So I thought of this the other day, a slight twist on previous alternate magic systems I've come up with. What if all spellcasters in d20 games had half the normal base spells per day but quadruple the normal bonus spells per day for a high ability modifier?

In addition, cut their effective caster level from class levels in half but add their spellcasting ability modifier to their effective caster level.

Assuming a spellcaster specialized in the spellcasting ability score, they would remain approximately just as powerful but it would not be as easy to multiclass between a fighter and wizard or to be a battle cleric that fights better than a fighter and so forth.

It would simply make spellcasting more ability-based and less automatic.

So that Wizard with 19 Int fighting the Wizard with 24 Int of the same level would have a clearer disadvantage magic-wise, but the points they put in DEX and CON might give them a defensive advantage (rather than the winner always being the one with 19 Int that has more hit points and better AC).

EXAMPLES:

Human Wizard 10th with 20 point buy: Str 10, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 22, Wis 10, Cha 10.
Class level: +5 caster level
Intelligence: +6 modifier
Total effective CL: 11th

MY VERSION
Base spells:  2/2/2/1/1/1
Bonus spells: 6/5/4/3/2/1
Total spells: 8/7/6/4/3/2

NORMAL
Base spells:  4/4/4/3/3/2
Bonus spells: 2/2/1/1/1/1
Total spells: 6/6/5/4/4/3

Very little change is made other than making a spellcaster's spells per day and effectiveness more reliant on their ability score and less reliant on their level. The highest level spells they can cast is still based on level. This even makes them stronger at lower levels while holding them back just a bit at higher levels so as not to grow too fast for the non-casters.

1st level wizard with 20 Int:
Base Class: +0
Intelligence: +5
Effective CL: 5th (so their magic missiles do 3d4+3 at 1st level)

Base spells: 3/1
Bonus spells: 5/4
Total spells: 8/5
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:00, Tue 30 Aug 2016.

Not being a D20 player, I must be missing something. What is the purpose of this change?

I suppose this wouldn't make sense if you are not familiar with d20 games.

Well, you have 6 primary attributes called "abilities" in d20 games: Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.

These determine a bonus or penalty to a lot of rolls and actions you make.

In the game, spellcasters grow in power exponentially based on their level. Wizards use Intelligence to give them a few more spells and make their spells harder to resist, but the bulk of their power is purely level based with Intelligence just being the cherry on top of their sundae. Spell damage, range, area, duration, etc. are all based on their level and they increase really fast.

The problem with the way it's set up is that you can easily make a cleric or druid or whatever with only the BARE minimum spellcasting ability score needed to cast spells and then put all their other points into physical stats. Then cast spells that boost your physical attack and suddenly you're a more powerful fighter than the fighter, a better barbarian than the barbarian and a more skilled ranger than the ranger.

To avoid this from happening in the game, I chopped a spellcaster's benefits from level in half and increased their benefits from a high spellcasting ability, it wouldn't weaken them but would make them more dependent upon having a high spellcasting ability.

That way, a 10th level Wizard with 25 Intelligence is OBVIOUSLY superior to a 10th level Wizard with only 15 Intelligence, rather than them essentially being the same.

It also has the added benefit of helping to make them advance more linearly and less exponentially. They start off more powerful (just strong enough to put up a fight really) but don't become demigods of magic at higher levels unless they specialize in their spellcasting ability score.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:09, Sun 27 Sept 2015.

That all sounds good.

Are you at all worried that this will lead to more severely mini-maxed Wizards? You have removed some of the reason for placing any points other than the absolute minimum for survival into those other abilities.

This will have almost no effect on min maxing as a whole. All it does is force a spellcaster to choose between stronger magic or being a physical combatant as well rather than just automatically getting both. I suppose in one sense it knocks out that particular minmaxing possibility but the other two options were already there to begin with.