Sadras
Legend
Using only the generic wizard as an example and if we go by memorization rule, where the spell fades as soon as it is cast, you will not have an overspam of one spell during an "encounter."
And it will still require the wizard to memorise the spell again between encounters, especially if its powerful.
I prefer the "Stamina" approach as it makes more sense than having a set no. of times you cast a spell per day. What does that even mean? What if you cast one more - why can't you? Why are you able to memorise more spells as you progress in levels. Youth generally have a pretty decent memory, surely a younger wizard (i.e. lower level) would be able to memorise more spells than an older one - perhaps not as powerful as the elder but certainly more.
I would rather see a fatigue technique kick in, whereby if you push yourself in an encounter casting spells, fatigue/weakness/daze kicks in possibly pushing yourself into unconciousness at the strain of attempting to cast one more spell. The spells wont necessarily be successful once the physical strain begins, so you are taking a gamble which is great for roleplaying desperation tactics. And through all this you will be limited to the number of spells you have memorised.
As you rise in level, your ability to manipulate/harness the magic energies so as not to affect you as much will grow (hence growth in "Stamina"/level)
Stamina rate could return to you per hour, depending on your condition.
I dont think its fair to equate the generic Wizards magic with a Psionicist's power of mind. They are very different thematically and should be seen as such during gameplay. It would be a better comparison to use a Sorcerer and the Psionicist.
So for the Sorcerer/Psionicist the same mechanic would flow, except they might not be able to harness as much magic/powers as would a Wizard. It could be more streneous - given then it is more innate rather than "summoning/crafting" the magic. Depends on what your definition of magic is in your campaign.
So essentially they could have fewer "Stamina" points. You could also add limitations with certain powers/spells - due to the energies required and therefore need more time to set-up (a round between spamming them again)..etc
But dont take away from the class - essentially they are the true At-willers, I wouldnt want their thematic class component taken away because of bad mechanics.
In summation I would prefer using this Fatigue mechanic for Arcane Casters - it makes more sense than all this daily allotments which serve no real purpose other than a poor roleplaying reason to limit the Arcane User's power. It would also fix the at-will spam damage spells.
For Divine Casters who harness the power of their deities, the daily allotment works fine, but if they push/draw on/request more power from their deity than they are alloted, they can essentially cause physical damage to themselves from the pure divine energy they are harnessing through their bodies. Taking hit point damage and possibly even wounds/scarring (different mechanic, could even be permanent depending on what they asked for).
The current DnD systems currently have set spell/divine limits which dont elaborate on what happens if you push those limits or why could cant cast/call on more - which makes those limits rather arbitrary in my opinion.
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