Multiclass wizards and school specialization

[tuesdayscoming]

So a specialist wizard gives up access to two schools of magic. Now are these prohibited schools now inaccessible for any and all spellcasting classes that the wizard picks up, or just for his wizard spells?

An example: Houdini Copperfield, our hypothetical illusion specialist, gives up evocation and transmutation. Later in his career, Houdini gets a wild hair up his butt and decides to start taking levels in war mage, a class pretty much dedicated to evocation spells. Can he cast evocation spells with his war mage slots, or is he SOL?

[NNescio]

So a specialist wizard gives up access to two schools of magic. Now are these probibitted schools now inaccessible for any and all spellcasting classes that the wizard picks up, or just for his wizard spells?

An example: Houdini Copperfield, our hypothetical illusion specialist, gives up evocation and transmutation. Later in his carreer, Houdini gets a wild hair up his butt and decides to start taking levels iarear mage, a class pretty much dedicated to evocation spells. Can he cast evocation spells with his war mage slots, or is he SOL?

Prohibited schools only apply to wizard casting.

[zeshion]

I'm think that you will be unable to cast prohibited spells schools at all levels, regardless of what PRCs you decide to take.

That said, there are a few ways to still be able to cast those spells (in a round-about way). I believe if you take the Magic Domain wizard variant you will be able to use spell-trigger items from ANY school, enabling you to use the items that will cast those prohibited spells. Someone correct me if I'm wrong of course, haha.

EDIT: Well, looks like I may already be wrong according to the above post :smalltongue:

[NNescio]

I'm think that you will be unable to cast prohibited spells schools at all levels, regardless of what PRCs you decide to take.

That said, there are a few ways to still be able to cast those spells (in a round-about way). I believe if you take the Magic Domain wizard variant you will be able to use spell-trigger items from ANY school, enabling you to use the items that will cast those prohibited spells. Someone correct me if I'm wrong of course, haha.

EDIT: Well, looks like I may already be wrong according to the above post :smalltongue:

RAW, specialization has the following clause:

Spells of the prohibited school or schools are not available to the wizard.

The FAQ has also addressed this issue:

If a specialist wizard gains levels in a different spellcasting class, does her choice of forbidden spells affect her spell choice for the new class?

No. Though the School Specialization sidebar (PH 57) is not explicit, the forbidden schools pertain only to spells gained from the wizard class.

And Sage also ruled similarly in the case of a multiclass Shugenja/Wu Jen.

Complete Arcane also explicitly mentions a wizard dipping into sorcerer in order to get access to spell-trigger/spell-completion items.

Edit:
I'm think that you will be unable to cast prohibited spells schools at all levels, regardless of what PRCs you decide to take.
PrCs that advance spellcasting (Archmage, for example) are still subject to prohibited schools if they are used to advance Wizard spellcasting. (and only on the wizard side, for dual progression theurge-type PrCs) PrCs that grant spellcasting (e.g. Sublime Chord) are not subject to the prohibition because they have a separate spell list.

[zeshion]

Thanks for clearing that up. I was not quite sure if I was correct on that one and I believe many of the games I have played in rules that it's prohibited period. Now I have some proof to bring up next time it happens!

[tuesdayscoming]

Things

Wonderful, thank you!

Now to wring my hands all evil-like while contemplating a Red Wizard/Chameleon...

[dextercorvia]

Page 185 of Complete Arcane is the exact reference. It doesn't just mention it, but suggests it as a strategy.


One way around at least part of this restriction is for a specialist wizard to take levels in sorcerer, using her sorcerer spellcasting ability to master the spells and magic items she cannot use as a wizard.