Racial Spellcasting and Class Levels

[Infundibular]

If I am a member of a race with racial spellcasting, such as Nymph, Solar Angel, Rakshasa, or Dragon, what happens if I gain levels in a spellcasting class (Druid, Cleric, or Sorcerer, respectively)? Do the levels stack, or do I end up with two separate progressions?

To provide a more specific example, say a Rakshasa gains three levels in Sorcerer. Does it now cast spells as a 10th level sorcerer, or does it have one set of spells as a 7th level sorcerer and another as a 3rd level sorcerer?

Second, are there any races with particularly good racial spellcasting that are worth looking into?

[Zweisteine]

According to the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#associatedClassLevels), the class levels and natural casting as that class do stack.


A spellcasting class is an associated class for a creature that already has the ability to cast spells as a character of the class in question, since the monster’s levels in the spellcasting class stack with its innate spellcasting ability.

[Urpriest]

Zweisteine has the right of it.

In terms of races with natural casting, do you mean for players or DMs? For players, Gloura is fairly nice, and Black Ethergaunt is quite strong. For DMs, Elemental Weird is...hehehe....