Arcane Mastery (CA)

[Taren Seeker]

Arcane Mastery states that you may take 10 on your caster level checks but inserts "(as if your caster level check was a skill check)"

Does this mean that you cannot take 10 if hurried or threatened, ie: in combat? If so it makes what appears to be a very strong feat almost worthless.

Discuss

 

[jodyjohnson]

I think it's vague enough to allow DMs to go either way.

Personally I'd say Take 10 under pressure just because the Take 10 for UMD ability of Artificers is similar and I need that to mean Take 10 under pressure.

For us it's the same category as Uncanny Dodge vs. Bluff: Feint.

 

[Trainz]

I feel that it means you can take 10 whenever, and the blurb about skills is simply a reference about what take 10 means.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

It doesn't say that you can take 10 even under stess, so it's like a regular skill check: You can't take 10 when you're under stress.

Note that this doesn't necessarily ruin the feat. As an arcanist you aren't supposed to go toe-to-toe with enemies, anyway, and as long as you stand back (and thus aren't threatened by anyone, can cast without provoking an AoO or being forced to cast defensively), you can take 10 on it. You may be in a fight, but right at the moment noone is lunging at you, so you can take your time.

 

[Sithobi1]

Actually, combat is specifically listed as a distraction, per the SRD:

Taking 10: When your character is not being threatened or distracted, you may choose to take 10. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, calculate your result as if you had rolled a 10. For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful. Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible for a character to take 10. In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure —you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10). Taking 10 is especially useful in situations where a particularly high roll wouldn’t help.

Note it says threats, not threaten.

 

[Thanee]

I also understand it in the way, that you cannot take 10 in combat, just as with skills.

It's certainly a bit too weak that way, but the other way it seems a bit too strong, as it makes many checks simply automatic, because you rarely need to roll that high with caster level checks.

Bye
Thanee

 

[jodyjohnson]

The Artificer UMD Take 10 ability and the Warlock version both explicitly state that they can be made under stress. Arcane Mastery doesn't.

I might still allow it under stress since it's so predictable that it can be circumvented at will by the DM (hopefully with reasonable frequency).

For any caster, their Take 10 on caster level checks = X. Therefore any challenge which requires Caster check X+1 would fail (the opposing caster is one higher level, SR is X+1, spell spell has CL X+1).

The only efficient aspect would be casting scrolls over your level since you could automatically cast spell scrolls 9 levels above your CL. Combined with Practiced Spellcaster you could cast spells +13 over your CL (given full use of PS).

 

[Scharlata]

I feel that it means you can take 10 whenever, and the blurb about skills is simply a reference about what take 10 means.

Hi!

That's my reading, too. The text in parenthesis is more like a description, just in case someone is not sure what taking 10 means. But it accomplished more confusion than clarification.

Kind regards

 

[Hekerui]

redundant, sorry

 

[cameo86]

The official errata state that this feat can be used under stress, restoring its usefulness