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unknownmercury
2009-12-10, 06:16 PM
I was wanting to try my hand at an Arcane magic class, and I was wondering about the system. I'd heard somewhere (possibly in Order of the Stick) that wizards and sorcerers had to have an experience pool in order to cast spells. The problem is, no matter what sourcebook I look in, it doesn't mention this. If I could get some confirmation that would be great.

Zaydos
2009-12-10, 06:21 PM
They don't. A few spells (Wish, Limited Wish, Permanency, Gate, and some others) do have an XP cost to cast in which case you lose that much XP when you cast it, but most spells (haste, celerity, fireball, magic missile, contingency) do not. The details should be in Chapter 10 of the PHB (I think, I haven't checked since 3.0).

Here's the relevant portion of the PHB:

XP Cost (XP): Some powerful spells (such as wish, commune, and
miracle) entail an experience point cost to you. No spell, not even
restoration, can restore the XP lost in this manner. You cannot spend
so much XP that you lose a level, so you cannot cast the spell unless
you have enough XP to spare. However, you may, on gaining
enough XP to attain a new level, use those XP for casting a spell
rather than keeping them and advancing a level. The XP are treated
just like a material component—expended when you cast the spell,
whether or not the casting succeeds.

erikun
2009-12-10, 06:22 PM
No, they do not.

There are some specific spells which require an XP component to cast. Wish (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wish.htm) is probably the best known. Such spells normally have an (X) next to them in spell lists.

Using item creation feats, such as Craft Magic Arms And Armor or Scribe Scroll, do cost the crafter XP.

dspeyer
2009-12-10, 11:43 PM
What you heard about was probably crafting. Creating magic items costs XP. Artificiers get a special pool of it.

Ordinary casting doesn't have this problem.