Can someone please explain something to me about versatile spellcaster, please?

[Sgt. Cookie]

I've often seen many uses for versatile spellcaster, mostly as an early entry trick for Mystic Theruge, and similar.

Could someone please explain how this actualy works? From what I gather it's to fulfill the "Can cast spell of X level", at lower level than you could normaly cast. But, how does that work? The feat clearly states "Spell you know", if you don't know the spell, how can you cast it?

[Dusk Eclipse]

It depends, there are several tricks to have spell known even if you can't cast spells of that level, please do note that versatile spellcaster mentions you can cast a spell you know.

Bloodline feats (from Dragon Compendium) give several spells as spell known, list casters such as Beguiler and the like already know their whole list. And for sorcerers you can use precocious apprentice or heighten spell to have an effective higher level spell slot.

Does it makes sense?

[Darrin]

The feat clearly states "Spell you know", if you don't know the spell, how can you cast it?

In addition to Arcane Disciple or the Bloodline feats, there are several spellcaster classes that already "know" their spells as soon as they can cast them: Beguilers, Dread Necromancers, Warmages... maybe a few others. As soon as they have the capability to cast a higher spell level, they automatically "know" all the spells of that level.

(It's still something of a strained argument that Versatile Spellcaster allows them to "know" those higher-level spells before they actually get enough class levels to gain new spells... some people say it can do that, some say it can't. As with all early-entry antics, it's really more of a DM's Call.)

For spellcasters that don't automatically "know" their own spells, you can pair Versatile Spellcaster with Heighten Spell to get a lower-level spell to "count" as a higher-level spell. For example, if you know magic missile as a first level spell, and swap two of your 1st level spell slots for a 2nd level spell slots, you could use Heighten to make magic missle count as a 2nd level spell.

[tyckspoon]

For spellcasters that don't automatically "know" their own spells, you can pair Versatile Spellcaster with Heighten Spell to get a lower-level spell to "count" as a higher-level spell. For example, if you know magic missile as a first level spell, and swap two of your 1st level spell slots for a 2nd level spell slots, you could use Heighten to make magic missle count as a 2nd level spell.

Yeah, this is the completely unambiguous RAW method of doing it. Versatile Spellcaster gives you the power to cast a higher-level spell, then Heighten Spell converts one of the spells you already know to that higher level.