Spontaneous casting as a wizard

[Myrmex]

What are ways to get the ability to spontaneously cast spells as a wizard? I know Complete Champion lets you cast spontaneous divinations. Are there any others?

[Voldecanter]

The Legendary Class - The Wizard King - from the book , Path of Magic .

[Berserk Monk]

What are ways to get the ability to spontaneously cast spells as a wizard? I know Complete Champion lets you cast spontaneous divinations. Are there any others?

It's called being a sorcerer. Less spell diversity, more spells per day.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Depends on what you consider spontaneous. Prepare nothing but Image spells, Summons, Limited Wish, and similar, and you can get access to just about any effect you want, especially with Shadowcraft Mage.

[Myrmex]

It's called being a sorcerer. Less spell diversity, more spells per day.

{Scrubbed}


Depends on what you consider spontaneous. Prepare nothing but Image spells, Summons, Limited Wish, and similar, and you can get access to just about any effect you want, especially with Shadowcraft Mage.

Spontaneous as in casting a spell without having prepared it before hand. Casting "as a sorcerer."

[Kelpstrand]

Spontaneous as in casting a spell without having prepared it before hand. Casting "as a sorcerer."

Right, and shadowcraft mage allows you to cast silent image as any conjuration or evocation spell of the level of the slot it is heightened into.

IE, you prepare silent image heightened to 3rd level and you can, when you choose to cast it, pick from any of these core spells:


* Phantom Steed: Magic horse appears for 1 hour/level.
* Sepia Snake Sigil M: Creates text symbol that immobilizes reader.
* Sleet Storm: Hampers vision and movement.
* Stinking Cloud: Nauseating vapors, 1 round/level.
* Summon Monster III: Calls extraplanar creature to fight for you.
* Daylight: 60-ft. radius of bright light.
* Fireball: 1d6 damage per level, 20-ft. radius.
* Lightning Bolt: Electricity deals 1d6/level damage.
* Tiny Hut: Creates shelter for ten creatures.
* Wind Wall: Deflects arrows, smaller creatures, and gases.


Also, technically all the cleric and druid ones, and of course any ones not in core that you have access to.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

{Scrubbed}


Spontaneous as in casting a spell without having prepared it before hand. Casting "as a sorcerer."How much variety, though? A Killer Gnome (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=655556) can cast any Conjuration:Summoning, Conjuration:Creation or Evocation spell spontaneously. You can grab Divination out of CChamp, and Arcane Disciple gets you Miracle for basically any 8th or lower Cleric spell out of a 7th level slot. Do we need more spontaneity?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A Shadowcraft Mage (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=655556) Wizard uses the feat Signature Spell (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Signature_spell,PG) to spontaneously cast Silent Image, qualifying via Illusion Mastery (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#illusionistVariants) rather than wasting a feat on Spell Mastery. It turns out to be extremely efficient and is probably the closest thing to a spontaneous Wizard you can get outside of using Spell Points (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/spellPoints.htm).

[Myrmex]

But would you say it's spontaneous "like a sorcerer"? Because I would say it's spontaneous like a cleric.

[AmberVael]

Some things worth mentioning...


Alacritous Cogitation, a feat from Complete mage, allows you to leave a single slot open and prepare a spell in it spontaneously (you can instantly prepare and cast in a full round action).

Amulet of Spell Conversion, from the same book, is similar. (You can swap out spells once per day as a full round action).

Mage of the Arcane Order (the Complete Arcane PrC) allows some flexibility as well.

[Thurbane]

There a feat in Exemplars of Evil... Uncanny Forethought (?) that allows some spontaneous casting.

[chaos_redefined]

It's spontaneous like a warmage/beguiler/dread necro. You have a decently length set of options, but they are fixed.

Also, please note for people responding to this, that a sorc has so limited a set of options that sometimes, it's like you aren't spontaneous. For example, at 10th level, you can spontaneously cast from your list of 1 fifth level spells. That's right, one spell known. And you can choose any of them. That's spontaneity for you.

[Kelpstrand]

But would you say it's spontaneous "like a sorcerer"? Because I would say it's spontaneous like a cleric.

Well clerics can turn a spell into one of one other spells. Shadowcraft mages can use a spell slot to cast one of over 100 spells.

I would not qualify it as like a Sorcerer or like a Cleric. I would qualify it as, Like made of pure win.

[Myrmex]

I am looking for actual mechanical similarities, not how you feel about it. For instance, when you say "I charge the monster," that can have any number of meanings, while a charge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#charge) is a very specific action.

[Wings of Peace]

The Legendary Class - The Wizard King - from the book , Path of Magic .

Isn't that third party?

Versatile Spellcaster gives spontaneous casting though not effeciently and it rests of how much cheeze you allow to qualify for the feat.

[Jack_Simth]

Let's see... Shadowcraft Mage has been mentioned, as has Signiture Spell, Uncanny Forethought, Mage of the Arcane Order, Alacritous Cogitation, and a few class features.

