Goblin Squad Member
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Everything an increased pool can do, increased efficiency can also do...Variation and versatility.
Also, because it is far more plausable.
It would create more complexity, but not more versatility, since "everything an increased pool can do, increased efficiency can also do".
Higher INT? Wizard (and witch and magus) spells become cheaper.
Higher CHA? Sorcerer (and oracle, etc.) spells become cheaper.
Some spellcasting skills affect the efficiency of only one class: spellbooks for wizards, bloodlines for sorcerers. Some items could do the same.
Some spellcasting skills might affect the efficiency of all spells of a type, like conjuration or evocation. Some might affect a wider category, like all arcane or all divine spells. Again, items could influence things by type as well.
There could even be spellcasting skills and items that modify the efficiency of ALL spells.
There is no reason to stack mana besides just wanting to make a number look bigger... and the numerals of a number aren't intrinsically significant, they're symbols to represent relative values.
Also, magic is inherently implausible, so whatever 'feels right' will always be widely varying and individual. I'm talking about making a system that is coherent and less prone to loopholes and confusion. It would also be much easier to tweak as they go along in testing.
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Actually, it would be harder to tweak because of fewer points to tweak means each tweak has a greater impact on many more things.
Also, your idea has no fewer loopholes then mine does, and even the original idea of stacking mana could be kept while easily closing those loopholes.
And your idea would be equally complex due to needing to track all those skills and "classes" seperately then do math with them every time you need to cast a spell. Edit; actually, additional math is need for any and every magic boosting item for your idea but not all of mine.
Magic is unrealistic, however it can be made quite plausible. We can make light where there was none before, to the unintiated that alone would be magic.
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Sample
Spellcraft skill: general mana manipulation classless
Wizardry: Skill with arcane book magic through intelligence.
Sorcerery: Skill with casting spells through intuition and will.
Mana pool base amount 100. (And yes, decimal point matters, 2*2=4 vs 20*20=400, former is same order of magnide, latter isn't)
Base cost for all first level spells = 10
One method.
Endurance grants bonus 25 mana for 125.
Sorcerous bloodline grants bonus 25 mana for 150
Spellcraft grants 20% casting reduction.
Wizardry at max for 50% casting reduction, can cast 36 times.
Sorcery at novice for 5% casting reduction, can cast 21 times.
Mana cost = spell base cost 10 * spellcraft of 20% cheaper * sorcery of 5% cheaper,
=10*0.8*0.95=7.6 cost for sorc
=10*0.8*0.5=4 cost for wiz
Item could be had that grants 10 extra Mana, how many extra spells this grants depends on what spell skills are used, sorcery equals about 1.32 more, wizardry at least 2.5 more.
Other method,
Base mana pool always 100.
Endurance grants 25% cheaper.
Spellcraft grants 20% cheaper.
Wizardry grants 50% cheaper.
Sorcery with bloodline grants 25% + 5% cheaper.
10*.75*.8*.5=3
10*.75*.8*.75*.95=4.275 more math from bloodline is uneeded just demonstrating it's effect.
If you add item then you add more math.
4.275*.95= 4.06125
3*.95= 2.85
33.333 vs 35.087... difference 1.754
23.391 vs 24.622... difference 1.231
Item is worn for an extra 5% cheaper spells, no matter which casting class you use, you can cast 5% more spells, which means 1.754 extra spells for wizard or 1.231 extra spells for sorcerer, much smaller difference between the two and more math, and no matter what is done the magic item is always 5% more, so 100 spells equals 5 extra spells, while less then twenty spells gets no benefit because the 5% bonus isn't enough to cast an extra spell, granting higher bonus gets to OP at higher level just to be usefull at lower level, the first option just needs to be higher then base cost and any caster of any level gets at least 1 bonus spell without getting OP at higher levels.
Oh, and making the spellcraft skill go away and use only the class and item bonuses makes the results worse.
Now look at how you could tweak the above item.
In option 1, we can change the amount of bonus or we can give effiency bonus or penalty to one or all of the class/base skills, six points of adjustment. Base mana pool, endurance effect, spellcraft effect, wizardry, sorcerery, bloodline.
Option two has four points of adjustment. Spellcraft, endurance, wizardry, sorcerery (leaving the bonus untyped has identicle effect to adjusting spellcraft except in conjuction with another magic item, but that probably wouldn't stack anyway which would render the point moot)
Also I leave it to you to explain to players how this amulet allows you cast more spells without giving you more mana.