New Feat: Spellbook Casting (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

New Feat: Spellbook Casting (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Avenger314
10-03-07, 06:23 PM Spellbook Casting: You may expend prepared spells to spontaneously cast any spell from your spellbook.
Requirement: Ability to prepare and cast arcane spells, must own a spellbook.
To use this feat, you must read from your spellbook. Thus, it must be equipped with enough light to read by, or you must be reading from it via clairvoyance, etc. It must be your actual spellbook, not a figment.
Benefit: When reading from your spellbook (see above), you may expend a prepared spell to cast any spell of that level or lower from your spellbook. doing so requires one full round, plus one round per level of the spell. Concentration in this manner provokes an attack of opportunity.
For example, a wizard needs to cast Dispel Magic (a third level spell). He equips his spellbook and chooses to expend his fireball spell. After reading for four full rounds, he is able to cast Dispel Magic as if he had memorized it.
Special: You may apply metamagic spells as normal using the spell's new level as the required sacrifice. Thus, the above wizard could cast a Silent, Extended Hold Portal by expending his prepared Fireball.
Special: the round requirements are in addition to any casting times. Thus a lesser planar binding would require ten minutes, plus four rounds.

Designer's comments: I think this is a reasonable way for wizards to cast on the fly without breaking them. The lengthy requirements prevent this from being especially useful in combat.
What say you? PEACH'es appreciated.

Jim
StevenO
10-03-07, 11:47 PM You do know that when preparing spells for the day you can leave slots open to fill later. I believe it takes ten minutes to fill slots intentionally left open.

I don't recall which book it is in but I think there is a feat that will let you instantly fill an open spell slot as well.

With regards you your feat I hate seeing the term "spontaneously cast" as some would see that as a way around a "sorcerer" type prereq. Consider that some would consider this feat granting the ability to "spontaneously cast" as good enough to fill the Ultimate Magus's prereqs without even multiclassing.
Radijs
10-04-07, 04:26 AM I'd take the feat. Its not useful in combat indeed but the idea of having access to all my utility spells w/o preparing them sounds VERY nifty indeed.
Especially because I don't lose anything if I don't use them except the feat slot.
Zaranthan
10-04-07, 05:20 PM No. A wizard can take this feat (at level 1, no less), prepare combat spells (and other spells that need to be cast at a moment's notice, like feather fall) in all his slots, and still have access to his entire library out of combat. He would never need to prepare spells like knock, teleport, or nearly any divination.

Wizards can already do everything. At once. They don't need more options.
Riven213
10-04-07, 10:48 PM Wizards can't do "everything, at once," unless they memorize the perfect assortment of spells to do so, relevant to the challenges they will face in a given day (which they have not yet faced, and therefor cannot fully anticipate).

It has long been said, through multiple editions of the game, that the Wizard is nigh unbeatable at higher levels... assuming, however, that the character lives that long. That's always been the trick, getting a wizard (or any arcane spellcasting type) through the first few levels.

I like this feat as an option for lower-level characters, enabling them to memorize more combat magic and allowing for some flexibility on the run with regards to out-of-combat utilitarian magic. It doesn't make them more powerful; it makes them a little more flexible within the range of what they can use in a given day (once they've already chosen their spells to memorize).

Also, they've still got to be clever; suppose you expend your fireball to dispel magic, which allows you to open a previously held door... and behind that door is a cluster of powerful enemies? Could you have opened the door another way, perhaps, and saved that fireball? It makes being a wizard more interesting. It's almost providing an alternate way to function, as a wizard, with people who don't like that particular method of playing being in no way bound to take the feat.

