Wild Mage and Practiced Spellcaster

[Remathilis]

Ok, the Wild Mage Prestige Class lowers your caster level by 3 (-3 total). Then you add 1d6 to your caster level each time you cast a spell (net bonus -2 to +3).

Could you now take Practiced Spellcaster (+4 caster level, max HD) offset the -3 penalty (since your caster level is technically lower than your HD) so that the Wild Mage would just roll the 1d6 to add to it (net bonus +1 to +6).

Is this legal? Is it ethical?

 

[Sejs]

Personally, as a DM, I wouldn't let it fly. Being a Wild Mage + a feat and netting a caster level that is always 1-6 levels higher?

Nuh uh.

 

[Diirk]

I thought of this too, but honestly it sounds too broken to be allowed, and it depends heavily on order of operations, too... is a 10th wild mage at (10 + 4 = 10) -3 ? or (10-3) +4 = 10 ?

I think I'd let them take practised spellcaster, but it wouldn't take their final caster level above their hd cap. eg 10th wild mage is CL 7, then rolls a 4 on a 1d6 when he casts a spell.. this results in 11, which is greater than his HD, so practised spellcaster isn't applied. or he rolls a 1 on his 1d6 for CL8, then adds 4 up to his HD cap for CL 10.

Still very powerful, it'd be interesting to see if its too good in play or not.

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

I like this. Clearly it's broken and the erratta just hasn't come out yet, but I like it all the same. I can't wait to see WotC's answer.

 

[Alzrius]

I don't think this is all that broken. Practiced Spellcaster only gives you a bonus of up to +4 on levels/HD that don't go towards caster levels normally. You'd have to take four levels in a class like Fighter to make it pay off.

So, a Wiz 10/Figher 4/Wild Mage 6 may take Practiced Spellcaster to make sure he normally casts at 20th level, but that's what he'd be at normally if he had taken Wizard levels instead of Fighter levels to begin with, meaning you'd have what you normally did when rolling a wild surge.

The point is that feat tries to relieve some of the loss of multiclassing, so it's not giving you an unfair bonus.

 

[UltimaGabe]

I don't think this is all that broken. Practiced Spellcaster only gives you a bonus of up to +4 on levels/HD that don't go towards caster levels normally. You'd have to take four levels in a class like Fighter to make it pay off.

So, a Wiz 10/Figher 4/Wild Mage 6 may take Practiced Spellcaster to make sure he normally casts at 20th level, but that's what he'd be at normally if he had taken Wizard levels instead of Fighter levels to begin with, meaning you'd have what you normally did when rolling a wild surge.

The point is that feat tries to relieve some of the loss of multiclassing, so it's not giving you an unfair bonus.

I think you missed something.

Normally, a 10th-level Wizard/5th-level Wild Mage has a caster level of 12, and adds 1d6 to his caster level whenever casting a spell. However, since that means that the Wild Mage technically has 15 hit dice and only a caster level of 12, the original poster was suggesting that you could take Practiced Spellcaster and increase your caster level to 15 (your hit dice), and still add the 1d6 to it. Thus, your caster level would ALWAYS be higher than your Hit Dice, since even if you roll a 1, your caster level is 16, with only 15 hit dice.

This was obviously not the intent, in my opinion, and thus I don't think it should work. It's best if you consider it that the Wild Mage is taking a -3 penalty to its caster level, not that it actually has a caster level lower than its level.

 

[Alratan]

I disagree with the interpretations above. Practiced Spellcaster increases your caster level by 4, up to a maximum of your HD. You should apply the limit after roling the 1d6. Thus the wildmage would only apply the feat if it rolled a 2 or less on the bonus, bringing the caster level=HD. If the wildmage rolled a 3 or more on the roll, it would simply gain no benefit from the feat.

 

[shilsen]

I disagree with the interpretations above. Practiced Spellcaster increases your caster level by 4, up to a maximum of your HD. You should apply the limit after roling the 1d6. Thus the wildmage would only apply the feat if it rolled a 2 or less on the bonus, bringing the caster level=HD. If the wildmage rolled a 3 or more on the roll, it would simply gain no benefit from the feat.

Sounds like a nice way of dealing with the issue to me.

 

[Alzrius]

I think you missed something.

Whoops, I did! That's what I get for just skimming the Wild Mage entry. Thanks for setting me straight.

 

[Thanee]

Practiced Spellcaster strongly suggests, that it is a permanent effect, which is only applied during level up and not checked for all the time, so I don't think it would provide any bonus at all in this case.

Otherwise it could also counteract energy drain for example (not the loss of spell slots, but the -1 caster level penalty).

Bye
Thanee