Warlock and Practiced Caster

[Zathraas]

How does the feat Practiced Caster work with a multiclassed Warlock? Does his Eldritch Blast increase in damage like a Fireball would for a sorcerer or wizard with Practiced Caster?

 

[Particle_Man]

Personally, I would say yes to damage increase on Eldritch Blast, yes to increased level for range, area of effect, overcoming spell resistance, etc., but no to gaining extra invocations. In other words, make it like spells are for Sorcerors with the feat.

However, on the Wotc boards there are reports that Cust Serv is trying to nerf the heck out of the Warlock. I believe that their last report was that Warlock could not take Practiced Spellcaster. But I have chosen to ignore Cust Serv ever since the halfling outrider debacle.

Short version, we will have to wait for FAQ or Erratta, or your DM will have to houserule it.

 

[UltimaGabe]

I have chosen to ignore Cust Serv ever since the halfling outrider debacle.

I heard about that- apparently, the Halfling Outrider (Sword & Fist), when it was first published, didn't have a BAB entry. It simply wasn't there. But rather than say, "Oops, we made a mistake", Customer Service insisted for a month or two that BAB for a Halfling Outrider doesn't increase at all.

I tell ya, some people are just stupid, and the majority of them work for WotC's Customer Service.

 

[DevoutlyApathetic]

I heard about that- apparently, the Halfling Outrider (Sword & Fist), when it was first published, didn't have a BAB entry. It simply wasn't there. But rather than say, "Oops, we made a mistake", Customer Service insisted for a month or two that BAB for a Halfling Outrider doesn't increase at all.

I tell ya, some people are just stupid, and the majority of them work for WotC's Customer Service.

Er....it was the guy whose name is on the cover of S&F who said that. I believe it was Jason Carl and they held onto it for longer than a month and a half. He defended it as "An experiment."

It was absurd.

 

[rowport]

However, on the Wotc boards there are reports that Cust Serv is trying to nerf the heck out of the Warlock. I believe that their last report was that Warlock could not take Practiced Spellcaster.

If this is true, it is a crazy stupid ruling decision. The whole point of the feat is to ease the pain for multi-classing spellcasters. Why in the world would you exclude your newest spellcasting class from using it??? Does it SOUND reasonable to say: Practiced Spellcaster works just fine for clerics, favored souls, shujenja, spirit shamans, paladins, rangers, wizards, sorcerers, wu jen, warmages, and even hexblades (and witches, I suppose)... but NOT for warlocks.

 

[Hypersmurf]

If this is true, it is a crazy stupid ruling decision. The whole point of the feat is to ease the pain for multi-classing spellcasters. Why in the world would you exclude your newest spellcasting class from using it???

I don't have Complete Arcane, but my understanding is that Warlock is not, in fact, a spellcasting class...?

-Hyp.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I don't have Complete Arcane, but my understanding is that Warlock is not, in fact, a spellcasting class...?

-Hyp.

Which is also my understanding.

Practiced Spellcaster helps with caster levels. The Warlock doesn't HAVE caster level. So...what use would Practiced Spellcaster be to a Warlock?

 

[Silveras]

Which is also my understanding.

Practiced Spellcaster helps with caster levels. The Warlock doesn't HAVE caster level. So...what use would Practiced Spellcaster be to a Warlock?

The Warlock does not cast spells, true. However, he *does* have a caster level, for use with gauging the effects of his spell-like abilities and Eldritch Blast. Page 18, for example, makes this distinction. Warlocks increase their caster level when they take levels in a Prestige Class that gives "+1 level of previous class" spellcasting advancement. However, Warlocks specifically cannot qualify for classes than require actual spellcasting as a requirement.

p. 7: "A Warlock's caster level with his invocations is equal to his Warlock level."

 

[rowport]

Silveras is exactly correct. Compete Arcane goes into painful detail to distinguish how caster level is determined and affects spell-like abilities, invocations, and other non-traditional spellcasting spell effects. Given that effort, it seems ludicrous to invalidate a feat which increases caster level for a class based on caster level. That said, Warlock is not a "spellcasting class", which is specified in the Practiced Spellcaster feat language. So, perhaps the problem is not so much with the ruling as with the flawed language of the feat... :\

 

[Hypersmurf]

So, perhaps the problem is not so much with the ruling as with the flawed language of the feat... :\

Or, alternatively, the feat "Practised Spellcaster" that applies to "spellcasting classes" not affecting a class that does not cast spells is exactly the interaction one would expect.

If you're not a spellcaster, how does practising spellcasting help you?

The Warlock needs to hang out for the feat Practised Spelllikeabilityuser.

-Hyp.