Ultimate Magus - Augmented Casting - Item Creation

[Chilxius]

One of my players is playing an Ultimate Magus, and he's been flat broke all game. He wants to spend some down time scribing scrolls for cash. Can he apply metamagic feats to scrolls through Augmented Casting, even if the resulting spell would be beyond his ability to cast?

Augmented Casting (Su): Starting at 3rd level, you can choose to sacrifice a spell or spell slot from one of your classes to apply the effect of a metamagic feat that you know to a spell cast using another arcane class. (For instance, you could sacrifice a sorcerer slot to apply a metamagic effect to a wizard spell.) This sacrificed spell or slot is lost (just as if you had cast the spell) in addition to the spell you are actually casting.
The level of the spell to be augmented can't exceed 1/2 your class level. For example, when you first gain this ability, you can only apply a metamagic effect to 1st-level spells. A 10th-level ultimate magus can affect spells of 5th level or lower.
The level of the spell slot sacrificed must equal or exceed the spell level adjustment of the metamagic feat. To empower a spell, for example, you would have to spend a 2nd-level or higher spell. You can't use this ability to augment a spell already affected by a metamagic feat.
You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 your class level.
Specifically, he wants to prepare a 2nd level spell as Chained, which would make the spell's effective level 5. The highest spell level he can cast right now is 3rd.


On a side note, can a wizard 'know' a spell that he is unable to cast? Could he scribe into his book a spell that he can't yet use (from a scroll or another spellbook for instance)?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Maybe and Yes.

RAW, a 2nd level spell with Chain Spell counts as a 5th level spell for determining the cost and other factors of putting it in a magic item. It doesn't matter if he spent a 5th level slot to cast it, or spent a 2nd level slot plus a 3rd level slot with augmented casting, or spent a 2nd level slot plus four turn undead uses for divine metamagic, etc. The item still counts it as a 5th level spell.

"For potions, scrolls, and wands, the creator can set the caster level of an item at any number high enough to cast the stored spell and not higher than her own caster level." (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicItemBasics.htm#casterLevel)

So a 2nd level Wizard spell with Chain Spell is effectively a 5th level spell when put in a magic item, which normally has a minimum caster level of 9th. If his caster level when he casts that spell is below 9th, his magic item is below the minimum caster level and he fails to create it, possibly wasting some or all of the crafting costs in the process. It would be nice of you to warn him about this ahead of time.

Also keep in mind selling magic items may only get him half their value, which is what it costs to create them on top of the xp cost. Paying an alternate cost for the spell involved does not decrease the base price, and it does not decrease the cost to create it. He would likely need to find a buyer ahead of time and create them to order to hope to sell them for full value.

Regarding your second question, yes a Wizard can learn any spell he makes the Spellcraft check for and can put them in his spellbook as long as he has enough time and pages to do so. Whether he has spell slots for them is irrelevant.

[Gusmo]

As an addendum to clarify why the answer to the second question is "yes," spells known, for wizards, are defined as the spells in their spellbook (per the PHB in the "spells" class ability, and also see "known spell" in the glossary in the back of the PHB). Then when you flip to the section in the PHB about arcane magical writings, and how spellbooks work, there are no provisions for whether you need to be able to cast the spell you're deciphering, and subsequently scribing into your spellbook. You're merely limited to the spell needing to be arcane for you to scribe it, it doesn't even need to be on your class list. But as mentioned, this gives no ability to cast higher level spells, because per the "spells" class ability of wizards, you don't have the slots to do so. You also can't cast, bard, assassin, or other non-sorc/wiz spells you've written in there, because the "spells" class ability specifies casting from the sorc/wiz list.

With that said, there are some who argue that the language of the wizard (and sorcerer) "spells" abilities do not in fact prohibit them from casting spells on other class lists (the word "primarily" is particularly contentious and confusing in the sorcerer version of the ability). Regardless of your interpretation of the "spells" ability itself, once a spell is in their spellbook and therefore known, there are still ways to utilize spells you know but can't cast normally, due to the fact that, technically they're a "known spell." I've always seen a houserule or gentleman's agreement pop up at the slightest sign of abuse. On the other hand, I've more commonly seen it allowed to scribe normal sorc/wiz spells that you merely can't cast yet, but will be able to in the future, as long as you won't be utilizing any abusive readings of about what spells you "know."

[Chilxius]

Ok, so in regards to 'spells known', if he loots another wizard's spell book and studies the spells in it, can he treat them as 'spells known' and cast from that book, or does he have to copy it into his own book? And if he looses all his spell books, does he still 'know' the spells, and can he copy them onto scrolls or new books if he does not have the spells prepared?