Mnemonic Enhancer Question

[TheSteelRat]

With the spell, Mnemonic Enhancer (see spoiler)
Transmutation
Level: Wiz 4 Components: V, S, M, F Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Instantaneous

Casting this spell allows you to prepare additional spells or retain spells recently cast. Pick one of these two versions when the spell is cast.

Prepare: You prepare up to three additional levels of spells. A cantrip counts as 1/2 level for this purpose. You prepare and cast these spells normally.

Retain: You retain any spell of 3rd level or lower that you had cast up to 1 round before you started casting the mnemonic enhancer. This restores the previously cast spell to your mind.

In either event, the spell or spells prepared or retained fade after 24 hours (if not cast).

Material Component: A piece of string, and ink consisting of squid secretion with black dragon’s blood.

Focus: An ivory plaque of at least 50 gp value.
Can it be cast more than once so its effects stack? A party wizard was looking at using this spell multiple times before our final encounter with the BBEG (at least, that's what we've been told), using the "prepare" version of the spell. Would he get +3 lvls of spells prepared per additional casting?

[Emperor Tippy]

No. He would just be able to prepare up to 3 spell levels of extra spells each time.

[I_Got_This_Name]

Yes, it stacks, but there's not a lot of reason to use it. Each use turns a fourth-level spell slot into a bunch of lower level spell slots; you're losing a net spell level, and spell power is not linear with level anyway; more low-level slots are not equivalent to the same total number of levels in high-level slots, nevermind more levels in higher-level slots.

Each time you cast it, you turn a 4th-level spell (the spell in question) into three spell levels of lower-level spells.

[Starbuck_II]

Yes, it stacks, but there's not a lot of reason to use it. Each use turns a fourth-level spell slot into a bunch of lower level spell slots; you're losing a net spell level, and spell power is not linear with level anyway; more low-level slots are not equivalent to the same total number of levels in high-level slots, nevermind more levels in higher-level slots.

Each time you cast it, you turn a 4th-level spell (the spell in question) into three spell levels of lower-level spells.

what if you use a wand? Than it is decent. Like a Mini-pearl of power, but can also allow you to prepare 3 more spells a day (or 1 3rd each).

[Shhalahr Windrider]

what if you use a wand? Than it is decent. Like a Mini-pearl of power, but can also allow you to prepare 3 more spells a day (or 1 3rd each).
Mind you that you need 50 times the material component cost for the wand, too. So, that's an extra 2,500 gp.

Of course, a 4th-level wand costs 21,000 gp to begin with, so that's not a very expensive surcharge by that point.

[F.L.]

If you have a large fortune, there's some fun to be had with an item of command word or use of Mordenkainen's Lucubration. You can re-memorize any spell cast in the last 24 hours, which I believe lets you cast all your spells, rest, and then re-memorize the spells you cast at the end of the day yesterday in addition to all the ones you memorize for today.

[Ethdred]

As others have said, it would stack (and that wand idea is just wonderful!) but I'm really intrigued why he feels the need to spam low level spells. What sort of BBEG is this?

[Emperor Tippy]

I should rephrase what I meant.

You can have multipel Mnemonic Enhancer's going at once. You can not combine their levels.

So you could cast ME twice and each time you pick 3 levels of spells. You could not cast ME twice in a row and pick one 6th level spell to take up those 6 levels.

[Ikkitosen]

^ Indeedly.

[Fax Celestis]

Repeating lucubration!

[Cruiser1]

I think Mnemonic Enhancer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mnemonicEnhancer.htm) is one of the best Wizard spells. :smallsmile: The most powerful thing about a Wizard is its versatility, where this spell increases that versatility. This spell gives a Wizard some of the advantages of a Sorcerer, since you can convert a 4th level spell slot into whatever you need, i.e. whatever you didn't think to memorize that morning.

It's not quite the Sorcerer's spontaneous casting (it takes 10 minutes to cast), but it is faster than waiting until the next morning, or using the rarely used Wizard feature of leaving a spell slot blank altogether (which takes 15 minutes to fill). Yes, you do lose a spell level, but you get the unique ability to split that spell into multiple lower level spells, e.g. a 2nd and a 1st level spell, or three 1st level spells.

My Wizard usually memorizes it once, where I find I often make use of it. Didn't expect there to be water in the dungeon? Replace it with Water Breathing for the party. Didn't expect you'd need to sneak someone out of jail that day? Replace it with Disguise Self and Knock. Didn't expect there to be a bunch of Ice Mephits guarding the treasure? Replace it with a Fireball before attacking. Did you find a bunch of magic loot? Replace it with three Identifys.

[F.L.]

However, if you just don't memorize the 4th level spell slot that day, you can spend a similar amount of time to put any spell of 1-4 level in that same spell slot you're not using.

[Ulzgoroth]

Probably a lesser amount of time, since you still have to prepare the spells according to normal rules (so probably 15 minutes to actually prepare in the extra slots).

However, the slots last 24 hours. Cast Enhancers 9 hours before you usually prepare spells in the morning, and tomorrow you'll have bonus spells for the first 14-15 hours.

Mind you that you need 50 times the material component cost for the wand, too. So, that's an extra 2,500 gp.

Of course, a 4th-level wand costs 21,000 gp to begin with, so that's not a very expensive surcharge by that point.
There's no costly material component...it's a focus, which means you just have to have it around to make the wand. As you say, still somewhat expensive, but it only comes to 420gp per shot, and a 3rd level scroll costs 375 and doesn't have flexibility, or your caster level. Though it does let you cast it without spending 25 minutes of preparation.

[Stevenson]

As others have said, it would stack (and that wand idea is just wonderful!) but I'm really intrigued why he feels the need to spam low level spells. What sort of BBEG is this?

Hey, it's you guys who keeps bubbling over glitterdust, which is, may I remind you, nearly a second level spell. So he can get a glitterdust and a grease. What's not to love?

[Shhalahr Windrider]

There's no costly material component...it's a focus...
M'kay. Misread it. Thanks for pointing it out.