Barbarian, who does technically get spells from that subclass). In fact, the current adventure they're on (high stakes long-term, but the least danger they've been in the whole campaign - they're doing challenges for each of the five Strixhaven colleges) would really benefit from that extended-duration buff idea, given that they're told the gist of the challenge they're facing the night before, and it's just one big encounter per day.
Anyway, I'm curious to see how much this sees play at tables. I liked the Bastion system presented in the core rulebooks, but I don't hear a ton about people actually using it.
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