Spellpoint Wizards

[DarkKestral]

I like the idea of spellpoints. It's nice, relatively easy to track, and offers some additional flexibility for using spells.

However, I don't like UA's rules on spellpoints and wizards/clerics. They seem to make wizards even more buff compared to sorcerors, bringing them awfully close to spontaneous casters in cast-time flexibility of choice, without taking away enough.

I dunno how many points to give them, but I'm thinking perhaps do this as a further modification:

Wizards and other prepared casters, must prepare each spell they intend to use out of their point total. They can leave a portion of their points unapplied and unprepared, however, to cast spells, they must first prepare spells to use those points.

So, a 20th level wizard with 28 modified Int and 339 spellpoints who wishes to use Shapechange 7 times in the day, must first assign 17x7 spellpoints to Shapechange. This means his total unapplied points are now 220, and he may cast Shapechange 7 times without resorting to preparing new Shapechange spells. If he so wishes, he can then take Limited Wish 3 times, dropping his unassigned total to 171, and so on and so forth. He is limited in the number of times he may cast a given spell only by the amount of spellpoints applied and the amount he has currently prepared. Unprepared spellpoints cannot be used to cast spells. They are simply 'open' slots he can use to eventually prepare spells for casting.

Also, DCs and damage dealt are done via the UA system, and likewise have to be pre-applied.

Sorcerors, bards and other spontaneous casters still don't have to do anything prior to casting, but they still have the problem of having a limited number of spells to select from.

 

[Asmor]

How about making it so that wizards have to prepare spells as normal from their spell point pool, and the points they use for preparing it are lost. Thereafter, however, they can cast any spell they've prepared as often as they like, as long as they have enough points for it. Basically, they pay for every spell they think they might need that day once, just for the privelege of being able to use it later.

They gain some of the flexibility of a spontaneous caster, but the more flexible they are the smaller their pool of spell points for actually casting those spells is. On the other hand, they still have the potential to learn any spell, so they retain their overall flexibility.

 

[DarkKestral]

How about making it so that wizards have to prepare spells as normal from their spell point pool, and the points they use for preparing it are lost. Thereafter, however, they can cast any spell they've prepared as often as they like, as long as they have enough points for it. Basically, they pay for every spell they think they might need that day once, just for the privelege of being able to use it later.

They gain some of the flexibility of a spontaneous caster, but the more flexible they are the smaller their pool of spell points for actually casting those spells is. On the other hand, they still have the potential to learn any spell, so they retain their overall flexibility.

Honestly, one thing I don't like is that they CAN pick and choose at cast time. It's not at all like the classic D&D wizard, and essentially gives them the benefits of being a sorceror without a lot of the disadvantages... and at the current point, they're SO far ahead of the sorceror in spellpoint variations that in 99% of cases, using a sorceror is sub-optimum in those variations. Paying once for all day is not that good, especially once you realize that there are essentially 'staple' spells vs special case spells, and after a while, the staples can pretty much take over almost any battle. Especially when filling slots with "Miracle", "Limited Wish" and other spells that allow picking spells outside the normal range of castable spells, and allow using them as if they were Nth level spells for purposes of damage dealt and other level-based effects (so they'd essentially be pre-augmented to the appropriate amount of damage dealt and with the appropriate save DC) it means that under that system, relatively high level casters wouldn't be harmed much, if at all.

That's sort of why I figure they need to pre-select it all. Their benefit is they aren't limited to a specific number of spell slots per spell level. They still need their current downside to remain as-is to keep any sort of marginal balance with spontaneous casters and psionics-based characters.

 

[erf_beto]

Wizards and other prepared casters, must prepare each spell they intend to use out of their point total. They can leave a portion of their points unapplied and unprepared, however, to cast spells, they must first prepare spells to use those points.

It´s like you had the power to 'make' your own spell slots, I like that. Spellpoint wizads do look like sorcerers in the UA variant, this is a good idea for a fix.

I guess if someone thinks that they should in fact be able to pick-n-choose at cast time, you could get rid of the resting time before preparation, and declare that a wizard can prepare a spell within 15 minutes (or less... or more...) with those spellpoints in reserve. Also, letting wizards forfeit a prepaired spell and getting back (+/-) 50% of its spellpoints to prepare another might be a good idea... what do you think?

Example: a wizard needs to cast Invisibility to get somewhere without notice, but has no spellpoints (sp) in reserve. He has prepared two Scorching Rays (3 sp each) though, so he "unprepares" the rays, getting back only 1.5 sp for each spell, and spends about 15 minutes studying his grimoire to prepare Invisibility for 3 sp.
This would be no problem for a sorcerer and gives the wizard something to play with. It's ok when you have the time to look it up, but in a dungeon, or in hurry, this won't help you much.