Wild Mage & Practiced Spellcaster Combo

[The Thayan Menace]

Chaos has Game!

Okay, here's another hypothetical scenario:

• Nigel Yarrow is a 5th level wizard / 2nd level wild mage with the Practiced Spellcaster feat.
• He casts spell enhancer to immediately augment another spell (same round).

• What is the range of Nigel's adjusted caster level for his second spell?
• Is this particular combination broken?

-Samir Asad is Nigel Yarrow (CN)

The Yarrowstaff
Ebonwyrm
Knee-Gall
Vitreus

Hand of Chaos


​

 

[Bad Paper]

Romeo and Juliet, 2.2, 44-45.

Am I correct with this excerpt?

By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,

 

[pawsplay]

Nigel Yarrow is a 5th level wizard / 1st level wild mage with the Practiced Spellcaster feat:

• What is the Yarrowstaff's base caster level?
• What is the statistical range of his adjusted caster level?
• In your professional opinion, is this prestige class and feat combination broken?

-Samir Asad

It wasn't intended I'm sure, but by the FAQ it's legal, with which I agree. It's kind of sweet, but not broken. The penalty is always present,and hence is eligible to be canceled. The boost doesn't happen until you cast the spell.

You are free to houserule that wild mage does not reduce your caster evel and give you a die, but rather modifies your caster level upon casting by 1d6-3.

Incidentally, wild mage has interesting implications for Hypersmurf's opinion that reducing caster level below the minimum for a spell causes it to fail (which he mentioned in the discussion of Mage Slayer).

 

[Hypersmurf]

Incidentally, wild mage has interesting implications for Hypersmurf's opinion that reducing caster level below the minimum for a spell causes it to fail (which he mentioned in the discussion of Mage Slayer).

A Wiz5/Wild Mage 1 who attempts to cast Fireball and rolls a 1 on the d6 has a caster level of 6 -3 +1 = 4.

PHB p171: "Mialee... can't cast fireball with a caster level lower than 5th (the minimum level required for a wizard to cast fireball."

What do you think should happen when she tries to cast Fireball at CL4 due to Wild Magic?

-Hyp.

 

[gnfnrf]

PHB p171: "Mialee... can't cast fireball with a caster level lower than 5th (the minimum level required for a wizard to cast fireball."

What do you think should happen when she tries to cast Fireball at CL4 due to Wild Magic?

I think she gets a 4d6 fireball. The rules for Wild Magic in the specific overrule the general rules about minumum caster level.

I see it as working the similarly to artificer-created scrolls. From ECS p. 32

Thus, a 3rd-level artificer can make a scroll of fireball, since the minimum caster level for fireball is 5th. ... the scrolls actual caster level is only 3rd, and it produces a weak fireball that deals only 3d6 points of damage.

Normally, you can't go below the minimums, in the general case. But both the artificer and the Wild Mage have specific ways that you can. Sadly, the Wild Mage doesn't spell it out, but I don't think it's hard to figure out what should happen.

--
gnfnrf

 

[Bad Paper]

I agree with gnfnrf. It's a rather wild breakage of the rule, but that's what chaos does to law, hmm?

 

[Hypersmurf]

I think she gets a 4d6 fireball. The rules for Wild Magic in the specific overrule the general rules about minumum caster level.

The rules for Wild Magic say your caster level changes; they don't say you can cast a spell if your caster level is below the minimum for that spell.

If my caster level is below the minimum due to negative levels, can I cast the spell? If my caster level is below the minimum due to a feat like Mage Slayer, can I cast the spell? At which point does it become unnecessary for the text of an ability or condition to say "Even if the character's caster level falls below the minimum needed to cast a spell, he can still cast it to reduced effect"?

-Hyp.

 

[RigaMortus2]

They pretty much worded the Wild Mage wrong for what they wanted it to do. It should be a 1d6-3 adjustment to caster level when the Wild Mage casts. This would make it work the way the FAQ wants it to work. As it is worded now, you'd always have a caster level +1 through to +6. In other words, Wizard 5/Wild Mage1 w/ Practiced Spellcaster feat would have a caster level anywhere between 7 and 12, the way RAW from Complete Arcane is worded.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Is there a reason that the wording on Practiced Spellcaster wouldn't prevent the Wild Mage from casting spells at a higher caster level than their Hit Dice due to rolling well on the caster level roll?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Is there a reason that the wording on Practiced Spellcaster wouldn't prevent the Wild Mage from casting spells at a higher caster level than their Hit Dice due to rolling well on the caster level roll?

WotC has suggested that the Practised Spellcaster adjustment be applied at the most beneficial point in a calculation - after any penalties (at which point the HD cap is applied), but before any bonuses.

So a Cleric-6 with Practised Spellcaster, Mage Slayer, and a Bead of Karma would have a caster level of 6 (base) -4 (Mage Slayer) +4-capped-at-6 (Practised Spellcaster) +4 (Karma bead), for a total of 10, according to that suggestion.

-Hyp.