Does this Feat make this Class the best?

[ChaoticDitz]

Academic Priest, from the Dragonlance books (War of the Lance or Legend of the Twins? Urgh) gives a divine spellcasting class Spells/Day based on Intelligence instead of its native stat.

Wouldn't this feat make the Archivist better than the Cleric in nearly every way except for not having Turn/Rebuke effects to fuel DMM? If not, why? I'm curious.

[fryplink]

Not exactly. Sort of. Archivist is T1 under most any circumstances, but it's MAD isn't what will decide it's power relative to Cleric. The DM decides that. If the Archivist is allowed to amass whichever scrolls it wants, it'll probably be more powerful than cleric regardless of SADness. If the DM is stingy with the divine scrolls, then the Archivist is cleric on a bad chassis with limited spells per day, and the MADness is just insult to injury.

That in mind, that feat (if it works like it looks like it works) would benefit in the Archivist quite a bit. I'd also build it into the Cleric though (that feat would make Cleric into a skillmonkey).

[Curmudgeon]

Because that's a Dragonlance-only book, you'd need to apply it to Dragonlance character classes. Only Dragonlance Campaign Setting is D&D-compatible (see page 7). What does Dragonlance have that resembles an Archivist?

[Diarmuid]

Also keep in mind that it wont help your spell DC's, just your bonus spells.

[dextercorvia]

Also keep in mind that it wont help your spell DC's, just your bonus spells.

Archivists already determine spells they can cast and DCs on Int. Their only Wis need was bonus spells.

Generally Archivists get as many spells per day (of their higher levels) as a Cleric without having the domain restriction. They weren't hurting for spells anyway.

Turn Undead is such a well supported mechanic that it does make a difference in the options open to clerics.

And, Archivist spell access outside of the cleric list is very much DM by DM.

[Vedhin]

Because that's a Dragonlance-only book, you'd need to apply it to Dragonlance character classes. Only Dragonlance Campaign Setting is D&D-compatible (see page 7). What does Dragonlance have that resembles an Archivist?

Why is Dragonlance material (other than the Campaign Setting) not compatible with 3.5 splatbooks?

[malonkey1]

Why is Dragonlance material (other than the Campaign Setting) not compatible with 3.5 splatbooks?

it is, but it's technically 3rd-party, which most people are leery of.

[eggynack]

No. Your analysis of what differentiates the two classes is missing several factors. First, clerics can prep off of their entire list for free, while archivists are stuck paying in both time and money for most of the spells they get, and they're tied to their prayerbook while clerics are tied to nothing. Second, clerics get spontaneous conversion of spells, along with domain powers, which is a not insignificant set of powers. Third, academic priest is a feat, and you thus have to pay a slot for it, so the cleric will be ahead of you by a feat. I think it comes back around to turning at that point, but turning is a pretty big deal, so you shouldn't discount it.