Higher level-lower casting stat

[glass]

Can (for example) a 5th level wizard with an Int of 12 use his 3rd level slots for:

1. 1st & 2nd level spells

2. 1st & 2nd level spells metamagicked to 3rd level

3. Nothing, he doesn't have any

This has been bothering me ever since the ELH came out. I always thought it was 1 for sure, and 2 probably. But the text of the Improved Spell Capacity feats says something like (I'm paraphrasing), 'as normal, a character must have a casting stat of at least 10+spell level to have a slot of that level'. This is quite different from what I understood 'normal' to be!

So what do you folks think?



glass.

 

[FireLance]

1. Yes.
2. Yes, except for a spell Heightened to more than 2nd level - it actually becomes a spell of that level.
3. Incorrect. I'd ignore the ELH if I was you.

 

[Hypersmurf]

1 and 2 (except for Heightened spells) are both fine.

You need an Int of 13 to prepare a 3rd level spell, and to cast a 3rd level spell. You don't need it to have a 3rd level slot, anywhere in the Core rules.

Edit - or, in other words, 'what FireLance said'.

-Hyp.

 

[glass]

1. Yes.
2. Yes, except for a spell Heightened to more than 2nd level - it actually becomes a spell of that level.
3. Incorrect. I'd ignore the ELH if I was you.

That's what I thought (including the heighten spell exception). Thanks for the confirmation.

I don't know why it bothered me so much, but it's been bugging me for (literally) years, so I thought I'd finally get it out of my system. It's not as if the ELH is a paragon of rules consistency...


glass.

 

[Wolf72]

so a int 12 wizard could use a 7th lvl spell slot for a metamagicked 0-2nd lvl spell ... I don't know what's worse a int 12 wizard making it to 13th lvl (or is it 14th) ... or the amount of different magic missle spells that wizard would have available.

 

[Corsair]

so a int 12 wizard could use a 7th lvl spell slot for a metamagicked 0-2nd lvl spell ... I don't know what's worse a int 12 wizard making it to 13th lvl (or is it 14th) ... or the amount of different magic missle spells that wizard would have available.

An empowered+twinned scorching ray can do a LOT of damage.

 

[Stalker0]

An empowered+twinned scorching ray can do a LOT of damage.

And one lesser globe on invulnerability shuts it down completely