DAILY SPELL LIMITS

I've already written a very similar article before, but this one more explicitly lays out my house rules, and is slightly different, though much of the background material is the same. Nevertheless, I offer it here.

It used to make more sense, in my honest opinion, the way this was handled in previous editions of AD&D; a certain amount of rest was required to prepare certain level spells. For example, simply resting/sleeping for 4 hours was sufficient before preparing 1st and 2nd level spells. If you wanted to reacquire 3rd or 4th level spells, you had to rest at least 6 hours first; 5th or 6th level spells required 8 hours' rest first; 7th or 8th level spells required 10 hours' rest first; and 9th level spells required a full 12 hours' rest before you could begin to prepare them.

It didn't really imply how many times you could do this in a day - only time limited your abilities. All that was required was the prerequisite periods of rest and subsequent memorization. So, for example, it might have been possible for a wizard to get in nearly five or six sets of 1st and 2nd level spell compliments in a single day. Simply cast one's compliment, rest 4 hours, reacquire them, cast again, rest, reacquire, etc.

True, it took longer to actually learn or memorize the spells - about 15 minutes per level, or 10 minutes per level, depending on the edition - and that could really eat up some serious time if you were high level and had to replenish your entire compliment of spells.

An 18th level wizard, for example, might have 139 levels of spells, and that could take nearly a full day and half just to memorize that many, not to mention the half of a day of rest before you could even begin. Also, one might be limited to working no longer than 10 hours a day, so this could nearly double this time. Of course one normally only had to replenish what they actually cast, and that hardly ever approached one's entire compliment, so this lengthy down time rarely happened.

And these rules held true for either archaic or divine magical spells, so that was handy.

In 3e, however, they have changed all that - perhaps they felt it was too much bookkeeping. And I've seen several ways to interpret the rules. But the most important differences are these:

Archaic spell casters and divine spell casters use different rules.

It takes only a single hour to reacquire one's entire spell compliment - no matter how many levels of spells this may be (Ughh).

Divine spell casters clearly may reacquire their spells only once per day - and usually only at a particular time important to their deity. For example, only at sunset, or sunrise, or midnight, or noon, or even something more strange, like 3:33 a.m. if they wish.

Personally, I let my players decide what time of the day works best for them - or their god - and simply have them stick to this time from then on. Each cleric or religion may have a different time of the day. And, as it turns out, the divine spell casters do not require rest. They just get their spells at the proper time of day, and that's it. But they only get them once per day, so this is a true daily limit on their spell compliment.

However, archaic spell caster, it may be inferred, only require rest. Thus, they may be able to get in several sets of spell compliments, if they can find the time to rest. This minimum amount of rest time is at least 8 hours, though, so they could at best acquire 2 to 3 spell compliments in a single day.

NOTE: Others interpret the rules to mean even archaic spell casters have a daily limit, and despite what the resting for spell section implies, this interpretation suggests wizards are stuck with a daily limit as well. I dislike this, since it is ambiguously worded. There are even several ways to define day, or daily. Every 24 hours? Every calendar day? From midnight to midnight? From noon to noon, etc.? It's a mess.

In any event, it would be problematic, however, to allow archaic spell casters to operate at nearly three times the efficiency of the divine spell casters.

So, from this point on, all I can offer you are my current house rules - which I feel are fair and playable.

HOUSE RULES
(THE REACQUISITION OF SPELLS)

REST: Rest is defined as no fighting, no spell casting - (other than cantrips or orisons) - no hard work or labor or strenuous travel, and not having to endure inclement weather or harsh, unsafe, precarious positions of questionable safety, etc. You may walk, talk, eat, read, travel on wagon or ship - but not horseback - and even cast 0th level spells. If one's rest is interrupted, they must add one hour per interruption to the rest period. If they take damage, they must add one hour per point of damage, not to exceed 8.

Arcane Spell Casters

The rest period of 8 hours is still required. After resting 8 hours, any spell slot that has been empty during those entire 8 hours of rest may be filled again. But if it were full that whole time, just swap out the old spell for the one you'd rather have. This is not casting, nor does it consume any material components. It just replaces one prepared spell with another. This acquisition process will take 1 hour of study, or 5 minutes per spell level, whichever is less.

Spell slots are handled separately, you see, each one with its own clock. And, as in previous editions, only the rest period will be mandatory. There is no daily limit. This now reflects merely how many spells one may have prepared at any given time - their maximum capacity, or total spell compliment.

One may leave a spell slot blank, or open. Later in the day, they may rest for a minimum of 15 minutes, and then fill it after studying for 5 minutes per spell level.

It will, therefore, be possible for wizards, bards, and sorcerers to acquire more than a single compliment of spells in a single 24-hour period.

Divine Spell Casters

Each god or deity has a particular time of the day that is holy to them, and it is at this time when their clerics may acquire their spell compliments, regardless of how rested they may or may not be. But this is a daily limit, since it happens once a day, no matter where they are in the world.

NOTE: If the cleric misses their prayer session at the appointed hour, the GM may allow them to acquire spells anyway if they pray for them within the next 6 hours, provided the reason they missed their prayer session was beyond their control. If they still can't manage to find the time or opportunity to pray, they may have to wait for the next day - or seek holy ground (see below).

