[3.5 Variant Spellcasting] Recharge Variant

[Pyromancer999]

Background- The Vancian spellcasting system is all right, but it's only just all right. When it comes to spellcasting, my group and I have always preferred to take an approach to it like spell points and the like. However, I recently discovered the recharge variant spellcasting in Unearthed Arcana. At first, I was excited: My players wouldn't have to wait a whole day to get their spells back!...But I was quickly disappointed. They got their spells back pretty quickly, which made almost no sense, as they would get their highest level spells back in less than minute. Unless they were one of the crazy spells that had a recharge time with almost no discernible formula for doing so. And even if someone made use of these spells, what about all of the other spells out there? Additionally, if a spell is of your highest level, it should take a good bit of time to recover enough to cast it again. So, I decided to make my own recharge variant.

Spellcasting Variant: Recharge Slots

Here's how this works: Take a spellcasting class. Remove all of the Vancian spellcasting slots, and solely take into account how many spells known they have. Divide the spells known for a given level of spells by two. You have that many recharge slots for that level of spells. The maximum number of recharge slots per level is equal to your casting ability modifier.

How They Work

On the surface, recharge slots are like Vancian spell slots: Take a spell of that level, and cast it. Once cast, one recharge slot of that level is used. Recharge slots, after a while, open up again, due to them, well, recharging. Recharge slots open up again after a certain amount of time, in accordance to what level they are.

{table]If the recharge slot is of ....| Time to recharge per slot level

Highest level you can cast| 2 hours

Second Highest| 1 hour

Third Highest| 30 minutes

Fourth Highest| 20 minutes

Fifth Highest| 10 minutes

Sixth Highest| 2 minutes

Seventh Highest| 1 Minute

Eighth Highest| 2 rounds

Ninth Highest| 1 round
[/table]

The only level that does not have recharge slots is level 0, which is capable of being cast at-will. Recharge slots are all completely refilled after 8 hours of rest.

Prepared vs. Spontaneous Casters

Spontaneous casters may simply choose whatever spell they know and cast it, provided they have a recharge slot available. Prepared spellcasters must, at the beginning of each day memorize spells, taking the normal amount of time. During this time, they select a number of spells equal to the number of recharge slots they have. These are the spells they cast throughout the day of that level, although they may cast a certain spell they have prepared as many times as they like, so long as a recharge slot is available.

What happened to my firepower?

Many classes had more or less spell slots to denote their relative power to others as such, here are a few solutions for the respective levels of power:

If, at the highest level of the class, the spell level had 1 or 2 spell slots:

-Treat spells as though they were one level higher than they are, up to the maximum
-Subtract one recharge slot

If, at the highest level of the class, the spell level had 3 or 4 spell slots:

-Do nothing

If, at the highest level of the class, the spell level had 5 or 6 spell slots:

-Treat spells as though they were one level lower than they are, up to the minimum
-Add one recharge slot

Recharge Slots and SLAs

This is pretty simple. If you have an SLA, you gain a recharge slot for it per two uses per day(minimum 1 recharge slot) that recharges based on its spell level as compared to a Sorcerer of your HD.

That's pretty much it. Please PEACH/comment, as I know there's probably a problem or two somewhere.

[Pyromancer999]

Anyone want to comment/PEACH?

[Eldest]

It looks like this gives the wizard 1/2 his spells know as recharge slots... And the wizard can know as many spells as he wants. That does not sound right. The way that works now, the wizard both knows more spells and can cast more spells than the sorcerer. You might want to switch it to half the spells/day of a spell level they got under the Vancian system.

[Pyromancer999]

It looks like this gives the wizard 1/2 his spells know as recharge slots... And the wizard can know as many spells as he wants. That does not sound right. The way that works now, the wizard both knows more spells and can cast more spells than the sorcerer. You might want to switch it to half the spells/day of a spell level they got under the Vancian system.

Already thought of and accounted for:




Spellcasting Variant: Recharge Slots

Here's how this works: Take a spellcasting class. Remove all of the Vancian spellcasting slots, and solely take into account how many spells known they have. Divide the spells known for a given level of spells by two. You have that many recharge slots for that level of spells. The maximum number of recharge slots per level is equal to your casting ability modifier.