You're missing the Spell Staves from the Magic Item Compendium - lets you spontaneously convert a prepared spell into one of the spells stored in the stave X times per day per spell.

[HamsterOfTheGod]

There's a wizard variant somewhere that let's a conjurer cast summon monster like a druid casts summon nature's ally. You give the bonus slot or somethink like that. It's listed in crystalkeep.

[Cyclocone]

Let's see... Shadowcraft Mage has been mentioned, as has Signiture Spell, Uncanny Forethought, Mage of the Arcane Order, Alacritous Cogitation, and a few class features.

You're missing the Spell Staves from the Magic Item Compendium - lets you spontaneously convert a prepared spell into one of the spells stored in the stave X times per day per spell.

You're thinking of Runestaves (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ps/20070216a) right?

Also from the horse's mouth: Magelord. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050202a&page=2)

Halruaan Elder (Shining South) and Hathran (PGtF) get some limited spontaneity too.

There's also that "cloak of mystic conjuration" or what ever the hell it's called (the one that let's you cast Summon Monster).
On the subject of Summon Monster, we've also got Spontaneous Summoning ACF (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#spontaneousSummoning) , and Nexus Method. (http://www.realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Nexus_Method,all)

Uncanny Forethought was already mentioned. But i'll mention it again as it's probably what you're looking for. It's basically the Magelord and MotAO PrC's boiled down into one single feat.

[PumpkinJack]

Do you need to cast spontaneously like a sorcerer? Just fill your spell slots with combat spells (which you'll need to cast on the fly), leave one spell slot per level open so you can study a new spell if you need it (presuming you have a few minutes which should be fine for any scenario except combat), and then scribe lots and lots of scrolls for all the stuff you're not memorizing or that will get used rarely. That should cover any need for spontaneous casting. If you ever come across a situation that you need a spell, you'll have it covered.

This is one of the reasons I think the sorcerer class is gimped. The only advantage they have over wizards is nullified by scrolls and open spell slots. Meanwhile sorcerers don't get the extra feats or the scribe scroll feat at 1st level or standard action metamagics or the majority of magical prestige classes or the spell variety or the advantage of finding new spells during adventures or even all the skills available to wizards (namely knowledge ones). Still, I don't want to keep track of everything like wizards have to so I deal.

[Sinfire Titan]

There a feat in Exemplars of Evil... Uncanny Forethought (?) that allows some spontaneous casting.

Requires Spell Mastery, but its actually worth taking for that feat. Think Alacritous Cogitation on steroids, and any spell you want as a full round action.

[jcsw]

Unless you provide more limitations or something the answer to the best way to "Cast like a Sorcerer" is "be a Sorcerer". You may want to tell us why you need to be a wizard so we can work from there.

[Fuzzy_Juan]

There is an option in unearthed arcana called 'Recharge Magic'. Basically, whenever you cast a spell, there is a set time before you can cast another spell of that level. The time depends on your level and the level of the spell. spells on your level are I think 1d4-1 rounds. This kills the spell slot for so many rounds. At higher levels you can just rotate between various levels casting different spells, but at lower level you had best make use of 0th or your crossbow. To restrict it somewhat, I think you still need to prepare a list, which can change, however you can cast any spell on your spell list as much as you want so long as you have that spell level active. Makes good use of highten spell.

It is actually a neat concept, but will require testing to get a good feel.

[JeenLeen]

Requires Spell Mastery, but its actually worth taking for that feat. Think Alacritous Cogitation on steroids, and any spell you want as a full round action.

And any spell you know by Spell Mastery as a standard action.
It lets you leave Int-mod spell slots open per day for spontaneous casting. Very good feat.

[Talya]

Spontaneous as in casting a spell without having prepared it before hand. Casting "as a sorcerer."

I am looking for actual mechanical similarities, not how you feel about it. For instance, when you say "I charge the monster," that can have any number of meanings, while a charge is a very specific action.

Most of what you've received here are examples of that--Shadow Conjuration, for example, allows you to spontaneously cast any conjuration (summoning) or conjuration (creation) spell up to one level lower than the Shadow Conjuration you have memorized. Is it exactly the same? No, because you're trying to approximate spontaneous casting using a prepared class. But it certainly qualifies as having "mechanical similarities"--you're casting spells you don't have prepared.

[SirKazum]

Be a deity. There's a salient divine ability that lets wizard deities cast their wizard spells spontaneously, as a sorcerer.

Hey, you asked how can you do that, nobody said it would be easy :smalltongue: After all, you *are* trying to take all the goodness of the wizard class without the only real drawback...

[olentu]

I seem to have sort of remembered a possibly relevant trick. It was something to do with the that acorn of far travel spell and one of the prestiege classes form the players guide to faerun that can spontaneously cast spells if within a geographical location. However I can not at the moment remember all the specifics of what I heard of the trick and so do not remember if it really worked or not.

[Kelpstrand]

Beholder Mage. Bam, spontaneous casting from all your spells known.

[aje8]

Isn't there a feat that does something like spont casting on a single spell slot? Alaceratous Cognition or some such?