The school focus class feature states that a school savant "can prepare one additional spell per day of each level she can cast, but this spell must be chosen from the selected school."
Does that mean that she (only) can prepare one extra spell from the chosen school or does it include the correspondent spell slot?
[Note: A specialist wizard not only can prepare an extra spell from her chosen school but gets the additional spell slot.]
I'm just curious and thankful for any shared insights.
Spell slots and prepared spells are two different things for arcanists. The feature says you get the additional prepared spell, but not a slot. While it's true that slots and prepared spells are one and the same for a wizard, you're not a wizard.
Yeah, preparation only. If you want to actually cast more spells you have to pick a different bad archetype whose name I forget.
Eldritch font? Prepare one fewer spell per level, gain one spell slot per level? Doesn't seem like a bad archetype, but YMMV.
Thought so myself but liked to have a second (and third) opinion.
Thanx all for your insights.
BTW: I don't think that this archetype is so bad. Precisely, it's mechanically the only archetype that allows an arcanist to fully benefit from all school powers.
Just think of the waste of the "Forwarned" divination school power you wouldn't be able to use because you'll have to activate your free action outside the initiative order to get the bonus on Intiative... A wizard doesn't have to think about this "constant" power. An arcanist just would be denied it.
BTW: I don't think that this archetype is so bad. Precisely, it's mechanically the only archetype that allows an arcanist to fully benefit from all school powers.
The comment on the "bad archetype" was more in reference to Eldritch Font. Losing one prepared spell for an additional spell slot is a questionable trade, but the rest of the archetype is atrocious so you're basically giving up half your exploits for nothing.
School Savant is only bad at low levels, due to the fact that it doesn't qualify for exploits until 5th level (you can't even take them with the Extra Arcanist Exploit feat, since you don't technically have the Exploit class feature until 5th level with this archetype). Once you've hit 5th it's fine.
BTW: I don't think that this archetype is so bad. Precisely, it's mechanically the only archetype that allows an arcanist to fully benefit from all school powers.
The comment on the "bad archetype" was more in reference to Eldritch Font. Losing one prepared spell for an additional spell slot is a questionable trade, but the rest of the archetype is atrocious so you're basically giving up half your exploits for nothing.
School Savant is only bad at low levels, due to the fact that it doesn't qualify for exploits until 5th level (you can't even take them with the Extra Arcanist Exploit feat, since you don't technically have the Exploit class feature until 5th level with this archetype). Once you've hit 5th it's fine.
Disclaimer: I've never built nor played an arcanist.
What makes eldritch surge and its friends particularly atrocious compared to, say, a standard arcanist?
Eldritch Surge can only be used twice per day due to its fatigue/exhaustion mechanic, and leaves you with pretty serious penalties whenever you choose to use it. Fatigue and exhaustion reduce your carrying capacity, and arcanists aren't exactly known for their strength investment. Exhaustion is really nasty and basically ends the adventuring day when you choose to incur it, and fatigue can easily bring you into encumbrance range due to the very limited carrying capacity most arcane casters live with.
The 3rd level Eldritch Surge is only marginally better than the Potent Magic exploit anyways, and rerolling damage is not worth fatiguing/exhausting yourself. So basically the only use of this ability is rerolling ranged touch attacks and saving throws. Is the ability to do that all of twice per day, and basically ends the adventuring day when you've depleted your usage. That's not worth three exploits, not even close.