Chalhubard
2018-08-28, 07:33 PM
Hello, playgrounders!
Was messing around with a Chameleon build and came across a potentially interesting interaction for acquiring spells greater than 6th level.
The set up:
Versatile Spellcaster has seen its quota of debate: from 399, to minmax, brilliant gameologists, and the playground itself. General consensus appears to be you can use two spells of a given level - even if they come from a prepared caster - to cast a spell one level higher than the ones expended, as long as you know it.
Now, as Chameleon's Arcane Focus points us to the Wizard's casting mechanics, we are left with the notion that if a wizard scribes a spell in his spellbook, it should count as a "known" spell, even though the wizard base class has no "spells known" section. Learning a spell, therefore, counts as knowing it; from the SRD (or PHB, 187), relevant bits bolded:
A wizard can use a borrowed spellbook to prepare a spell she already knows and has recorded in her own spellbook, but preparation success is not assured. First, the wizard must decipher the writing in the book (see Arcane Magical Writings, above). Once a spell from another spellcaster’s book is deciphered, the reader must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell’s level) to prepare the spell. If the check succeeds, the wizard can prepare the spell. She must repeat the check to prepare the spell again, no matter how many times she has prepared it before. If the check fails, she cannot try to prepare the spell from the same source again until the next day. (However, as explained above, she does not need to repeat a check to decipher the writing.)
Back to Versatile Spellcaster, it seemed to be agreed the resulting spell is not a spell slot, rather the casting of that spell per se. Therefore, if not immediately used, it would disappear from the caster's mind. This interpretation on its own would allow Chamelons to cast 7th level spells, as long as they had the desired 7th level spell written it in their spellbooks by merely expending two 6th level spells.
The higher level functions:
Yes, and what of 8th and 9th level spells? One would need to "store" the Versatile Spellcaster generated spell and then repeat the original interaction in order to generate a second 7th level spell so to combine both into a 8th level spell. How, you ask?
Well, luckily, 3.5 doesn't sport a shortage of storing effects. The most effective appears to be a 6th level Druid spell: Spellstaff; from the SRD:
Transmutation
Level: Drd 6
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Target: Wooden quarterstaff touched
Duration: Permanent until discharged (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates (object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)
You store one spell that you can normally cast in a wooden quarterstaff. Only one such spell can be stored in a staff at a given time, and you cannot have more than one spellstaff at any given time. You can cast a spell stored within a staff just as though it were among those you had prepared, but it does not count against your normal allotment for a given day. You use up any applicable material components required to cast the spell when you store it in the spellstaff.
For a less time-intensive alternative one could use the Ocular Spell feat, storing both resulting 7th level spells, as the very wording of the feat uses "store" as the main action behind its activation. Not sure, however, if this approach would work, due to Chameleon not being a spontaneous spellcasting class. This could be potentially fixed by the application of any sort of Instant Metamagic ability, such as Incantatrix's, or even Spelldancing.
As for 9th level spells, the casting ritual should be similar, but the Chameleon would need extra castings of Spellstaff - as its duration is listed as "permanent" we would have no problem acquiring a bundle of sticks and enchanting them to retrieve as needed.
Conclusion:
Other methods of casting 7th, 8th, and 9th level spells as a Chameleon do exist, I'm aware. But they do seem a tad cheesy for most DMs - as a die hard fan of the class I have tried several methods over the years and not a single one of those managed to get past my gorgonzola-smiting Dungeon Masters. Given this one method, if legal, uses an in-game interaction to generate its results, it might have a better chance to see the light of day in most tables, hopefully.
Suggestions/critics?
Was messing around with a Chameleon build and came across a potentially interesting interaction for acquiring spells greater than 6th level.
The set up:
Versatile Spellcaster has seen its quota of debate: from 399, to minmax, brilliant gameologists, and the playground itself. General consensus appears to be you can use two spells of a given level - even if they come from a prepared caster - to cast a spell one level higher than the ones expended, as long as you know it.
Now, as Chameleon's Arcane Focus points us to the Wizard's casting mechanics, we are left with the notion that if a wizard scribes a spell in his spellbook, it should count as a "known" spell, even though the wizard base class has no "spells known" section. Learning a spell, therefore, counts as knowing it; from the SRD (or PHB, 187), relevant bits bolded:
A wizard can use a borrowed spellbook to prepare a spell she already knows and has recorded in her own spellbook, but preparation success is not assured. First, the wizard must decipher the writing in the book (see Arcane Magical Writings, above). Once a spell from another spellcaster’s book is deciphered, the reader must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell’s level) to prepare the spell. If the check succeeds, the wizard can prepare the spell. She must repeat the check to prepare the spell again, no matter how many times she has prepared it before. If the check fails, she cannot try to prepare the spell from the same source again until the next day. (However, as explained above, she does not need to repeat a check to decipher the writing.)
Back to Versatile Spellcaster, it seemed to be agreed the resulting spell is not a spell slot, rather the casting of that spell per se. Therefore, if not immediately used, it would disappear from the caster's mind. This interpretation on its own would allow Chamelons to cast 7th level spells, as long as they had the desired 7th level spell written it in their spellbooks by merely expending two 6th level spells.
The higher level functions:
Yes, and what of 8th and 9th level spells? One would need to "store" the Versatile Spellcaster generated spell and then repeat the original interaction in order to generate a second 7th level spell so to combine both into a 8th level spell. How, you ask?
Well, luckily, 3.5 doesn't sport a shortage of storing effects. The most effective appears to be a 6th level Druid spell: Spellstaff; from the SRD:
Transmutation
Level: Drd 6
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Target: Wooden quarterstaff touched
Duration: Permanent until discharged (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates (object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)
You store one spell that you can normally cast in a wooden quarterstaff. Only one such spell can be stored in a staff at a given time, and you cannot have more than one spellstaff at any given time. You can cast a spell stored within a staff just as though it were among those you had prepared, but it does not count against your normal allotment for a given day. You use up any applicable material components required to cast the spell when you store it in the spellstaff.
For a less time-intensive alternative one could use the Ocular Spell feat, storing both resulting 7th level spells, as the very wording of the feat uses "store" as the main action behind its activation. Not sure, however, if this approach would work, due to Chameleon not being a spontaneous spellcasting class. This could be potentially fixed by the application of any sort of Instant Metamagic ability, such as Incantatrix's, or even Spelldancing.
As for 9th level spells, the casting ritual should be similar, but the Chameleon would need extra castings of Spellstaff - as its duration is listed as "permanent" we would have no problem acquiring a bundle of sticks and enchanting them to retrieve as needed.
Conclusion:
Other methods of casting 7th, 8th, and 9th level spells as a Chameleon do exist, I'm aware. But they do seem a tad cheesy for most DMs - as a die hard fan of the class I have tried several methods over the years and not a single one of those managed to get past my gorgonzola-smiting Dungeon Masters. Given this one method, if legal, uses an in-game interaction to generate its results, it might have a better chance to see the light of day in most tables, hopefully.
Suggestions/critics?