Making a metamagic pool, max level is 3rd level casting.

[Lastoutkast]

I want to make a metamagic pool in place of spell slots. Has anyone made, used or heard of anything like this ?

Thanks all.

[Shiroi]

You'd keep spell slots per day as normal, and limit spells known to level 3 or below. I'd let them learn up to level 3 at their normal pace and stop then, rather than spacing it out. New spells known still happen, but must be 3rd level or lower. The higher spell slots are only useable with metamagiked spells, or as "wild spell slots".

[Brew Bird]

One problem I see is the inability to access some of the higher level healing spells, things such as restoration, resurrection, and the like. The game generally assumes players will have access to certain spell and abilities at certain levels. Otherwise the already iffy CR ratings fall apart.

[Shiroi]

That could be solved with scrolls of certain higher level spells allowed.

[Lastoutkast]

Shiroi wrote:

You'd keep spell slots per day as normal, and limit spells known to level 3 or below. I'd let them learn up to level 3 at their normal pace and stop then, rather than spacing it out. New spells known still happen, but must be 3rd level or lower. The higher spell slots are only useable with metamagiked spells, or as "wild spell slots".

That is pretty much what I have so far, but more like spending X metamagic points allows you to quicken a spell. It's the math that is throwing me off.

[Firewarrior44]

You could access lesser restoration as it's only second level. Why not just say the heightened versions act as Restoration and Greater restoration when they are raised to the appropriate level?

Kirthfidner has rules for something like this (see chapter 7 Spells). The math seems reasonably solid.

[Lastoutkast]

Firewarrior44 wrote:

You could access lesser restoration as it's only second level. Why not just say the heightened versions act as Restoration and Greater restoration when they are raised to the appropriate level?

Kirthfidner has rules for something like this (see chapter 7 Spells). The math seems reasonably solid.

Great idea, I think I need to rewrite the meta feats to use points instead of slots, really I just want to get rid of the slot concept for metamagic.

[Shiroi]

You'd want to do something like a point per day limit, I like classifying each caster as having a number of points based on their bab. Full bab but still have caster levels? You get one point every 2 levels. 3/4 bab? You get points equal to your bab progression. Half bab full caster? You get a point per level. All three add their mental stat to points per day. (see Spheres of Power for math related to this kind of feature)

Then you mark down how many metamagic points you can spend on a spell at any given level. This math would be based more on being able to reach a max spell level equivalent and would probably be roughly 1 per 4 levels.

At level 4 you can use 1 spell level worth of metamagic on a given spell. At level 8, 2 points, and so on.

At level 9 you have 3rd level spells, and can cast them as up to 5th level metamagics... this makes you actually stronger in some ways than a normal caster of pathfinder up until you hit level 11. At 11, you should be casting 4th level spells, but you can't. You can still just cast 3rd level spells as 5th level metamagiked slots. At 12 you can cast them as 6th level metamagiked, at 16 7th level, and at 20 8th level.

This means overall you still never get to use 9th level spell equivalent, even in the more limited scope of metamagiked low level spells. But in exchange, you're stronger at low levels than you should be and thus aren't as far behind martial at the start of the game, or as far ahead at the end. (Might not even break even with a martial to be honest. I'm doing my best to help you with a fair and balanced system within your ideas but it's really not a system I'd use or agree with myself).

Either way, if you haven't looked at Spheres of Power, I'd do so. It's got a solid alternative magic system that I've made the only option in most of my campaigns since I found it. It might, if nothing else, give you ideas.