The Design Philosophy: "Only Spellcasters Can Perform Supernatural Feats"

English is not my native language, so please forgive any awkward phrasing.

Recently, there has been renewed interest in expanding the options available to martial characters, such as the Battle Master.

Whenever the capabilities of martial characters versus spellcasters are debated, certain arguments inevitably arise (I will omit the view that "there is no disparity between martial characters and spellcasters at my table"—sorry about that).

・Some players who prefer martial characters actually like the simple mechanics currently in place (so, please don't add complex subsystems).

・Adding a wide variety of maneuvers to martial characters—like those found in 4th Edition—creates a world where "everyone is a wizard." Such a world doesn't feel like "good old" D&D.

In short, there is a persistent desire to maintain a design where "only spellcasters can perform supernatural feats." At the heart of this is the argument that if martial characters start performing supernatural acts or anime-style spectacles, the D&D world rapidly loses its authentic feel.

I disagree with this view. However, I do think there is some truth to the argument—provided the game prioritizes realism and operates on the premise (like \The Lord of the Rings\) that non-magical humans remain within the bounds of relatively realistic capabilities.

D&D 5e is a game where characters level up and eventually become superheroes who rival—or even surpass—gods. Characters should gain new, cool options as they level up. Spellcasters already achieve this. If one accepts a worldview where only spellcasters can perform supernatural feats, then the current design—where options steadily increase from level 1 to 20—is perfect.

Yet, because of this design, martial characters remain perpetually restricted. Even as they level up, martial characters do not gain a wider range of capabilities. They receive almost no additions comparable to the amazing options spellcasters get. Why is that? It is likely because of the premise that "only spellcasters can perform supernatural feats." After all, the only ones capable of challenging gods are spellcasters—or ordinary people wielding magic swords crafted by spellcasters.

To summarize:

The design principle that "only spellcasters can perform supernatural feats" works well in systems that lack level progression. Think of skill-based systems like \Call of Cthulhu\, or games like \Traveller\ where characters start out competent and their power levels remain relatively static. In such worlds, even without "supernatural" abilities, a character might wield powerful weaponry, own a starship, or possess expert espionage skills—allowing them to do things a spellcaster cannot. However... in \D&D 5e\, where spellcasters gain an ever-increasing arsenal of spells as they level up, this model simply does not work.

Personally, I believe \D&D\ should either abandon the notion that "only spellcasters can perform supernatural feats" or rethink the design where "spellcasters gain more spells as they level up." Alternatively, if there is no desire to alter the current design, players must simply accept that \D&D\ is a world where the capabilities of martial characters are deliberately constrained to preserve the "authenticity" of the wizard.

Yes, I realize many people find this setting—and the spellcaster archetype—appealing, but still...

Perhaps it is time to acknowledge that the concept of leveling up from zero to superhero is fundamentally incompatible with a world where "martial characters don't do supernatural or anime-style things."

I would like to thank everyone who read this long post to the end and indulged me in this well-worn topic.

Fundamentally, if only spellcasters can perform supernatural feats, then the super natural feats need to be so mild that it's boring, or the martial caster balance will suffer

You're looking at it the wrong way imo. If you bring casters down so they basically pick the same options and get bored because every other option sucks, then people who want diverse spellcasters would just pick a different system that doesn't limit them just to make martials seem more appealing.

We need to allow martials to have more options and fantastical abilities to raise their power level. Give us more mystical and powerful maneuvers, while letting more martial classes make use of them besides the fighter.

I guess I don't really agree with the premise. You want DnD to "abandon" the notion that martial classes can't do anything supernatural but that just isn't really true? Martial characters can already do lots of supernatural things?

My favorite inspiration is just looking at warrior-feats done in any film, anime. Someone going beyond their limits and performing unimaginable feats of strength, dexterity and precision.

Why can't Fighters have twice as many features than any other class to compensate against wizards over-arching spells that begin to change entire outcomes of a fight. The fighter should be the swiss-army knife of weapon combat + skills, maneuvers to help control the flow on a battlefield.

It is just lame that it has to be the "determined beginner class" which only limits it's potential.

I always wanted to make my own variant of the fighter using the best of 5e and 5.5 and buff it to match what a fighter should feel like. Also for rogue, ranger one day. The spellcasters are mostly fine.

