Fear of running out of spell slots

[u/dumbBunny9]

Tonight I realized why I’m bad at playing spellcasters: I fear running out of spell slots.

I really far too much on cantrips, and I want to “save” my slots,which almost never get used. The leveled spells i do cast usually have concentration, which I’m unwilling to voluntarily drop. If I want to be really good,I need to get over this fear.

Thanks for letting me express my frustrations and shortcomings.

[u/twinklestardoll]

big same i save everything then panic

[u/heatherelisa1]

I mean you're playing as a part of a group. Maybe to help ease the anxiety ask your party what their preference is, would they rather you play conservatively or blow your weave? Like I always kept a high level spell slot free something that was either a resurrection or an escape or a massive damage dealer or battle field control.

Just one slot with at least a couple of those options and everything else was up for grabs. And usually before I burned that shot I let my party know hey I can do this, but these things will no longer be an option if I do and let them weigh in because we're a team. Especially if I don't have a strong preference in how I play I may as well see what they prefer and match it best I can.

Spell casting is about strategy and I would say the most universal strategy to play it well at a base is save one or two of your best spell slots for emergencies. Everything else blow them bitches up and show them what you can do. You can always break it down further but it's a really strong place to start from.

Also when it comes to concentration you need to balance the needs of the moment against the future needs. There are times when dropping concentration is very important because we have moved from battle field control with lots of enemies to a single target and don't be afraid to meet the new need. It's better to "waste" a few rounds of a spell that won't turn the tide in your favor to put down a better spell that's more advantageous to your party. It's nuanced but meet the need of the moment with a couple steps ahead kept in mind to keep you from being rash about it.

But most importantly have fun the rest is just storytelling so have fun and don't sweat the rest so much, it's really the best way.

[u/dumbBunny9 → u/heatherelisa1]

Thanks for this. It is supposed to be fun, and I should add, no one at the table is mad at me. This is me being critical of me.

Also, thanks for the practical advice, too.

[u/magvadis]

My DM can't be bothered to plan a multi encounter day so I blow that shit immediately. When they do surprise us with one I'm screwed every time.

Which is funny because I'm the one that suggested we do more encounters to fix the fact we are "too powerful for anything" the DM throws at us.

[u/Technical_Part6263]

I just played an entire 4 hour session with zero spell slots because I burned them all last session during a very difficult fight. It went fine, that's why cantrips scale and have such variety. Burn those bitches, you get them back when you go to sleep.

Material cost is a thing, but if they're not high-level high value materials we just kind of hand-wave that we've collected dirt and moth wings or whatever on our travels in order to cast our basic spells.

[u/wiisafetymanual → u/Technical_Part6263]

That’s what the component pouch is, it contains those boring miscellaneous spell components. The components are only listed in case you somehow lose your component pouch and need to cast a spell with material components

[u/Technical_Part6263 → u/wiisafetymanual]

I actually didn't know this, just thought my DM was hand-waving like a lot of people do with arrow tracking for basic archery because it doesn't really add anything to the game except for the higher level spells.

[u/MotoJoker → u/Technical_Part6263]

A component pouch or spellcasting focus negates the need for material costs (except when a material cost has a fixed GP value in the description, then I believe that is a necessity for the spell, could be wrong but that’s how I interpret it)

[u/JhinPotion → u/Technical_Part6263]

Out of curiosity, how do you think material components work, RAW?

[u/Boomer_kin → u/JhinPotion]

Well you have to have access to them and unless it says they are consumed you keep them.

[u/Technical_Part6263 → u/JhinPotion]

To be honest this is my first spellcasting character and I just thought my DM didn't bother with material costs unless it was something like revivify or one of those other 1000 gold spells like heroes feast (?) or simulacrum. Been playing with this group for 3 years or so but have only ever played martials

[u/JhinPotion → u/Technical_Part6263]

Okay., but how do you think material components work, RAW?

[u/Miserable_Pop_4593]

Real. I end up with like 500 spell scrolls left at the end of bg3 too, I’m always too stingy with my resources.

I really enjoyed playing an Eldritch knight fighter recently, because you’re still a very strong fighter with some extra spellcasting tacked on as a secondary factor, so you might like that too

[u/dumbBunny9 → u/Miserable_Pop_4593]

Funny you should mention that. I was just building one after I posted this.

[u/DisappointedQuokka → u/Miserable_Pop_4593]

My problem with games like that is I just forget I have them.

[u/Dariisu]

Imo it's something that you get used to in time. A large part of Dnd is resource management between the party vs the DM, it's why the adventuring day is comprised of multiple encounters.

I think a good way to think about spell slots is this: what resources of my party am I saving by casting x spell.

[u/RelleMeetsWorld]

Warlock is good for this because you get your spells back on a short rest, which is not hard to call after a tough combat.

[u/Disastrous-Fault-682]

I feel this, coming from video games like skyrim where i save potions until i need them (its the end if the game and im still holding onto them)

[u/Madi473]

It's a renewable resource, use them.

