Practiced Spellcaster question

[Cam Banks]

I think the only minor point of confusion is as follows.

Say you pick up 6 levels of wizard. At 6th level, you acquire the Practiced Spellcaster feat, and apply it to wizard. So far, it has no effect. You have caster level 6.

If you pick up a level of rogue, then the feat applies a +1 to your caster level, since this is a level of a non-wizard class. Caster level is 7.

If you then pick up a level of a class that provides +1 spells per day/spells known, such as the wizard of High Sorcery PrC, then the feat once again kicks in and boosts your caster level, this time to 8. Would the PrC level stack, in this case? Obviously, your character level is 8 and 8 is the ceiling for your wizard caster level, but the +1 spells per day/spells known progression of the PrC applies after the fact, which (under at least on interpretation) might suggest that your caster level is now 9 (caster level 6 for wizard, boosted by +2 for feat, and by +1 for PrC bonus), and you cast spells as a 7th level wizard (6 levels of wizard +1 for PrC).

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Stormrunner]

... but the +1 spells per day/spells known progression of the PrC applies after the fact, which (under at least on interpretation) might suggest that your caster level is now 9 (caster level 6 for wizard, boosted by +2 for feat, and by +1 for PrC bonus), and you cast spells as a 7th level wizard (6 levels of wizard +1 for PrC).

Cheers,
Cam

Um, no. No no no no no. No way.

Where are you getting "applies after the fact"? You're counting the level of PrC twice there, which is generally a no-no. You're also assuming that the PrC caster level plus somehow gets applied after the feat boost. It seems clear to me that it must be the other way around - the boost from the feat gets recalculated AFTER each level gain - otherwise if you took the feat before taking any non-caster levels you'd never get any benefit. So, you gain your new level in the PrC; your "base" caster level is now 7. Then the feat kicks in and makes your caster level 8.

Otherwise, you could rinse-and-repeat until your caster level was 4 levels higher than your actual character level. It's quite clear that that was not what was intended.

 

[Cam Banks]

Otherwise, you could rinse-and-repeat until your caster level was 4 levels higher than your actual character level. It's quite clear that that was not what was intended.

I quite agree. It's just that the whole +1 spells per day feature of prestige classes could do with a little clarification and definition beyond what it says in the text of each class whenever it is used. For example, one assumes it vanishes when the character no longer qualifies for the PrC (such as changing alignment, etc), so does Practiced Spellcaster kick in then? And is the +1 spells per day feature something which actually increases the chosen spellcasting class' spellcasting, or is it more like a continuation of spellcasting inherent to the PrC? If you add sorcerer levels to a creature that has innate sorcerer levels, the levels in sorcerer stack with those levels to determine the creature's spells per day and spells known, right? Is this the same feature, only worded differently?

Which reminds me - it seems as if Practiced Spellcaster is a great feat for, say, dragons - boosts their sorcerer caster level by +4 more often than not, right?

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Trainz]

Which reminds me - it seems as if Practiced Spellcaster is a great feat for, say, dragons - boosts their sorcerer caster level by +4 more often than not, right?

Yes and no.

For purposes to resist a character's dispel magic, then yes, but having a +4 caster level for the dragon isn't that much valuable, since his big guns are his melee attacks and breath weapons. It's like a Paladin taking the feat, it doesn't pay off to invest in one of your weak abilities.