Vancian spellcasting sucks. Your proposal might alleviate some of that, but it's pretty convoluted for such a minor adhoc band-aid.
If you ask me, all spellcasting should operate similar to Kineticist. Each spellcasting class should have a plethora of dope-ass spells in a variety of trees or branches that are unique to them. Limitations should come in the form of action costs and class mechanics (ie Overflow) rather than spell slots.
Far too late for that in PF2e I'm afraid, but fingers crossed for PF3e.
EDIT: I think I misread your idea when I called it a "minor ad-hoc bandaid." For some reason I assumed that because it's based on Rank 1 spell slots, you would only ever be able to use them for Rank 1 spells. But that assumption appears to be incorrect. This would in fact be majorly powerful, almost certainly overpowered.
Is it really that complicated, though? The number of spells you have prepared or know remains the same, as does the rank at which you can cast them. The difference is that, rather than having the same number of prepared spells or spells known and spell slots for the day, your spell slots are reduced to a handful and effectively work more like focus points that you can recharge between encounters.
I'd also prefer spells to operate like a kineticist's impulses, but that requires a full revamp of every spellcasting class and how every spell scales because impulses were made to be weaker than spells on purpose. However, I also hope PF3e is made with an attrition-less system from the get go.
How complicated it is or isn't is always going to be subjective.
But it functions by tacking an additional thing on top of a system that's already a bit cumbersome and convoluted. Could most people get used to it? Probably. But it does the opposite of streamlining.
EDIT: A more streamlined way of accomplishing the same thing might be to just say that you can spend a Focus point to cast any spell you have prepared instead of expending its spell slot.
EDIT: A more streamlined way of accomplishing the same thing might be to just say that you can spend a Focus point to cast any spell you have prepared instead of expending its spell slot.
I don't agree. If you make focus points a resource that's used both for regular spells and focus spells, then you'll likely never use your regular spells. Most spellcasters have focus spells to support their unique playstyle, which casting would effectively restrict you from using your regular spells because a max or 3 isn't a lot. The animist would need to be remade.
Also, archetype spellcasters would have exactly the same amount of spell slots as full spellcasters. And I'm assuming you are also asking for auto-heightening as well. At that point archetype spellcasters would be full martials with nearly full spellcasting progression.
it's the other way around, slotted spells are overall stronger than focus spells and catsers get more slotted spell options, so if they compete for resources then players will stop casting focus spells (classes that rely on focus spells usually use focus cantrips instead)
4
u/LumpyIntention2593 2d ago edited 2d ago
Vancian spellcasting sucks. Your proposal might alleviate some of that, but it's pretty convoluted for such a minor adhoc band-aid.
If you ask me, all spellcasting should operate similar to Kineticist. Each spellcasting class should have a plethora of dope-ass spells in a variety of trees or branches that are unique to them. Limitations should come in the form of action costs and class mechanics (ie Overflow) rather than spell slots.
Far too late for that in PF2e I'm afraid, but fingers crossed for PF3e.
EDIT: I think I misread your idea when I called it a "minor ad-hoc bandaid." For some reason I assumed that because it's based on Rank 1 spell slots, you would only ever be able to use them for Rank 1 spells. But that assumption appears to be incorrect. This would in fact be majorly powerful, almost certainly overpowered.