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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MoogleEmpMog" data-source="post: 3494988" data-attributes="member: 22882">I was initially going to vote for Explicit Per Encounter, but the more I thought about it, the more I lean toward Implicit Per Encounter, with the 'cost' of an ability primarily being measured in opportunity cost, actions, and the consequences of failure.The key element that a d20ish system needs to pull this off is, IMO, a viable counter system.Using a powerful spell at the first opportunity should carry with it the real risk of losing that spell to a counterspell and then having to rely on weaker effects - whereas leading with a weaker effect might have drawn out the counterspell and given you free reign to unleash a powerful spell.  Even worse, at higher levels where your best spells are most devastating, other spells allow an enemy to not only counter but redirect your spell, perhaps right back at you.Using a devastating 'finishing move' should carry with it the real risk of leaving you open should it fail (or should another enemy be around to avenge his comrade) - whereas weakening your foe and pwning passing mooks with low-level attacks might have given you a better opening for your most powerful attack.I'd also like to see powerful effects balanced by the number of actions it takes to use them and by the need to 'refresh' them before you can use them again.  Star Wars Saga seems to be doing both.Every gameplay element should present interesting choices in play.Finally, I wouldn't mind seeing prepared spells, provided they all used the '15 minute preparation in an open spell slot' rule rather than the 'rest 8 hours' rule.  Expend a spell slot in an encounter and you have to take a not-inconsiderable amount of time to refresh it, but it's not necessarily an amount of time you can't do in the middle of an adventure.  Rather than being a matter of 'catching a second wind' (ala explicit per encounter) or the 'D&D day of 1-4 minute-long encounters followed by a 23 hour rest period' (ala per day), this system encourages the character to take a measured, cautious approach, especially when in enemy territory.Especially since encounters in published adventures would assume the PCs DID take the time to recover, and would be merciless to those who didn't. <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious    :]" data-shortname=":]" /></blockquote>

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