Ever since 3rd Edition launched in 2000, there’s been a concerted effort to rein in the power of casters. The WotC forums at the time were rivers of flame over that war, and it hasn’t really abated since.

Players who enjoy playing martials want cool stuff to do, which I get. Just swinging a weapon and hoping to do enough damage can feel boring when casters are summoning in reinforcements, applying conditions to enemies, and doing more raw damage than most martial can ever hope to aspire to; Rogues don’t worry as much because their sneak attacks get gnarly, but the damage output of a Wizard’s upcast Chromatic Orb is downright fearsome, and if the right damage type is chosen (thunder is the safest, because so few things resist it), the numbers get big. Throw in AOE damage from fireballs or higher level things like Circle of Death (necrotic is also rarely resisted), and I see the concern.

Thing is, the argument will never be properly resolved. Caster players tend to want a strong power fantasy, while martial players are often fine with lower power levels overall. I prefer higher power campaigns, so my solution is “Don’t nerf casters, buff martials”, but that isn’t always met with approbation (particularly on this sub; for some reason people here are all in on the “nerf casters” train).

A warhorse has 19 HP in 5e. A level 20 barbarian can have over 200. It is not realistic that any human will can take on 10 times as much damage from a sword or fire as a warhorse. This, to me, is supernatural in itself.

I think there were many inaccuracies in how I phrased things.

As you pointed out, it’s not that I mean to say "martial classes cannot perform supernatural feats"; rather, it is more that "martial classes cannot gain a supernatural advantage as a meaningful choice."

A fighter might have enough hit points to survive a fall from a great height, but that isn't a supernatural ability exclusive to fighters; dragons and giants can do the same thing without relying on magic. Meanwhile, characters who possess supernatural boons—such as spellcasters or liches—enjoy the benefit of spells in addition to being able to do what martial classes can do...

At level 20 a Wizard can call down literal meteors. Of these two things, being tougher than a horse (which the wizard will also be, just less so) or calling down meteors, which is more exciting and satisfying to do?

Satisfying is a different criteria than what OP is looking for.

This is just a matter of flavor, which you can decide as you wish. For example, nobody aside from fighter is able to deal more than 2 attacks/round. The fighter can meanwhile deal 8! You can choose to describe that in a mundane way. Or you can decide that it represents dbz-style moving so fast that you can’t see the person, etc. Or you can decide that it’s a supernatural ability, and just flavor it as such. Or being one with nature, like Naruto’s kumite punch. Or whatever else you want.

The same can be said of any melee ability. Likewise, you could take a wizard and reframe the flavor text of every spell they have into a tool (like Batman) or some mundane non-magical ability.

I think a lot of people shy away from it because it ungrounds the game. When everyone is supernatural, no one is, in a sense. That just becomes the new baseline. It can be nice to have strong contrasts. Picture settings like paradise lost, where technology is pitted against magic. The same themes exist in games like ff6. The mundane vs the supernatural.

If your problem is casters getting too powerful, that is because a lot of GM’s either ignore or de-emphasize many of the mechanics in the game that would keep casters in check. These are things like the spell component rules. You can make most spells scarce or special by making its components scarce or special. What if there were caravan issues leading to a shortage of bat guano? Suddenly, fireballs become a rare commodity. Maybe some spell components just aren’t available at any price, or the component must be harvested by hand and requires a special quest to do so.

There are the rest rules, which disproportionately hit casters. If you make your days longer, and put in obstructions to arbitrary long resting, then your casters will have to ration their spell slots more.

Then there are line of sight rules. Most spells require line of sight. Don’t make it so easy. Make the combat maps more complicated. Don’t group up enemies every time.

And so on. You don’t have to crush your spellcasters to the point they feel targeted, but the balance is in the GM’s hands and there are plenty of levers to pull.

Idk man, I don't remember anything in the rules that lets the Barbarian hit the ground so hard with its maul that creates a tiny earthquake, or crushing a Wall of Force, or the Fighter cutting a Fireball in half, or protecting everyone behind it from a Dragon's breath with its shield.

What I remember is that you can hit many times and take many hits, not particularly the most jaw dropping thing in the world. Oh, and sometimes you can topple or push someone, but only if they aren't too big, let that to the spellcasters.

Give us more mystical and powerful maneuvers, while letting more martial classes make use of them besides the fighter.