Voluntarily lose your spells?

[Egres]

From the SRD:

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.

Prepared Spell Retention: Once a wizard prepares a spell, it remains in her mind as a nearly cast spell until she uses the prescribed components to complete and trigger it or until she abandons it. Certain other events, such as the effects of magic items or special attacks from monsters, can wipe a prepared spell from a character’s mind.

Can you voluntarily abandon your spells during the day, outside the preparation time?

Can you, for example, abandon your spells because you are afraid of your opponent's mind controlling powers, and you don't want to be forced to use your spells against your allies?

 

[AuraSeer]

No.

The language about "abandoning" spells refers to preparation time. If you're preparing spells while freshly rested, you can abandon one prepared spell and replace it with a different one. (For instance, you can drop your unused mage armor to prepare a magic missile.)

There does not appear to be any rule that allows you to drop spells en masse at other times.

 

[nittanytbone]

I imagine that you could take a standard action to cast the spell and then interrupt yourself, causing it to fizzle. Or you could have a comrade poke you and then voluntarily fail your concentration check. Of course, this isn't an opportune strategy in combat.

 

[Egres]

I imagine that you could take a standard action to cast the spell and then interrupt yourself, causing it to fizzle. Or you could have a comrade poke you and then voluntarily fail your concentration check. Of course, this isn't an opportune strategy in combat.

What I need to know is if you can abandon your spells with a purely mental action, without making your spells fizzle.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

The rules do not explicitly cover how to abandon spells.

I'd make it a free, purely-mental action.

 

[Egres]

The rules do not explicitly cover how to abandon spells.

I'd make it a free, purely-mental action.

But, can you do it outside the spell preparation time, i.e, any time you want?

 

[ElvishBard]

When you mean abandon spell, you mean to lose the spell without casting it and not gaining the slot back to put a different spell in after 15 minutes of studying right? If so, then most DMs would say go for it and make it a free action whenever you want, but there is no point to it at all.

If you are doing it to exploit some type of rule then the DM will realize it and then say no, but if you just want to not be able to cast spells I doubt the DM will stop you.

 

[Egres]

When you mean abandon spell, you mean to lose the spell without casting it and not gaining the slot back to put a different spell in after 15 minutes of studying right? If so, then most DMs would say go for it and make it a free action whenever you want, but there is no point to it at all.

If you are doing it to exploit some type of rule then the DM will realize it and then say no, but if you just want to not be able to cast spells I doubt the DM will stop you.

I'm simply asking for a RAW based answer, not for an HR.

But thanks for your input.

If you want a specific case, just imagine a wizard that sees a city guard that he knows is using a permanent Arcane sight.

He doesn't want to show his real power, and decides to abandone his higher slots spells, just to appear a weaker wizard, and avoid the guard's suspicion.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

But, can you do it outside the spell preparation time, i.e, any time you want?

Yes - or, at least, I'd allow it.

After all, what are you gaining by doing this? A slightly lower profile for certain kinds of interrogations.

What are you giving up? A spell and spell slot that you cannot replenish and cannot use for anything until you rest.

Seems a fair trade in my opinion.

 

[ARandomGod]

Can you voluntarily abandon your spells during the day, outside the preparation time?

Yes, yes you can.

Although there doesn't seem to be any rule for it, I can't see how it's impossible to do. How much time would it take though, there lies the question...

I imagine that you could take a standard action to cast the spell and then interrupt yourself, causing it to fizzle. Or you could have a comrade poke you and then voluntarily fail your concentration check. Of course, this isn't an opportune strategy in combat.

And I think we have an answer! One standard action should do it, certainly. Heck, I'd allow it to be a move action.

The rules do not explicitly cover how to abandon spells.

I'd make it a free, purely-mental action.

I'd also make it a purely-mental action. I'd be hesitant about making the time it takes go all the way down to "free" action... well, a free action IS on your turn only, and you only get one... Ok, a free action or greater. But I'd still say only one a turn, however you can use either: 1) Free Action 2) Move action 3) Standard Action.

Definitely any time you want out of prep time. And just anytime at all outside of combat. However if you were in combat rounds I would make it take *some* measurable amount of concentraion, measured in time spent.

I'm simply asking for a RAW based answer, not for an HR.

But thanks for your input.

If you want a specific case, just imagine a wizard that sees a city guard that he knows is using a permanent Arcane sight.

He doesn't want to show his real power, and decides to abandone his higher slots spells, just to appear a weaker wizard, and avoid the guard's suspicion.

There doesn't seem to be a RAW based answer, at least not on the time it would take. However RAW does seem to say you can abandon a spell, and if you needed a RAW way to do it then casting it and interrupting yourself, it seems indisputable that this would work.