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View Full Version : Toning Down Spellcasting: An Idea [3.5 rule change]



ideasmith
2009-07-10, 12:43 PM
Flow

At the beginning of each round, roll 1d10, treating any 0 as a 10. This is the highest level of spell that affected casters can begin to cast. Determine this before casters choose their actions for the round.

Flow does not affect spells that are already being cast, nor does it affect spells that have already been cast.

Level increases from metamagic don't count towards flow. Thus, a flow of 3 is sufficient for a sorcerer to cast an empowered fireball.

When a spell is readied, the flow at the time the spell is readied applies.

Flow Attunement: As a standard action, a caster can improve her personal flow. This allows the caster to cast spells as if flow was one point higher. Multiple consecutive uses of flow attunement stack, but flow attunement ceases at the end of any round in which the caster does not perform flow attunement.

New Feat: School Flow

You have exceptional flow with a chosen school.
Benefit: Choose one school. You cast spells of that school as if the flow was 1 point higher.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat, it applies to a new school.

Change Log

July 16, 2009: Changed result of 0/10. (Thank you, TSED)
July 16, 2009: Specified effects of metamagic. (Thank you, TSED)
July 16, 2009: Specifiec effects of readying spells. (Thank you, TSED)
July 16, 2009: Removed arcane/divine distinction. (Thank you, TSED)
July 16, 2009: Added flow attunement. (Thank you, TSED)
July 16, 2009: Added school flow feat. (Thank you, TSED)

Dienekes
2009-07-10, 12:58 PM
Now, I'm all for hitting spellcasting types like a whack-a-mole with the nerf hammer.

However, I don't think this is quite the way to do it. Sure it'll make them weaker, but it also will limit their choices to the point where they have very little control over their character in combat. A game isn't fun when you have the potential to do something awesome but the GM is forcing the player to play at much lower than there ability.

TSED
2009-07-10, 01:36 PM
Instead of rolling each divine source individually (can you imagine how much that would bog down combat if there was, for example, two warring clergies + PCs, and if the party had a cleric and a druid in it? 5d10 a round before any actions can even be taken!), I'd suggest you find some easy way to limit it.

Maybe the Weave applies to both sides equally (so your d10 affects EVERYONE), maybe the Divine Casters get some sort of Favour system going where actions they take that help further the Deity's goals while adhering to his philosophy increase the spell level by one, and disrespecting him / his goals / etc. lower by one.

Maybe have feats that increase the Flow for that one character by a small amount. (Maybe an improved version to increase it by +2 at high levels). Possibly even give sorcerers these as bonus feats (because they get ZERO class features, boooriiing).



How would metamagic apply? The kneejerk reaction is to say "its effective spell level," but I'm not so convinced on that one. It gives an incentive to prepare mildly metamagic'd (but not cheesed out) spells, after all...


If a spellcaster is out of lower level spells but still has a few higher level spells available, could he 'focus' and improve his Flow score for the next round? With a DC concentration X check?

And what about readied spells? I'd hold that they summon the magic before hand and just 'wait to launch it' as it were.

Lastly, I'd make the roll of 10 count for epic spells, not 0th level spells.

ideasmith
2009-07-16, 04:39 PM
Now, I'm all for hitting spellcasting types like a whack-a-mole with the nerf hammer.

However, I don't think this is quite the way to do it. Sure it'll make them weaker, but it also will limit their choices to the point where they have very little control over their character in combat. A game isn't fun when you have the potential to do something awesome but the GM is forcing the player to play at much lower than there ability.

Any way to balance classes will limit the spellcaster's choices. This solution at least gives the spellcaster at least a tenth of the time. (Probably at least a fifth after I revise it.)


Instead of rolling each divine source individually (can you imagine how much that would bog down combat if there was, for example, two warring clergies + PCs, and if the party had a cleric and a druid in it? 5d10 a round before any actions can even be taken!), I'd suggest you find some easy way to limit it.

Maybe the Weave applies to both sides equally (so your d10 affects EVERYONE), maybe the Divine Casters get some sort of Favour system going where actions they take that help further the Deity's goals while adhering to his philosophy increase the spell level by one, and disrespecting him / his goals / etc. lower by one.

Maybe have feats that increase the Flow for that one character by a small amount. (Maybe an improved version to increase it by +2 at high levels). Possibly even give sorcerers these as bonus feats (because they get ZERO class features, boooriiing).



How would metamagic apply? The kneejerk reaction is to say "its effective spell level," but I'm not so convinced on that one. It gives an incentive to prepare mildly metamagic'd (but not cheesed out) spells, after all...


If a spellcaster is out of lower level spells but still has a few higher level spells available, could he 'focus' and improve his Flow score for the next round? With a DC concentration X check?

And what about readied spells? I'd hold that they summon the magic before hand and just 'wait to launch it' as it were.

Lastly, I'd make the roll of 10 count for epic spells, not 0th level spells.

Thank you for all the useful points and suggestions. A major revision is in the works.

EDIT: Revision done and posted.