the easy answer is: it depends on the system you want to introduce
for example to have mana:
max spell-level is a linear progression, so you don't really need a table.
Manacost for a spell be it's (level+1)squared.
Mana you have is ability score times level times 1.5, level for spontaneous spellcasters is herefor increased by 2.
However if you truly want something totally different, it's going to be difficult, magic gear changes, monsters change, and you would have to reinvent spells.
How different did you have in mind? Unearthed Arcana outlines several variant systems for calculating daily spell availability for 3.5 d&d. I haven't read them lately but given the similarity of 3.5 and pathfinder I would guess they could be adapted easily.
hi spellfinders,
I've been pondering this question for awhile, just how easy is it for us to swap out our existing vancian magic system for something else. booger=boy
Sorcerer is already out of the Vancian system. Is it the spell lists you object too? The spells themselves? What sort of something else are you after?
Pendragon (which seems like a variant of Ars Magica) is about as incompatible to D&D as it gets.
There are several layers of complexity:
1. Easy
Only change one aspect (such as spells per day). Usually makes some classes (Sorceror/Oracle) largely redundant but else has minimal impact on the game.
2. Medium
Leave the spells as they are but change everything else. Maybe spells are only aquired through spending feats or come randomly or depend on the surroundings. Magic-User could cast any number of spells but the spells can have desasterous effects on the caster.
This has quite some impact on the game (usually it annihilates the varieties between the casting classes) but can still be handled with a basic set of rules.
3. Full Frontal Nudity!
Get rid of spells! Really, thats about as complex as it gets. It is usually easier to simply play another system (Ars Magica is a good example) instead of trying to change Pathfinder to match it.
For Pendragon Pathfinder I would do something along the following:
- All players must play Human Wizards starting at Level 7
- All PCs receive the Leadership feat for free and the number of cohorts is doubled but is restricted to fully non magical classes
- Spells per day/spell levels allowed is not used but all casting times are raised (standard = 1 Minute) and there is a spell difficutly
- Meta Magic does not raise spell levels but spell difficutly
- Introduce a spell difficulty that means casting spells carries a progresively higher danger to cause some damage to the caster (spellblights)
- Adapt the world to reflect these changes (non-humans are very rare, no magic items, church plays a large role and is opposed to Wizardry...)
