Elements of Magic + Vitalizing (UA)

[JDowling]

Vitalizing - links spell points to physical limit (you become fatigued, or exhausted the greater % of your spell points you spend), if you heal (rest for time or magically) from your physical condition you regain spell points.

normally that'd mean an hour down time for 1/3 your spell points, or so.

Elements of Magic has spells that remove fatigue or exhaustion relatively cheaply (and spells that cause those two states).

Soooo, ramifications of combining them seem to be:
- "mauh hahahaha i have infinate spell points (with no down time) because when I run low I spend X to refill to Y% of my power"
- "I see another wizard... I cast Exhaustion on him!" (the failed save for exhaustion is leaving the target fatigued... so you take the target down to 1/2 or 1/4th his normal total spell points).

So, best to just ban those two functions if one were to use the Vitalizing option? If not, everyone would take those two (for mage duels)... and normal use... being exhausted is -6 STR and DEX... that's pretty hefty, and if they make their save the target still gets -2 STR and DEX... not to mention the limits on movement.

I was basically going to nix those two options so
- Magic can't heal (or cause) fatigue or exhaustion.

Thoughts? it is tempting to leave causing those states in, but I could see that easily becoming abused. Maybe I'm missing something?

 

[RangerWickett]

This is just an issue of two rules systems using the same mechanic for different functions.

In the core rules, fatigue and exhaustion only really factor in with Barbarian rage, running, and the few spells that cause these conditions. If you only have those to worry about, EOM's spell isn't that bad. But yeah, combining the UA fatigue magic with EOM is a bad idea.

I'd recommend instead using the mechanic introduced in the Expanded Psionics Handbook - Ability Burn. Ability Burn is like ability damage, except that it cannot be healed magically; you have to recover naturally.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

Or give those spells a duration, say 1 or 10 Min per level. The effects fatiuge or exhaustion are only supressed during this time.

 

[JDowling]

I think for the time being I'm doing the following
- fatigue and exhaustion caused by using spell points cannot be magically healed

leave the rest as is in the rules, that way mages have something of an achille's heel against eachother, if the PCs figure it out, bravo to them, if they don't then perhaps a BBEG Mage will need to "learn them something"

EDIT: what I would give to have natural spell check and grammar check built in