If there was one thing about 3rdE that you could change, what would it be?

[Felon]

Regarding the idea that 8 hours is too long for spell recovery in a pinch: I think there are a few options within the rules (Magic item creation etc), but I also think that there could be room for a system to allow for quicker spell recovery. There would definitely have to be a proper counter-balance though, and I don't think GP is sufficient for game balance purposes.(in case anyone was thinking "Potions of Spell recovery" or something.) I'm not sure how to go about it, but I'll give it some thought.

GP?

Maybe it's just me, but on top of the practical issues involved in the need for a solid 8 hours of sleep a night, it just doesn't seem very heroic. Maybe there's a simple Con check can be made by characters who receive less sleep. The difficulty is based on how little sleep you're trying to bet by on. Failing the Con check means that you don't recover any spells for those hours of sleep.

A less harsh and less random system would be to only provide a partial recovery of spells. Knock off your highest level spell if you only get 6 hours of rest, your 2 highest if you only get 4 hours of rest, etc.

I'd like to see the system increase the Hit-Point range of Disabled and Dying. For instance, Disabled from 0 down to negative Con, and Dying from negative (Con + 1) down to double negative Con.

Yes, the Epic Level Handbook even made the concession that only allowing a range of 10 points between "dying" and "dead' is inadequate. I'd like to see level and/or Con score influence this. I think most people would agree. It boggles the mind that 3e's designers saw fit not to modify this artifact.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Many great ideas on this thread.

Too tired to make a specific contribution at the moment, but on the issue of spell recovery -

Anyone remember Runequest (2nd edition)? Each character expended his POW points to cast spells, and you got back 1/4 of your normal max POW every 6 hours (whether resting or not).

 

[mmadsen]

GP?

Gold pieces. His point was that spell recovery is too valuable to let players just buy more spells. Whatever the mechanic is, it needs a better balance than monetary cost.

Maybe it's just me, but on top of the practical issues involved in the need for a solid 8 hours of sleep a night, it just doesn't seem very heroic.

It's neither heroic nor mystical. In many ways, I think the root problem is that spellcasters hit a hard limit. They don't face greater and greater risks; they simply can't cast any more spells. GURPS has an almost as bland system of fatigue-point costs for spells, but S. John Ross wrote an excellent Unlimited Mana variation that follows a different paradigm.

 

[mmadsen]

GURPS has an almost as bland system of fatigue-point costs for spells, but S. John Ross wrote an excellent Unlimited Mana variation that follows a different paradigm.

I should probably explain this. Instead of simply giving spellcasters a certain small number of power points per day or per hour, the Unlimited Mana (or "Umana") system gives them many more power points and a small recovery value. So a typical GURPS mage might have 10 Fatigue points (equal to his Strength score) that recover hourly with rest, but under the Umana system he'd get a Threshold of 30 and a Recovery of 8 (points per day).

This lets him cast big spells when he needs them, but he can't cast spells all day, every day. You could do something very similar in D&D: make spell slot recovery take longer than one eight-hour nap. This would explain why adventurers can cast spells left and right in a dungeon, but the rest of the world isn't changed by ubiquitous spellcasting.

The next difference is what makes it particularly interesting though. The Threshold isn't a hard limit; mages can cast spells past that limit whenever they want -- but at great risk to themselves and those around them. An excerpt from the Calamity Table:

Calamity Table
(3d + Excess/5)
3,4 Nothing bad happens, AND the mage's gets (1d x 5) points of free, instant Recovery!
5-9 Nothing happens - this time.
10 The mage's skin and clothing crawl with strange energies, sparks, or other visual effect for 3d minutes, and his eyes glow bright, making Stealth impossible and frightening small animals and many "mundanes."
11 The mage is struck with violent headaches that prevent any action other than suffering (treat as physical stun) which lasts 3d turns (Or a number minutes equal to the cost of the spell that triggered the calamity, if a HT roll is failed - minimum 5 minutes). Result 10 also applies.
12 The mage becomes horribly nauseous and weak, taking a -4 to DX, IQ, ST and skills. This lasts a number of hours equal to the cost of the spell (minimum 2), after which the mage must make a HT-4 roll every hour to get over the sickness.
13 The mage is cursed with nightmares for 3d days (plus a number of days equal to the spell cost). After the first night, the mage is at -2 to DX, IQ, ST, and skills. The penalties last until the mage gets a normal night's sleep!
14 Any failed casting roll that the mage makes is treated as a critical failure! This lasts for 1d+1 weeks.
15 The mage's mind is bent. The GM should assign one debilitating (15-point) mental disad by fiat. It takes effect immediately, and lasts 1 day. Each day thereafter, the mage may make a Will roll to shake it off. If the spell cost was higher than 25, the disad lasts for (spell cost/25) days, rounded up.
16 The mage has weakened the binding forces around him. His Threshhold for the next 1d weeks is reduced by 2d+5. The mage is aware of a drop, but not of it's severity! Result 10 also applies.
17 The caster gains a 5-point disadvantage. After 3d days have passed, the mage has the option of buying it off (it will simply fade away). If the mage does not wish to, or doesn't have the points, then it becomes permanent. ANY disad is legal; the mage can get ugly, go insane, and so on.
18 The mage's Threshold is reduced by 4d+(the spell cost); the change lasts 1d months, after which the Thresh "heals" back to normal at a rate of 1 point per day. Thresh cannot be reduced below zero. In addition, the mage's spellcasting will be at a -3 penalty for 2d weeks. Result 10 also applies.
19 As per 17, but the disad is worth either 10 or 15 points (50/50 chance of either).
20 The mage is aged 2d+13 years, or a number of years equal to the energy cost of the triggering spell, whichever is worse!
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