Bardic Archmage?

[Malin Genie]

If a(n Epic) Bard takes Improved Spell Capacity to gain a 7th level slot, could she thereby become eligible for the Archmage Prestige Class, or would having a 7th level slot through that Feat not be considered the same as being 'able to cast 7th level arcane spells.'

 

[sledged]

No, but if she has in addition the Heighten Spell feat (and of course a 17+ Cha) she could qualify.

 

[Doctor Bomb]

With the Epic spell slots, a higher level spell slot is available for metamagic spells of a higher level, not an actual spell of that level. That would sadly mean no, the bard cannot actually cast 7th level arcane spells (such as mass invisibility) and doesn't qualify. He could cast an Extended Heightened Song of Discord, however, which is still pretty sweet.

 

[Doctor Bomb]

Oh, yeah. And what Sledged said, since heightened spells are actually higher in level. Posting while posting - I gotta open two windows and watch the thread.

 

[sledged]

No, but if she has in addition the Heighten Spell feat (and of course a 17+ Cha) she could qualify.

Hold on a sec. I may have been hasty in that response. There is a precedent: the Netherese arcanist in PGtF has the requirement "Able to cast 13th-level arcane spells" and it doesn't list Heighten Spell and Improved Heighten Spell as feat requirements.

 

[sledged]

Posting while posting - I gotta open two windows and watch the thread.

You're still using multiple browser windows? I've got tabbed browsing with Mozilla Firefox on my end.

 

[Knight Otu]

If a(n Epic) Bard takes Improved Spell Capacity to gain a 7th level slot, could she thereby become eligible for the Archmage Prestige Class, or would having a 7th level slot through that Feat not be considered the same as being 'able to cast 7th level arcane spells.'

By my understanding, yes, you would be able to cast 7th level spells - you just don't have 7th level spells on your spell list.
I believe Andy Collins has said that a bard or paladin who takes enough ISCs to get 9th level spells could take the Epic Spellcasting feat, and since this is the same situation... Let's see if I find it.

 

[sledged]

By my understanding, yes, you would be able to cast 7th level spells - you just don't have 7th level spells on your spell list.

Which means the requirement should be rephrased to something like: "Have at least one 7th level slot and the relevant spellcasting ability score 17+" because a 13th+ level wizard with a 16 Int doesn't qualify for the Archmage PrC.

 

[Knight Otu]

I think a rephrasing is not necessary, but that's just my opinion.
Here's what I found on Andy Collins' forums. Unfortunately, he doesn't answer himself. The quote from the Epic Level FAQ is still in the Epic Level FAQ, however.

 

[sledged]

I think a rephrasing is not necessary, but that's just my opinion.

This thread proves that it needs rephrasing. Can't speak for Doctor Bomb, but because of the way the requirement was phrased, I responded, "no," when the official answer is yes.

The ability to perform some specific task requires three things: skill, knowledge, and physical or mental capacity (in this case mental). If a wizard is less than 13th level, she lacks the skill to cast 7th level spells. If a sorcerer's cha is less than 17, he lacks the mental capacity. And if a bard doesn't know any 7th level spells, it lacks the knowledge.

I've also seen requirements like "able to cast xyz as 3rd-level arcane spell." Going by the same reasoning, a 14th-level sorcerer that currently doesn't know xyz but has that spell on his spell list would still meet the requirement.