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Blog Preview: Control Weather Should Not Be a Spell
🕑 Added 2025-01-25 15:04:48 +0000 UTCAn argument about a spell I find underwhelming and a whole-ass character class. The level progression table didn't format correctly in Patreon, so you can check the google doc if you need that.
Control Weather Should Not Be a Spell
Control Weather should be a whole field of magic. Before I convince you, the jury of my peers, beyond any reasonable doubt that the Control Weather spell must be convicted, let’s examine both the earliest instance of the spell from Original D&D and in the latest 2024 edition D&D (i.e., 5.5th edition) and pretend that all other iterations of this spell are implied in the distance between these two:
OD&D:
“Control Weather: The Magic-User can perform any one of the following weather control operations with this spell: Rain, Stop Rain, Cold Wave, Heat Wave, Tornado, Stop Tornado, Deep Clouds, Clear Sky.”
D&D 5.5:
“Control Weather
Level 8 Transmutation (Cleric, Druid, Wizard)
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (burning incense)
Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours
You take control of the weather within 5 miles of you for the duration. You must be outdoors to cast this spell, and it ends early if you go indoors.
When you cast the spell, you change the current weather conditions, which are determined by the DM. You can change precipitation, temperature, and wind. It takes 1d4 x 10 minutes for the new conditions to take effect. Once they do so, you can change the conditions again. When the spell ends, the weather gradually returns to normal.
When you change the weather conditions, find a current condition on the following tables and change its stage by one, up or down. When changing the wind, you can change its direction.”
Precipitation
| **Stage** | **Condition** |
|---|---|
| 1 | Clear |
| 2 | Light clouds |
| 3 | Overcast or ground fog |
| 4 | Rain, hail, or snow |
| 5 | Torrential rain, driving hail, or blizzard |
Temperature
| **Stage** | **Condition** |
|---|---|
| 1 | Heat wave |
| 2 | Hot |
| 3 | Warm |
| 4 | Cool |
| 5 | Cold |
| 6 | Freezing |
Wind
| **Stage** | **Condition** |
|---|---|
| 1 | Calm |
| 2 | Moderate wind |
| 3 | Strong wind |
| 4 | Gale |
| 5 | Storm |
As an aside, if you read these two spell descriptions and are like “wow the 5.5e version is so much better”, I have much to teach you if you are but willing to learn. I doubt there are any 5e-heads who use this Control Weather spell, which is pretty unimpressive when compared to other spells of 8th level, especially given how meaningless weather is in “modern” playstyles. Does it ever rain unless the DM wants to set a particular mood?
But the real problem with this spell was obvious as early as the OD&D iteration: it clearly is just a package of several effects each of which could be its own spell. It is 8th level only because it is a bundle of spell effects, but each of Rain, Stop Rain, Cold Wave, Heat Wave, Tornado, Stop Tornado, Deep Clouds, and Clear Sky could be their own lower-level spells.
For those who defend the bundled version of this field of magic, you should actually be even less happy with D&D’s spell list than I am because most other spells are not bundled. Why have so many spells that summon fire in various shapes when you could just have the spell “Control Fire”? Same for “Control Air” or “Control Earth”. You’re telling me that there are 1,001 spells for controlling elements but only 1 spell for controlling THE elements? Why have so many spells that create illusions when you could just have the spell “Manipulate Senses”? If creating these bundles makes more sense to you than unbundling Control Weather, you have much more work ahead of you than I do to consolidate the 500 or so known spells of D&D into a small handful of 8th level bundles.
All of this seems to be about devaluing weather-based magic. Which is a shame because magic and weather go way back. The middle ages had their Tempestarii, weather-making magicians that lives in place in the clouds called Magonia (“Land of Magic”, “Land of Thieves”) who sailed the skies in storm cloud, summoning storms over farmlands so they could steal corn. The more recent ages had their own weather mage (although the line between magic and science fiction justifications like mutations is hazy–ha ha, hazy, like the weather condition): Storm, iconic member of the X-Men. There are probably dozens of other fictional characters that have weather-controlling powers. Joe Biden, for instance. But if you want to play one of these types of characters? You get one spell as soon as you hit 15th level. Is that not enough for you?
Obviously this needs a fix. So below, I have prepared a Tempestarius character class. I wrote this in the kind of nebulous old-school lingua franca used by Old School Essentials. You’re going to just adapt it to whatever you want to run anyway, you scallywag.
Tempestarius Class
The storm giants once captured handfuls of humans and brought them back to their cloud steadings as pets, kept in cages and made to do tricks. The few who survived the ordeal stayed among the clouds and were the first Tempestarii. When foul weather beclouds a kingdom, the rulers always blame the Tempestarii so that their subjects may damn the witches and not the nobles. Wise peasants grumble that there is no such thing as storm witches in the sky sending hail and thunder to the people below. But even wiser peasants know that there certainly are and that the Tempestarii are not to be trifled with. Easier to overthrow a king than to take up arms against the weather itself.
