Mana Dice Pool

[Mark Chance]

The Mana Dice Pool
This system replaces normal spell preparation and spells per day for all spellcasting classes. It (in theory) increases spellcaster flexibility but at the expense of putting up with a measure of uncertainty about casting success.

Mana Dice Pool
A caster's mana dice pool equals 1d6 per caster level. If he has more than once spellcasting class, he uses the class with the higher caster level. He does not have one mana dice pool per spellcasting class.

Mana Total to Cast a Spell
The mana total rolled on mana dice required to successfully cast a spell equals the spell level x4. Thus, a first-level spell requires a mana total of 4 to cast.

Maximum Spell Level
A caster cannot cast a spell whose level is higher than one-half his caster level (drop fractions, but minimum 1st-level spells possible for a caster).

The Procedure
The character chooses which spell he wants to cast, making his selection from any spell on his class list, subject to maximum spell level limit. He then chooses how many of his mana dice to expend in the spellcasting effort. He rolls the selected number of dice. If the total of the dice equals or exceeds the mana total needed to cast the spell, the character successfully casts the spell. Otherwise, he doesn't, and his mana dice pool is reduced by the number of dice he used.

Regaining Mana Dice
Each round the character uses a standard action to refocus his energies, his mana dice pool regains 1d6 (up to his normal maximum d6). A character can regain 2d6 to his mana dice pool as a full-round action.

Metamagic Feats
Metamagic feats increase a spell's effective level; therefore, they increase the mana total needed to cast the spell as well as minimum caster level requirement. Metamagic feats do not need to be applied to a spell in advance since the character doesn't prepare his spells.

Specialist Wizards
A specialist wizard cannot cast spells from a forbidden school. He gains a +3 bonus on his mana dice total when casting a spell from his specialty school, thus increasing the odds of success. Yes, this means a specialist wizard can always successfully cast a 1st-level spell from his specialty school (but he still must expend 1d6 from his mana pool to do so).

Domain Spells
A cleric gains a +3 bonus to his mana dice total when casting a spell from one of his domains, thus increasing the odds of success. Yes, this means a cleric can always successfully cast a 1st-level domain spell (but he must still expend 1d6 from his mana pool to do so).

0-Level Spells
A character gains the ability to cast six 0-level spells per mana die he expends from his mana dice pool. He regains 1d6 to his mana dice pool for every six 0-level spells he casts. Mana dice expended for 0-level spells cannot be regained by using a standard action or a full-round action as described above.

 

[Arkhandus]

So, uh, casting a spell successfully doesn't deplete any Mana Dice? Meaning they'll use all their dice with every casting and thus practically never fail and never run out?

Apparently it also lets bards cast higher-level spells than normal, 6th-level spells by 12th-level, then metamagic-quickened 6th-level spells by 20th-level? Likewise for other full casters.

Who apparently can't cast 1st-level spells at 1st-level. And any mana dice spent on cantrips or orisons are permanently lost forever, apparently. And apparently there's no need for spell preparation or spell refreshing with 8 hours of rest and an hour of focus and junk.

And it seems Sorcerers get royally gipped.

And appparently casters are at full power all the time, except during the middle of a fight?

Those are the things that immediately stick out to me.

 

[Mark Chance]

So, uh, casting a spell successfully doesn't deplete any Mana Dice? Meaning they'll use all their dice with every casting and thus practically never fail and never run out?

That's not my intention. Forgive my lack of clarity. Success or fail, the mana dice are spent.

Apparently it also lets bards cast higher-level spells than normal, 6th-level spells by 12th-level, then metamagic-quickened 6th-level spells by 20th-level? Likewise for other full casters.

As written, that is a consequence.

Who apparently can't cast 1st-level spells at 1st-level.

Someone who rolls a 1-3 on 1d6.

And any mana dice spent on cantrips or orisons are permanently lost forever, apparently.

No, they're not. As I said above, mana dice spent on 0-level spells cannot be regained by a standard action or full-action, but they are regained when the 6 0-level spells bought by the die have been cast.

