Incense of Meditation

[Scion]

You could always try to infer from earlier editions what was intended.

Brand new edition here, many things are different than previous editions. So we dont know exactly what was intended either way.

Even looking back the item used to do a number of things that are different now, which were intended and which not?

 

[IcyCool]

Brand new edition here, many things are different than previous editions. So we dont know exactly what was intended either way.

Even looking back the item used to do a number of things that are different now, which were intended and which not?

By the rules, you are correct, it affects both arcane and divine spells. I'm fairly certain that wasn't what was intended. Incense of Meditation used to be only for divine casters in older editions. It looks to me like an unfortunate wording issue. Kind of like the Bead of Karma. RAW, it can have a negative value. Do you believe that was what was intended?

 

[Scion]

By the rules, you are correct, it affects both arcane and divine spells. I'm fairly certain that wasn't what was intended. Incense of Meditation used to be only for divine casters in older editions. It looks to me like an unfortunate wording issue. Kind of like the Bead of Karma. RAW, it can have a negative value. Do you believe that was what was intended?

I have no idea what they intended, nor do I care really.

If they want it to do something other than what it says they can errata it.

Until then people can houserule it however they like.

Awareness is the important issue here, that way people can think about these things before it comes up as a surprise and people might get hurt feelings and possibly the designers can fix it someday, if it isnt being used as intended of course.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Good response, but not quite good enough. My emphasis, and selective cutting and pasting (I don't think anything pertinent has been left out, but read the rest for yourself under Spell Selection and Preparation): "Later during that day, she can repeat the preparation process as often as she likes... That sort of preparation [filling open slots] requires a mind fresh from rest."

It would be helpful to include the whole paragraph:

When preparing spells for the day, a wizard can leave some of these spell slots open. Later during that day, she can repeat the preparation process as often as she likes, time and circumstances permitting. During these extra sessions of preparation, the wizard can fill these unused spell slots. She cannot, however, abandon a previously prepared spell to replace it with another one or fill a slot that is empty because she has cast a spell in the meantime. That sort of preparation requires a mind fresh from rest. Like the first session of the day, this preparation takes at least 15 minutes, and it takes longer if the wizard prepares more than one-quarter of her spells.

Emphasis mine. This statement clearly identifies itself with the previous sentence. It has a clear antecendent. Now a better arguement would be that the following sentence lacks a clear antecedent, returning merit to your arguement.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Emphasis mine. This statement clearly identifies itself with the previous sentence. It has a clear antecendent. Now a better arguement would be that the following sentence lacks a clear antecedent, returning merit to your arguement.

Right. And in order to be consistent, it means that the spellcaster must rest for an hour before she fills open slots during the remainder of the day.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Right. And in order to be consistent, it means that the spellcaster must rest for an hour before she fills open slots during the remainder of the day.

Er... I think Ovinomancer is explaining that "that sort of preparation" (the sort of preparation that requires a mind fresh from rest) is the sort described in the preceding sentence - abandoning a previously prepared spell to replace it with another one or filling a slot that's empty because you've cast a spell.

Filling a slot left open later in the day is the other sort of preparation - the sort that doesn't require a mind fresh from rest.

Apples cost one dollar. Oranges, however, are more expensive. That sort of fruit costs two dollars.

"That sort of fruit" refers to the oranges, not to the apples.

-Hyp.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I see -- I just don't agree.

 

[Diirk]

I think the paragraph is perfectly clear, but perhaps more readable if you split it into 2 sections:

"When preparing spells for the day, a wizard can leave some of these spell slots open. Later during that day, she can repeat the preparation process as often as she likes, time and circumstances permitting. During these extra sessions of preparation, the wizard can fill these unused spell slots. Like the first session of the day, this preparation takes at least 15 minutes, and it takes longer if the wizard prepares more than one-quarter of her spells."

and

"She cannot, however, abandon a previously prepared spell to replace it with another one or fill a slot that is empty because she has cast a spell in the meantime. That sort of preparation requires a mind fresh from rest."

The latter suggesting you can't abandon old spells and replace them at whim, but instead need to be fully rested to do so (ie 8 hours rest etc). The former saying you can leave open slots and fill them at your convenience if you take 15 minutes to do so.

Or are you suggesting that the wizard that leaves a spell slot open to fill later in the day needs another 8 hours rest beforehand ? (The 1 hour you refer to is misleading; thats merely a part of the greater amount of rest that a wizard requires that MUST be uninterrupted. That doesn't mean to say that the other 7 hours is unnecessary...)

 

[Infiniti2000]

It doesn't really matter. I don't require rest before filling open slots, so houserule or not I don't care enough to argue that point. If a player had to resort to what Jhulae suggested though, I'd think there was a problem. One way or another it would need to be addressed. However, I don't agree with Scion about the incense, so the problem wouldn't even exist. I guess Scion let's the incense work with wizards, too, but spellcasters who don't prepare spells (like sorcerers and bards) don't get any love from the incense.

 

[Diirk]

I guess Scion let's the incense work with wizards, too, but spellcasters who don't prepare spells (like sorcerers and bards) don't get any love from the incense.

Unless they take that Arcane Preparation feat, of course