Design Space

[The Black Kestrel]

Improving Spell Mastery

Spell Mastery is a rarely taken feat that only applies to wizards, few of which take it. By integrating the rest mechanic into the feat instead of the ready mechanic we make the feat more useful and appealing to all spellcasters. The current Spell Mastery feat is renamed to Spell Knowledge. I want to give casters a way to partially customize thier rote and restricted spell lists without tossing the whole rest mechanic on its head.

Option One:

SPELL MASTERY [SPECIAL]
Prerequisite: Caster level 1st.
Benefit: Each time you take this feat, choose a number of spells equal to your primary spellcasting attribute's modifier that you already know and are restricted or ritual spells. Restricted spells you select are now rote spells for the purposes of what spells are regained during the 10-minute rest period. Ritual spells you select are now restricted spells for the purposes of what spells are regained during the 10-minute rest period. You cannot select the same spell twice when you acquire this feat. If you want to change a ritual spell to a rote spell you must take this feat twice and select the same spell with both times. Selecting a rote spell has no further effect. Your DM may not allow this feat to affect certain spells. Check with your DM when choosing the spells effected by this feat.
Normal: Without this feat, you cannot change the designation of a spell for the purposes of the 10-minute rest period.
Special: You can select this feat multiple times, you can select the same spell up to twice with this feat.

Option Two:

SPELL MASTERY [SPECIAL]
Prerequisite: Caster level 1st.
Benefit: Each time you take this feat, choose a number of spells equal to your primary spellcasting attribute's modifier that you already know and are restricted or ritual spells. Restricted spells you select are now rote spells for the purposes of what spells are regained during the 10-minute rest period. Ritual spells you select are now restricted spells for the purposes of what spells are regained during the 10-minute rest period. Your DM may not allow this feat to affect certain spells. Check with your DM when choosing the spells effected by this feat.
Normal: Without this feat, you cannot change the designation of a spell for the purposes of the 10-minute rest period.
Special: You can select this feat multiple times, each time you select it apply the effect to a different group of spells.

As usual comments are appreciated.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

"Ritual" is a meta-game definition.

The only reason that spells are classified as Ritual is if the DM wants to strictly control their use. There's therefore no reason, ever, to allow a player a mechanical workaround for Ritual spells.

"Taxing" the player a feat is simply not going to achieve the desired objective for which the DM classifies a spell as a Ritual in the first place. If you're ok with such a spell being Restricted then just don't make it a Ritual to begin with.

Restricted spells are more of a class balance issue. They are Restricted in order to force the spellcaster to occasionally take more linear (and therefore sub-optimal) spells, which in turn puts the spellcaster back onto a more even footing with the linear power progession of the non-casting classes.

This is a bit of a no-brainer feat, and I suspect you'll very quickly see the same Restricted spells moving over to the Rote list.

I personally wouldn't allow this feat, but with respect to Restricted spells, at least you're not crossing that meta-game line.

 

[GlassJaw]

I might allow it if it was one spell per feat.

 

[The Black Kestrel]

Right, Spell Mastery will be going back to the drawing board which is conveniently located next to the trash can.