Im sorry i probably wouldn't want to play in the game, and even i think that the spellcasters need serious toning back. Youve doomed pretty much all wisdom casters except shamans who were already pretty MAD at times. There is just too much issue with balancing around MAD. Nerfing problematic spells, bringing back the concentration skill, making goodsaves a type of first level bonus(like max hit dice) and making all saves 1/2 level, make spell resistance a free to drop and raise, are all methods that can be implicated without making it frustrating to play a spellcaster.
ALL casters will be INT-POW based. Wisdom won't enter into the spellcasting equation.
Well, yes, all spellcasters need a good once-over in a dark alley with a nerfbat. That much is obvious to me.
Making INT for bonus spells and CHA for saving throws gets pretty much everybody, as far as I can tell. Max spell level is almost inconsequential (it's a rare day I run a d20 game past about level 10).
There are other nerfs in the works as well, of course, for the full casters.
From my experience both as a player and GM, spellcasting in levels 5-10 differ wildly depending on whether you're a 6-level or 9-level spellcaster. Spell levels 4 and beyond are usually where spellcasters start to trivialize encounters. A magus doesn't get these spell levels until level 10. A wizard gets them at level 7.
Having run games with only martials and 6-level spellcasters, I personally believe 6-level spellcasters (except summoners obviously) are the most balanced of the classes. They don't get disruptive spells until 10th/13th level, around when the martials start to really outshine them in damage. They make trade offs between power and versatility. Their MAD helps keep them in check.
And I agree with the others in that most of the problem lies with the martial classes being poorly designed.
You really need to completely replace the magic system to have MAD casters. The current system just doesn't have enough adjustables. There's just number of spells and save DCs.
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I'd instead merge strength and dexterity. They pretty much describe the same sort of musculature, The fine motor skills go to int or wis and the endurance skills and carrying capacity go to con and the martial stat problem is fixed while the pure casters are down a dump stat.
I agree here.
On another note, an RPG I'm designing merges Strength and Constitution together and makes Weapon Finesse a weapon property that also adds Dexterity to damage. This way, there's different defensive and offensive trade offs depending on what your build is.
Zhayne, since you seem to be going the route of changing all casters to be based on Intelligence and Power, may I suggest something radical?
Change wisdom too. At this point, wisdom will nearly only affect will saves, sense motive, and perception, heal and survival skill checks.
Consider changing Wisdom to Awareness. It continues to affect perception, sense motive, survival, and will (Will because you're more aware on intrusions in your mind), but also add initiative and diplomacy to it (bluff could be Int, intimidate could be Str).
Switch heal to int-based since it's based a lot on theoretical knowledge.
That way you have:
Strength - Melee attacks, damage, skills
Dexterity - Ranged attacks, AC, finesse attacks, reflex saves, skills
Constitution - Hit points, fortitude saves
Intelligence - Skill points, spellcasting, knowledge skills
Awareness - Initiative, will saves, skills
Power - Spell DCs, spell-like abilities and spellcaster class bonuses
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I don't see the flavour behind this fix, unless you intend it to be a purely mechanical change (Which, in that case, I've nothing to say on).
Charisma, being as it is, and used as a casting stat for differeny classes signifies a certain flavour, just as intellect and wisdom does for classes that use it for their own casting.
What this means is, a sorcerer is someone that does not essentially *study* his art, he just forces it with his "force of personality" (a.k.a. the strength of his emotions, resolve, confidence, unconfidence or even psychological instabilities.), unless you're a Sage sorcerer.
A wizard studies his art. He needs to have the intellect to understand how you make the world do things that it's not supposed to do outside of divine intervention. And because you've got the strength of mind and ingenuity to fathom it, you study ways to make it happen, and do. You essnetially use your force of thought and academical experience to grow in power.
Clerics and Druids use wisdom. Why? Because being charismatic, having a strong personality and so on isn't necesarry.
A cleric's god won't care about that, because the cleric is merely a vessel of their power, ideals and beleifs. He needs not be soft-spoken or pleasant, but he must have the wisdom to see and look for things in others and general things that other mortals do not. He must see the world with a clear, unhindered gaze and project it through the lense of his god, to then make philosophical sense of it.
Same for the druid. He must have the wisdom to understand things about nature that can not be grasped with simple knowledge. To feel flow of all things and thus gain insight on their workings, being able to either forcefully manipulate this flow or natural energies, or to call upon its benevolence if his goals are to protect this flow from interference. You don't need to be smart and your teeth don't need to be white.
So why would you just simplify things just like that? You'd entirely obliterate class flavour and any roleplaying incentive players would have to stress the importance and -meaning- of being a cleric/sorcerer/wizard/druid as opposed to just any other caster.
I don't see why you would concern yourself over something like balance in a game where the priority (unless you're just doing this for entirely different kicks and reasons) is telling a tale and using a GM with a system (That can be changed accordingly for the campaign and PC's needs in a home game) to depict certain things.
If the wizard is overpowered, just give the fighter GM boons. Perhaps an epic quest where he bathed in dragonblood and gained awesome abilities or challenged an old giant to a battle and won, gaining his soul and strength. I don't see any thematical significance in this fix as it doesn't cater to the individual flavors of the classes.
Savvy?
Sounds like you might as well write your own system
Have you considered just flat-out adding a 7th stat and add 5 to the point buy? Martials already dump Charisma. To buff them, an extra 10 to buy down to 7 is preferable.
Keep the same system in other respects, but bonus spells per day and max spell level available are based off the 7th stat.
And you might want a better name, like Essentia or Exergonia.