Alternative Spell Source?

[SangoProduction]

Aside from early entry, is there a point to using Alternative Spell Source?

[Grod_The_Giant]

Avoiding ASF? Using Divine Metamagic on Arcane spells? Or similar abilities that apply only to spells of one type.

[SangoProduction]

Avoiding ASF? Using Divine Metamagic on Arcane spells? Or similar abilities that apply only to spells of one type.

Oh right. Arcane spell failure only works on arcane spells. Now that's...interesting. Full plate Wizard all the way!

[Malimar]

Qualifying for prestige classes that require arcane spellcasting or divine spellcasting, especially useful for early entry into Mystic Theurge

[Mato]

Qualifying for prestige classes that require arcane spellcasting or divine spellcasting, especially useful for early entry into Mystic TheurgeIt doesn't work like that. It changes the type when prepared so as a wizard you still have arcane spellcasting, not divine spellcasting. And the example even clearly states that "a 1st-level cleric/6th-level wizard casts a divine fireball as a 5th-level wizard" and a 5th level wizard does not meet divine spellcasting requirements.

It's wording is also close to southern magician which has an official rule entry provided by the creators of dungeons & dragons that helps provide an answer to the already widely precedent concept that functionally doing something (ie rogue umds a wand or wizard preps a divine spell) is not the same as having the class features giving you the ability to do it.

Can a wizard with the Southern Magician feat qualify for prestige classes that require you to be able to cast a divine spell?
The Southern Magician feat does not allow you to cast divine spells per se. It only allows you to change the spells into divine spells once they have been cast. Thus, you won’t qualify for prestige classes that require you to be able to cast a divine spell. The Southern Magician feat only gives the bonuses specifically listed in the feat’s description.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Luckily Mystic Theurge, for one, doesn't require a divine caster level, merely that you are "Able to cast 2nd-level divine spells."

[Malimar]

In all honesty, I was confusing Alternative Source Spell with Southern Magician.

However, looking at the text of Alternative Source Spell, it remains perfectly legit for early entry into Mystic Theurge.

You can choose to prepare any of your divine spells as arcane spells or any of your arcane spells as divine spells.

Able to cast 2nd-level divine spells and 2nd-level arcane spells.
A Wizard 3/Cleric 1 (or Cleric 3/Wizard 1) with Alternative Source Spell is quite clearly able to cast 2nd-level divine spells and 2nd-level arcane spells, and therefore qualifies for Mystic Theurge.

Southern Magician also appears to work.

you can cast a divine spell as an arcane spell, or vice versa
This nonsense about "change the spells into divine spells once they have been cast" is pulled directly out of the Sage's butt and not any sort of rules-official. The FAQ is irrelevant in this case because it's in direct conflict with the rules text, so the rules text takes precedence.

That said, the part where it says

The actual source of the spell's power doesn't change, nor does its means of preparation.
could be read as not permitting MT early entry, depending on whether "cast 2nd-level divine spells and 2nd-level arcane spells" requires the "source of the spell's power" to be divine/arcane, or what. Could be interpreted either way.


Either way, Alternative Spell source has neither an FAQ ruling nor any "the actual source of the spell's power doesn't change" wording, and so works unambiguously.