Requirement: Minimum WIS 9
Prime Requisite: WIS
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 14
Armor: Nothing metallic (you don’t want to be caught in a storm wearing plate mail)
Weapons: No steel, no iron (and you especially don’t want to be holding a sword when lighting strikes)
Languages: Alignment, Common
Tempestarius Level Progression
[see google doc]
Alignment: Tempestarii tend toward chaotic alignments, but there isn’t a rule requiring that, naturally.
Combat
Tempestarii can wear non-metal armor and prefer to wear water-resistant hooded cloaks in case of rain. They can wield any non-metal weapon and prefer staves. However, they won’t even go near a staff that is one of those contraptions the gnomes call an “umbrella”.
Another Storm Brewing; I Hear It Sing i’ the Wind
When a Tempestarius hears wind blowing through the trees, they have a 5-in-6 chance of learning what tomorrow’s weather will bring and a 1-in-6 chance of learning the weather for the day after tomorrow.
As long as a Tempestarius is outdoors, they do not take damage from falling as they gently drift down on the wind.
Call Forth the Mutinous Winds
Starting at level 2, Tempestarii can control the weather around them. They must be outdoors (or at least be able to view the open sky) in order to control the weather, and any weather control operations cease if the Tempestarii go indoors. They have a certain number of “Wind” which can be spent on the following weather control operations. Each weather effect manifests in the area surrounding the Tempestarii. Some weather control operations require multiple Wind be spent.
Calm (1 Wind): Clears bad weather (though side-effects—e.g. mud after rain—remain.)
Extreme Heat (2 Wind): Dries up snow or mud (including transmute rock to mud). Creatures in the area move at half normal rate.
Fog (2 Wind): Visibility drops to 20’. Creatures in the fog move at half their normal rate. At the referee’s option, they may also have a chance of getting lost.
High Winds (2 Wind): Movement rates are halved. Missile fire and flight are impossible. High winds may be used to increase the sailing speed of ships by 50%, if they travel with the wind. In sandy areas, may cause a sandstorm, reducing visibility to 20’.
Rain (1 Wind): -2 penalty to missile attacks. Mud forms in 3 turns, halving movement rates.
Snow (3 Wind): Visibility drops to 20’. Movement rates are halved. Bodies of water may freeze. After the snow thaws, mud remains and still impedes movement.
Tornado (4 Wind): Conjures a whirlwind that the Tempestarius directs, moving 120’ per round and attacking as directed (AC 0 [19], HD 12* (54hp), Att 1 × blow (2d8), THAC0 10 [+9], MV 360’ (120’) flying, SV D6 W7 P8 B8 S10 (12), ML 10, AL Neutral, XP 1,900). The tornado can only be harmed by magical attacks and inflicts an extra 1d8 damage to flying creatures. Creatures with less than 2 HD must save versus death or be swept aside. Ships caught in a tornado have a 75% chance of suffering 12 points of hull damage.
To the Dread Rattling Thunder
When it is raining in the vicinity, a Tempestarius can cast Lighting Bolt, as the Magic-User Spell, by spending 2 Wind. Tempestarii are unharmed by lightning from natural (i.e., non-magical) sources.
Yond Same Black Cloud Looks Like a Foul Bombard that Would Shed His Liquor
Starting at level 7, Tempestarii can spend Wind to cause Rain even when they are indoors, but the rain must affect the room the Tempestarius is currently in. The rain can fill a 100 square foot room with water in 3 rounds. If the Tempestarius begins to swim, float, or drown, the rain stops.
After Reaching 10th Level
A Tempestarius locates a storm cloud that is suitable for habitation. The storm cloud begins with at least a cloud-capp’d tower with suitable accommodations for 2d4 permanent residents, but can be expanded into gorgeous palaces or solemn temples provided adequate labor and materials. The Tempestarius may welcome any number of ne'er do wells as crew, who work on the storm cloud in exchange for lodging. The storm cloud can move as quickly through the air as a galleon can upon the waves. The land below the storm cloud always experiences storms unless the Tempestarius actively prevents the storm. Lords will offer tithes as protection money if the Tempestarius agrees to not leave their storm cloud idle above the lords’ farmlands for long enough to damage the crops.
The Tempestarius can cause the storm cloud to enter a clay jug of at least one gallon or more. Once the jug is uncorked, the storm cloud and all its built improvements pours out into the sky above. People who were on the cloud when it is stored in this way cannot breathe inside the jug and will suffocate if given time.
