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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Grayhawk" data-source="post: 1768559" data-attributes="member: 11288">*Note: This is certainly not for everybody, especially not those who want their magic to be fast and reliable.*I've been thinking about what to do with spellcasting in combat, in an AoO-free system. In doing so, I've realised that the AoO's does little to hinder spellcasting, due to the 5 foot step rule, and IME counterspelling doesn't see a lot of play.So I remembered how it was handled in earlier editions, where you rolled for initiative each round, and thus had the chance of beating the spellcaster's initiative, hitting him while casting and thus disrupting his spell - it made for some tense moments.But I also like the cyclical initiative of 3e, with it's added simplicity of only having to roll initiative at the start of a combat.So I've come up with a way to combine the two, while adding a random element to a spell's casting time (I prefer magic to be fickle and less of an exact science).Here goes:When casting a spell, the spellcaster rolls a level check (d20 + caster level) vs a DC of 15 + spell level, to see if he gets the spell off on his own initiative. If he doesn't, the spell takes effect on the following round, just before his turn comes up again.Benefits:1: It makes spellcasting unpredictable (obviously only a benefit to those who like that sort of thing)2: It makes it possible to disrupt a spell, when it's casting 'drags on'.3: It requires teammates to better protect their spellcasters.4: It gives the spellcaster's player a dice roll of his own, for added tension.5: It makes it possible to counterspell, for those who make their Spellcraft check and who have the right spell.6: It makes a higher level caster more proficient at getting his lower level spells off without interruption.7: It makes spellcasting in melee dangerous.Draw backs:All, or most, of the above, depending on how you look at it.Here are the DC's and the minimum roll needed for a 9th level caster:1st: DC 16, requires a roll of 72nd: DC 17, requires a roll of 83rd: DC 18, requires a roll of 94th: DC 19, requires a roll of 105th: DC 20, requires a roll of 11As you can see, the 9th level caster has a 70% chance of getting his 1st level spells off without risking interruption, but only a 50% chance of getting his highest level spells off unchallenged.At the base of this system is the assumption that a spell takes a full round to cast. If you still want your casters to both be able to cast and move in the same round, you could do it this way:If you start your round by casting and make your check, you still get to make a move. If you devote a whole round to the casting, you get a +2 to your check. If you want to take a move first, you get a -2 to your check.Whaddya think?</blockquote>

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