SailorNash
Explorer
Random question that came to mind a moment ago. How exactly does Magic Initiate interact with Warlocks and Pact Magic, RAW versus RAI? I don't have my books on hand...mostly just a thought exercise, plus checking for loopholes. Warning that cheese-mode is to follow.
The feat gives you a first-level casting of a spell, once per day, using that class's spellcasting ability. This keeps Wizards from adding Cure Various Wounds to their spellbooks, or others from spamming Shield easily. Makes sense so far.
If taken for your own class, you can use your existing spell slots to cast the new spell. Kind of a bonus for staying within your own class at the expense of versatility, due to that individual class's Spellcasting (or Pact Magic) rules. Gives an extra spell known for classes like Warlock or Sorcerer, a free scribed spell for Wizards, and an extra prepared for Clerics similar to their Domain. High-level Warlocks could therefore choose to cast this a few extra times as a 5th level version, using their existing spell slots if they like.
Pact Magic says that all of your slots are the same level. Shouldn't affect multiclassed Spellcasting as that is a separate named mechanic for other classes, but the wording for Warlock spells may be important here.
"Specific-over-general" could be used to make sure the Magic Initiate casting is once per day, and at the lowest level. Presumably the spell's lowest/original level, not the Warlock's lowest/highest/only spell level of 5th. This makes sense, as a non-casting class by contrast would have a zeroth spellcasting level otherwise.
Also, while it behaves like a single first-level slot, you don't technically get an extra slot...just a free casting of the learned spell once per day using that feat. This would keep it from refreshing with your Pact Magic spells, and also from being able to "downcast" any of your existing spells as that free once-per-day spell. (Upcasting the newly-learned spell again using existing slots is OK, but it is a one-way street and only for that same spell.)
However, you do have the option at each new Warlock level of replacing any Warlock spell with another of your choosing, for any level that you have spell slots. What happens if you replace your Magic Initiate (Warlock) spell for another on your Warlock class list, possibly as high as 5th level? In that case, you don't have to worry about the free upcasting...the "lowest level" is still the spell level, now 5th, cast once per day using that feat. It's an odd workaround, but seems that it would be allowed RAW. Other classes have added benefits when taking Magic Initiate for their own class; by the same token, Warlocks also allow it to grow with them.
You can only take the feat once per class, meaning that you could only choose Warlock once and thus only have one replaceable Warlock spell. But you could potentially take it for Sorcerer and Bard while learning spells they also share with the Warlock list. This is more of a gray area...you could argue that this technically is a Sorcerer or Bard spell, though it's hard to deny that it's also a Warlock spell. This could perhaps let you pull this trick up to twice more, in addition to allowing the normal upcasting rules (though specifically calling it a Sorcerer or Bard spell should be enough to close it off here).
Just a random thought. I've seen threads about taking your own class, and about adding a different class's spell onto your own list, but not picking a spell shared amongst casters using the same attribute. And regardless of the spell being 1st level when it was learned, by RAW it appears that Warlocks could replace this as with any other Warlock spell, given that the Magic Initiate feat isn't a slot (to prevent Pact Magic abuse) but is a free casting of your learned spell at it's lowest level (allowable by Warlock spell retraining rules).
The feat gives you a first-level casting of a spell, once per day, using that class's spellcasting ability. This keeps Wizards from adding Cure Various Wounds to their spellbooks, or others from spamming Shield easily. Makes sense so far.
If taken for your own class, you can use your existing spell slots to cast the new spell. Kind of a bonus for staying within your own class at the expense of versatility, due to that individual class's Spellcasting (or Pact Magic) rules. Gives an extra spell known for classes like Warlock or Sorcerer, a free scribed spell for Wizards, and an extra prepared for Clerics similar to their Domain. High-level Warlocks could therefore choose to cast this a few extra times as a 5th level version, using their existing spell slots if they like.
Pact Magic says that all of your slots are the same level. Shouldn't affect multiclassed Spellcasting as that is a separate named mechanic for other classes, but the wording for Warlock spells may be important here.
"Specific-over-general" could be used to make sure the Magic Initiate casting is once per day, and at the lowest level. Presumably the spell's lowest/original level, not the Warlock's lowest/highest/only spell level of 5th. This makes sense, as a non-casting class by contrast would have a zeroth spellcasting level otherwise.
Also, while it behaves like a single first-level slot, you don't technically get an extra slot...just a free casting of the learned spell once per day using that feat. This would keep it from refreshing with your Pact Magic spells, and also from being able to "downcast" any of your existing spells as that free once-per-day spell. (Upcasting the newly-learned spell again using existing slots is OK, but it is a one-way street and only for that same spell.)
However, you do have the option at each new Warlock level of replacing any Warlock spell with another of your choosing, for any level that you have spell slots. What happens if you replace your Magic Initiate (Warlock) spell for another on your Warlock class list, possibly as high as 5th level? In that case, you don't have to worry about the free upcasting...the "lowest level" is still the spell level, now 5th, cast once per day using that feat. It's an odd workaround, but seems that it would be allowed RAW. Other classes have added benefits when taking Magic Initiate for their own class; by the same token, Warlocks also allow it to grow with them.
You can only take the feat once per class, meaning that you could only choose Warlock once and thus only have one replaceable Warlock spell. But you could potentially take it for Sorcerer and Bard while learning spells they also share with the Warlock list. This is more of a gray area...you could argue that this technically is a Sorcerer or Bard spell, though it's hard to deny that it's also a Warlock spell. This could perhaps let you pull this trick up to twice more, in addition to allowing the normal upcasting rules (though specifically calling it a Sorcerer or Bard spell should be enough to close it off here).
Just a random thought. I've seen threads about taking your own class, and about adding a different class's spell onto your own list, but not picking a spell shared amongst casters using the same attribute. And regardless of the spell being 1st level when it was learned, by RAW it appears that Warlocks could replace this as with any other Warlock spell, given that the Magic Initiate feat isn't a slot (to prevent Pact Magic abuse) but is a free casting of your learned spell at it's lowest level (allowable by Warlock spell retraining rules).
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