It seems to me that wizards, sorcerers, bards, all of the PC spell casters are basically specialists in the speed casting of spells.
That is with a relatively small investment of effort (about one hour on an average day) they have a collection of spells they can release in 6 seconds or less.
This is conceit of the game - I get that.
However has anyone considered a spellcasting class (probably NPC) that is designed around taking a minute, five ten, an hour, days, etc to cast spells and what effects those spells might be able to produce?
If lightning can fly in six seconds - what could be done in an hour.
If stoneshape cast in a round has the effect it does what of a casting that takes three days?
It seems to me that wizards, sorcerers, bards, all of the PC spell casters are basically specialists in the speed casting of spells.
That is with a relatively small investment of effort (about one hour on an average day) they have a collection of spells they can release in 6 seconds or less.
This is conceit of the game - I get that.
However has anyone considered a spellcasting class (probably NPC) that is designed around taking a minute, five ten, an hour, days, etc to cast spells and what effects those spells might be able to produce?
If lightning can fly in six seconds - what could be done in an hour.
If stoneshape cast in a round has the effect it does what of a casting that takes three days?
I believe that unearthed arcana contained an answer for you, the name escapes me for the moment, but it dealt with rituals that could be completed using knowledge arcana checks.
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In Unearthed Arcana, they detailed a system that they labeled incantations. These allowed even those untrained in magic to cast a spell. However, incantations are always a double-edged sword. There's the primary effect along with a negative side effect when one is cast along with bad things that happen when it is miscast. Think Ash and the Necronomicon in Army of Darkness
-Malkari
Incantations,
phew, if you look at the wizards d20 modern site you can find an article about it that describes the general idea.
I am still waiting for an opportunity to add it to my game, maybe after my pc's destroy their current foe.
Alas,
It is very diificult to find D&D books in the UAE or Saudi and Unearthed Arcana is not part of my collection.
But in any event event it wasn't really a rules question.
What I was more curious about was if anyone out there had longer casting times as part of thier game. Maybe as part of High Magic, or the creation of specific items or places.
Or if anyone had thought about what longer casting tines might mean?
Longer casting times might means greater range or dc, remember that the short casting time is only for a "key word" which release the spell energy, longer casting time in the game can be seen as "complete" things that can't be shortened easyly.
Longer casting time could say thet a lesser level wizard can use the spell because he cannot memorize it but can spell it entirely.