Pathfinder 2e
A place for people to discuss Pathfinder 2e
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Thanks for the examples and feedback!
Yes, this is a very slight increase to character power, which is why its called "Spell Slot Heresy." But since this is for a TTRPG and not a video game, any GM who lets this "remove all challenge" would probably pull the punches and let the PCs win anytime. Consider:
Fire Ray and Moonbeam are both 2A spells that do ~1d6 per level fire damage plus a little extra. At best they're removing one target per round, and the monster core is full of creatures with "Immunitiy: Fire". Not to mention both become 3A activities if they want to recover their focus point, meaning that cleric or druid doesn't have a third action to sustain, move, raise a shield, or take cover.
Ki Strike is a status bonus to attack, which doesn't stack with either Courageous Anthem or Bless. Meaning the net effect is that, for three actions, the monk can attack twice with +1d6 damage. Strong for a third action, maybe, but half that power comes from a core monk ability that is by itself only about on par with a fighter taking 2 attacks.
Hand of the Apprentice is honestly on par or behind damaging cantrips like Divine Lance or Ignite. "Spend 3 actions to make one melee strike at range" isn't all that unbalanced, esp since that same wizard could have wands and scrolls of fireball.
While resource-management for the adventuring day SOUNDS like it's worthwhile, the most common pattern in literally every game I've been a player for in any system is for the GM to say "you get all your stuff back". Even in pathfinder there's no real guard against the party deciding "we rest until we're healed." Pazio knew what they were doing when they designed P2E, and it wouldn't be as good as it was if they had made resource management a real part of the combat-game balance. Since what matters is just the relative scale of PC power and the round-to-round action economy, simplifying or removing resource management is something that Pathfinder is very well adapted to.
If you and your players (or GM) really want a resource management minigame, I'd suggest house-ruling in the opposite direction and make HP and spell slot recovery harder than they are in Pathfinder 2e. But that's an entirely separate discussion.