[3.5] What are ways to gain additional spell slots without improving spellcasting?

[HaikenEdge]

I'm working on a theoretical build with a Warmage base that uses Versatile Spellcaster to gain access to higher level spells and was curious, aside from gaining extra levels in a class that advances spellcasting or taking the Extra Slot feat from Complete Arcane, what are ways to gain additional spell slots?

[bekeleven]

Obvious core answer is the Dragon Disciple.

[Vedhin]

If you are willing to delve into Dragon Magazine material, the Eldritch Master PrC might be good, though confusing with its progression. A Warmage 11/Eldritch Master 9 (order important) can have 8th level spells, CL 20, and adds two entire spell lists of your choice to the Warmage list. With early entry cheese, you could do a Warmage 1/Rainbow Servant 10/Eldritch Master 9, and cast spontaneously off of the Warmage, Cleric, Wizard, and maybe Druid lists.
Versatile Spellcaster would let you bump the bonus spell slots from EM up, reaching something like 11th level spells at 20th level.
And Earth Spell added to that would hit something like 14th level spells, with 9th-11ths at level 17 and 6th-8ths at level 14.

Edit: After doing this, you can can get the last laugh at the foolish Wizards, Clerics, Sorcerers, and to a lesser extent Druids who mocked you for becoming a Warmage.

[HaikenEdge]

If you are willing to delve into Dragon Magazine material, the Eldritch Master PrC might be good, though confusing with its progression. A Warmage 11/Eldritch Master 9 (order important) can have 8th level spells, CL 20, and adds two entire spell lists of your choice to the Warmage list. With early entry cheese, you could do a Warmage 1/Rainbow Servant 10/Eldritch Master 9, and cast spontaneously off of the Warmage, Cleric, Wizard, and maybe Druid lists.
Versatile Spellcaster would let you bump the bonus spell slots from EM up, reaching something like 11th level spells at 20th level.
And Earth Spell added to that would hit something like 14th level spells, with 9th-11ths at level 17 and 6th-8ths at level 14.

Edit: After doing this, you can can get the last laugh at the foolish Wizards, Clerics, Sorcerers, and to a lesser extent Druids who mocked you for becoming a Warmage.

This actually won't work. Reading the Dragon Magazine article, it explicitly states, "These are not bonus spells added to the total number that the character can cast. The character must already cast spells as a sorcerer to benefit from these extra spells known."

Beyond that, the Eldritch Master doesn't gain any spells per day; the Combined Levels feature only stacks class levels for level-based effects.

[Psyren]

There are a bunch of PrCs that do this, though I don't know all of them. Wonderworker from BoED is one.

[ArcturusV]

Similarly Eunuch Warlock from OA does the same, adding slots.

[Vedhin]

This actually won't work. Reading the Dragon Magazine article, it explicitly states, "These are not bonus spells added to the total number that the character can cast. The character must already cast spells as a sorcerer to benefit from these extra spells known."

Beyond that, the Eldritch Master doesn't gain any spells per day; the Combined Levels feature only stacks class levels for level-based effects.


That's not the relevant class feature.

Spells Known is only relevant for Sorcerers/Bards, true

Combined Levels simply stacks EM levels with any one other arcane spellcasting class for caster level, but not spell per day or spells known.

Spell Boost is the one that gives new spell slots. It doesn't care what casting method you use. A wizard would still gain from this one.

Spell Dilettante adds another class' spell list to yours for selecting spells known. Warmages know all spells on their list, so they just add the list, as with a Rainbow Servant.


Also, I realized that Rainbow Servant/Eldritch Master is a good fluff combination. You could easily argue a Couatl counts for EM's "powerful, otherworldly entity".

[HaikenEdge]

Spell Boost is the one that gives new spell slots. It doesn't care what casting method you use. A wizard would still gain from this one.

Actually, that won't work by RAW. Spell Boost does not give spell slots; it instead explicitly gives the character the ability to cast a spell one level higher than his current highest spell level once per day, while making no mention of spell slots at all.

[Harrow]

Memento Magica from Races of the Dragon cost half again as much as Pearls of Power and recover spontaneous caster spell slots. So, with Versatile Spellcaster, you could use two first level spell slots to cast a second level spell then when combat is finished regain those spell slots. It can be expensive, especially for your higher level slots, but this can be mitigated somewhat by taking Craft Wondrous Item, Extraordinary Artisan, Magical Artisan (Wondrous Items), and Apprentice (Craftsmen).

Now, this is just trading feats for spell slots, and I haven't done any math, but it seems to me like this should work out at a better ratio than what Extra Slot gives you.

[lsfreak]

Rings of Wizardry. Double your class-granted spell slots for a given level (1-4), putting a warmage at 12 + bonus for high Charisma for whatever level they have rings for.