[Complete Champion] Spontaneous Divination

[EvilGM]

One of the wizard alternative class features is spontaneous divination. This feature replaces one of the wizard bonus feats and lets them sacrifice a prepared spell to cast any divination spell of equal or lower level.

The feature doesn't specify the spell has to be in your spellbook, or even arcane or divine. It just says any spell of the divination school.

It seems a tad powerful and something every wizard would give up a bonus feat for.

What do you think?

 

[evilbob]

That sounds pretty cool.

Kinda sucks for diviners, though. Why bother specializing?

 

[IanB]

This is one of the ones that made me raise my eyebrows a bit too. I would be inclined to require the spells spontaneously cast to at least be in the wizard's spellbook.

 

[pawsplay]

What the...?

 

[TYPO5478]

That sounds pretty cool.

Kinda sucks for diviners, though. Why bother specializing?

Well, you'd still get the extra spells per day and +2 on spellcraft checks...

 

[evilbob]

Spellcraft: true. But extra spells per day: that's kinda my point. Everyone gets extra spells per day for divining: these include all their spells. You would just get exactly one more spell (per level) do that with, which isn't too remarkable. (And only one prohibited school, which is a pittance they've already thrown diviners.)

And the whole "one of your bonus spells must be from this school" is actually a drawback, if it actually works the way the OP said - no one would ever need to learn a divination spell again, so you're effectively learning only 1 new spell per level. Overall verdict: sucks for diviners.

Of course, the full text might include some kind of perk for someone who specialized... We're just speculating at the moment.

 

[TYPO5478]

Spellcraft: true. But extra spells per day: that's kinda my point. Everyone gets extra spells per day for divining: these include all their spells.

No, only diviners get extra spells per day for divining. Other specialists get extra spells per day for their particular schools. Generalists get no extra spells per day because they haven't specialized in a school (obviously I'm not referring to extra spells from high Int; you're right that everyone gets those, but on the other hand they aren't restricted by school).

And the whole "one of your bonus spells must be from this school" is actually a drawback, if it actually works the way the OP said - no one would ever need to learn a divination spell again, so you're effectively learning only 1 new spell per level.

I don't think the rules say that one of the spells a specialist learns every new level must be from his selected school. They just say that his extra spell slot must be dedicated to casting a spell from his selected school. He can still learn 2 spells per level. For example, a level 7 diviner who sacrificed necromancy could learn an enchantment spell and a transmutation spell at level 8; he doesn't have to choose a divination spell if he doesn't want to.

But you're right: if he doesn't have to actually know the divination spell he wants to cast, there's no reason to learn it in the first place. But this is actually an advantage (probably too good an advantage): he can just sacrifice his open bonus slot to cast any divination spell and spend his spellbook learning spells he can't cast spontaneously.

 

[Nail]

What do you think?

Please quote the actual rules text. Thanks!

 

[evilbob]

No, only diviners get extra spells per day for divining.

I believe you have missed my point... and then were kind enough to explain specialist wizards to me. I'll try again, but this time please assume I know what specializing does: yes, only diviners get an actual extra spell per day that is devoted to divining. But any wizard with this feat can use any of their spells per day for divining. Which is not functionally equivalent to having one extra spell, but like having all your spells be "extra divining spells." If this doesn't make sense, feel free to completely ignore it.

I don't think the rules say that one of the spells a specialist learns every new level must be from his selected school.

Huh, you know I could have sworn that was in the PHB, but I can't find it in the SRD, either. I'll have to look again, but I guess I'm wrong.

Please quote the actual rules text. Thanks!

Actually, I went by a game store at lunch and they had this book and I looked up the variant rule. I cannot quote you the exact text, but it pretty much says exactly what the OP said: a wizard may cast "any" divination spell, and there is no mention of any kind of restriction (unless I just missed it, which is possible).

Now, whether or not "any" specifically means "any in your spellbook" is probably open to debate, simply because a wizard cannot normally cast anything not in his spellbook - without a use-item or another spellbook, anyway - which would seem to include any spell covered by this ability, but then again wizards can't convert spells, either, so it's hard to say. (And would a scroll or borrowed spellbook count as a possible source?) And I'm GUESSING that it would more-or-less restrict the wizard to arcane spells, since a wizard can only use arcane spells normally, but that's certainly fair for debate as well. In any case, I'm guessing this will be errata-ed SOON.

 

[IanB]

The one-of-the-spells-must-be-from-your-school rule was in 3.0; it appears to be gone in 3.5.