Another idea about the spell system

[BobbyB]

I remember some discussions in the forum about advantages of various spell systems most notably memorizing vs. mana points. The main issue was how to design a system which requires making interesting tactical decisions while avoiding the tedium of resting/regenerating. I've got an idea which addresses this problem but I have to admit that I haven't played newer cRPGs (no MMORPGs in particular) and I haven't followed all the topics in the forum. So my apologies if I'm reinventing an idea which is well-know or has been already discussed.

 

The idea doesn't depend heavily on the underlying spell system since it only describes how spellcaster's "magic pool" is regenerated. It is not very important what this magic pool is exactly. It could be mana points, it could be a count of how many copies of particular spell they have left or it could be any number of other ways of measuring how much "magic juice" is still available.

 

The crucial concept is that of "alertness" which limits regenerating abilities of a spellcaster. A character in combat is in the state of "full alertness" meaning that no regeneration of the magic pool is possible. There is a number of situations when a character is in the state of "moderate alertness" for example exploring a potentially dangerous area, attempting to move silently or performing some other absorbing task. In this state the magic pool is regenerating slowly. Otherwise, a character is "at rest" and the magic pool is regenerating relatively quickly.

 

With this system the maximally regenerated magic pool should be rather small so that it is perfectly possible to run out of spells during a major fight so that we are forced to make tactical decisions about the choice of spells. With a well designed pace of the game, spellcasters would spent some time "at rest" before major fights and some time being "moderately alert" in between of a couple of minor fights. That way they would have a reasonable supply of spells in any given combat situation without resorting to spam resting or similar tricks and in the same time their options would be limited until a current fight is resolved.

 

Of course there is a number of potential abuses that would have to be prevented in some way. For example one abuse would be to withdraw spellcasters from combat so that they can regenerate quickly. A way to avoid it would be a rule that spellcasters who move away from combat still stay at least "moderately alert" as long as some of their party members are in combat.

 

I'm wondering if something like this has been done before and what your thoughts are.

[rjshae]

Sure, recovery of magical ability could be linked to alpha waves in the brain. (It's the type of wave that forms when you are in a meditative condition or when you're sleeping.) The spells can then formed from this reserve when beta waves are active. Trying to recover magical ability during the day would require relaxation and a lack of distractions; something that is nearly impossible when your body is pumped up on adrenaline from combat. But a person who is well-practiced at such relaxation might be able to remain calm enough to enter this state even in the midst of battle.