I like it. Although I can't speak for what's already been said regarding existing rules and feats that fill the possibility; I'll have to look that up.
Darth Sephiroth
10-05-07, 10:46 AM One thought would be to swipe the Domain Wizard idea for this, they get access to an arcane Domain (One one spell of each level) that they can cast spontaneously for the feat. They must know the spell to cast it this way, but it would be a decent benefit.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Avenger314 10-03-07, 06:23 PM	Spellbook Casting: You may expend prepared spells to spontaneously cast any spell from your spellbook. Requirement: Ability to prepare and cast arcane spells, must own a spellbook. To use this feat, you must read from your spellbook. Thus, it must be equipped with enough light to read by, or you must be reading from it via clairvoyance, etc. It must be your actual spellbook, not a figment. Benefit: When reading from your spellbook (see above), you may expend a prepared spell to cast any spell of that level or lower from your spellbook. doing so requires one full round, plus one round per level of the spell. Concentration in this manner provokes an attack of opportunity. For example, a wizard needs to cast Dispel Magic (a third level spell). He equips his spellbook and chooses to expend his fireball spell. After reading for four full rounds, he is able to cast Dispel Magic as if he had memorized it. Special: You may apply metamagic spells as normal using the spell's new level as the required sacrifice. Thus, the above wizard could cast a Silent, Extended Hold Portal by expending his prepared Fireball. Special: the round requirements are in addition to any casting times. Thus a lesser planar binding would require ten minutes, plus four rounds. Designer's comments: I think this is a reasonable way for wizards to cast on the fly without breaking them. The lengthy requirements prevent this from being especially useful in combat. What say you? PEACH'es appreciated. Jim
StevenO 10-03-07, 11:47 PM	You do know that when preparing spells for the day you can leave slots open to fill later. I believe it takes ten minutes to fill slots intentionally left open. I don't recall which book it is in but I think there is a feat that will let you instantly fill an open spell slot as well. With regards you your feat I hate seeing the term "spontaneously cast" as some would see that as a way around a "sorcerer" type prereq. Consider that some would consider this feat granting the ability to "spontaneously cast" as good enough to fill the Ultimate Magus's prereqs without even multiclassing.
Radijs 10-04-07, 04:26 AM	I'd take the feat. Its not useful in combat indeed but the idea of having access to all my utility spells w/o preparing them sounds VERY nifty indeed. Especially because I don't lose anything if I don't use them except the feat slot.
Zaranthan 10-04-07, 05:20 PM	No. A wizard can take this feat (at level 1, no less), prepare combat spells (and other spells that need to be cast at a moment's notice, like feather fall) in all his slots, and still have access to his entire library out of combat. He would never need to prepare spells like knock, teleport, or nearly any divination. Wizards can already do everything. At once. They don't need more options.
Riven213 10-04-07, 10:48 PM	Wizards can't do "everything, at once," unless they memorize the perfect assortment of spells to do so, relevant to the challenges they will face in a given day (which they have not yet faced, and therefor cannot fully anticipate). It has long been said, through multiple editions of the game, that the Wizard is nigh unbeatable at higher levels... assuming, however, that the character lives that long. That's always been the trick, getting a wizard (or any arcane spellcasting type) through the first few levels. I like this feat as an option for lower-level characters, enabling them to memorize more combat magic and allowing for some flexibility on the run with regards to out-of-combat utilitarian magic. It doesn't make them more powerful; it makes them a little more flexible within the range of what they can use in a given day (once they've already chosen their spells to memorize). Also, they've still got to be clever; suppose you expend your fireball to dispel magic, which allows you to open a previously held door... and behind that door is a cluster of powerful enemies? Could you have opened the door another way, perhaps, and saved that fireball? It makes being a wizard more interesting. It's almost providing an alternate way to function, as a wizard, with people who don't like that particular method of playing being in no way bound to take the feat. I like it. Although I can't speak for what's already been said regarding existing rules and feats that fill the possibility; I'll have to look that up.
Darth Sephiroth 10-05-07, 10:46 AM	One thought would be to swipe the Domain Wizard idea for this, they get access to an arcane Domain (One one spell of each level) that they can cast spontaneously for the feat. They must know the spell to cast it this way, but it would be a decent benefit.