A review copy of “Save or Suck?” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
Designed by: Daniel Kahn, Spencer Hibnick, Trekiros
“Save or Suck” refers to spells whose saving throws completely negate their effects. Some of the most popular spells, such as slow, hold person, faerie fire, and hypnotic pattern have zero effect if the targets make the saving throw, which feels pretty bad for the spellcasting PC.
Save or Suck? helps alleviate this issue by introducing a new rule: the close save, along with 60 variant spell version that feature close save effects.
How does the close save work?
If a target succeeds the spell saving throw DC by less than five, they trigger the new close save effects. Close save effects are typically reduced versions of the spell, either through their effects, or their duration.
For example, you cast hold person on a target. Your spell save DC is 14. The target rolls a 15 on their saving throw.
Using these new rules, that would only be a close save. The target would have to roll a 19 or higher to get a total save and suffer no effects (lower than a 14 is still a fail, and receives the full effect of the spell).
The close save effect for hold person turns the paralyze into a grapple — the target’s speed becomes zero, and they can repeat the save at the end of each turn.
It’s a gentle way of making that spell slot and action mean something more often, even if they don’t get the full effects of the spell.
Of course, the big question is whether the DM abides by these same rules!
The rules account for several options and limitations on the player-side, such as limiting these “reliable spells,” to feats, magic items, or specific class features, such as cleric domain spells or warlock invocations.
I like these limitations. It wouldn’t upset the balance too much to make only certain spells in a caster’s repertoire hit a bit more often, and would probably be more thematic to their build.
The actual rules and optional limitations only take up two pages. The rest of the nearly 30-page supplement is devoted to the Reliable Spells List, variants of 60 “save or suck” spells from official 5e sources with the added close save effects.
Some close saves provide their effects for only a single turn (confusion, banishment, Tasha’s caustic brew), or reduce debuffs into something not as bad, such as hypnotic pattern charming but not incapacitating, or cause fear not frightening (which forces disadvantage), but still preventing the target from moving closer.
The most interesting is polymorph, whose variant is so good it should be part of the baseline spell. The new close save effects allows the target to retain one trait and one attack of their choice, using their original stats and modifiers.
Hence why we have a sheep with dragon wings and fire breath on the book’s cover. It’s fun, meme-worthy, and a great example of “save or suck” meeting halfway.
Pros:
- Easy-to-apply rules for every non-damaging save spell.
- Option to limit reliable spells to special class features and/or feats.
- 60 variant spells with new close save effects.
Cons:
- None!
The Verdict: Save or Suck? helps mitigate saving throw woes with simple and effective rules, applied to 60 official 5e spells.
A review copy of “Save or Suck?” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
RogueWatson 