Pathfinder: No More Spell Memorization! (and my house rules)

Pathfinder: No More Spell Memorization! (and my house rules)

Unread postby Chuckg » February 21st, 2011, 6:16 pm

On Google Docs, behold, my Pathfinder House Rules, current edition.

View Document Here.

(To download, hit 'File' at upper left and choose 'Download As').

The alternate magic rules themselves start on page 5; the first few pages are tweaks to classes and feats. Although the Sorcerer and Wizard class changes are somewhat substantial.


Background on these house rules:

A little while back, I saw a supplement on Drivethru by Glen R. Taylor called "DragonCyclopedia: The Mage". It had a totally alternate system of spellcasting other than spell memorization; instead of 'slots per day', you only had one spell slot, period (unless you paid feats for bonus slots).

However, it only took a full action to load a spell into that slot, and then you could hold onto it and cast it. And another full action to reload it. And then you could cast it again. And you could do that with any spell from your list of known spells. Once you got to higher levels, your lower-level spells took less and less time to prepare in your slot.

Forex, a 20th level mage could prepare 1st through 5th level spells as swift actions, 6th and 7th level spells as move actions, 8th level spells as standard actions, and 9th level spells as a full-round action.

And so Vancian spell memorization died the horrible flaming death it should have, while still allowing non-casters to do something (as the mage is very vulnerable while reloading).

The PDF supp as originally published was based around a new custom class, the 'mage', while having all the other arcane caster classes and divine classes be the same. Me, I took the basis of that system, snipped out all the optional feats, and retooled it as a Pathfinder system for all the core caster classes; cleric, druid, sorcerer, wizard, bard, etc. I even have rules for partial caster classes like paladins and rangers (basically, one slot only, full-round action to reload the slot every time).

And then, since this did give casters some buffs, I also gave some minor boostage to the non-magic-using classes, like fighter, rogue, and monk.

The new magic item enchantment feats are based on stuff from another excellent d20 product by Distant Horizons Games, "The Practical Enchanter". (Which, btw, is available as shareware at that link. But get the pay version if you can, those guys totally deserve their dime.)

And since the loveliness that is the Open Gaming License allows me to put up stuff that I adapted from published works, if those works were themselves Open Gaming Content (which they were), here you go!
Chuckg
 
Posts: 730
Joined: January 20th, 2011, 5:14 pm

Re: Pathfinder: No More Spell Memorization! (and my house ru

Unread postby Chuckg » February 28th, 2011, 9:12 pm

Updated the document several times to tweak barbarian and sorcerer classes. Also posted a brief example of play for the spell preparation system.
Chuckg
 
Posts: 730
Joined: January 20th, 2011, 5:14 pm


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