And apparently there's no need for spell preparation or spell refreshing with 8 hours of rest and an hour of focus and junk.

Correct. I note at the beginning that the system replaces spell preparation. Spell refreshing via 8 hours of rest, et cetera, has never been anything other than fluff text in every game I've played in for 20+ years. I didn't even consider it when I wrote the OP.

And it seems Sorcerers get royally gipped.

Not really. They just end up being largely indistiguishable from wizards, and vice versa.

And appparently casters are at full power all the time, except during the middle of a fight?

Sort of like with the RAW, wherein a caster who uses his spells during a fight ceases to be at full power. Perhaps I've missed your point. OTOH, using this system, a spellcaster never completely runs out of spells during a fight.

 

[Arkhandus]

Someone who rolls a 1-3 on 1d6.

No, look over your text. The maximum spell level a 1st-level caster can cast is 0.5, which would mean only 0-level spells. It says to drop fractions, not round them upward.

No, they're not. As I said above, mana dice spent on 0-level spells cannot be regained by a standard action or full-action, but they are regained when the 6 0-level spells bought by the die have been cast.

Sorry, I did miss that one bit of text on my first read-through. I assume though that casting a 0-level spell is an auto-success, since 4 times 0 is still 0? Just want to be clear if that's your intent (since 0-level spells are so minor anyway).

Not really. They just end up being largely indistiguishable from wizards, and vice versa.

They become inferior wizards who get no bonus feats, rely on a less-useful stat for their spellcasting, have an inferior class skill list, and just get proficiency in shortspears, maces, and such in compensation. And lose out on the chance for school specialization's benefit.

Sort of like with the RAW, wherein a caster who uses his spells during a fight ceases to be at full power. Perhaps I've missed your point. OTOH, using this system, a spellcaster never completely runs out of spells during a fight.

Uh, no, it's nothing like the RAW. These Mana Dice allow casters to be at full power all the time. You misread what I was saying.

Once they use up all their mana dice, they spend a few rounds recovering them, then go back to casting spells 24/7. Teleport everywhere at 10th-level. Fireball everything at will at 6th-level. Magic Missile at will at 2nd-level. Rope Trick at will at 4th-level. Unlimited Walls of Stone at 10th-level. Unlimited Mordenkainen's Disjunctions at 18th-level. Unlimited Fly spells at 6th-level. Etc.

 

[Mark Chance]

No, look over your text. The maximum spell level a 1st-level caster can cast is 0.5, which would mean only 0-level spells. It says to drop fractions, not round them upward.

Ah. Gotcha. Thought you were talking about something else. That is indeed an error on my part. Mea culpa.

Sorry, I did miss that one bit of text on my first read-through. I assume though that casting a 0-level spell is an auto-success, since 4 times 0 is still 0? Just want to be clear if that's your intent (since 0-level spells are so minor anyway).

Right. Casting a 0-level spell is auto-success.

They become inferior wizards who get no bonus feats, rely on a less-useful stat for their spellcasting, have an inferior class skill list, and just get proficiency in shortspears, maces, and such in compensation. And lose out on the chance for school specialization's benefit.

Good points. I guess the easiest fix would be to just drop the sorcerer entirely.

Uh, no, it's nothing like the RAW. These Mana Dice allow casters to be at full power all the time. You misread what I was saying.

Either that, or you weren't clear enough.

Once they use up all their mana dice, they spend a few rounds recovering them, then go back to casting spells 24/7. Teleport everywhere at 10th-level. Fireball everything at will at 6th-level. Magic Missile at will at 2nd-level. Rope Trick at will at 4th-level. Unlimited Walls of Stone at 10th-level. Unlimited Mordenkainen's Disjunctions at 18th-level. Unlimited Fly spells at 6th-level. Etc.

Right. It does have that effect. Still, things aren't quite at will. Consider the 2nd-level wizard. He still must roll to cast magic missile. There's no automatic success. The 2nd-level wizard has 2d6 mana dice. He must use at least 1d6 to cast. He could use 2d6, but even this doesn't guarantee auto-success, since it is possible roll less than 4 on 2d6.