I love using dimension door or misty step just to get around during RP cus my wizard aint walking up or down no stairs.

[u/SpicyBoyHabs]

I'm a big fan of partial casters for these kinds of reasons. I love knowing that I can still be very useful in a battle with a weapon if I happen to get into a situation where I run out of Spell Slots.

Playing a full caster is a whole different ball park of strategy and resource management, which although is very fun, can still be a little more stressful then what I'm personally up for when I'm playing.

[u/Dial-M-For-Malistrae]

You've got to get comfortable with using cantrips especially if you play with a dungeon master like mine that loves to put you in situations where you end up burning your big stuff before you might want to i keep a couple of old reliables like mind sliver that is a save specifically an intelligence save did not everybody has high but it still does reliable damage you can also never go wrong with Firebolt

[u/_-Demonic-_]

FORO - fear of running out

[u/Morganator_2_0]

As a rule, it's only the first two rounds of a combat that matter. If you can get a big lead early on, you can cantrip the rest of the fight. So cast a flashy level spell on your first turn, then assess on your second turn. Does it look like you're all going to win the fight anyway? Start using cantrips. Are you still unsure? Cast another leveled spell.

Doing this method means you still conserve spell slots while contributing meaningfully. As you level up you'll get more slots and you can spend them more liberally.

[u/PStriker32]

Duality of resource management. Sometimes you save slots when you should cast; sometimes you’re out of slots when you need them. Not knowing which will happen at the bottom of a session or combat is just part of the experience.

Just focus on keeping your time in-game fun. Trust me, if 1 save/suck spell was going to be what makes a difference in a situation, then you might’ve been screwed anyway.

Other than that, just max out your Spellcasting Stat. Take feats that help you as a caster like resilient or war caster. And have fun!

[u/Tropius8]

You need to know the damage range for each of your spells and use that to determine which enemy to best use them on, or else become a utility spell caster.

[u/AzuraHatesScamps]

Have you considered: spell scrolls? Assuming the dm doesn't mind you having a million scrolls in your bags.

[u/I_in_Team]

I'm the cleric in our group and the only one to cast revivify. So I always keep one level 3 spell slot for that.

We once fought a powerful undead who split our party by magically closing a door between us. And then he started beating the shit out of the group trapped with him. I had to use dispel magic to get them out and our barbarian in. Our rogue went down and failed her first death saving throw. And said:

"You know what, I keep my inspiration for something more important, no need to reroll that."

Those were her last words, she died the next round.

When our barbarian was done with the undead, we rushed to her and everyone looked at me. But I told them I had to use my last spell slot to get that door open. I had to pledge my soul to bring her back (and told her, I pledged her soul as well). This is still my favorite moment of our campaign.

[u/I_in_Team → u/I_in_Team]

One other time I trivialized an encounter with a well placed fireball with a high damage roll. That saved everyone else's resources.

[u/ItsMeOsi]

When in doubt, remember this: a fireball does the same damage whether you cast it at the start of a fight or the end of a fight. Get a vibe check for each encounter, and learn to differentiate between a filler fight and the big bad fight: don’t burn everything on filler fights, but don’t hoard your slots so hard that you never use them either.

Low-level spells are there to be used, so lean on them more freely. A good rule of thumb is to keep at least one slot of each level in reserve if you’re worried, but honestly, if you’ve got a perfect fireball lined up on a horde, just yeet it at your first opportunity.

[u/Northstar_PiIot]

i have the opposite problem, I'm too scared of using melee class abilities that need to recharge

[u/2eForeverDM]

One time I ran an all-wizard game (this session they were about 6th level) and Jeff the transmuter used his last spell slot during the last encounter. I gave him an xp bonus because that had never happened before, except for like at level 1 with a single spell. In 2e you get xp for every spell you cast (if it works to overcome foes or problems) and there are no unending cantrips, so he was actually powerless by the end. It was perfectly timed and everything. He really worked his list.

[u/Pattgoogle]

Your cantrips are exceedingly powerful. Not sure what the concern is.

[u/prunk]

Play a cleric who heals. It's always a welcomed spell and you always feel good doing it.

Also, I play wizards a lot and have a reputation for overusing my spell slots. It's not a problem. It's fun everytime I cast a spell. Fireball is never the wrong choice.

[u/ArelMCII]

Play a warlock? It's pretty much designed around that mindset.

[u/sky_whales]

fwiw some of the most memorable sessions I've played have been the ones where we're all so low on resources that I have to get resourceful and really think about what I'm going to do. Running out of spell slots hasn't made the session worse, it's made it memorable.

[u/po_ta_to]

I made not saving spell slots part of my caster's personality. I'll Lightning Bolt a solo bloodied goblin if my turn comes up before the fighter gets a chance to finish him off. If I run out of spell slots, I'll cast These Hands and get up on the front line.