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View Full Version : [3.5e] Channellers - Variant Magic System - [PEACH]



ironwizard
2013-07-27, 10:52 PM
Channellers
A 2e mage Variant ported into 3.5 by ironwizzard

The default magic system for Dungeons and Dragons makes use of spell slots, best explained as discrete units of magical potential. For spontaneous magic, this works fine, but breaks down flavor-wise for prepared casting. As a wizard, I could memorize 2 Magic Missiles, so I know it after I've cast the first one, but not after the second? Tl;dr: it's a clunky system. Also casters are really really powerful with respect to non-casters (well, most of them).

A valid fix, and more sensible magic system, has been with us all along, hiding in the 2e supplement, Player's Option: Spells and Magic (a book considered heretical by most AD&D fanatics :P ).

First the basics: the Channeller system is based on spell points, much like the familiar psionic system. That's where the similarities end. Channellers have 2 Spell Point pools, which we'll call their 'knowledge pool' and 'casting pool.' To find out how many spell points a character has, add up their spell slots and convert them to spell points using the table below. The distinction between prepared and spontaneous casters will become virtually undetectable as you'll see shortly (the exception being Warmages, Beguillers, and Dread Necromancers). In the beginning of the day, when spellcasters would normally refresh spell slots and prepare spells, they instead spend their knowledge pool defining their repertoire for the day (similar to how Spirit Shamans retrieve spells). Throughout the day, they will then use their casting pool to cast their spells, spontaneously out of their spells retrieved in their knowledge pool. If the base class prepares spells, he must prepare them with metamagic attached at this time. If the base class casts spells spontaneously, then he can apply metamagic on-the-fly, but increases the casting time as normal. So far, this has only made casters more powerful. The balancing factor comes in the form of fatigue. Casting a spell is an exertion on the caster's body and mind, and he can only cast a few spells at a time before the effort would drive him into exhaustion. When a caster casts a spell, his fatigue level increases. The various levels of fatigue make him slower, easier to hit, and can eventually drive him into unconsciousness or kill him outright.

The Knowledge Pool:

The Knowledge Pool and Spontaneous Casters: Spontaneous Casters may not change their knowledge pool each day, though he may re-spend points at each new level where a default caster could trade out a spell known. He may reassign a number of spell points equal to the cost of the highest level spell slot he could have swapped out.

The Knowledge Pool and Prepared Casters: Prepared Casters may change their knowledge pool daily (spending an hour of study, meditation, etc to do so). The size of their knowledge pool is equal to one half the size of their casting pool.

The Knowledge Pool and Semi-Spontaneous Casters: Spirit Shamans (and any homebrew classes that use the same method of casting) may change their knowledge pool daily. The size of their pool is computed from their existing Spells Retrieved Table the same way a caster's casting pool is calculated from their spells per day table. Semi-Spontaneous Casters must purchase spells with metamagic attached as normal.

Fatigue:

The Achilles Heel to the power and flexibility of the Channeller variant is the fatigue accrued from casting spells. Fatigue is broken into 3 components: a caster's Fatigue Threshold, measured in Fatigue Points, that impose penalties due to the character's current Fatigue Level. (Note that these levels are independent of the fatigued and exhausted conditions, though these conditions do influence a caster's fatigue level.

Fatigue Threshold: This number is the number of points it takes to push a caster from one fatigue level to the next. Depending on the class in question, it will be equal to ½ class level, ¾ character level, or full character level. In all cases, the threshold advancement is equivalent to BaB (the logic being that combat-oriented classes have more stamina) + CON mod. (Mechanically, it avoids eh sticky situation of punishing gish classes, like duskblades.)

Fatigue Points: A spell increases a character's fatigue by a number of fatigue points equal to the spell level + 1.

Fatigue Level: There are 6 levels of fatigue: None, Light, Moderate, Heavy, Severe, and Mortal. A character starts each day with 0 fatigue. Every time he reaches his Fatigue Threshold, the threshold resets and his fatigue level increases by 1. Keep any leftover points during the reset. Suppose a caster with a Fatigue Threshold of 7 has 5 accumulated Fatigue Points at a Fatigue Level of None. If he were to cast a second level spell (+3 Fatigue Points), his fatigue level would increase to light, and he would have 1 Fatigue Point towards the next level of fatigue.

Fatigue Levels Defined:

None: The caster is still considered fresh. This is the default state, and has no additional rules.

Light: The caster has begun to exert himself somewhat, but not too terribly yet. He suffers a -1 penalty to AC, attack rolls, skill checks involving physical stats, and initiative rolls.

Moderate: The caster is beginning to really feel the downside of casting. He suffers a -2 penalty to AC, attack rolls, skill checks involving physical stats, and initiative rolls. His encumbrance category is also considered to be one step worse than it actually is.

Heavy: The caster has begun to put very real strain on his body at this point.. He suffers a -3 penalty to AC, attack rolls, skill checks involving physical stats, and initiative rolls. His encumbrance category is also considered to be one step worse than it actually is.

Severe: The caster is realistically at his breaking point. Any more exertion will tax him to the point of actual danger.. He suffers a -5 penalty to AC, attack rolls, skill checks involving physical stats, and initiative rolls. His encumbrance category is also considered to be two steps worse than it actually is.

Mortal: The caster has finally put enough stress on his mind and body to cause him actual harm. Upon reaching this level of fatigue, the caster must immediately make a Fortitude save (DC = ½ the total number of fatigue points he has accumulated (including those from previous levels)). If he fails, he immediately falls unconscious and will remain so for 1d6 x 10 minutes. He will awaken with exactly enough fatigue points to be Severely fatigued (4 x his Fatigue Threshold). Success means he can continue casting as normal, but any additional spells cast will automatically force him to make the same Fortitude save or fall unconscious (same duration). If a caster somehow manages to reach his fatigue threshold while Mortally fatigued, he must make a Fortitude Save (same DC) or die instantly. Success means he only falls unconscious for 1d6 hours (he will awaken with Severe fatigue as normal).

Fatigue and Encumbrance: A character encumbered tires faster than one unencumbered. If a character is moderately encumbered, ever spell he casts inflicts 50% more fatigue points (round up, min 1). Heavy encumbrance instead causes spells to inflict double the number of fatigue points. If a fatigue level would cause an increase in encumbrance, use the character's modified encumbrance category for determining the fatigue points inflicted by new spells. If a fatigue level would increase a character's encumbrance category beyond the maximum, instead increase his fatigue level by one for each encumbrance category he couldn't reach. So a caster under moderate encumbrance that is suffering from Severe fatigue would increase his encumbrance category by 2. Since there is no encumbrance category greater than Heavy, the extra increase is applied to his Fatigue Level, increasing it to Mortal.

Fatigue-Inducing Spells and effects: Any spell or effect that would cause the fatigued condition on a channeller does so as normal, in addition to increasing his fatigue level by one. Any effect that would cause exhaustion does so as normal, and increases his fatigue level by two. Characters with light or moderate fatigue count as fatigued for the purpose of spells that inflict fatigue or exhaustion and characters with heavy, severe, or mortal fatigue count as being exhausted. A fatigue-inducing spell or effect can NOT increase a caster's fatigue level beyond Severe, though a single spell could then increase his fatigue level to mortal as normal. When a character is moved to a worse fatigue level by a fatigue inducing spell or effect, reset his current fatigue points total to 0 towards the next level.

{table=head]Spell Level|Spell Points Cost

0th|1

1st|4

2nd|6

3rd|10

4th|15

5th|22

6th|30

7th|40

8th|50

9th|60[/table]

Thoughts? Could it work? To complicated? Too good? Too bad?