[Siosilvar]

Already thought of and accounted for:

That's not a limitation. In fact, it's rather trivial to keep an Intelligence modifier higher than the number of spells known, even pouring all of a wizard's money into low-level scrolls. Not to mention the headache that is 6 6th-level cleric spells per 2 hours (I did the math; 16 base + 3 levels + 4 enhancement is trivially easy at 12th - other levels aren't much better, and a +10 modifier is available at 20th for just 63,500gp and a starting 18 score).

Also, the prepared caster has an enormous advantage over the spontaneous caster, namely that they have more spells (and thus slots, negating the big advantage of spontaneous to begin with), only need to prepare spells once to cast them out of any slot (the other advantage of spontaneous casters), and still being able to choose their spells individually each day.

[Pyromancer999]

That's not a limitation. In fact, it's rather trivial to keep an Intelligence modifier higher than the number of spells known, even pouring all of a wizard's money into low-level scrolls. Not to mention the headache that is 6 6th-level cleric spells per 2 hours (I did the math; 16 base + 3 levels + 4 enhancement is trivially easy at 12th - other levels aren't much better, and a +10 modifier is available at 20th for just 63,500gp and a starting 18 score).

Not quite getting you here. Sorry. Perhaps you could explain more clearly what you mean?


Also, the prepared caster has an enormous advantage over the spontaneous caster, namely that they have more spells (and thus slots, negating the big advantage of spontaneous to begin with), only need to prepare spells once to cast them out of any slot (the other advantage of spontaneous casters), and still being able to choose their spells individually each day.

Still, they only get access to 1/2 their spells(although this could be reduced, while spontaneous get access to their whole arsenal. Also, I suppose I could make them assign spells to recharge slots, maybe.

[Siosilvar]

Not quite getting you here. Sorry. Perhaps you could explain more clearly what you mean?Casting modifier will be higher than half spells known at all times for all classes save full-list casters, and full-list casters will have far too many "spells per 2 hours" because primary ability modifiers hover at around +3 +1 per four levels, increasing faster towards the high end.

This means full-list casters have too many slots and the limit of slots by ability modifier won't come into play for anybody else it could apply to.


Still, they only get access to 1/2 their spells(although this could be reduced, while spontaneous get access to their whole arsenal. Also, I suppose I could make them assign spells to recharge slots, maybe.

Compare a sorcerer of any level to a wizard of any level. I'll use 6th.

Wizard spells known: X/6/4/4
Sorcerer spells known: 7/4/2/1

Wizard spell slots: X/3/2/2 (core: 4/3/3/2)
Sorcerer spell slots: X/2/1/1

Not only do the wizard and sorcerer now use recharging magic, but the wizard is better at it, negating the sorcerer's whole purpose of "fewer spells, more often". The other shtick the sorcerer has ("preparing" a spell only once and using any slot available for it) is also taken away.

I'm sure this is just a draft, but it doesn't really solve many problems and takes away from the semblance of balance between casters that was in core 3.5. The idea is pretty good, but the implementation will need a lot of work.

[Kellus]

This is a neat idea for a variant to normal daily spell allotments, but the main problem is that it is way way WAY too much effort to track. At mid-to-high levels you're talking about dozens of spells to track varying cooldown times on, in a game where time is nebulous to begin with. So much more bookkeeping for so little benefit. It would boil down to continually waiting around for small periods of time as one slot or another comes back online, and the DM would have to provide continual exact time counts of everything you do so that the spellcaster could update his cooldowns. It would be a logistical nightmare, basically. That's one real point of traction the daily version has: at least most players can agree on when a day ends and a new one starts. :smallwink:

[Pyromancer999]

This is a neat idea for a variant to normal daily spell allotments, but the main problem is that it is way way WAY too much effort to track. At mid-to-high levels you're talking about dozens of spells to track varying cooldown times on, in a game where time is nebulous to begin with. So much more bookkeeping for so little benefit. It would boil down to continually waiting around for small periods of time as one slot or another comes back online, and the DM would have to provide continual exact time counts of everything you do so that the spellcaster could update his cooldowns. It would be a logistical nightmare, basically. That's one real point of traction the daily version has: at least most players can agree on when a day ends and a new one starts. :smallwink:

This is true, as I've had a few DMs test it. However, it apparently works well for spell-like abilities, especially with a slight modification for Dragonmarks, according to an Eberron fan I know.

Also, it's been suggested that maybe current spell slots should just be recharge slots, but as mentioned, that apparently takes a good bit of book-keeping.