Spellcasting Dilettante Feats (PEACH)

[Solaris]

Some characters dabble in learning the mystical arts, although their interest is little more than a passing fancy. Such dilettantes may never achieve any real spellcasting expertise, but they have a trick or two up their sleeves that less well-educated characters lack.

These feats do not reflect any inborn talent, such as a sorcerer or wilder might have. Rather, they represent a character who dabbled in the study of magic or even began an apprenticeship, but did not progress farther than that. Nothing stops a character from returning to their studies and taking actual class levels. These feats can also be used to represent a character of the trained spellcasting classes who underwent a particularly rigorous apprenticeship and learned to better use their magic than most.

These feats do permit a character to qualify for prestige classes and other such that require the ability to cast spells or manifest powers, as appropriate. For example, Arcane Apprentice allows a character to meet the spellcasting requirements of the Arcane Archer prestige class.

Designer's Note: Sure, they're pretty good for feats. Not crazy powerful, but good. The requirements are plenty easy for spellcasters to meet but significant for non-casters, which has something of a moderating effect on the power. After all, being able to cast a couple more 1st-level spells is nothing for a wizard (after about 2nd level, anyways), but it can be pretty significant for a ranger or paladin to be whipping out some druid and cleric spells at low levels. I actually designed them for my E6+5 ruleset, but they work in the rest of the game too.
And if you're curious, no, I don't like the idea of casting spells as being central to a class's identity. That's lame.


Arcane Apprentice
You have learned a little bit of the wizard's mystical arts.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Knowledge (arcana) 4 ranks.
Benefits: You gain the ability to cast spells as a wizard, gaining two 0-level spell slots and one 1st-level spell slot. You learn four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells, chosen from the wizard's spell list, and record them into your spellbook. You may learn additional spells and add them into your spellbook as a wizard does, though you do not gain additional spells from increasing in level with this feat. You gain bonus spells for your Intelligence, and the save DCs for these spells is based off of your Intelligence modifier. Your caster level for these spells is 1st.
For every 5 ranks in Knowledge (arcana) you possess, you gain an additional 0-level and 1st-level spell slot up to a maximum of four 0-level spell slots and 3 1st-level spell slots at 10 ranks. These bonuses spell slots are not limited by your bonus spells from Intelligence; if you have a 20 Intelligence and 10 ranks in Knowledge (arcana), you would have five 1st-level spell slots available to you.
You gain a +1 bonus on Knowledge (arcana) skill checks and Spellcraft checks, and they become permanent class skills for you.
Special: If you already have or later gain the ability to cast spells as a wizard, you do not gain bonus spells for your Intelligence again. However, the spell slots and spells known gained through this feat (including those from having ranks in Knowledge [arcana]) are added to your wizard spell slots and spell list. Because of this, you use your wizard caster level for them as you would with other wizard spells.
Prestige classes which progress arcane spellcasting can improve the casting granted by this feat. The first level’s improvement brings your casting up to that of a 1st-level wizard, and from there it progresses as normal for a wizard.

Awakened Talent [Psionic]
You have kindled some small measure of psionic talent through deep meditation and study.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Knowledge (psionics) 4 ranks, and Wild Talent or power point reserve.
Benefits: You gain the ability to manifest one 1st-level psionic power as a psion, though you do not gain any of a psion’s other class features. This power must be selected from the psion’s power list. You gain 1 power point and gain bonus power points equal to your Intelligence bonus. The save DCs for these powers is based off of your Intelligence modifier. Your manifester level for this power is 1st.
For every 5 ranks in Knowledge (psionics) you possess, you gain 3 additional power points and another psion power known.
You gain a +1 bonus on Autohypnosis and Knowledge (psionics) skill checks, and they become permanent class skills for you.
Special: If you already have or later gain the ability to manifest powers as a psion, you add the psionic powers and power points gained through this feat (including those from having ranks in Knowledge [psionics]) to your psionic capabilities. Because of this, you use your psion manifester level for them as you would with other psion powers.
Prestige classes which progress psionic manifesting can improve the manifesting granted by this feat. The first level’s improvement brings your casting up to that of a 1st-level psion, and from there it progresses as normal for a psion. You do not, however, gain any other abilities (including disciplines) of a psion.

Clerical Acolyte
You have learned a little bit of the cleric's mystical arts.
Prerequisite: Wis 13, Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks.
Benefits: You gain the ability to cast spells as a cleric, gaining two 0-level spell slots and one 1st-level spell slot. You have access to the cleric's spell list and cast from it, though you do not have any clerical domains. You gain bonus spells for your Wisdom, and the save DCs for these spells is based off of your Wisdom modifier. Your caster level for these spells is 1st.
For every 5 ranks in Knowledge (religion) you possess, you gain an additional 0-level and 1st-level spell slot up to a maximum of four 0-level spell slots and 3 1st-level spell slots at 10 ranks. Thus, if you have a 20 Wisdom and 10 ranks in Knowledge (religion), you would have five 1st-level spell slots available to you.
You gain a +2 bonus on Knowledge (religion) skill checks and it becomes a permanent class skill for you.
Special: If you already have or later gain the ability to cast spells as a cleric, you do not gain bonus spells for your Wisdom again. However, the spell slots gained through this feat (including those from having ranks in Knowledge [religion]) are added to your cleric spell slots and spell list. Because of this, you use your cleric caster level for them as you would with other clerical spells.
Prestige classes which progress divine spellcasting can improve the casting granted by this feat. The first level’s improvement brings your casting up to that of a 1st-level cleric, and from there it progresses as normal for a cleric.

