[3.5] Warlocks and Practiced Spellcaster

[ghost_warlock]

Is there official word on whether warlocks benefit from the Practiced Spellcaster feat for the purpose of increasing their Eldritch Blast damage?

I can kinda see it going either way. On one hand, Eldritch Blast damage is essentially a function of caster level so the feat would affect the damage. On the other hand, Eldritch Blast is also sort of a class feature as it sort of shifts from wizard progression (increase on odd level) to sorcerer progression (increase on even level) after 11th level.

[HunterOfJello]

Warlocks use spell-like abilities, not spells. Therefore, no.



There are feats that improve spell-like abilities and your DM might let you use a feat like practiced spellcaster for invocations anyway.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

EB damage progresses based on class level, similar to how many spells/day a spellcaster gets. The damage of your Eldritch Blast has nothing to do with your caster level. Items like a Chausible of Fell Power increase the damage without increasing the caster level. Similarly, increasing the caster level via Practiced Spellcaster will have absolutely no effect on how much damage it does. Nothing in the wording even implies otherwise, you only want it to say that but it clearly does not.

[QuantumSteve]

Warlock does have an effective caster level for things like dispel checks and overcoming SR and, as such, can gain a benefit from Practiced Spellcaster.
However, Eldritch Blast is a class feature that improves with class level, so while Practiced Spellcaster would raise you Castler Level to overcome SR with your blast, it would not increase damage, if you follow me.

[ghost_warlock]

Warlock does have an effective caster level for things like dispel checks and overcoming SR and, as such, can gain a benefit from Practiced Spellcaster.
However, Eldritch Blast is a class feature that improves with class level, so while Practiced Spellcaster would raise you Castler Level to overcome SR with your blast, it would not increase damage, if you follow me.

Yeah, that makes sense, thanks. The stuff on page 18 where it talks about increased caster levels from prestige classes also increasing Eldritch Blast damage is what confused me (that an running on far too little sleep...).

Warlocks use spell-like abilities, not spells. Therefore, no.



There are feats that improve spell-like abilities and your DM might let you use a feat like practiced spellcaster for invocations anyway.

Hm. So Practiced Spellcaster applies only to spells, and not spell-like abilities, is what you're saying. Makes sense.

The question I have with this (probably separate from the eldritch blast question) is what about caster classes that have spell-like abilities - would Practiced Spellcaster apply to the caster level for these spell-like abilities? For example, would Practiced Spellcaster increase caster level for the duskblade's Arcane Attunements?

For that matter, what is the caster level for Arcane Attunement? Does it increase with class level or stay at caster level 1? I can't find a caster level notation anywhere in the class description for any of their spells or spell-like abilities. I assume the duskblade's caster level = class level but it's not mentioned anywhere that I'm seeing.

EB damage progresses based on class level, similar to how many spells/day a spellcaster gets. The damage of your Eldritch Blast has nothing to do with your caster level. Items like a Chausible of Fell Power increase the damage without increasing the caster level. Similarly, increasing the caster level via Practiced Spellcaster will have absolutely no effect on how much damage it does. Nothing in the wording even implies otherwise, you only want it to say that but it clearly does not.

I appreciate the clarification, but please don't make snarky assumptions about what I want. It's rude.

[Runestar]

From the FAQ.

What effect would the Practiced Spellcaster feat (Complete Arcane, page 82) have on a warlock?

A strict reading of the feat’s benefit indicates that the warlock would gain no benefit from Practiced Spellcaster. The warlock is not a spellcasting class for normal purposes—the exception noted on page 18 of Complete Arcane applies only to prestige class benefits—and thus it could not be selected as the class to be affected by this feat.

[Optimystik]

The question I have with this (probably separate from the eldritch blast question) is what about caster classes that have spell-like abilities - would Practiced Spellcaster apply to the caster level for these spell-like abilities? For example, would Practiced Spellcaster increase caster level for the duskblade's Arcane Attunements?

For that matter, what is the caster level for Arcane Attunement? Does it increase with class level or stay at caster level 1? I can't find a caster level notation anywhere in the class description for any of their spells or spell-like abilities. I assume the duskblade's caster level = class level but it's not mentioned anywhere that I'm seeing.

The relevant rule is here:

For creatures with spell-like abilities, a designated caster level defines how difficult it is to dispel their spell-like effects and to define any level-dependent variables (such as range and duration) the abilities might have. The creature’s caster level never affects which spell-like abilities the creature has; sometimes the given caster level is lower than the level a spellcasting character would need to cast the spell of the same name. If no caster level is specified, the caster level is equal to the creature’s Hit Dice.

So a Duskblade's CL for his SLAs is equal to his class level, because it is not otherwise specified.

[Thiyr]

The relevant rule is here:



So a Duskblade's CL for his SLAs is equal to his class level, because it is not otherwise specified.

a) I take it you didn't mean duskblade, out of its not being brought up before in the topic and its lack of SLAs.

b) working under the assumption you meant warlocks, wouldn't it be equal to his HD instead of his class level according to that, meaning it isn't hampered by RHD or multiclassing (even if its not progressing its invocations, meaning it dosen't affect damage/invocations known but does affect those random CL-reliant effects)?