RangerWickett said:
Oh, well there's still the normal caster level MP limit. So if you're 5th level, you're not going to be able to spend more than 5 MP total on a single spell anyway. You could know 10 different Evoke spells, and you still couldn't cast Evoke Fire 6.
Basically, it's a two-pronged balance. You're limited once by caster level, once by the number of spell lists you know of a given action type. You can't go over either of the limits. The spell-lists-known restriction is to encourage spending more than a single spell list in each field. It keeps a mage from just knowing one Heal list (Heal Life) and being able to use all the healing spells he'd ever want. It makes high-level magic have an extra prerequisite.
Most mages, for instance, won't want to 'waste' lists on things like Heal Earth or Heal Air, because usually you'll be healing party members, which are [life] creatures, not air or earth elements (or walls of stone). This means that if the mages just want to have access to a little healing, then can get by with just the one spell list. Devoted healers, though, will take several lists, and will probably grab the Heal Specialist feat.
Wait... Wait...
Is that what it says in the book?
AH!!!!
You cannot spend more MP than either of the following:
- The max magic points as dictated by your level (on a one for one basis).
- More than 5 x the number of spell lists of a paticular action type. 1 list = 5 MP max, 2 lists = 10 MP max, 3 = 15 MP each, 4 = unlimited MP.
Now, another question: does the limit include all modifiers to a spell?
Would a fifth level caster use:
Evoke fire 5/gen 5
or
Evoke fire 4/gen 1
As a maxed spell? In other words, if the max per part fo the spell, or for the total spell?
I think I've got it, but I want to make sure of the limiting factors before deciding on the power levels of such spell casters...
Right now, a fifth level caster would make fireball as the following:
Fireball
(Evoke fire 1/gen 4)
Spell causes a 20' radius burst of fire damage. The damage is 2d6.
Cost: Evoke fire = 1mp, Medium range = 2mp, Area 20' = 2mp: 5mp total
It would seem that a fifth level Mage would be able to cast it a max of 7 times before depleting all of his points (35).
A normal Wizard would be able to cast one full powered fireball for 5d6 damage, and slightly better range.
So, Mages have a lower max power, but can spread it around more?