Druidic Acolyte
You have learned a little bit of the druid's mystical arts.
Prerequisite: Wis 13, Knowledge (nature) 4 ranks.
Benefits: You gain the ability to cast spells as a druid, gaining two 0-level spell slots and one 1st-level spell slot. You have access to the druid's spell list and cast from it, though you do not have any other benefit of the druid class. You gain bonus spells for your Wisdom, and the save DCs for these spells is based off of your Wisdom modifier. Your caster level for these spells is 1st.
For every 5 ranks in Knowledge (nature) you possess, you gain an additional 0-level and 1st-level spell slot up to a maximum of four 0-level spell slots and 3 1st-level spell slots at 10 ranks. Thus, if you have a 20 Wisdom and 10 ranks in Knowledge (nature), you would have five 1st-level spell slots available to you.
You gain a +1 bonus on Handle Animal and Knowledge (nature) skill checks, and they become permanent class skills for you.
Special: If you already cast spells as a druid, you do not gain bonus spells for your Wisdom again. However, the spell slots and spells known gained through this feat (including those from having ranks in Knowledge [nature]) are added to your druid spell slots. Because of this, you use your druid caster level for them as you would with other druidic spells.
Prestige classes which progress divine spellcasting can improve the casting granted by this feat. The first level’s improvement brings your casting up to that of a 1st-level druid, and from there it progresses as normal for a druid.

Shadow Apprentice
You have gleaned some knowledge of shadow magic.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, Knowledge (arcana) 4 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 4 ranks.
Benefits: You gain the ability to cast one fundamental mystery as a shadowcaster, though you do not gain any of the shadowcaster’s other class features. This fundamental mystery is a supernatural ability usable three times per day. The save DC of the fundamental is 10 + your Charisma modifier. Your caster level for this ability is 1st.
For every 5 ranks in Knowledge (arcana or the planes) you possess, you gain an additional fundamental mystery up to a maximum of three fundamental mysteries at 10 ranks. It is possible to relearn an already known mystery, thus gaining another set of uses of that fundamental per day.
You gain a +1 bonus on Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (the planes) checks, and they become permanent class skills for you.
Special: If you already have or later gain levels in the shadowcaster class, then you simply add the fundamental mystery gained from this feat to your list of fundamentals known and you use your shadowcaster level for your caster level.

Truespeaker
You have lost the ability to taste ice cream and probably just hate joy.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, Truename Training, Truespeak 4 ranks.
Benefits: You gain one 1st-level utterance from the Lexicon of the Evolving Mind. The save DC for this utterance is 10 + your Cha modifier. Your caster level for this utterance is 1st.
If you have 8 ranks in Truespeak, then you gain a 1st-level utterance from the Lexicon of the Crafted Tool.
If you have 12 ranks in Truespeak, then you gain a 1st-level utterance from the Lexicon of the Perfected Map.
You gain a +2 bonus on Truespeak checks. I'm sure that makes up for the ice cream thing.
Special: If you already have or later gain levels in the truenamer class, then you simply add the utterances gained through this feat to your list of utterances known.

[noob]

I am always so sad when I see that truenamers base their save dcs on charisma and not on int.
Some of those feats are similar to magical training.

[rferries]

Very nice! Powerful at low levels but still balanced; I'd like to see additional ones in a chain that let you bypass Mystic Theurge entry requirements etc.

[nonsi]

Very nice! Powerful at low levels but still balanced;

Seem to me lika a bad deal at mid/high levels.

I'd like to see additional ones in a chain that let you bypass Mystic Theurge entry requirements etc.

I think it won't do you any good, because those spellcasting capabilities are not tied to a class, so MT won't advance them.

[Solaris]

Very nice! Powerful at low levels but still balanced; I'd like to see additional ones in a chain that let you bypass Mystic Theurge entry requirements etc.

I like the idea of a feat chain, too, but the ramifications of it could get to be problematic. For one thing, it could allow early entry into the multiclass-type prestige classes even if we use the Knowledge ranks as a level gate.
I would say that the upper limit on what can be attained through a feat chain should be about 3rd-level spells, obtaining 2nd-level spells with a feat that has 6 ranks in Knowledge as a prereq and 3rd-level spells with a feat that has 9 ranks in Knowledge as a prereq. If we wanted to be cute, we could say that each feat in the chain has the ability to cast the previous-level spells as a prereq rather than the previous feat - that is to say, the one to grab 2nd-level spells would require the ability to cast 1st-level spells as a [class].
I rather like that, actually, considering there aren't a lot of options for class dips... Hrm.

Seem to me lika a bad deal at mid/high levels.

I'm aiming for an impact just under taking a one-level dip in the class. I don't think I agree on it being a bad deal at mid levels, though - although it's not a great help for the high-tier classes, and it's not as good as fully taking levels of the class, minor spellcasting capability seems to be about as good as most non-trap feat choices.

What makes you say it's a bad deal at mid-high levels?

I think it won't do you any good, because those spellcasting capabilities are not tied to a class, so MT won't advance them.

Most of them have language to the effect of "Prestige classes which progress [arcane/divine] spellcasting can improve the casting granted by this feat. The first level’s improvement brings your casting up to that of a 1st-level [class], and from there it progresses as normal for a [class]." They also state that they grant the ability to cast as the class.
So you can progress the feat's casting with a prestige class.
I'd also argue that feats like Practiced Spellcasting can improve the caster level, too.