Quote Originally Posted by aglondier View Post
A brand new pouch, 5gp, would cover the 17th level mage for his level 1 spells just fine...

Hmmm...perhaps each time you add a new spell level (at levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17) there should be a cost as you upgrade your "level 1 pouch". Perhaps a cost of 5gp x the new spell level? To cover the cost of new pouch, clasps, partitions, etc and integrating them with your casting style...
The main issue I see with this is that there are one of two outcomes, at least as far as I see:

1) The casters can easily acquire their new pouches, with minimal delays.
2) The casters cannot easily acquire their new pouches, facing significant delays, danger, or cost.

If 1, then the rule is pointless. A pittance of coin barely worth noticing. If 2, you're nerfing casters (which is not undeserved) but in a very slipshod and minuscule way. And, most importantly, in a way that feels bad, least to me-but I'd wager that many other players would agree.