Archmage and Spell-Like Abilities

[andargor]

Yet another set of questions about the Archmage.

If an Archmage takes the Spell-Like Ability High Arcana:

• How is the DC calculated for the SPA?
• Does Spell Focus apply to the SPA?
• Can Metamagic feats be applied to the SPA after the High Arcana is taken? I know that a Metamagicked version of the spell can be converted to an SPA, but if the SPA is Empowered Fireball, can it be, say, Widened?
• If the Archmage's base class is Wizard, does Intelligence stay the relevant ability score for the SPA? (i.e. the DC rises with Intelligence)
• Can the Archmage use other High Arcana with the SPA? (e.g. Mastery of Shaping, Mastery of Elements)
• Can the Archmage take a Quickened version of a spell as an SPA? Would that make the SPA a free action? Or do you need the Quicken Spell-Like Ability feat for this?
• Does the caster level of the SPA rise with the character's caster level?

Andargor

 

[3d6]

How is the DC calculated for the SPA?

10 + spell level + Cha modifier.

Does Spell Focus apply to the SPA?

Its not a spell, its a spell-like ability, so no. Ability Focus would apply though, if you took it.

Can Metamagic feats be applied to the SPA after the High Arcana is taken? I know that a Metamagicked version of the spell can be converted to an SPA, but if the SPA is Empowered Fireball, can it be, say, Widened?

Metamagic feats apply to spells, not spell-like abilities. No.

If the Archmage's base class is Wizard, does Intelligence stay the relevant ability score for the SPA? (i.e. the DC rises with Intelligence)

Spell-like abilities use Charisma, and nothing in the Archmage entry changes that.

Can the Archmage use other High Arcana with the SPA? (e.g. Mastery of Shaping, Mastery of Elements)

Those abilities refer to arcane spells, not spell-like abilities, so no.

Can the Archmage take a Quickened version of a spell as an SPA? Would that make the SPA a free action? Or do you need the Quicken Spell-Like Ability feat for this?

You could do it either way. Both work.

Does the caster level of the SPA rise with the character's caster level?

The caster level of a spell-like ability is equal to the hit dice of the creature using it if no caster level is specified, so it goes up with character level.

Spell-Like Ability: An archmage who selects this type of high arcana can use one of her arcane spell slots (other than a slot expended to learn this or any other type of high arcana) to permanently prepare one of her arcane spells as a spell-like ability that can be used twice per day. The archmage does not use any components when casting the spell, although a spell that costs XP to cast still does so and a spell with a costly material component instead costs her 10 times that amount in XP. This ability costs one 5th-level spell slot.

The spell-like ability normally uses a spell slot of the spell’s level, although the archmage can choose to make a spell modified by a metamagic feat into a spell-like ability at the appropriate spell level.

The archmage may use an available higher-level spell slot in order to use the spell-like ability more often. Using a slot three levels higher than the chosen spell allows her to use the spell-like ability four times per day, and a slot six levels higher lets her use it six times per day.

If spell-like ability is selected more than one time as a high arcana choice, this ability can apply to the same spell chosen the first time (increasing the number of times per day it can be used) or to a different spell.

Spell-Like: Spell-like abilities are magical and work just like spells (though they are not spells and so have no verbal, somatic, material, focus, or XP components). They go away in an antimagic field and are subject to spell resistance if the spell the ability resembles or duplicates would be subject to spell resistance.

A spell-like ability usually has a limit on how often it can be used. A spell-like ability that can be used at will has no use limit. Using a spell-like ability is a standard action unless noted otherwise, and doing so while threatened provokes attacks of opportunity. It is possible to make a Concentration check to use a spell-like ability defensively and avoid provoking an attack of opportunity, just as when casting a spell. A spell-like ability can be disrupted just as a spell can be. Spell-like abilities cannot be used to counterspell, nor can they be counterspelled.

For creatures with spell-like abilities, a designated caster level defines how difficult it is to dispel their spell-like effects and to define any level-dependent variables (such as range and duration) the abilities might have. The creature’s caster level never affects which spell-like abilities the creature has; sometimes the given caster level is lower than the level a spellcasting character would need to cast the spell of the same name. If no caster level is specified, the caster level is equal to the creature’s Hit Dice. The saving throw (if any) against a spell-like ability is 10 + the level of the spell the ability resembles or duplicates + the creature’s Cha modifier.

Some spell-like abilities duplicate spells that work differently when cast by characters of different classes. A monster’s spell-like abilities are presumed to be the sorcerer/wizard versions. If the spell in question is not a sorcerer/wizard spell, then default to cleric, druid, bard, paladin, and ranger, in that order.

 

[ruleslawyer]

oops.

 

[ruleslawyer]

Beat me to it.

 

[andargor]

10 + spell level + Cha modifier.

Spell-like abilities use Charisma, and nothing in the Archmage entry changes that.

That's what I thought. I had however seen creatures with SPA relevant abilities other than Cha. Hence the question.

This makes this particular High Arcana more oriented towards defensive/utility spells, rather than offensive spells.

Andargor