I recently purchased Forgotten Realms : Heroes of Faerun and I thought the concept of Circle Magic was awesome and exciting. Wizards of the Coast really knocked this one out of the park!

While I thought the concept was exciting, I did think that the rules were somewhat inconsistent, complex, and incomplete. So similar to other areas, I have created what I feel are simpler and more intuitive rules to use in my HomeBrew games.

What Is a Circle Spell?

When a group of spellcasters collectively channel their magic into a single spell, they can enhance and augment the spell’s magic in powerful ways. A spell cast in this way is known as a Circle spell.

Eligible Spells

Any spell that has a casting time of an action or 1 minute or longer and is cast using a spell slot can be cast as a Circle spell. To cast a Circle spell, follow the usual rules for spellcasting, as described in the Player’s Handbook, as well as the following rules for Circle spells.

Casting a Circle Spell

A Circle spell has one primary caster. Unless otherwise specified, you as the primary caster decide the spell’s targets, maintain Concentration if required by the spell’s Duration entry, provide the spell’s components, expend the slot for casting the spell, and decide any of the other options noted in the spell’s description. The spell’s effects originate from you.

Initiating a Circle Spell

You take a magic action to initiate casting a Circle spell. Until the Circle spell’s casting is complete (see below), you must maintain Concentration on the spell.

If a Reaction would trigger when a creature casts a spell—such as the Reaction taken to cast Counterspell —it also triggers when you take this action to initiate a Circle spell.

Secondary Casters

Casting a Circle spell requires that one or more other spellcasters, called secondary casters, lend their magic to the spell. A secondary caster must have either knowledge and capability of the same spell or the spellcasting feature to participate in a Circle spell.

After you initiate the spell, each secondary caster takes the magic action to contribute to the spell. A secondary caster can take this action only while within 30 feet of you and before the start of your next turn.

A Secondary caster chooses a Circle Casting Primary Option if the Secondary Caster has knowledge and capability of the spell being cast OR a Circle Casting Secondary Casting Option if the Secondary Caster is a spellcaster but doesn’t know the specific spell.

Completing the Casting

If the spell has a casting time of an action, the Circle spell’s effects occur immediately after the final secondary caster takes the required action to contribute to the spell. You decide which secondary caster is the final one.

If the spell has a casting time of 1 minute or more, you and each secondary caster must take the magic action on each of their turns for the entire casting time, and you must each maintain Concentration while you do so. In this case, if any caster’s Concentration is broken, the spell fails.

Spell Failure

If a Circle spell fails, nothing happens. You don’t expend a spell slot, and any Material components aren’t consumed. To cast the spell again, you must start over.

Secondary Caster Circle Casting Options

The following options provide ways to enhance a spell when casting it as a Circle spell.

Some spells have a “Casting as a Circle Spell” section in their description. Instead of using one of the following options, you can create the effect described in that section when casting the spell as a Circle spell. Such effects are often uniquely powerful and specific to their respective spells.

Each secondary caster contributing to the spell must expend a spell slot. If the spell fails, these spell slots aren’t expended.

A Secondary caster chooses a Circle Casting Primary Option if the Secondary Caster has knowledge and capability of the spell being cast.

Secondary Caster Circle Casting Primary Options

• Effect

When you cast a spell with a primary effect, the Secondary Caster can choose to apply an additional spell effect appropriate for their spell slot level expended and proficiency.

For example, if a Fireball spell delivers 8d6 damage, casting it as a Circle spell with a secondary caster would increase the damage to 16d6. A sleep spell that renders creatures unconscious up to 5d8, casting it as a Circle spell with a secondary caster would renders creatures unconscious up to 10d8.

• Expand

When you cast a spell with a primary effect, the Secondary Caster can choose to apply an additional spell area of effect appropriate for their spell slot level expended and proficiency.

For example, if a spell creates a 20-foot-radius sphere, casting it as a Circle spell with a secondary caster would increase the radius to 40 feet. A spell that creates a line that is 5 feet wide and 300 feet long, cast as a Circle spell with a secondary caster, could make a line that is either 10 feet wide or 600 feet long.

• Prolong

When you cast a spell that has a duration of 1 minute or longer, the Secondary Caster can increase the duration of the spell appropriate for their spell slot level expended and proficiency.

For example, if a spell has a duration of 10 minutes, casting it as a Circle spell with a secondary caster would increase the duration to 20 minutes.

A Secondary caster chooses a Circle Casting Secondary Casting Option if the Secondary Caster is a spellcaster but doesn’t know the specific spell.

Secondary Caster Circle Casting Secondary Options

• Augment

When you cast a spell with a range of at least 5 feet, you can increase the range of the spell by 1,000 feet per secondary caster contributing to the spell, up to a maximum of a 1-mile increase.

• Distribute

When you cast a spell that requires Concentration, you can distribute the mental load of the spell among you and the secondary casters. Once the casting is complete, you and all secondary casters can maintain Concentration on this spell. As long as at least one caster who contributed to the spell maintains this Concentration, the spell’s effects remain active.

• Safeguard

When you cast a spell that creates an area of effect, you can carve out a safe zone within that area of effect that is unaffected by the spell for its duration. This safe zone consists of a 5-foot Cubes equal to the number of primary and secondary casters contributing to the spell. You can arrange the Cubes as you like, but each Cube must be contiguous with at least one other Cube.

If the spell’s area of effect can be moved, the safe zone moves with it.

HomeBrew Circle Magic Rule Summary

• Any additional Spellcasters with the same spell can deliver additional primary effects – choose one per spellcaster
  • Damage – additional damage for spell for each spellcaster
  • Expand – additional area of effect for spell for each spellcaster
  • Prolong – additional duration of spell for each spellcaster
• Any additional Spellcasters without the same spell can enhance the following secondary effects – choose one per spellcaster
  • Augment – expand range by 1,000 feet per spellcaster
  • Distribute – spell remains as long as one spellcaster maintains concentration
  • Safeguard – create safe zone of 5 ft cube per spellcaster.