House Rule: Fate Pool (Does this work?)

[Mercurius]

I'm planning on "converting" to Pathfinder with a new campaign that starts in April or so, at least until 5E comes out. Having played 4E for the last three years and not having played 3.5 since 2004 or so, I'm still getting my head around the Pathfinder rules (again). One of the things I look forward to--and missed in 4E--is the "classic" power curve that sees fighters start out more powerful than spellcasters, and then spellcasters surpass fighters at some point (I don't know how it is in Pathfinder, but I seem to remember this happening in 3.5 sometime in the 7-12 range).

That said, I also like the "Conan defeats the more powerful evil sorcerer through guile and heroic fate" archetype, so want to provide a simple yet effective house rule to give non spellcasters an extra perk that allows for heroic action. Below is the house rule I'm dabbling with; please tell me if you think this could work in Pathfinder:

HOUSE RULE: FATE POOL
Basic Concept: The Fate Pool gives all characters, especially non-spellcasters, an extra resource to accomplish heroic actions. The idea is simple: every PC has some multiple of their level as a permanent Fate Pool that can be used daily (it is “re-filled” after a night’s rest). The points in a Fate Pool can be used to adjust actions: add to dice rolls as a bonus modifier, or added to a defense or saving throw (details below).

Who Gets a Fate Pool?
All PCs and, perhaps, certain NPCs (DM's discretion). Non-spellcasters receive more than spell-casters, like so:

• Non- and minor spellcasters (barbarians, cavaliers, fighters, monks, paladins, rangers, rogues): +1/lvl
• Partial spell-casters (alchemists, bards, inquisitors, summoners): +1/two levels - at level 2, 4, 6, 8, etc.
• Full spellcasters (clerics, druids, oracles, sorcerers, witches, wizards) +1/three levels - level 3, 6, 9, etc.

Another way to look at this is that any class that casts 4th level or lower spells receives +1/lvl; any that casts 5th-7th level spells receives +1/two levels; and any that can cast 8th-9th level spells receives +1/three levels.

The rationale here--and this is setting specific but can be applied to any setting, DM's discretion--is that a PC in a fantasy world has a kind of "heroic essence" or energy that sets them apart from normal folks; as they advance, they have a certain resonance and interaction with the "strands of fate" and can alter reality through heroic actions. Spellcasters, however, tie up their "heroic essence" into their arcane or divine powers...it is sort of a trade-off.


How many points in a Fate Pool?
The basic formula is simple: it is a multiple of level, either 1 point per level, two levels, or three levels, depending upon class (multi-class follows the same formula). But there are other bonuses possible. For instance, humans get +2 to their Fate Pool, while halflings, half-elves, and half-orcs all get +1. Furthermore, there are possible magical items or effects that give temporary points to the Fate Pool, and divine boons in which a god or higher power can gift a PC with extra Fate, whether permanent or not (and possible feats, but I'd prefer not to institute a "feat tax" for the Fate Pool).


How much of the Fate Pool can be used at once?
The upper limit is 7 points per any action (7 being the mystical number!), so a PC can adjust any die roll by up to +7. One further limit exists: a PC can never use more than half their level (rounded down) at once. Thus a 7th level rogue cannot use more then 3 Fate in any one action.

What can the Fate Pool be used for?
Pretty much any die roll, such as attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and anything in which the player wishes to "alter fate."


(this may need further definition and refinement, but another way to put it is that the Fate can be used on any d20 roll).

 

[DogBackward]

The problem here is that this won't actually help a fighter beat a mage at high levels. A +20 to your attack roll means almost nothing when the mage is 500 feet in the air, invisible, with a 50% miss chance against ranged attacks, and showering you with fireballs. Yes, the fighter can use magic items to even things out a little (not in DnDN, though, since they're removing the focus on magic items), but the mage has just as much wealth as the character.

To be honest, I'd like to see instant-cast spells kept to basic attack stuff. Give mages at-will attacks, but make them weaker than what a fighter can do, and then give the mage daily attacks that blow a fighter out of the water. The quote I saw, I think, was something about the "Mage being a little jealous of the Fighter all day, and the Fighter being REALLY jealous of the Mage once a day."

Mages can keep their world-shaping abilities, but leave it in the realm of rituals with a casting time of at least a minute, and attach more of a cost than "negligible material components".

You actual idea is pretty decent, though. As a system, it's not bad, and I actually like the "add directly to a roll" concept better than rerolls or bonus dice. But it doesn't actually do anything to bridge that gap between casters and non-casters.

 

[Tharian]

Rather than create a new system to add on to your new Pathfinder game (especially since you say you are still wrapping your head around the rules), I would recommend you take a look at the Hero Points that Paizo has already introduced into Pathfinder with the Advanced Player's Guide.

 

[Henry]

I would second checking out the Hero Points Tharian lists, since

1) It already exists and already takes the system math into account,
2) looks like it does what you want and then some,
3) it's free to get

Just tweak it to apply only to non-casters, or limit how many points full casters can get, and it sounds like it would be off to a good start. Plus it adds in re-rolls, extra turns, out of order actions, etc. -- lots of things that would give non-casters a leg up over casters in certain ways.