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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cheiromancer" data-source="post: 3076309" data-attributes="member: 141">Today's radical ideaI propose that we eliminate Epic Spellcasting and just use Improved Spell Capacity instead.  I would also make the following changes/additions to the rules: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">an epic spell uses two spell slots instead of one.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Spell Level is equal to 6 + SP/6; e.g. SP 24 is level 10</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The caster has to meet the Spellcraft Prerequisite to learn the spell.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">An epic spell has an ability prerequisite of <s>10 + 2 x Spell Level, instead of</s> 10 + Spell Level. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Each Improved Metamagic feat provides a -2 mitigation to epic spells.  Three such feats would reduce an epic spell by one level, to a minimum of 10.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><s>Automatic Quicken Spell</s> [edit]Multispell[/edit] would only work on non-epic spells, but they could be cast in the same round as a swift action epic spell.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Base range, duration and area of non-epic spells would be capped at 20th level (in parity with epic spells); so would effects that are not otherwise limited by the spell description.</li> </ul>Other than this, I think most current rules can stay in place; e.g. that epic spells can't be metamagicked. Since factors do everything that metamagic can, anyway, and Improved Metamagic helps epic spells, there is a very small sacrifice.  We'd still use the SP system to design epic spells; we'd just assign them a spell level afterwards.I see the following benefits from this:• Epic spells (perhaps with a very specific focus) can be added gradually, without making a caster feel they wasted a feat.• the save DCs of many epic spells would be modestly increased; this is a small step towards addressing the problem of saving throws vs save DCs at higher levels.• It would moderate the power curve slightly; the caster's best spell can only be cast in one slot, not in each epic spell slot they possess.• It would reduce overspecialization, since PCs would spend feats on metamagic, Improved Metamagic, Great Ability and Improved <s>Metamagic</s> [edit]Spell[/edit] Capacity instead of just Epic Spellcasting.• It would ensure that the two kinds of epic wizards (metamagic using and jacobean spellcasters) remain balanced with each other.  To amplify this last point: metamagic using wizards who envy their jacobean brothers could imitate them by casting epic spells with their higher level slots, and envious jacobean casters could use non-epic spells metamagicked to higher levels in theirs.  Poor feat or spell choices could result in a weaker character, of course, but that has always been true.  And of course one would try to make epic spells balanced with the metamagic alternative.  However the choice of taking the Epic Spellcasting would not so critical in determining the viability and focus of the character; characters could be as specialized or as generalized as they like.The motive for taking up 2 slots is so that 1 feat won't get an epic spellcaster 2 epic spells; one from the slot, the other a bonus due to a high ability score (e.g. consider a 21st level character with 16 initial + 5 level + 5 inherent + 6 enhancement = 32).  The higher ability score prerequisite ensures the character will actually get the bonus, and so be able to meet the 2 slot requirement.  (Have you ever noticed that while fox's cunning won't grant bonus spells, a headband has no such limitation?)I'm actually thinking that some of the basic mechanics of spellcasting should be tied to spell level; i.e. levels 0 to 9 take 1 spell slot and have a prerequisite of 10 + spell level; levels 10 to 19 take 2 spell slots and have a prerequisite of 10 + 2 x spell level; levels 20 to 29 take 3 spell slots and have a prerequisite of 10 + 3 x spell level, and so on.  A level 19 spell is SP 78; level 29 is SP 138.  This is based on mathematical neatness, and on the premonition that high SP spells may be getting progressively more powerful and need to be reined in a bit.  But I'm not wedded to the notion.Anyway, that's my current enthusiasm.  What do you think?</blockquote>

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