casting "beyond your abilities"?

[las]

heres the olmost done (this could be the final vershen of the feat).

Overcasting [Metamagic]

You know how to overcast your spells.

Prerequisites: Con 15+, Consentration 8+ ranks, Knowledge (arcna) 8+ ranks, Spellcraft 8+ ranks, any other metamagic feat.

Benefit: While casting a spell, you may increase the Spell Level with Metamagic effects beyond the highest level available to you. For instance, a 5th Level Wizard can cast a quickened fireball. This flexibility comes at a cost, however: For every Spell Level above your current maximum, you suffer 1 point of Temporary Constitution Damage.
Note: This Feat does not allow you to cast spells not normally available to you due to Level or your primary spellcasting Ability Score. You must have the spell memorized and be capable of casting it in order to use this Feat. Temporary Constitution points (such as from a Barbarian's Rage) cannot be used to pay the cost.

Any con damage must be heal at the standered rate magic healing cant deal with the streas the caster puts on his body.

how does that look.

 

[uv23]

In my game we switched over to a skill based casting spell point system.

Could you go into some detail on this? Cheers.

 

[Kershek]

Here are rules for pushed spellcasting that we thought up but never used. Maybe you'll find it useful.



Pushed Spell Casting:

Any spell caster can push his spell-casting limit per day or even cast a spell of higher level (if he can read from a scroll or book or from a divine spell list for Clerics, Paladins, Rangers, Druids, etc…). Wiz need the feat ‘Spell Mastery’ to push the number per day.

Here are the rules:

#1: The time for casting is increased by one unit (so if the spell normally takes 1 round it now takes two, if normally an attack action, it now take a full round).

#2: The risk/cost of casting a spell past the normal daily limit is:
+5% of failure per spell cast past the daily limit
+5% per level of the spell
+10% per caster level below what is normally needed to cast
-5% per 3 caster levels above the spell level trying to be cast
-1d4 HP of subdual damage per spell level

If the spell fails no other spell attempts may be cast at that level that day plus the spell being cast goes out of control. The results will be a 1d12 roll based of the following chart:

1 The spell hits/centers on the caster himself. No saves for the caster. Max damage / effect.
2-4 The spell hits/centers on the spell caster himself. Saves and damage are rolled normally.
5-6 Wild spell. Random targeting
7-8 Wild spell. Random targeting with only half the effect / damge.
9-12 The spell fails with no effect.

Spells that are self only always hit the caster with a roll of 1-8. Touch spells hit the caster with a roll of 1-4, hit the original target with a roll of 5-8, and fail with a roll of 9-12. Spells that are positive such as “Bull’s Strength” have the opposite effect. Spells that are attack touch that fail but still hit the original target have the opposite effect.

Ex: a 1st level human Sorcerer tries to cast an extra 1st level sleep spell (which he knows). He takes 1d4 HP of subdual at the end of the round. He rolls his spell failure %, which is +5% for the 1st try past his daily limit, +5% for the 1st level spell, 10% total. He roles a 55 and so he makes it and the spell works normally. If he tries again he takes another 1d4 points of subdual damage and the failure risk goes up to 15%. This time he roles a 12 and fails. Rolling a d12 he gets a 3 which centers on himself. He rolls his sleep spell and puts most of the party to sleep. (note: if the party were all elves this spell would of course have no effect to his party or himself.)

 

[thullgrim]

Skill Based Spellcasting:
Every spellcasting class has a skill that is used for spellcasting. For Mages its Spellcraft, Wilderness Lore for Druids and Rangers, Perform for Bards, and Knowledge: (Inseret your deity here). Every time a spell is cast the caster must make a skill check, the DC is based on the level of the spell, and any other modifiers that apply. Meta-magic feats add to the level of the spell, so any spellcasting done with meta-magic feats simply increases the DC. Spell Points are used to power the spells. Every spell caster begins with 2x their stat bonus for their primiary spell casting stat + 2d4/level spell points. If a spell caster fails their spellcasting check then 2 things occur. 1st the spell points are lost, and 2nd a fort save is made. If the Fort save is failed then the spell caster loses con equal to the adjusted level of the spell (base level + meta-magic). Spellcasters can overcast, simply by making the spellcasting check and expending the requsite amount of mana, but run the risk of failure every time. The numbers are such that its really easy to adjust the DCs for spells. If I want a world where magic is extremely dangerous I simply adjust the DCs by 1 or two up, for a high fantasy world the DCs are adjusted down by 1 or 2 points. I got many of the ideas for this off of one of the house rules threads that were circulating around here, other parts I added myself.

 

[Stalker0]

I'd say, just allow characters to write their own scrolls at higher caster levels than normal.

They have all the risks of casting a higher level scroll as normal, and you get enough in the way of additional xp and money costs.

 

[Sixchan]

I'd say, just allow characters to write their own scrolls at higher caster levels than normal.

They have all the risks of casting a higher level scroll as normal, and you get enough in the way of additional xp and money costs.

But what if the character wants to use all his magical abilities and more in one go? Gandalf vs. Balrog Style. Would you let the caster do it spontaneously? If the character was willing to sacrifice his character in the process?

 

[Stalker0]

But what if the character wants to use all his magical abilities and more in one go? Gandalf vs. Balrog Style. Would you let the caster do it spontaneously? If the character was willing to sacrifice his character in the process?

I wouldn't, but of course I'm not the one seeking a way to do it either

That's just one way of easily handeling it within the rules. If you want something more elaborate, then you'll need feats or whatnot as others have suggested.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I've mentioned this idea a couple of times in previous threads, so I'll post it again here.

I don't use this rule, but it is one that I would consider using.

Metamagic feats can be applied to a spell without raising the spells level, but there is a 10% failure chance for every level of metamagic so applied. If the spell fails then it backfires on the user.

e.g. a 5th level wizard wants to cast a maximised fireball - he has a 30% that it backfires and ground-zeroes on him.

e.g. a 6th level wizard wants to launch some quickened magic missiles. There is a 40% chance that it backfires.

e.g. a 1st level wizard wants to cast a double-empowered, quickened shocking grasp. There is an 80% chance that it backfires.

(spells which are not targetted and which backfire either have the reverse effect OR do 1d6 damage per spell level).

I would make this failure chance cumulative with armour spell failure chance.

I would not allow metamagic to be "partially" applied in this way - it is either prepared fully at the appropriate higher level, or take the whole risk of "risky metamagicisation".

Cheers

 

[Sanackranib]

casting higher

I would allow it withe the witch -wild mage varient. its not automatic but the results can be spectactular

 

[Mordane76]

We already have a caster that has very open casting abilities, even able to burn himself out casting spells beyond his "safety" limit. It was mechanically a bit difficult to put together, but overall, we like the class we built in our homebrew.