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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spatzimaus" data-source="post: 4124437" data-attributes="member: 3051">In a classic Vancian slot system, replacing core mechanics with skills can be tremendously hard to balance.  However, we've done a lot of tweaking for the homebrew my group made up, linked <a href="http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=193936" target="_blank">here</a>.  The short version:There are a lot of little pieces of the existing spell system you can replace with skills without imbalancing the system:> Caster level can be replaced with a skill, allowing you to minimize the loss in effectiveness for multiclassing.  (You'd still lose spell slots, of course.)> Replace the ranged attack rolls for rays, etc. with a skill check (effectively giving casters a full BAB progression when using spells).> Allow casters to replace their saving throw rolls for certain spells with a skill check (to deflect/disrupt the attacker)These definitely improve the feel of the existing system, without requiring many extra skill checks.  You would need to rebalance the caster class' skill points, though.But if you're talking about dumping the slot system altogether, we've got an entire class (the Channeler) that uses drain-based spellcasting.  That is, instead of spell slots, the caster takes some damage depending on his level and the spell's level (and you then need a Concentration check to succeed in using the spell).  There's a pseudo-skill used to make the drain somewhat random, but that's not strictly necessary (and frankly ended up requiring a bit too much rolling).The main reason I bring this up is because of a common concern you hear: that in skill-based systems, characters become able to use low-level stuff almost at will, and it breaks the system.  Well, it's true, sort of.  They WILL be able to use the low-end stuff ad nauseum when they get to high level, but that's not always a bad thing, and it only breaks the system if you leave the spell list as-is.  An infinite supply of cure light wounds spells sounds abuseable, but at high level most parties I've been in have just made wands of that for the same thing, with only a paltry resource cost.  The bigger problem is unlimited stat buffs.The other side effect is that you, as DM, can't depend on spell depletion to make normally-easy fights challenging by putting them at the end of a day, but I've never liked that method anyway.  Too much like railroading.You'd also need to make sure the system had a method of mitigating "alpha strikes".  That is, in 3E a wizard can dump all his 8th and 9th-level spells in a single fight, and the only thing holding him back is the knowledge he'd need those spells later.  You need something to replace that; for the Channeler, we made the drain be of a new damage type (Mental), something normal cure spells don't heal.  Instead, there's a separate line of spells that repair that damage, and they only do it slowly.  That forces casters to pace themselves a bit more, relying mostly on their mid-level spells.All of this means that unless the fights have NO breaks between them, your party will go into each with effectively full resources.  Everyone will be healed and buffed, with casters ready to unload their best spells in the first round.  Bottom line, it WILL change how your campaigns play.  Whether that's a bad thing is up to you and your players.  Personally, my group liked it far more.</blockquote>

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