How to add Arcane & Divine Caster levels?

[Delta_tea]

So if I had a mixed caster, when can I add the caster levels and when should I not add them?

For this example of mixed levels: Socerer 1 / Cleric 5

Magic Missile (from Socerer 1 spells), assuming 1 caster level because its not on the Cleric spell list

Locate Object (from Cleric 3 spells), assuming both 5+1, because Socerer can get it at level 2.

Darkfire (from Cleric 3 spells), assuming 5 because its not on the Sorcerer list.

Am I doing this right? Nothing popped out to me in the PHB about how to do this odd mix. Thanks for the help.

[Psyren]

The list it's on doesn't matter, you almost never add these. What matters is the slot you cast it from. So if you cast Locate Object using your cleric slots, you would do so at your cleric caster level. In your example of a Sorcerer 1, they aren't able to learn Locate Object at all (2nd-level spell) so you could only ever cast it as a cleric. If instead you had a Cleric 5 / Sorcerer 4 and you picked up the spell twice, it would depend on which "side" you're using to cast it. This means that generally, there is little benefit to getting the same spell on both "halves" and you should focus on avoiding overlap. More importantly however, splitting your levels down the middle between two casters is usually a bad idea since it just means you'll be weak in two directions rather than being strong in one.

[aglondier]

As far as I know, unless you have a specific feat or prestige class that allows it, your arcane and divine spellcasting is calculated separately, regardless of spells existing on both lists.

So sorry, but no. Your locate object would only be caster level 5 from the cleric 5.

[Albanymusicfund]

So if I had a mixed caster, when can I add the caster levels and when should I not add them?

For this example of mixed levels: Sorcerer 1 / Cleric 5

Magic Missile (from Sorcerer 1 spells), assuming 1 caster level because it's not on the Cleric spell list

Locate Object (from Cleric 3 spells), assuming both 5+1, because Sorcerer can get it at level 2.

Darkfire (from Cleric 3 spells), assuming 5 because its not on the Sorcerer list.

Am I doing this right? Nothing popped out to me in the PHB about how to do this odd mix. Thanks for the help.

Generally, no it's sadly not done right. Caster levels cross-classes do not stack. Sorcerer/Wizard does not stack even if they are both arcane. Cleric 5/Bard 3 is CL 5 for cleric spells and cl 3 for bard spells. It's not the arcane/divine, or even the spell list, just what class it comes from. The only exceptions I know of are prestige classes that give spell progression from your original class. For an easy example from the SRD, a Rogue 3/Wizard 5/Arcane Trickster 7 is CL 12 for wizard spells.

Luckily, there is a feat called "Druidic Theurgy" from Dragon Magazine 325 page 61. What this feat lets you do is combine your caster levels with regards to any spells that are on both spell lists. You can rename it Holy Theurgy and have it apply the same way. It does require the ability to cast 3rd level spells (which would be Cleric 6) but just letting you know it's out there.

Let me know if this post helped you!

[Delta_tea]

Generally, no it's sadly not done right. Caster levels cross-classes do not stack. Sorcerer/Wizard does not stack even if they are both arcane. Cleric 5/Bard 3 is CL 5 for cleric spells and cl 3 for bard spells. It's not the arcane/divine, or even the spell list, just what class it comes from. The only exceptions I know of are prestige classes that give spell progression from your original class. For an easy example from the SRD, a Rogue 3/Wizard 5/Arcane Trickster 7 is CL 12 for wizard spells.

Luckily, there is a feat called "Druidic Theurgy" from Dragon Magazine 325 page 61. What this feat lets you do is combine your caster levels with regards to any spells that are on both spell lists. You can rename it Holy Theurgy and have it apply the same way. It does require the ability to cast 3rd level spells (which would be Cleric 6) but just letting you know it's out there.

Let me know if this post helped you!

That's a neat idea. Thank you for the idea and the clarification!

[Thurbane]

Probably not much use in this situation, but Ur-Priest adds half the levels in all other casting classes to your Ur-Priest caster level.

I think there might be 1 or 2 other PrCs that are similar.

[Saintheart]

Generally, no it's sadly not done right. Caster levels cross-classes do not stack. Sorcerer/Wizard does not stack even if they are both arcane. Cleric 5/Bard 3 is CL 5 for cleric spells and cl 3 for bard spells. It's not the arcane/divine, or even the spell list, just what class it comes from. The only exceptions I know of are prestige classes that give spell progression from your original class. For an easy example from the SRD, a Rogue 3/Wizard 5/Arcane Trickster 7 is CL 12 for wizard spells.

