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Message: <blockquote data-quote="billd91" data-source="post: 1389880" data-attributes="member: 3400">I'd like to particularly underline this post. Spell slot systems are much easier from a design point of view than spell points. In a spell point system, you'd have to work in sliding point scales for some spells that get more powerful as the caster rises in level but are also available at lower levels such as magic missile. A 9th level wizard casting magic missile for the same points as a 1st level wizard wouldn't balance in a spell point system because the 9th level wizard is getting 5x the effect. You either have to increase the spell point cost to include some element of the caster level or limit the power of the spell to a fixed amount. Then you'd have to include a higher level version of the same spell costing more points than the original to get the same effect as the spell slot's current system. Take a look at the 3E psionics for an example of the latter sort of design.I'm not saying that a good spell point system is impossible. It is, however, a bit harder without completely tossing out the spell system in play and going with something radically different. I'm thinking here of a system of generic attack spell, generic defense spell that add specific damage or bonuses based on the number of spell points spent (maybe some special effects increase the spell point cost based on frequency of defenses against that effect). And then wedging in the utility spells into some listing of relative utility and setting increasing costs to increasing effect.</blockquote>

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