Specialist and Spell-like Abilities

[Scharlata]

Hi, fellow specialists!

If a wizard gives up two of the elegible schools to become a specialist and later in her career gains a template that gives her access to one or more spell-like abilities of which one is a spell of a prohibited school.....

.... is she able to use this spell-like ability or not?

Thanx in advance for your consideration!

Kind regards

 

[sledged]

Yes.

 

[Brisk-sg]

Yes, she is able to use spell-like abilities from prohibited schools.

Spell-like Abilities are not spells, though they are magical. A specialist wizard only gives up casting spells from those schools for her wizard spell progression. For instance, if you multiclassed as a wizard/cleric, you would still be able to cast from the prohibited schools for your cleric spells. The prohibition does not affect anything outside of that spell progression.

 

[Timeboxer]

Brisk-sg's interpretation seems to be the way to go -- prohibited schools apply to wizard spells only. But this of course then begs the question of whether a Cleric N/Specialist Wizard 1 gets a -5 on Spellcraft checks on prohibited schools, even though only wizard spells are prohibited in this way...

 

[Brisk-sg]

Brisk-sg's interpretation seems to be the way to go -- prohibited schools apply to wizard spells only. But this of course then begs the question of whether a Cleric N/Specialist Wizard 1 gets a -5 on Spellcraft checks on prohibited schools, even though only wizard spells are prohibited in this way...

I would rule that you get -5 for Spellcraft checks on prohibited schools for Arcane Spells only. I would not have the -5 on Divine spells if the character also has levels in a divine spell caster, though I agree this gets a little hairy.

 

[0-hr]

If you learn some spells and then later the school becomes prohibited (like if you take the Incantatrix PrC from Player's Guide to Faerun), can you still use those earlier spells?

I'm guessing "no", but I'd really like the answer to be "yes" so I figured I'd ask

 

[Brisk-sg]

If you learn some spells and then later the school becomes prohibited (like if you take the Incantatrix PrC from Player's Guide to Faerun), can you still use those earlier spells?

I'm guessing "no", but I'd really like the answer to be "yes" so I figured I'd ask

If you use the Red Wizard in the 3.5 DMG (only class in the Core books that adds another prohibited school) as a reference, it states that a Red Wizard must choose another prohibited school using the rules from the PHB. It then goes on to say "He can never again learn spells from those prohibited schools." and "He can still use the prohibited spells he knew prior to becoming a Red Wizard, including using items that are activated by spell completion or spell trigger."

Unless you can find specific mention in the PFtF, then I would use this as a basis for ruling that you keep spells in the prohibited school that you already know.

 

[Timeboxer]

I would rule that you get -5 for Spellcraft checks on prohibited schools for Arcane Spells only. I would not have the -5 on Divine spells if the character also has levels in a divine spell caster, though I agree this gets a little hairy.

Well, that's all well and good except that the Spellcraft skill does not appear to distinguish between arcane and divine spells...

By the way, re the use-prohibited-spells-after-prohibition thing -- I seem to remember some thread a few months ago in which the thing was argued to death, and I think that the summary of it goes something like, "Okay, technically by the RAW it wouldn't let you, but that's stupid because it's inconsistent and the intent seems to be that you should by taking the core as a standard." So.

 

[Scharlata]

Thanx to all.

Logged it as "yes"; thanx, too, for volunteering the cleric/wizard thing;

Can't find the -5 penalty in the books .

I find the specialist rules in 3.5 a bit weak. I might consider giving the specialists an unnamend bonus of +1 or +2 on the save DC versus the spells of their specialized school.

Kind regards

 

[Brisk-sg]

Thanx to all.

Logged it as "yes"; thanx, too, for volunteering the cleric/wizard thing;

Can't find the -5 penalty in the books .

I find the specialist rules in 3.5 a bit weak. I might consider giving the specialists an unnamend bonus of +1 or +2 on the save DC versus the spells of their specialized school.

Kind regards

The -5 penalty is mentioned in the Spellcraft skill description. After reading it again I think the best thing to do if you have a second primary spell casting class such as cleric is remove the -5 penalty. Not as if Spellcraft checks to determine what spell is in effect will greatly unbalance a game.