All Spells Are Rituals
Been a while. Random idea.
Issue: Most d20 spells don't scale well and become overpowered quickly. Quadratic wizard, linear fighter issue, specifically spells.
Resolution: Make higher level spells less usable during combat but still optional by extending casting times. Thus, wizards are still incredibly useful and necessary, but during combat they struggle to just snap their fingers and win.
SPELL-CHARGE MAGIC
In this variant, you keep your spells per day for your highest 3 level spell slots, but don't have limited spells per day for spells below these levels (if any). You merely require massive amounts of time to cast spells the higher level they are. Prepared casters are still limited in the number of spells they can prepare as normal.
Casting a spell requires you to expend magical energy to unleash the magic of the spell. This is called "spell charge" (SC). You start every encounter with an amount of spell charge (SC) equal to your LEVEL + SPELL CASTING ABILITY MODIFIER (SCAM, because all magic is a scam, LOL).
CHARGING UP
As a single action (PF2e) or move action (PF1e or D&D3e) you can gather up additional spell charge equal to your SCAM, up to a maximum equal to SCAM * spellcaster level. In D&D 5e one action lets you gather SCAM*2. Spontaneous casters gather their SCAM+2 each time they gather (double SCAM + 4 for 5e).
SPELL COST
A spell costs an amount of charge equal to (1 + spell level)2 (including those few higher level spells that are still limited per day).
0 costs 1 SC
1st costs 4 SC
2nd costs 9 SC
3rd costs 16 SC
4th costs 25 SC
5th costs 36 SC
6th costs 49 SC
7th costs 64 SC
8th costs 81 SC
9th costs 100 SC
10th costs 121 SC
Heightening spells in D&D5e and PF2e counts as casting higher level spells for these purposes. So cantrips still require charge ups if you want them to be stronger.
FULL-ROUND SPELLS
All spells increase their casting time to FULL-ROUND ACTION (3 actions for alternate action economy in PF or require both action and bonus action for 5e) if they target more than 1 creature, more than 1 object, or target an entire area.
QUICK SPELLS
All spells which solely target the caster or a single item they carry change their casting time to MOVE (1 action for alternate action economy in PF or allow two to be cast with one action for 5e).
STANDARD SPELLS
All other spells remain unchanged.
METAGAME ANALYSIS
This makes spellcasting a bit harder to pull off during combat, but a lot easier to track over time. The importance of "protect the caster" become vital, but the quadratic power of spellcasters is limited in that they need time to cast. Time fighters and rogues who want a wizard dead will not give freely.
Infinite lower levels spells does mean infinite healing OUTSIDE of combat and infinite buffs that last at least 10 minutes or longer, but this also makes it easier for tracking. If a spell lasts 10 minutes or longer, a spellcaster can simply assume they have it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:54, Thu 01 Oct 2020.
