Battle caster feat/complete arcane

kcmopd1913 · Jun 25, 2005

i just have a question about the battle caster feat located in the complete arcane book page 75. here is how it reads: "you are able to wear armor one category heavier than you can normally wear while still avoiding the chance of arcane spell failure. for example, if you have the ability to normally wear light armor without incurring a chance of spell failure, you can wear medium armor and continue to cast spells as normal." i am playing a human warmage. does this feat allow me to wear medium armor without incurring penalites or do i need to also be proficient with medium armor? thanks.

FireLance · Jun 25, 2005

A strict reading of the feat implies that it applies to arcane spell failure only. In other words, you can cast spells in heavier armor with no chance of spell failure, but if you are not proficient in the armor, the armor check penalty applies to attack rolls and all skill checks that involve moving (instead of just Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks - see the various armor proficiency feats for details).

In the specific case of a warmage, he gains armored mage (medium) at 8th level, which grants proficiency with medium armor as well as the ability to cast in medium armor with no chance of arcane spell failure.

kcmopd1913 · Jun 25, 2005

so basically this feat is useless to a warmage. lol.

Yeoman · Jun 25, 2005

kcmopd1913 said:
so basically this feat is useless to a warmage. lol.

Not entirely. A Fighter 1 / Warmage 8 with the Battle Caster Feat, could cast in heavy armor without an arcane spell failure chance.

Of course with mithral heavy armor, they could do that without the feat.