Post/Author/DateTime	Post
CapnCJ 04-07-07, 05:43 PM	Me and my DM have locked horns about this repeatedly, so i'm turning to the WotC boards. My character is a level 5 Sorcerer, with a +1 LA for the draconic template. He's about to take his first level of Wild Mage, meaning his caster level will get kocked down by 3, but 1d6 added every time he casts a spell. This will effectively make his caster level 3+1d6 If I take Practised Spellcaster, will it get rid of the Caster Level 3 penalty, and make my character cast at Caster Level 7+1d6? He'll probably settle for nothing less than an official ruling from WotC, but this might be a start. Cheers
glacialcat 04-07-07, 05:48 PM	Practiced Spellcaster will work for you, but it can only bring you up to your regular caster level. Thus it only works if you roll a 1 or 2 (which would make your caster level less than normal), not if you roll anything higher. I believe this is covered in the FAQ, but not sure about that.
Merestil Haye 04-07-07, 05:59 PM	The FAQ does indeed cover this. It's on page 31 of the March 07 version. The summary is that the Wild Mage caster level is one ability. You work out (1d6-3) and apply that. If you are only Sorcerer/Wild Mage, then you'll generally wind up applying the feat bonus after the Wild Mage ability; if you have multiclassed, however, you may benefit more by applying the feat bonus before the Wild Mage. Also, the Practiced Spellcaster only cares about your character level. As a 5th level Sorcerer you gain no benefit from the feat at all. Your Caster Level would be 5. As a Sor 5 / Wild Mage 1 your CL would always be 6 (no matter what your dieroll) - but the same is true of a Sorcerer 6.
CapnCJ 04-07-07, 06:13 PM	Supposing I rolled a 1 on the Wild Magic Caster Level thing.. My Caster Level would be 4, out of a possible 7. In this situation, Practised Spellcaster would kick in, pushing it up to 7, right?
ClementWillowbreaker 04-07-07, 07:01 PM	Six. You cannot gain any benefit from LA, because it is not a HD. Read Practiced Spellcaster again.
CapnCJ 04-07-07, 07:33 PM	Heh, my bad. I don't think i'll take it anyway, for RP reasons. Wild Mage with Practised Spellcaster pretty much takes out the random element of it.
runestar 04-07-07, 09:56 PM	Well, you can still benefit from the upside potential, but then, that pretty much takes the risk out if it.:P
StevenO 04-07-07, 10:03 PM	You may apply the alterations to spellcaster level in the order desired. This is what your Sorcerer 5/Wild Mage 1 will look like: Base CL 6 + Modifiers: Race/Template +1 Wild Magic (+1d6 -3) {note you roll the d6 before deciding when to apply this} Practiced Spellcaster (Sor) +4 - maximum = character HD It is possible for this lv 6 character to have a CL=10 (PS doesn't apply) down to CL 7 which you will have half the time. If you have two non-caster HD you could increase you CL another +2 all the time as at worse Wild Magic is at -2 so PS negates that at the extra HD. Note that LA is not the same thing as HD.
Merestil Haye 04-08-07, 07:50 AM	You may apply the alterations to spellcaster level in the order desired. This is what your Sorcerer 5/Wild Mage 1 will look like: Base CL 6 + Modifiers: Race/Template +1 Wild Magic (+1d6 -3) {note you roll the d6 before deciding when to apply this} Practiced Spellcaster (Sor) +4 - maximum = character HD It is possible for this lv 6 character to have a CL=10 (PS doesn't apply) down to CL 7 which you will have half the time. If you have two non-caster HD you could increase you CL another +2 all the time as at worse Wild Magic is at -2 so PS negates that at the extra HD. Note that LA is not the same thing as HD.I agree with everything you say except for the maximum caster level numbers. This character is a 6th level character, with +1 LA making him Effective character level 7. His actual character level is 6, however, and it is that which Practiced Spellcaster is limited to. He has a caster level of 6+(1d6-3), a range from 4 to 9. He cannot reach CL10 without going up a level. Taking Practiced Spellcaster will make his caster level range fall between 6 and 9 - and he will have CL6 half the time.
StevenO 04-09-07, 04:34 PM	Sorry, my mistake. I know there is a race out there somewhere (Eberron I think) that grants a +1 CL to sorcerer spells and that is what I was thinking about in my prior post.