Bonus Spells from Skills

[Amechra]

Alright, here's the core idea:

Wizards, Clerics, and Druids do not get bonus spells from high ability scores. Instead, they get bonus spells per day from having ranks in a particular skill - Knowledge (Arcana) for Wizards, Knowledge (Religion) for Clerics, and Knowledge (Nature) for Druids.

How many do they get? Check half of their ranks in the appropriate skill, rounded up, against the bonus spells table.

Seems pretty simple, and you get roughly the same number of spells...

[Stratovarius]

All it really does though is shift expenditure a little, making characters have to spend one skill point a level on something they might or might not want to. As you say, it doesn't affect balance that much, it's just an annoyance for the player.

[Garryl]

It does have the advantage (?) of reducing the reliance on a high ability score the the differences that can come from maximizing it to the absolute. Although with the way this goes about it, you might as well just bake it in with an extra spell slot at each spell level (possibly a couple extras for ~4 levels below max) and be done with it.

[Stratovarius]

Only sort of though - scores still drive DC, and that's critical for getting your spells to affect people. We all love no save effects, but there's a lot of good ones out there that need a save sooner or later.

[Amechra]

It's less a balance thing and more of a "Wait, why wouldn't they be taking ranks in these skills?" It's not like they won't have the ranks to burn on something that's going to be within concept 95% of the time.

Another thought was that Wizards would only get 1 spell per level, but would get to add a new spell to their spell list for each rank they have in Knowledge(Arcana) - though that one would introduce some issues.

(I'm mostly just toying with stuff that makes the skill system better integrated with classes. Because at the moment... they kinda are separate, staring at each-other warily.)

[Stratovarius]

So, the way i'd recommend going about it is giving each of the skills unique mechanical benefits.

Ideas I've toyed with include spellcraft ranks raising the caster level cap on spells, up to a max of spell level.

I made Spellbond as a skill.

Toyed with building Knowledge Devotion into Knowledge skills, or using favoured enemy that way.

[Amechra]

That wouldn't do what I want. What I want is for there to be:

A) Less skills - 20 is a maximum.
B) Classes that base the benefits of at least some class features off your ranks in skills.

[SorO_Lost]

Wizards, Clerics, and Druids do not get bonus spells from high ability scores. Instead, they get bonus spells per day from having ranks in a particular skill

Then the only purpose for focusing on your Ability Score is for Save DCs.

And if you stick to saveless Spells like summoning, utility, buffs, evocations, saveless murder, etc. then the Wizard faces no penalties for focusing his Ability Score generation else where. This gish-reward system allows a Wizard to start with 18 Str without people giving glances at each other for the odd, and would normally be terrible, choice. Which also in turn means it's easier for the Wizard to gish on replacing other roles, I mean now he can be a proficient Archer with all the Spells-per-day of a dedicated full-caster because he only needs to start with 13 Int (a +6 item by ecl17? cakewalk). Crank that AC/Reflex/To-Hit!

[Nifft]

That wouldn't do what I want. What I want is for there to be:

A) Less skills - 20 is a maximum.
B) Classes that base the benefits of at least some class features off your ranks in skills.

Sounds like you want a system where skills drive a lot more than just skill checks.

I see two ways to go about that.

#1: There are exactly 20 skills in the world, and everything you can do is covered by one of those skills. Class features add actions to skills. A Sorcerer will use the same skill to climb a wall as a Fighter.

#2: There are a certain number of things you can do in the world. Each class has at least one skill that covers each of those things, plus some other class-specific stuff. A Sorcerer might use Vermin-Magic to climb a wall, while a Fighter might use Athletics.