There comes the issue of a spellcaster having too many spells, which I doubt is what the designers had in mind. Even in articles like dungeon delve, they assume that slots below 7th lv are "arcane fire fodder" - they don't bother listing them out.
If we look at 4e, the spellcasters have only so many powers to use per encounter/day.
For the case of martial adepts, while they too have 9 lvs of maneuvers, they can ready only so many maneuvers at any one time, so you are encouraged/expected to trade up your existing maneuvers whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Is there any way a spellcaster's list of spells prepared can be streamlined, rather than cluttering up his character sheet? Versatile spellcaster is one, any more?
I agree fully with that. Plus, it makes the game (or at least casters) easier on new players.
My big worry is that if lower level spells scale better, that just means more power for already overpowered options. And honestly, I still use my low level spells anyway... Nerveskitter and Magecraft still see usage all the way to level 20, while Alter Self, Glitterdust, Ghoul Glyph, Spectral Hand and Black Sand still get usage as well. I don't think Shivering Touch, Shrink Item, or Explosive Runes will go out of style much either.
JaronK
I think that the power level of spells needs to be addressed as well. I wouldn't want to put all the effort into fixing how casting works if I didn't also fix how spells work.