Divine spell casters do not require rest, like wizards do, to acquire these daily spells.

At this time, any spell slot that is full may be filled with a different spell, and/or any spell slot that has been empty for at least 8 hours may be filled.

Divine spell casters may also acquire spells at times other than the one normally prescribed as holy under their religion. To do this, however, they must be on holy ground consecrated to their own deity, or at least a deity friendly and similar - identical in alignment to their own god, or to the cleric or druid. This may be a church, a temple, a shrine, a grove, a grotto, or whatever is holy to a deity.

Furthermore, for this acquisition of spells, they must actually have rested, just like a wizard, for the last 8 hours. After resting 8 hours, and only while on such holy ground, any spell slot that has been empty during those entire 8 hours of rest may be filled again. But if it were full, just swap out the old spell for the one you'd rather have. This acquisition process will take 1 hour of prayer or contemplation, or 5 minutes per spell level, whichever is less.

One may leave a spell slot blank, or open. Later in the day, they may pray for a minimum of 15 minutes, and then fill it after praying for 5 minutes per spell level.

Spontaneous Spell Casting

As per standard rules, clerics may spontaneously cast certain spells. That is, under the right conditions, the spells need not necessarily be the ones they had prepared ahead of time. For good clerics and druids, they may sacrifice the power of any prepared spell to cast a cure spell of equal or lower level. For evil clerics and druids, they may sacrifice the power of any prepared spell to cast an inflict spell of equal or lower level. For neutral clerics, they may sacrifice the power of any prepared spell to cast either of their preference, but once they choose cure or inflict spells as their forte, they must remain with this choice.

However, please bear in mind that no cleric may use or sacrifice the power of their prepared domain spells for this purpose. These spells arise from a particular power of one's deity, and not from generic divine energy. Furthermore, please note blank spell slots contain no energy and may not be sacrificed to spontaneously cast a spell.

NOTE: This is a departure from the standard rules for druids. We see little reason to bar druids from this ability since they are just nature clerics, and we do not believe this practice will actually jeopardize game balance. If you feel it might, feel free to limit the druid's spontaneous casting abilities to their own person or animal companions.

Bards and sorcerers, naturally, already have the ability to spontaneously cast spells inasmuch as their spells need not be prepared ahead of time. But wizards may also do this, though at a much greater cost. This additional cost is why it is far better to plan ahead for the spells one will need, and to cast only properly prepared spells. Yet they may spontaneously cast spells in a pinch, under the right provisions.

A wizard may sacrifice the power of two prepared spells, and in exchange spontaneously cast any spell in their repertoire of equal or lower level to the level of the least powerful of the sacrificed spell. For example, the may sacrifice a 4th level spell and a third level spell, and thus spontaneously cast any 3rd or lower level spell.

The wizard must, of course, have the necessary spell components for the spontaneously cast spell. Furthermore, they must either enjoy mastery over that spell, or have seen it in their own spell book within the last 24 hours.

NOTE: Unless a wizard is denied their spell books, it is usually just assumed they have seen at least their traveling spell books within the last 24 hours. However, they may have lost them, had them taken or stolen or destroyed, or even might not be able to read them if there is no light. If this happens to go on longer than a 24-hour period, the wizard may only spontaneously cast spells over which they enjoy mastery.

Meta magic spells are much more difficult to spontaneously cast. For each level higher the spell must be due to meta magic feats, add another level to it operational level for the purposes of spontaneous casting. For example, a 1st level spell may employ the STILL and SILENCE meta magic feats, and thus be a 3rd level spell if they prepared it ahead of time. But for the purposes of spontaneous casting, it is treated like a 5th level spell. Thus, one must sacrifice two 5th or higher level prepared spells to use those two meta magic feats to spontaneously cast this normally 1st level spell.

As you can see, this would be extremely costly, and so spontaneously casting meta magically altered spells is rare. In fact, intelligent wizards pride themselves on being able to foresee their needs, and seldom will they spontaneously cast spells at all. Nevertheless, you can't prepare for everything, and so this does happen on occasion. Oddly enough, it happens far more frequently in towns and cities, where wizards are not actively adventuring, but simply living their lives.

These house rules allow arcane spell casters a bit more rapidity in regaining their spells, but this usually doesn't happen in actual practice.

And divine spell casters do just as well, with the provision they must do it on holy ground. Failing that, they actually do have a genuine daily limit, and must reacquire their spells at a particular time of day. This does limit them in the field when compared to arcane spell casters, but it, too, doesn't make much difference in actual practice, since reaching holy ground is often simple to do - particularly in almost any city. And, also, because it is very difficult for arcane spell casters to properly "rest" in the field, particularly in a dungeon rife with monsters or near the front lines of a battlefield, or in virtually any nasty weather.

So while different, in some ways, they are more closely equal now than in standard 3e, and more playable, in my honest opinion.

If you try these house rules and would like to comment on them, please do.

Email Jim Your Comments (Send Praises, Critiques, Complaints, Suggestions, Ideas, Corrections, or Submissions).

Good luck with these rules, and Happy Gaming ;-)

© May of 2004
by
James L.R. Beach
Waterville, MN 56096