Spell schools...

[Grynning]

So, I've noticed that spell schools are pretty arbitrary in this edition. There are certain spells that seem like they should be somewhere else. For example - Heal and Cure are both Evocation, but Mass Heal and Mass Cure are Conjuration. Now, it doesn't seem to matter too much other than as a fluff thing but has anyone noticed any place where this causes any mechanical issues?

[pwykersotz]

Huh...good catch, I hadn't noticed that.

[1of3]

The only classes that care about spell schools are Wizard and its offshots, the magic sublcasses of Figher and Rogue. Since Wizard does not have healing spells, it doesn't matter which school they are in from a mechanical perspective.

[Mezmote]

As of now, it doesn't seem to matter, but I think it can become relevant if latter modules grants special abilities or feats that care for the spell school (ala Augment Healing from 3.5). I don't know why they would put the Mass version of Cure and Heal in a different school though.

I think that one is just a blunder in the editing department, a throwback to the old version from 3.5. If that isn't the case, it requires an official explanation.

In my mind, those spells belong in the necromancy department anyway (at least by WOTC's own definitions of the school). The switch to evocation doesn't bother me much, as you could flavor it like energy that is being created out of nothing. Conjuration also made sense in the old cosmology.

In 3.5, conjuration could do almost anything. The fluff back then (as it is now) is that you transport matter or energy from one place/plane to another. Thus, it was entirely feasible to flavor 90% of all spells to be of the conjuration school if the designers wanted to do that (and indeed, some players at my table tried to sneak spells into that category). A conjurer back then could do almost everything that was needed in a party, as healing, battlefield control, teleportation, damage and summoning was all part of conjuration. I personally like the new editions departure from that philosophy. It makes the schools more distinct and meaningful.

[Grynning]

I too am happy to see all the schools having relevant abilities, and yeah, it's really only on the Wizard that it currently matters at all. I personally think Divination and Enchantment are two of the most powerful choices for a Wizard, when they were jokes in the previous editions.

I was thinking that some "misplaced" spells could negatively impact the 1/3 caster paths (Arcane Trickster and Eldritch Knight), but their "expanded learning" feature where they can pick any school at certain levels kind of fixes that.

Necromancy, or rather, just the Animate Dead spell, is just busted right now until they errata in some kind of upper limit on how many undead dudebros you can control, but that's just the standard leadership/companions problem rearing its ugly head again rather than an issue with the school itself. The other spells in the school seem pretty well rounded and fair.