 

[Arkhandus]

Sure, but so what? The wizard will have Mage Armor active at every waking hour, and maybe even go to the paranoid bother of casting Shield every minute or two so that he's always got +8 AC. And Expeditious Retreat. So he'll always be moving extra-fast too, which will eliminate the slow-down during long distance travel from spending around 12-30 seconds once per minute or so to recast Shield and Expeditious Retreat.

Or maybe they'll just cast Mount once every few hours for the purpose of speed. No need to buy real horses for the party! The wizard can summon enough for everyone, all the time. Just buy saddlebags and take a minute to put them on each new set of summoned Mounts.

The wizard will also be Detecting Secret Doors at will. No need for a rogue to find that stuff. And since the wizard can summon an unlimited number of fiendish dire rats or whatever (or fiendish wolves with 2nd-level spells, or fiendish gorillas with 3rd-level spells), he or she can just send them to spring any traps that might be around, from a safe distance. No need for a rogue to handle traps.

Unlimited Charm Person. Everyone in town is the wizard's friend, and eager to help. No problem figuring out any kind of mystery in town since everyone is so forthcoming with answers and regards the wizard as a good, trusted friend. No need for a bard or rogue's social skills! Everyone loves their good buddy Mr. Wizard!

Unlimited Knocks and Arcane Locks at 3rd or 4th level. Everything will be easily sealed or unsealed by the wizard. No need for a lock-picking rogue. Nothing is secure while the wizard is around. Unlimited Protection from Arrows, Blur, Invisibility, and Mirror Image. The wizard becomes even harder to injure, and can sneak around unseen at will. Unlimited Shatters. Webs and Fog Clouds wherever needed.

Unlimited Detect Thoughts, Locate Object, and See Invisibility; nothing escapes the wizard's notice if he's trying at all to keep an eye out. Unlimited Bull's Strength/Fox's Cunning/etc. - the wizard and his allies always have a +4 enhancement to every ability score. For free.

Keep in mind that the party's cleric will be able to Silence the group while the wizard keeps them Invisible.

Unlimited Alter Self and Change Self - the wizard can be anyone he wants to be, at any time. And always has access to extra movement modes like flight and burrowing, among other things. Unlimited Rope Tricks - the party is never surprised while resting. They always have a safe hiding spot to rest in. Unlimited Darkvision - the party can always see in the dark.

At 5th or 6th level - unlimited Phantom Steeds and Water Breathing and more. Unlimited Tongues (no need for Speak Language!), Clairaudience/Clairvoyance (scouts? who needs scouts?), Suggestions (everybody does what I tell them to do!), Gaseous Forms, Displacements, Vampiric Touches, etc. The wizard becomes even harder to kill and even more capable of replacing the rogue completely. Keen Edge makes sure nobody ever has to waste a feat slot on Improved Critical or waste gold on a Keen magic weapon.

At 7th or 8th level - unlimited Bestow Curse, Evard's Black Tentacles, Solid Fog, Arcane Eyes, Scryings, Locate Creatures, Lesser Geases, Greater Invisibility, Contagions, Enervations, Polymorphs...

Also, around 7th or 9th level, fighters, barbarians and such become completely obsolete. The cleric becomes a 24/7 nigh-indestructible warrior. All his buffs active, all the time, all the Flame Strikes he'll ever need, all the Blade Barriers he could want, all the Heals and Harms he could ask for.

Etc. There are a lot of problems with unlimited spellcasting in D&D. Everything except the wizard and cleric becomes pretty much pointless. Although warrior-types remain somewhat useful for the low levels at least. Somewhat.

 

[Nifft]

Yep yep yep. What Arkhandus said.

You might want to look at the unlimited by design classes, like the Warlock, Binder and Truespeaker for inspiration.

Warlock: very limited "spell" list, but at-will and works fine. Note changes like charm only affecting one target at a time; you can cast it twice, but doing so ends the first one.

Binder: at-will with cooldown; your idea about risk factors may work better for him.

