Question about the feat "Spell Mastery"

[Zarthon]

Greetings all,

One of my players asked me if he can get another spell from the Spell Mastery feat when his Int goes up, I don't think you would as the feat description says "They must be spells that the wizard already knows", the player then pointed out that you get more skill points if your Int goes up and if thats the case why would you not get another spell from "Spell Mastery"

Anyway I told him that I would post the question here as he was not happy with my decision.

For the record I won't let him add more spells to his already exsiting SM feat, I told him that if he wants more spells he will have to take the feat again.

What say you?

From the SRD

Spell Mastery [Special]

Prerequisite: Spell Mastery is available only to wizards.

Benefit: Each time the wizard takes this feat, choose a number of spells equal to the wizard's Intelligence modifier (they must be spells that the wizard already knows). From that point on, the wizard can prepare those spells without referring to a spellbook.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

by the wording of spell mastery, it's only spells he knows at the time of taking the feat

skill points don't increase retroactively with a raise in Int (although some people house rule that they do), so on that front, it's your call (see rule zero )

 

[Dash Dannigan]

*chuckle* Well, it looks like to me you made the right call Zarthon. That's my interpretation of the feat as well. Players are often unhappy about certain rulings a DM makes, its good form to show your openess to new ideas and all that Zarthon. Hopefully after being right enough times the player will just learn to trust your judgement.

Though we are human and can't be right all the time, this one was kinda a no brainer...

 

[CRGreathouse]

One of my players asked me if he can get another spell from the Spell Mastery feat when his Int goes up, I don't think you would

I don't think the character would get more spells from spell Mastery either.

 

[Apok]

I'd say your ruling was solid. There is nothing in the feats description or anywhere else that supports the notion that you can retroactively add more spells as your Int goes up. If this was the case, it would have been specifically mentioned. Therefore, you get a number of spells equal to your Int mod at the time the feat was taken.

This might not make your player happy, but I think he's trying to push the limits on a Loose Constructionist standpoint (ie, if it doesn't specifically say you can't do something, then it is allowed).

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

You made the right call.

As a DM that gives retro skill points, I might be talked into retro SM spells. IF you run things that way. I don't see it being overly powerful. Nor is the feat underpowered as is by any means.

 

[Arksorn]

As others have pointed out you do not get more retroactive skill points when your intellegence goes up. (PHB page 10)

It seems to me to be the intent that you will not get more spells if you have a spell mastery feat and your intellegence goes up after you take it (or less spells if your intellegence goes down). But, I do not have a clear yes/no page reference for this.

 

[Lucius Foxhound]

Everyone's right of course. No extra spells.

The question we had is how many spells would a Wizard get when wearing a Headband of Intellect at the time he leveled (assuming he wore it from the start of the previous level)?

 

[noretoc]

The same he gets ever level. Two. It doesn't depend on your intelligence. A wizard can add two spells to his spell book each level. If you are talking about memorization bonus spells. I would say at the time he memorizes the spells, he can memorize as many as his intelligence allows. So if the head band would give him an extra 3rd lvl spell, he can mem it. But during the day, if at any time his intelligence drops, (whether from losing the headband, or anything) I would have to say that his memory lapses and he loses any spells past what he could memorize with the lower intelligence. If his Int goes back up, then he doesn’t remember the spells again. In my game, If he hadn’t used those slots he lost, I MIGHT allow him to memorize the spells again with the fifteen min rule. I haven't put a lot of thought into that though.

 

[Lucius Foxhound]

The same he gets ever level. Two. It doesn't depend on your intelligence. A wizard can add two spells to his spell book each level.

We're talking about Spell Mastery, though...

But I agree with you on general principle. As long as the Wizard has it on, he gets the extra spells, but once it come off, they're gone forever.

One thing we had to do was not give the extra skill points for the Headband. It just got too complicated to figure out which skill points would get elminated if he lost it...