Spell Points and Pearls of Power

[Mauril Everleaf]

Is there an elegant way to deal with the interaction of these two things?

My group uses the spell point variant from Unearthed Arcana and one of the players wants to start using the Pearls of Power listed in the magic items in the core book.

The problem I've run into is that simply converting a pearl of power into the requisite spell points needed to cast a spell of that level makes it illogical to buy anything more than level one pearls.

For example, a level 1 pearl of power costs 1000 gold. This grants a first level spell slot, or 1 spell point. A level 2 pearl of power costs 4000 gold, or 3 spell points. However, 3 level 1 pearls of power grant 3 spell points too...at 1000 gold cheaper. Since pearls of power are slotless items and are stackable, I run into a problem.

I wouldn't bother with them except one of the players wants them in her special item (every player has one). When she gets to level 20, she is getting 56 extra spell points - which can equal 3 extra level 9 spells, a level 8 spell and a level 1 spell (time stop, prismatic sphere and 2 gates, with a quickened (from a rod) magic missile for kicks). If we were using Vancian slots, she could have an extra 6th level spell, two 5s, two 4s, a single 3, two 2s and two 1s. Vastly different. Rather than a nigh invulnerable caster flanked by two solars, she just has a little more durability and versatility in her mid and low level spells.

So what do you guys think? How should we handle the unintended consequences of spell points and spell boosting items?

[olentu]

Well you could run them like Cognizance Crystals.

[Edge of Dreams]

Decide what price you want "recharge 1 power point" to cost, call that X. Then, say that the Pearls of Power cost X times the number of points they recharge. This creates a simple, linear system.

If you want something that scales exponentially in cost like the vancian system, rule that players can only use one (or two, or three, or whatever) Pearls of Power or similar items per day, and have the ones that grant more points scale in price just like with the old system.

[Mauril Everleaf]

Well you could run them like Cognizance Crystals.

That might be great advice if I knew what those were and how they worked...

[ZeroNumerous]

That might be great advice if I knew what those were and how they worked...

Googling them might be a great idea too, but there's the SRD link anyway.

[Mauril Everleaf]

Thanks. I always forget that there is psionic stuff in the SRD...

[Superglucose]

Rule that you can only use one Pearl of Power at a time. EG, you can use your two Pearls of Power 2 to recall 2 second level spells, but you can't use three Pearls of Power 1 to recall a second level spell, because that would be using more than one Pearl at the same time.

One Pearl of Power per Spell recalled, in other words.