Alacritous Cogitation + metamagic feat = ?

[Jack Simth]

Have you considered Alacritous Cogitation + Heighten Spell + Reserve Feats?

Since you can (potentially) cast any spell you know using the slot, you can empower all Reserve Feats you have with it.

The Heighten Spell is, of course, to lift your spells to the level you have the open spell slot.

That's only works if your DM doesn't read the Complete Mage Reserve Feat Header closely.

See, it seperates out the requirements - "A spellcaster who prepares spells each day (such as a wizard) must have an appropriate spell prepared and not yet cast" (Complete Mage, page 37). For "A spellcaster who does not need to prepare spells (such as a sorcerer) must know an appropriate spell and must have at least one unused spell slot of that spell's level or higher"

Now, while this may technically let Alacritous Cogitation work (you don't strictly need to prepare spells, as you can cast spontaneously... once per day...), Heighten Spell doesn't work with it - when you have heighten spell, you don't technically know that spell at that level, you have a means by which to cast that spell at that level.

 

[Thanee]

Now, while this may technically let Alacritous Cogitation work (you don't strictly need to prepare spells, as you can cast spontaneously... once per day...), ...

That would be a bit too far-fetched...

The distinction is clearly between caster types and a Wizard with Alacritous Cogitation is still a Wizard and as such still a spellcaster who prepares spells each day and a Sorcerer with Arcane Preparation is still a spellcaster who does not need to prepare spells (even though he can ).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Jack Simth]

That would be a bit too far-fetched...

The distinction is clearly between caster types and a Wizard with Alacritous Cogitation is still a Wizard and as such still a spellcaster who prepares spells each day and a Sorcerer with Arcane Preparation is still a spellcaster who does not need to prepare spells (even though he can ).

Bye
Thanee

Well, yes, but either way, it's not particularly broken, and most DM's will let the Arcane Preparation bit fly (hey, you're burning two or three feats to do something very minor... and you don't get bonus feats) - about the only reserve feats that are actually worth the action in a battle are Minor Shapeshift (swift-action temp HP - very handy) and Dimensional Jaunt (standard action get-out-of-grapple cheap card). The others, while flavorful, are only useful in fairly specialized circumstances (if you want to play a different type of trapfinder, mostly; but also in the army of mooks scenario, and there's also an evil healer build that makes use of Summon Elemental).

 

[Herzog]

@Thanee:
A Wizard with Alacritous Cogitation is a spellcaster who prepares spells each day AND casts spontaneously from a list of spells known.
A Sorcerer with Arcane Preparation is a spellcaster who casts spontaneously from a list of spells known AND prepares spells each day.

The primary benefit can only be activated if the caster has a spell of an appropriate variety (of a particular school, subschool, or descriptor) available to cast. The definition of "available to cast" depends on whether the character prepares spells or casts spontaneously from a list of spells known.​

The wizard and sorcerer have been picked out in the text following this quote as examples. Adding Alacritous Cogitation or Arcane Preparation to these classes changes the way these classes work, which means they no longer 'match' the examples given.

@Jack Simth:
I hadn't read the text this closely before, and I'll go as far as admit your interpretation is probably correct.

As a DM, I would still allow it, since it hardly seems overpowered (you still need to keep the slot uncast), but also because of the reading of Heighten Spell:

Heighten Spell actually increases the effective level of the spell that
it modifies.​

Since you are able to cast a spell of the appropriate level using Heighten Spell, i would qualify that as 'available to cast'.

 

[Thanee]

As said above, the distinction is clearly between the primary casting method.

The feats are irrelevant for that distinction, IMHO.

It's different to, say, a prestige class requirement of "able to prepare spells" (which Arcane Preparation fulfills).

Besides, the wording for the spontaneous casters is "does not need to prepare spells" (and Alacritous Cogitation does not change that at all), which certainly is also true for every prepared caster, if you want to read it that way, as noone forces them to prepare their spells. You could also say, that the Wizard does not qualify for "prepares spells each day", as soon as there is one day, during which the Wizard did not prepare spells in his life.

But I guess you know what I mean.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Herzog]

How about a Wizard/Sorcerer?

are they even able to use reserve feats?
if so, how are they supposed to be doing that?
can they use both methods?

As you say, the strictest interpretation of the text would mean none of the text applies, or leads to no one actually being able to use reserve feats

My conclusion from that is that there should be some leeway in interpreting these rules, and I guess my interpretation is less strict then yours.

 

[Thanee]

How about a Wizard/Sorcerer?

can they use both methods?

Of course, since they have two distinct spellcasting "pools". Two classes. Two primary methods of casting. Two ways to fulfill the requirement.

As long as the Wizard side has a prepared spell of the appropriate level -or- the Sorcerer side has an appropriate known spell and unused spell slot.

As you say, the strictest interpretation of the text would mean none of the text applies, or leads to no one actually being able to use reserve feats

Naaah.

Bye
Thanee