First, Contingency is tough to cast at L1.
Second, you need to specify the conditions for that contingency – “If complicated or convoluted conditions are prescribed, the whole spell combination (contingency and the companion magic) may fail when called on.” It would be pretty simple to discharge a contingency that’s set to go off whenever you are attacked, or some similar phrasing. One kobold tosses a rock at you – bang, you get a standard action. Now what? Your sole contingency is discharged, unless you want to stop for 10 minutes and cast it again, assuming you have a second one prepared.
If you were willing to read my posts, rather than disagree with anything I say because I say it, then you'd know Alacritous Cognition is my preferred way of qualifying.
I assume the reference is to Alacritous Cogitation, although you consistently say “Cognition”. If I accept this as sufficient, then I must also accept Druids and Clerics meet the “spontaneous caster” requirement. I believe Nezkrul’s interpretation that this refers to the class feature of a caster whose spells are cast spontaneously by default to be the better interpretation, despite the fact one can argue for either.
Again, you're stating things that have no relevance to the argument. The wizard is capable of casting second level spells, and therefore it learns second level spells. If you'd prefer it, one could spend WBL to scribe pointless spells, but that's unnecessary by even the most basic understanding of the rules.
How does capacity to cast 2
nd level spells equal learning second level spells? For domain wizard, there is a case that “as soon as she becomes able to cast it” somehow causes the spell to appear in the spellbook in the split second Versatile Spellcaster (arguably) permits it to be cast, but there’s the chicken and egg of whether the character can trade in two first level spell slots to cast a second level he knows
prior to knowing a second level spell slot. He has to met the requirements to trade in the spell slots first, and he needs to trade in the spell slots to be capable of casting a second level spell. At
, this is detailed thoroughly.
Okay. My opinion? You're wasting your time.
This discussion has a lot of confusion between "opinion" and "fact". I credit you with selecting opinion when this is probably more arguable as a "fact" than most things called out as "fact" in the discussion to date.
Sadly, I see you may need to invest in Improved Iron Will...
3.5e has many thousands of options. Most of these were added in supplements, written by designers who didn't have time to sort out exactly what the consequences were of every possible combination - indeed, often by designers who simply didn't know about many of the other options. Remember, a lot of the edition was created by freelancers, and several projects were running in parallel.
So it should be no surprise that there are broken combinations out there. And those options are, of course, much more common if you simply read the text as it sits, interpret everything in the most 'generous' manner possible, and allow everything in. (I've put the quote-marks around 'generous' because it has been my experience that most so-called 'optimisers' actually go beyond merely generous interpretations of the rules and outright ignore anything they don't like.)
As you say, generous interpretation is typically the manner in which these combinations are presented. The need to interpret is also, in my view, a fact. Which interpretation is most appropriate is definitely back in "opinion" territory.
As I understand it, Cyclone_Joker's approach was to cast contingency - "when I roll initiative or am surprised, cast celerity". This gives him a standard action right away. After which, he is no longer flat-footed (having acted in combat), and so can use Immediate actions - and so he can trigger his Third Eye: Clarity to remove the dazed condition.
I buy the Contingency argument. He now gets his standard action (once, and he needs to be 12th level for the combo to work). However, note that the spell reads as follows:
This spell works like lesser celerity, except that you pull even more time into the present.
When you cast this spell, you can immediately take a standard action, as if you had readied an action.
You can even interrupt another creature's turn when you cast this spell.
However, after you take the standard action granted by this spell, you are dazed until the end of your next turn.
You can take a standard action immediately. You don't get to take an immediate, swift or any other action before taking the standard action. You must take the standard action immediately. Once you take it, you are dazed. A dazed creature can take no actions, so you can't take the immediate action required to trigger the third eye. Now, being a nice guy, I would allow you to shift that standard action down to a move, swift or immediate action, but that replaces your standard action, so you can trigger the Eye as your one standard action - but that rather defeats the purpose of the contingency, does it not?
Here he's using Alacritous Cogitation to give him the ability to "You can leave a prepared spell slot open to spontaneously cast a spell." (There is at least one other feat/alternate class feature/something that allows the Wizard to spontaneously cast some spells, or else I'd point out that Versatile Spellcaster requires the ability to spontaneously cast spells.)
Here again we get to interpretation, in this instance of the prerequisite for Versatile Spellcasting. Can it be taken by clerics and druids, who can spontaneously cast certain spells, or must one have the spontaneous spellcasting ability for all spells of the class as a class feature? I favour the latter interpretation, which leaves wizards out entirely. If VS otherwise allowed L1 characters to cast L9 spells, that would be one more reason to believe that the class feature overall was the intent of the designer.
BTW, if one can trade in a domain slot of the domain wizard, could every cleric not use the same chain to spontaneously manifest any spell on their list? They also get domain slots, and they cast Cure spells spontaneously from L1. He's got one L2 slot from trading in two L1 slots, and a second from his domain slot, the same as the domain wizard.
Back to the words. "You can use two spell slots of the same level to cast a spell you know that is one level higher." If I accept that the L1 wizard can trade in his two L1 slots to cast a L2 spell, it ends there. He can cast the spell. He does not gain a L2 slot. If he is capable of casting L2 spells, it is solely for that brief instant that he gets a domain slot and a bonus elven generalist slot (and hey, his bonus slots for high INT too). Once he casts the spell, done, he is no longer capable of casting a L2 spell and the bonus slots fade away. They exist only while he casts another spell, so they are not good for anything.
The argument here is that this feat allows the caster to cast a single 2nd level spell. Since he can now cast 2nd level spells, his two 'specialisation' abilities (Elven Generalist and Domain Specialist) each give him one 2nd level spell slot. The character can then combine those two to give a single 3rd level spell, so now he can cast 3rd level spells, so his two specialisation abilities each give him one 3rd level spell slot. And so on.
Since the L2 slots can be gained only by combining 2 L1 slots to
cast a L2 spell, he actually has to cast it. Once he does, no more L2 bonus slots as he's no longer capable of casting L2 spells. Just like dropping to an 11 INT prevents casting L2 spells.
Put bluntly, I don't even consider that interpretation worth addressing. It was clearly not the intent of the designers that 1st level casters should have access to 9th level spells. It's also pretty clear that Elven Generalist and Domain Specialist should be either/or abilities - each removes the ability to specialise; they just use slightly different wording to do it. Versatile Spellcaster clearly wasn't intended to be a "rinse and repeat" ability. And it's also a huge stretch to allow the caster to claim the 'knowledge' class feature from Domain Specialist before applying VS and then claiming the 'extra slot' feature after doing so - without which the whole edifice falls down.
Again, agreed. But this does require intuiting designer intent. I don't see any other reasonable intent to intuit, but CJ apparently does.
One more thing: I noted a few paragraphs above that CJ has a "a habit of revealing his 'arguments' in a very piecemeal fashion". On the thread in question, he was repeatedly asked to provide a complete build of his super-wizard, and repeatedly provided only a partial build, adding bits as his arguments were rebutted. I would strongly suggest not engaging in that sort of argument - it's just bad for stress levels, it's bad for the board, and it doesn't serve any good purpose. When faced with an argument of that sort, demand complete builds, full citations of books and page numbers, and any relevant errata. And if they're not supplied, treat it as the unsupported argument it is. Trust me, you'll feel better as a result.
Agreed - but here come those will saves again. Still no '20'! As for spell load, no matter how often you may change it, if you are entering an unknown situation, you need to choose your spells. That's what you have for the day (including any potential spontaneous spells, slots left open with Uncanny Forethought, etc.).
