A few recent threads prompt me to share two ideas.
1. Poker Chip "Pre-Hit-Points"
With this small change, the extra HP gained from a Favored Class bonus are not normal HP. Instead they are "Pre-HP" signified by a stack of poker chips (or other tokens).
When a character takes damage, the Pre-HP are reduced first. Any damage beyond the last Pre-HP affects HP normally.
Whenever a character causes damage to an enemy, it heals as many Pre-HP as it deals in damage.
After combat, all characters who catch their breath and bandage their wounds recover all Pre-HP.
By default things that affect HP do not affect Pre-HP, but the GM can create magic item exceptions. For example, an inexpensive holy symbol upgrade might allow clerical healing to affect Pre-HP.
Effects: Allows combatants to "scope out" the opposition more safely before deciding whether to use consumable resources. May reduce the importance of high initiative. Rewards arcane "blasters" who are currently underpowered compared to their peers. Helps represent how HP measure avoidance and dodging as well as wounds. Reduces the danger of "minion" foes to more safely allow warriors to dramatically plow through flunkies on the way to the evil boss. Augments the danger posed by foes that are hard to hit due to high AC or having a percent miss change. Encourage using the Favored Class bonus on HP instead of skill points
2. Poker Chip Arcane Spell Pacing
Each Arcane spell caster keeps track of unused spell power (call it "mana", "personal energy", "spell fatigue", or whatever else you want) using a stack of poker chips (or other tokens) for each arcane spell casting class.
There are two options for stack size, based upon how much the GM feels arcane casters are overpowered compared other classes.
(a) Caster Level of that arcane spell casting class
(b) Maximum spell slot level of that arcane spell casting class
Casting a spell requires temporarily spending as many poker chips as the spell level (not spell slot level).
The rate chips are replenished is also a GM decision.
(a) Each round replenish Constitution or Intelligence modifier (is "internal energy" a CON or INT issue in that game setting?)
(b) Each round replenish as many as the character's Intelligence bonus of first-level spells
(c) Each round replenish only one
GMs can always create magic items that raise the maximum number of chips, or increase the rate of replenishment.
Effects: Penalizes arcane spell casters who like to start each combat casting their highest-level spells. Encourages the use of metamagic feats (most of which do not alter spell level). Handicaps high-level arcane spell users, although perhaps only with a magic item expenses in gold and item-body-slots.
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I use them for round counters. I make a stack under the players mini. For each round that passes, 1 is removed or added depending on effect. Remove a chip each round to track spell duration. Or add a chip for each round they have laid dying (since I don't allow players to share their hit point totals).
I also use them as time counters during time sensitive events. I tell players during an event how much time each chip represents. That way as they take actions, explore, or whatever I can add a counter without interrupting. If they are talking to an NPC while his accomplice escapes, I add a counter for every round to determine how far he gets before the NPC tells the party about the accomplice. Or how many hours a day have passed while they explore and adventure.
Ok, sounds fun, but there seem to be a few problems. These might both be good ideas and I'll certainly give them some thought, but I'm not convinced by your implementation.
First of all, pre-hp look far better than skill points and probably all of the racial favoured class options. They also reward sticking with the same class even more than the favoured class bonus and high-level spells/class features already do, which is probably a bad thing.
I think that's easily fixable by making 1 hp per hit die into a pre-hp, rather than connecting the idea with favoured classes.
Second, I can't see spell pacing being fun or fair for a sorcerer if its based on maximum spell level. Their slower progression is a hefty price to pay already, so I'd be hesitant to make it mean even more.
If only one chip is restored each round, the sorcerer is absolutely boned. He won't really benefit much from his extra slots, so the wizard will outshine him dramatically.
In fact, he's screwed if you base it on Int, too. That should really be "whichever ability score the caster applies to his save DCs".
Third, if you combine the maximum chips=maximum spell level and 1 chip/round options, casters end up hosed at low levels, before they become powerful. They also end up only being allowed to do anything much on alternate rounds if they ever want to cast their best spells, which seems... extreme. That's not so much pacing them as punishing them for ever using their main ability under any circumstances.
Fourth, why the specific targeting of arcane spellcasters? Divine magic is really powerful too, you know. Can't say it seems fair to limit the pace of a bard but not a cleric.