Just throwing a few ideas about for where to take my first character (Currently pure Wizard, large party so we're being encouraged to focus on RP/Flavor rather than pure optimization) and there's something grabbing me about the Stormcaster rPestige Class from Stormwrack
My question is as follows: How does the Storm Spell Power from Stormcaster combine with the Archmage's 'Mastery of Elements' High Arcane?
Storm Spell Power: "You are truly skilled in the use of spells that wield the power of the stormy seas. Any spell you cast that has the air, electricity, sonic, or water descriptor is cast at +2 caster level."
Mastery of Elements: "The Archmage can alter an arcane spell when cast so that it utilizes a different element from the one it normally uses. For example, an archmage could cast a fireball that deal sonic damage instead of fire damage". This ability can only alter a spell with the acid, cold, fire, electricity or sonic descriptor. The spell's casting time is unaffected. The caster decides whether to alter the spell's energy type and chooses the new energy type when he begins casting. This ability costs one 8th-level spell slot"
...does use of Mastery of Elements essentially change the descriptor of the spell when determining if Storm Spell Power applies?
(i.e. Character Level 16, Caster Level 15 due to losing 1 level to Stormcaster. Cast a Delayed Blast Fireball changing the element to Sonic. Would this then be cast at at Caster Level of 17?)
My gut feeling is that this would be the case, but then thought it might be the other way around (based on the original descriptor of the spell....I suppose mechanically the question is in which order are the two aspects ratified?
It looks to me like the Archmage's Mastery of Elements should alter the spells descriptor as it is being cast. This could then trigger that Storm Spell Power ability boosting the effective caster level. You control both aspects and can choose what order to apply them.
P.S. Master of the Elements can change things to sonic, wow.
It's never been explicitly clarified, either for the archmage or the Energy Sub feat (both of which are virtually unchanged from their 3e days), but if Mastery of Elements didn't change the descriptor, you'd wind up with coldball spells that couldn't damage fire elementals (since it would be coldball [Fire], and fire elementals have the fire subtype, granting them immunity to fire, which looks at the descriptor).
Hope that helps. Additionally, you might find it easier to use Energy Substitution instead of archmage.
Thansk both!
I definitely agree that it makes sense that the descriptor is changed, I suppose the key thing is the order in which the two things happen...
Scenario 1 - Mastery of Elements changes the descriptor, then Spell Storm Power checks the finished spell to see if it is applicable for the +2 CL bonus
Scenario 2 - Spell Storm Power checks the core function of the spell to see if it qualfies for +2 CL, then Mastery of Elements lets me change the descriptior
Whilst being able to choose the order sounds rather nice, I think i'd better pick one and stick with it for the sake of the DM's sanity....Scenario 1 is definitely feeling nicer from a flavor perspective I think, as I imagine 'Mastery of Elements' as essentially letting me take spells I already know and recreate their effects using a different type of energy (i.e. the spell above is effectively a Delayed Blast Sonicball). This suits the feel of the Stormcaster that I have in my head
Thanks also for the feat recommendation Tempest - i'd missed that as everything else we've done for characters has been restricted to Core-only as we get used to the way the whole thing works...it's just with Prestige Classes that he said 'go wild', but i'd imagine this now opens feats up to outside-core as well as some of them are prerequisites 
With all due respect to Tempest it does seem Mastery of the Elements has two advantages over simply taking the Energy Substitution feat. 1. It can be applied "on the fly". 2. It can cause SONIC damage which almost nothing resists. I guess a third benefit would be that you aren't locked into a single energy type; if you go with the Energy Substitution feat you'd need to be "Electicity" as "Sonic" is not a legal energy type for that feat in 3.5. In all fairness MotE cost a pretty good spell slot to permanently gain and takes away the opportunity cost for other High Arcane features from the Archmage.
As for the order things apply then it comes to something like MotE and SSP you get to choose the most advantageous order for them. If you REALLY want confusion in stacking try an Ultimate Magus (from C'Mage) who then goes into Wild Mage and also has the Practiced Spellcaster feat; actually just Wild Mage and Practiced Spellcaster are all you need for a wierd interaction. Wild Mage has the "Wild Magic" ability which produces a variable CL adjustment from -2 to +3 while Practiced Spellcaster gives you +4 CL up to your HD; assuming your full casting ability is close to your HD there will be times when you want to apply PS first and then WM to push CL over HD but when WM pushes CL down you'll want to apply it first to make sure you gain more of the +4 from PS. Each is a distinct change in CL and you get to choose how to stack them.
Mastery of Elements definitely would be the ideal scenario (in terms of flexibility) - I think the primary benefit for Energy Substitution comes at earlier levels....To get MoE requires giving up an 8th level slot, which means would have to be at CL 15 for wizards, whereas I could PC into Stormcaster at level 5 and take the ES feat for Electricity at level 6. This would then allow me to gain the bonus +2 CL on any fire/acid type spells that I have immediately.
from what i've heard resistance to fire is one of the more common resistances that we'll encounter earlier on in the compaign, so i'm guessing that flexibility would come in fairly handy at those earlier stages of the campaign?
No question that Energy Substitution can come online faster. Just remember that while it is cheap to use a Wizard has to prepare his spells using it and if you run into that creature with Electricity resistance you can't change the energy type.
I also want to add that when I talk about spellcasters I usually use two terms to describe what the game may call "caster level." When it comes to a character's base spellcasting, that is "what class line does this character use to determine spells per day/spells known", I use the term "casting level" but when determining what level I put into the spell's power equations I use CL or Caster Level. It takes a casting level as a Wiz 15 to have an 8th-level spell slot but it is possible for a character with a much lower spellcasting ability to cast spells with CL 15.
I suggested Energy Sub because it's able to come online far sooner than Archmage, though yes, archmage is significantly better, particularly if you like sonic (and/or Born of Three Thunders, a natural feat for this).
Tempest_Stormwind wrote:
Slagger_the_Chuul wrote: