Spellcasting Skill Removal Proposal

Spellcasting Skill (and Fighting Skill, but let's save that for the Feedback section), provides a necessary enhancing function spell casting and tactically is a skill that should always be trained at every opportunity for characters who cast spells. This skill will always benefit the spell casting character in a general fashion. It is one of very few skills (Fighting and maybe Stabbing being the other two) that enhances the way in which other skills work; Spellcasting Skill never works alone, it only works in conjunction with other Spell Skills (Air Magic, Hexes, Summoning, Necromancy, … , maybe Evocations, etc.)

Spellcasting as a trainable Skill makes it an experience point dump. The benefit of Spellcasting turns it into a constant consumer of experience which should thematically be applied to the appropriate Spell Skill. Other skills are reliant on Spellcasting; removing Spellcasting makes the skills self-reliant.

A solution to this problem is to replace the generalized Spellcasting skill with a value derived from overall knowledge from Spell Skills, with more value placed on higher spell school skill levels.

Spellcasting Skill

• is trained by casting spells (and initially, Scrolls)
• when exists, allows spellcasting / reading from books
• reduces hunger
• increases global spell power
• grants more magic power (unless trumped by Invocations)
• grants additional spell levels

For non-spellcasters, Spellcasting Skill can be learned through the use of Scrolls, which add experience checks. Please confirm whether these checks continue after Spellcasting Skill is acquired (much like attacking mushrooms can train Fighting, but only up to level 1).

The measure of Spellcasting ability, rather than be an unrelated arbitrarily increasing value, should instead be based on the sum total of all knowledge of casting spells, regardless of spell school (Hexes, Conjurations, Poison Magic, etc.). The more knowledge of varied subjects and the deeper the expertise (read: higher level) of those subjects, the more powerful Spellcasting ability becomes.

Remove Spellcasting Skill as a directly trainable Skill and replace it with Spellcasting Ability, which provides the sames benefits Spellcasting Skill provided, but has a numeric value derived from the range and depth of known Spell Skill levels.

Skills considered Spell Skills are all current spell skills plus Evocations. Invocations will not be considered a Spell Skill. Spellcasting Skill will no longer exist.

The value of Spellcasting Ability is calculated from the number of Spell Skill levels known combined with the value of those levels. A Spell Skill grants more Spellcasting Ability points depending on how high the Spell Skill level is using a level-based multiplier. Spellcasting Ability points are calculated as follows:

When used as a value for programmatic calculations, suggestion is to round Spellcasting Ability down to the nearest integer (unless development team likes having a floating point number). When totaled across all Spell Skills, combine the floating point values.

• One Spell Skill at level 27 translates to Spellcasting Ability of 9 (in current terms, Spellcasting Skill at Level 9)
• Four Spell Skills at level 12 translate to Spellcasting Ability of 11.6 (currently, Spellcasting Skill @ Level 11)
• One Skill @ 5 and six skills @ 1 translate to Spellcasting Ability of 2.2 (currently, Spellcasting Skill @ Level 2)
• One Skill @ 27, one Skill @ 12, and five Skills @ 8 translate to Spellcasting Ability of 20.65 (currently, Spellcasting Skill @ Level 20)

Maximum Spellcasting Ability value equals the highest known Spell Skill level.

example: having four Spell Skills @ level 16 and 1 Spell Skill @ level 9 gives a total Spellcasting Ability of 18.4, but Spellcasting Ability will act as if it totaled 16 (the highest-valued Spell Skill).

Having Spellcasting Ability totaling less than 1 means the character cannot memorize spells from any Spell School in which he does not already have level 1 or higher. It is possible with some iterations to start a Spellcaster with a Spellcasting Ability less than 1. This means, for example, a starting Enchanter with Hexes:4 and Racial Multiplier of 1 must either increase Hexes to 5 or Evocations to 1 to gain Spellcasting Ability 1 and the ability to memorize spells from non-Hexes Spell Schools.

Non-spellcasters can still learn Spellcasting through Evocations Skill. Wands, rods and rings currently always train Evocations. Under this system, Scrolls will also always train Evocations Skill. Once a character with no levels in Spell Skills has Evocations at 5, his Spellcasting Ability will have reached 1 and he will receive a message that he can now learn Spell Schools by memorizing from spell books.

The Spellcasting Ability Point Multiplier can be adjusted on a per-race basis to maintain a racial preference or penalty for spellcasting. The following table suggests alterations to the multiplier based on the originally-given aptitude of the Spellcasting Skill.

1. Removes the arbitrary Spellcasting Skill
2. It encourages Spell Skill diversification; a character may try to learn more spell skills.
3. Keeping the maximum Spellcasting Ability set to highest known Spell Skill level removes potential penalty from knowing opposing skills.
4. The Spellcasting Ability Point Multiplier can be adjusted on a per-race basis to maintain a racial preference or penalty for spellcasting.

1. Tough for a player to track Spellcasting Ability (could provide the number)
2. Removes a large consumer of Spell XP (Spellcasting Skill), likely requiring adjustment (read: increase) of base Spell Skill costs.
3. Some characters who start with Evocations 5+, but no Spell Skills (read: artificers) will automatically know how to read spellbooks.

SUBJECT A from here

• Level 18 Spellcasting
• Level 11 Conjurations, Level 2 Charms, Level 4 Summonings, Level 2 Translocations, Level 2 Transmutations, Level 3 Fire Magic, Level 27 Earth Magic, Level 14 Evocations
• Spellcasting Ability totals 17.7

SUBJECT B from here

• Level 5 Spellcasting
• Level 2 Summonings, Level 11 Translocations, Level 6 Evocations
• Spellcasting Ability totals 4.25

SUBJECT C from here

• Level 14 Spellcasting
• Level 1 Conjurations, Level 6 Charms, Level 9 Summonings, Level 14 Necromancy, Level 10 Translocations, Level 1 Fire Magic, Level 3 Air Magic, Level 9 Evocations
• Spellcasting Ability totals 12.05

SUBJECT D from here

• Level 27 Spellcasting
• Level 16 Conjurations, Level 14 Charms, Level 7 Summonings, Level 6 Necromancy, Level 12 Translocations, Level 2 Transmutations, Level 2 Fire Magic, Level 22 Air Magic, Level 21 Poison Magic, Level 12 Evocations
• Spellcasting Ability totals 22 (actual is 28.95; maximum value is value of highest Spell Level)

Current values for Skill Level ranges and Ability Multipliers are only approximations; this is 100% up for discussion and suggesting alternative values/ranges/additional ranges to make a working system rather than blank dismissal of the overall concept is encouraged. I would love any feedback. — XuaXua 2011-04-14 21:33

Currently, maximum Spellcasting Ability value will equal the highest known Spell Skill level. This may result in a lower Spellcasting Ability than one might have had using Spellcasting Skill. Consider that overall Spell Skill levels may be higher (if leveling Spell Skills is not penalized in conjunction with this change) due to more XP being available with the removal of the Spellcasting Skill, so that might completely offset this concern. Optionally, the Spellcasting Ability maximum could be set to the known Spell Skill level plus number of Spell Skills known, capped at 27. — XuaXua 2011-04-15 21:48

This alternate table benefits higher-valued Spell Skill levels starting at level 16 (earlier) and devalues the level 27 bonus, yet still caps with +9 Spellcasting Ability at Spell Skill level 27.

This alternate table devalues early amounts and accellerates the bonus at higher levels); still capped with +9 Spellcasting Ability at Spell Skill level 27, but may work better with the existing experience system considering endgame Spell Skill levels may be higher overall (even after compensating) with this change.

This alternate table incredibly devalues early amounts and greatly increases the bonus at higher levels; still capped with +9 Spellcasting Ability at Spell Skill level 27, but could scale nicely when adjusted with racial multipliers. The biggest change here is Non-Spellcasters with multiplier x1 require Evocations: 8 to start casting spells.

Calculated Spellcasting Ability vs Spellcasting Skill is lower for existing characters. Without the Spellcasting Skill sink, we will see more experience applied to spell skills resulting in higher spell skills to compensate. Additionally, adjusting the skill multipliers on a per-race basis would also alter this value. At the moment, the tables seem comparable. — XuaXua 2011-04-15 00:18

A similar system could be put in place to replace/recalculate Fighting (the “Strength” skill) based on hand-to-hand combat skills; Fighting should add to AC, not HP. A similar system could also be put in place to replace Dodging (the “Dexterity” skill) using missile, stealth, traps and stabbing skills. — XuaXua 2011-04-15 07:37

Really I don't think spellcasting is a major problem, it just gets out of hand at the upper player levels since this is when a player diversifies. I think the mere removal or lowering of spellpower boost would put it in line with other skills. — greepish 2012-01-13 13:43