Recharging Magic (3.5e Variant Rule)

Author: Ghostwheel (talk) Date Created: June 4, 2012 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Recharging Magic

While some people like Vancian magic (as most of the spellcasters use), others prefer to have casters on more-or-less the same schedule as other, more "normal" classes; this a variant for those.

How it Works

Rather than expending a spell and being unable to cast that spell, with this variant casters who cast a spell of a certain level are unable to cast a spell of the same level until that spell level recharges. A character can recharge the level of a spell by taking a swift action, though one cannot have cast that spell level during the same round in which they attempt to recharge it, and cannot cast that level of spells on the same round on which they regained it.

Spell levels have a chance to be regained based on the highest-level spell they can cast, rolling a d10 and consulting the table below for prepared casters:

Spell Recharging Reference Table

Spell Level	DC to refresh
Highest level	8
Second highest	7
Third highest	6
Fourth highest	5
Fifth highest	4
Sixth highest	3
Seventh highest	2
Eigth highest	1
Ninth highest	0

Spontaneous casters instead roll a d10+2. You can only recharge spells from a single class in any given round.

Arcane spell failure in this variant, rather than giving a miss chance, instead reduces the chance to regain a spell level by 20% the penalty that the armor would have normally incurred. Thus, a chain shirt (normally 20% ASF) instead reduces the roll on the d10 roll by 4.

Any spell that would be regained on a one or lower is automatically regained upon casting.

Casters who have access to 4th level or higher spells may instead attempt to regain a lower level spell at the same time as a higher-level one. They declare which two spell levels they want to regain (the lower one at least 4 levels below the higher one), and make a single roll using it against both chances.

Thus, a character attempting to regain a 7th level spell (the highest they can cast) and a 3rd level spell at the same time would roll a d10; if they rolled an 8 or higher, they would regain both with the same action, if they rolled less than 8 but above 4 they would regain their 3rd level spell, and 4 or below they would regain neither.

Exceptions

Some spells are problematic if cast often; to mitigate this, those spells have a longer recharge time, depending on the specific spell. When cast, the spell level is unavailable and can be regained normally, but that spell cannot be regained until a certain amount of time has gone by. Use the table here for specific recharge times, but since magic is a constantly changing thing, evolving and adapting to the magic-users in the world, the DM should change the recharge times of specific spells as they need to.

Another exception is when a spell is cast in order to counter or dispel the same spell specifically. In this case, if the spell has a specific recharge time, the specific recharge time does not apply. Instead, treat the spell as a general recharge spell of that level.

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