Does Arcane Strike HAVE to use Arcane Spellslots?

[Vaz]

I can see and understand the RAI for it, but it doesn't actually state that it must be an Arcane Spellslot, simply "sacrifice one of you spells of the day".

[BWR]

If you see and understand the RAI, why bother worrying about the RAW?

[Vaz]

Because I can?

[Flickerdart]

If it doesn't say it has to be arcane, it doesn't have to be arcane.

[Steward]

I mean, the feat says, "you channel arcane energy into your melee attacks" and requires you to have arcane spells to use, but I guess you're right, it doesn't really specify arcane spell slots in the use mechanic. I feel like most DMs would probably insist that you used an arcane rather than a divine spell slot though. :smallfrown:

[Phippster]

It's obviously the intent when read that it has to be arcane spells; the prerequisites include the need for arcane spells, it's named Arcane Strike, and the feat mentions arcane energy. However, the feat doesn't seem to anywhere ever mention that you need to sacrifice an arcane spell, merely that you have 3rd level or higher arcane spells you can cast. So if you had both divine and arcane spells, by RAW you could in fact sacrifice divine spells to gain the benefit of Arcane Strike. Which strikes me as rather silly, really.

[Ziegander]

Is it really that silly though? Just call it Spell Strike from now on. Heck, change it so that the requirements read "Able to cast 3rd level spells or spell-like abilities," and then change the benefit text to allow you to sacrifice a spell slot or a single use of a spell-like you have limited uses of per day and I say more power to ya.

[Steward]

That sounds reasonable, but as the feat is written currently it essentially demands class features that turn out to be wholly unnecessary. It would be as if Power Attack had a minimum caster level requirement or if the Run feat required you to burn uses of turn undead.

[Vaz]

Yeah, I've just come from looking through pages and pages of Versatile Spellcaster in regards to Practised Spellcasters, so hey ho.

[Phippster]

I really like the idea of not requiring the use of any type of spell, but I find it to be somewhat silly that despite everything about screaming it should require arcane spells, no such TEXT is ever actually written in the book. Then again, it really shouldn't surprise me considering the number of dysfunctional rules in 3.5.

[Ziegander]

I really like the idea of not requiring the use of any type of spell, but I find it to be somewhat silly that despite everything about screaming it should require arcane spells, no such TEXT is ever actually written in the book. Then again, it really shouldn't surprise me considering the number of dysfunctional rules in 3.5.

Yup. :smallsigh:

[Flickerdart]

That sounds reasonable, but as the feat is written currently it essentially demands class features that turn out to be wholly unnecessary. It would be as if Power Attack had a minimum caster level requirement or if the Run feat required you to burn uses of turn undead.
That's not an accurate comparison - you can use the prerequisite with the feat, unlike some other feats (Improved Trip) which have nothing to do with the prerequisite (Combat Expertise).

[Boci]

Mistakes like these can be fun to rationalize in game though. Let me take a stab at it: the nature of blending magic and martial combat, and sending the energy of a spell through a blade is fundamentally arcane. Therefor, in order to do so, you must have an understanding of arcane magic, even though one you can do it, the source of energy does not matter. Hence Arcane Strike requiring the arcane magic to learn, but not activate.

(And yes, I am aware of the Ordained Champion.)

[TuggyNE]

That sounds reasonable, but as the feat is written currently it essentially demands class features that turn out to be wholly unnecessary. It would be as if Power Attack had a minimum caster level requirement or if the Run feat required you to burn uses of turn undead.

What, your "move super-fast" feat doesn't require you to burn uses past the first ten rounds in a day? *coughtraveldevotioncough*