Truespeaker: at-will with risk of failure and increased DC per effect use; you could do something similar and raise the target DC for each individual spell by +2 per use, which would (eventually) limit usage, but would still allow a LOT of daily uses.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Spatzimaus]

It's an interesting system; the others here have pointed out many of the more questionable aspects, but I'd add a big one. The 1d6 or 2d6 per round recharging: at low levels that's really fast, but at high levels it's horribly slow. Prohibitively slow, IMO. It basically means that your "sustainable" spell rate holds constant, at basically a single 1st or 2nd level spell per round, no more.

To cast a 9th-level spell (needing a 36 total) consistently, you should really be rolling at least 15 dice or more; less, and you risk wasting an entire round in a high-level combat on a fizzled spell. Even if you're level 20, if you do that, you're basically done for the combat. One ninth level spell, one third level spell, and then you're lucky to be throwing cantrips. By the time you could regain enough dice to use your good stuff again, the fight is over.

The recharge rate needs to scale somehow. Either with level, or with the size of the spell you just used previously. For instance, try this:
> Each round, the caster naturally recharges a number of dice (0 dice at 1-4, 1 die at levels 5-9, 2 dice at 6-10, etc.). This happens regardless of his actions.
> Spending a standard action increases this by 1 die at levels 1-7, 2 dice at 8-12, 3 dice at 13-17, 4 dice at 18+); using a full-round action instead doubles this increase.

So, a level 20 pure caster would recharge 4 dice per round naturally, 8 if he spent a standard action, 12 if he spent a full-round action. That gives him the ability to throw 3rd-level spells at will, or a 7th-level every second round. (Add an extra level if he's throwing spells from his specialty/domain). This'd also let you balance the Bards and such; they might have full caster level, but much lower regen.

As for some of the other comments:

Nifft points out many of the "at will" casters previously implemented. I'd like to mention that my group has used a custom Channeler class (posted here, post #5) for a while, whose casting mechanism has many of the same effects you're looking at; while it's "at will" in the sense that you're never going to need 8 hours of downtime to recharge, it's still very limited during combat, in that you can't just throw all your big stuff at once, since you're basically limited by your regeneration rate.
(Our Channeler is considerably more complex than your dice mechanism, though; I wouldn't recommend our mechanism unless you're either really good with numbers or have a laptop around while you game. But it does mean I've got experience with the practical effects of this style of casting, hence why I mentioned it.)

This type of system just inevitably has a very different "feel", and doesn't really mesh well with the Vancian style at all. Yes, this means that your casters will be buffing machines, or at least far more buff-heavy than previous systems. They won't be able to unload multiple big nukes in a short combat, so by necessity they'll need to rely on spells they can cast well before the fight, i.e. long-duration buffs.
We got around the balance problems inherent to this IMC by changing many of the spells' durations and/or targets; our campaign's spell list is very different from the core list, with far fewer of the Cleric's short-duration self-buffs. (Also, most PHB spells are treated as a level or two higher for Channelers, while the "pure" ones, the ones involving straight manipulation of elements, i.e. fireball, are kept at the normal level.)
But since we WANTED casters to be buff-heavy fighters instead of pure "glass cannon" nukers, that fit our style better than the classic D&D.

And one thing we found: there's really no need for the "max spell level" rule. If someone with caster level 10 wants to try throwing all 10 dice and hoping for the 36 needed to cast a 9th-level spell, don't stop him. That sort of 50/50 risk fits well into many heroic settings, and players will be smart enough not to depend on that sort of tactic. Besides, his low caster level will make the spell's effects weaker anyway. (Now, how exactly he learned a 9th-level spell is another issue, but maybe he just stacked a few metamagics on a lower spell. An empowered, extended, maximized fireball maybe. You can't cap metamagic of this type, anyway; how would you put any spontaneous metamagic on a 9th-level spell otherwise?)

 

[milo]

The sorcerer could get a bonus of +1 per die spent. This would help to keep the wizard and sorcerer as two different classes. I don't think it would overpower them either. They have less spells known in trade for the ability to cast more spells.