Spontaneous Casters and Abilities that trigger when you prepare your spells this day

[xXAmaroqXx]

So, I am creating a Pathfinder 1E character, which is an Inquisitor - a spontaneous caster who is able to gain domain powers.
Since the character is supposed to be a spy/assassin who fakes being a priestess, she is supposed to get the "Espionage" Knowledge Subdomain.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/cleric/domains/paizo-domains/knowledge-domain/espionage-subdomain/

The domain ability says:

Deep Cover (Su)
When you prepare your spells, you can also choose one cover identity—whether that of a real person or a fictitious one. You can assume the disguise of your cover identity in half the normal amount of time.
When targeted by a spell or effect that would compromise your chosen disguise (such as detect evil, detect thoughts, or zone of truth), as an immediate action you can force the creature using the ability to attempt a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your cleric level + your Wisdom modifier). If the creature fails, it gains false information in keeping with your cover identity. You can use this false information ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.

Does this now work whenever I regain my spells for the day, seeing as that is the Inquisitor's way of preparing, does it work once per level-up because thats when I get new spells, that in a sense get prepared, or what else would go on here? I know some rule-lawyers might say "the ability never works because you dont prepare spells", though I dont think that is in the spirit of the game nor its developers. So how would you guys rule this at your actual table?

[Quertus]

So, I am creating a Pathfinder 1E character, which is an Inquisitor - a spontaneous caster who is able to gain domain powers.
Since the character is supposed to be a spy/assassin who fakes being a priestess, she is supposed to get the "Espionage" Knowledge Subdomain.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/cleric/domains/paizo-domains/knowledge-domain/espionage-subdomain/

The domain ability says:


Does this now work whenever I regain my spells for the day, seeing as that is the Inquisitor's way of preparing, does it work once per level-up because thats when I get new spells, that in a sense get prepared, or what else would go on here? I know some rule-lawyers might say "the ability never works because you dont prepare spells", though I dont think that is in the spirit of the game nor its developers. So how would you guys rule this at your actual table?

Honestly? I would ask the table, “how do you interpret the 3+WisMod bit?”, and work from there.

Depending on their answers, my mood, and what best helps “balance to the table”, I might…
Rule that it doesn’t work (just putting that out there)
Rule that you can only use it 1/day, limited to the time of day when a priest of the appropriate religion would pray for their spells, and it only holds up to 3+WisMod tests
Rule that you can activate it when you recover your spell slots
Rule that you can use it whichever 3+WisMod times per day you choose.

(EDIT: I know better than to trust my reading comprehension, and others often have cool ideas I don’t, so I would see every reason to turn this into a conversation.)

[xXAmaroqXx]

Honestly? I would ask the table, “how do you interpret the 3+WisMod bit?”, and work from there.

I think there is a bit of a misunderstanding here.
The Ability does 3 things in total:

1. When you prepare your spells, you can also choose one cover identity—whether that of a real person or a fictitious one.

2. You can assume the disguise of your cover identity in half the normal amount of time.

3. A number of 3+WIS times per day you can fool some spell or effect that tries to compromise your cover identity.

Thing is, the second and third effect require you to do the first thing. Which was my original question, how would you guys rule the ability to choose a cover identity?



Edit:
I did find something in the Core rulebook page 220:


Sorcerers and Bards

Sorcerers and bards cast arcane Spells, but they do not use spellbooks or prepare Spells. Their class level limits the number of Spells she can cast (see these class descriptions). Her high Charisma score might allow her to cast a few extra Spells. A member of either class must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell's level to cast the spell.

Daily Readying of Spells: Each day, sorcerers and bards must focus their minds on the task of casting their Spells. A Sorcerer or bard needs 8 hours of rest (just like a wizard), after which she spends 15 minutes concentrating. (A bard must sing, recite, or play an instrument of some kind while concentrating.) During this period, the Sorcerer or bard readies her mind to cast her daily allotment of Spells. Without such a period to refresh herself, the character does not regain the spell slots she used up the day before.

Given that these are the only spontaneous casting classes from the core book, and the divine casting says that their casting is pretty much the same, it is to be assumed that spontaneous divine casters such as the inquisitor actually do "prepare" or rather, "ready" their spells over the course of 15 minutes on a given day. This should be the required equivalent to choosing one's fake identity.

[Darg]

Clerics/druids are the default divine casters so it's pretty normal for things to take a default view on how they work. That said, both prepared and spontaneous casters require a 15 minute period to prepare/ready their spells. Prepared casters casters can leave slots open and prepare as many times as needed to fill their slots. Spontaneous casters on the other hand ready once a day.

My opinion is that an inquisitor is capable of choosing the cover identity once whenever they ready spells. A cleric on the other hand would be capable of changing identities as many times as they can prepare in a day.

[xXAmaroqXx]

Clerics/druids are the default divine casters so it's pretty normal for things to take a default view on how they work. That said, both prepared and spontaneous casters require a 15 minute period to prepare/ready their spells. Prepared casters casters can leave slots open and prepare as many times as needed to fill their slots. Spontaneous casters on the other hand ready once a day.

My opinion is that an inquisitor is capable of gaining the disguise once whenever they ready spells. A cleric on the other hand would be capable of changing disguises as many times as they can prepare in a day.

Ah, thank you. :-)