Couple of random thoughts and speculations:

(1) Initiate of Vecna (Dragon 342), and to a lesser extent the Magic domain power, allows you to indirectly get around this stricture if the spell is in a staff, scroll, or wand: it allows you to use the device as a wizard of your cleric level. So if you get a staff of Magic Missile as a Wizard 1/Cleric 5, you're treated as a 6th level wizard, which is at least a higher CL for the spells in that thing.

(2) Is Southern Magician hinky enough by RAW to pull this off?

Once per day per two spellcaster levels, you can cast a divine spell as an arcane spell, or vice versa. This enables you to bypass arcane spell failure due to armor, or gain additional benefit from spell that functions differently for a divine caster instead of an arcane caster, such as true seeing or magic weapon. Spells changed with this feat are often confusing to whose who haven't studied Mulan magic. Spellcasters who don't have this feat suffer a -4 penalty on attempts to counterspell or dispel this spell, and they must succeed at a caster level check (DC 11 + spell level) to detect the spell with detect magic. The actual source of the spell's power doesn't change, nor does its means of preparation. You are merely weaving the strands of magic together in an unconventional way that makes the spell behave somewhat differently.

[Bullet06320]

Theurgic Specialist feat from Dragon #325

lets you cast any spell you cast from your specialty school, regards of spell type, at a caster level of all your casting classes
but u need to be a specialist wizard and another casting class

but a 10th level specialist wizard/10th level cleric would cast all spells from the specialty school at 20th level

it gets really broken in gestalt

[Beni-Kujaku]

You can use Snowcasting+Energy Substitution (Fire)+ Elemental Theurgy Fire

For a +1 metamagic and however you get around Snowcasting's restrictions, you get to add all your CL for all your spells.

[Particle_Man]

The Practised Spellcaster feat in Complete Arcane or Complete Divine can add 4 caster levels to one side (note this doesn't add spell slots, just your caster level for the purpose of spell duration, etc.). You can take the feat multiple times if that helps, but only add it to one caster "side" per feat (so if you were cleric 5/sorcerer 4 you could take it twice, once for cleric and once for sorcerer.

If you do make it to cleric 5/sorcerer 4, you might consider then taking the mystic theurge prestige class, which would progress both classes (in spell slots *and* caster level) for 10 levels. So at character level 19 you could be casting as a 15 level cleric, with 15th level spell slots, and as a 14th level sorcerer, with 14th level sorcerer spell slots and spells known. After that, for your 20th level you could either take cleric or sorcerer (but not both).

[Darg]

Couple of random thoughts and speculations:

(1) Initiate of Vecna (Dragon 342), and to a lesser extent the Magic domain power, allows you to indirectly get around this stricture if the spell is in a staff, scroll, or wand: it allows you to use the device as a wizard of your cleric level. So if you get a staff of Magic Missile as a Wizard 1/Cleric 5, you're treated as a 6th level wizard, which is at least a higher CL for the spells in that thing.

(2) Is Southern Magician hinky enough by RAW to pull this off?

Once per day per two spellcaster levels, you can cast a divine spell as an arcane spell, or vice versa. This enables you to bypass arcane spell failure due to armor, or gain additional benefit from spell that functions differently for a divine caster instead of an arcane caster, such as true seeing or magic weapon. Spells changed with this feat are often confusing to whose who haven't studied Mulan magic. Spellcasters who don't have this feat suffer a -4 penalty on attempts to counterspell or dispel this spell, and they must succeed at a caster level check (DC 11 + spell level) to detect the spell with detect magic. The actual source of the spell's power doesn't change, nor does its means of preparation. You are merely weaving the strands of magic together in an unconventional way that makes the spell behave somewhat differently.

1) This is how it works, yes.

2)Southern Magician doesn't change the source class of the spell, only the source of the magic to draw upon. If your sorcerer 5/cleric 3 casts magic missile with southern magician it is simply a divine sorcerer spell cast at caster level 5. Likewise if you are a single class sorcerer you wouldn't be a divine caster as it's the class that determines your magic type.

[Anthrowhale]

You can use Snowcasting+Energy Substitution (Fire)+ Elemental Theurgy Fire

For a +1 metamagic and however you get around Snowcasting's restrictions, you get to add all your CL for all your spells.

Under a strict reading elemental theurgy adds class level + class level to get caster level which is generally unexciting.

There are few approaches which do caster level + caster level to get a new caster level. Theurgic Specialist (mentioned above) is one of them.

[Endarire]

D&D 5e lets most classes stack their casting progression. Not D&D 3.x - at least by default.

[HouseRules]

The 3.0 version of True Necromancer adds the Arcane Caster Level to Death Domain Divine Spells, and adds the Divine Caster Level to Necromancy School Arcane Spells. However, the 3.5 version does not. The flaw is that the 3.0 version only improves the spell progression of one class, while the 3.5 version has 2 specific levels of improving Arcane, 2 specific levels of improving Divine, and 8 levels with dual progression.