Raising Caster Level check

[Exocrat]

I'm trying to compile a list of ways to increase a character's caster level check (not necessarily their caster level, though this obviously helps). Looked around the boards a bit and didn't really find what I was looking for.

These are the things I've come up with so far. Any restrictions to what the check applies to are listed in parentheses.

spoiler:

- Spell Penetration & Greater (only vs. SR)
- Being an Elf (only vs. SR)
- Human cleric favored class bonus (only vs. outsider SR)
- Diviner's Delving (only divination spells)
- Magician's Dweomercraft (no restrictions)
- Arcane subdomain's arcane beacon (+caster level, not just check)
- Allied spellcaster (only vs. SR)
- Battle Herald's Battle Magic Inspiring Command (no restrictions)
- Magic Variant Channeling (no restrictions)
- Secrets Variant Channeling (no restrictions)
- Cypher Magic (only to activate scrolls)
- Divine Strategist’s Caster Support class feature (no restrictions)
- Scroll Scholar (once per day)
- Robes of the Archmagi (only vs. SR)
- Seeker Oracle’s Seeker Lore (vs. SR only)

Anything I’ve missed?

Also, what broad categories of thing do you need to make a CL check for?

spoiler:

- to overcome SR
- activating scrolls
- casting certain spells (remove curse, glibness, etc.)
- what else?

Other than beating SR, there doesn't really seem to be a rhyme or reason to when CL checks are required instead of spellcraft checks. Anyone have a good explanation?

Thanks.

[Aelryinth]

missed the two ioun stones that increase caster level, no?

Orange and cracked orange, I think?

==Aelryinth

[Captain Moonscar]

A few traits magical knack, lineage, lore seeker, missionary

Verisian tattoo
Pyromaniac gnome
light bringer elf

[gustavo iglesias]

CL are used to dispel magic too.

Spell perfection feat double the effect of all feats.

Varissian tatoo add 1CL
Bloated Initiate add 1CL to a school
Spell specialist add +2 CL to a spell
Gifted adept trait add +1 CL to a Spell

All that, spell perfection and a orange ioun stone and you can cast greater dispel magic at +10 CL, +14 in counterspells. Specially useful with hero point to get a free ready action.

Or you could be a black tentacle grappling specialist. +30 grapple in AOE at lvl 15 is decent.

[Exocrat]

gustavo iglesias wrote:

CL are used to dispel magic too.

Spell perfection feat double the effect of all feats.

Varissian tatoo add 1CL
Bloated Initiate add 1CL to a school
Spell specialist add +2 CL to a spell
Gifted adept trait add +1 CL to a Spell

All that, spell perfection and a orange ioun stone and you can cast greater dispel magic at +10 CL, +14 in counterspells. Specially useful with hero point to get a free ready action.

Or you could be a black tentacle grappling specialist. +30 grapple in AOE at lvl 15 is decent.

CL is used to dispel magic, but it is a "dispel check," not a "caster level check." So, I don't think most things that specifically raise your "caster level check" affect dispel magic.

The four feats and traits you listed all increase the effective caster level of specific spells or schools, they don't count toward a "caster level check." In addition, Spell Spec and Gifted Adept say "the spell's effects manifest at +x caster level." This does nothing to your caster level for a CL check or a "dispel check." Dispel Magic says "1d20 plus your caster level," not the caster level the spell manifests at.

I think the way you laid things out is the way it should be, but unfortunately the writing is inconsistent.

[wraithstrike]

Dispel magic goes off of caster level so your caster level is a factor.

[Exocrat]

wraithstrike wrote:

Dispel magic goes off of caster level so your caster level is a factor.

Right, but I don't think that things that raise your "caster level check," like Dweomercraft or Magic Variant Channeling affect dispel magic since caster level is used for the "dispel check," not a CL check.

[Aelryinth]

you realize you aren't making any sense at all, exocrat? :)

==Aelryinth

[Michael Foster 989]

In what way is "1d6 per caster level" different from "1d20 + caster level"?

Both directly reference the caster level of the spell cast (fireball or dispell magic respectively) so yes gifted adept or spell specialisation does work with dispell magic

[Exocrat]

Aelryinth wrote:

you realize you aren't making any sense at all, exocrat? :)

==Aelryinth

Maybe I'm not. I was trying to illustrate the difficulty of parsing the differences between the terms "caster level check, "dispel check," "caster level," and others. The various feats, spells, and class abilities that alter or draw on caster level seem to do so in inconsistent and confusing ways, and I'm just trying to figure it all out.

[dragonfire8974]

orange prism ioun stones don't have a typed bonus, so they may stack with themselves

[PSusac]

Outlander: Lore Seeker/Missionary grants a +1 bonus that is better than Gifted Adept in every way (it comes with other perks).

Spell Perfection doubles whatever bonus you already have from feats.

So if you wanted to do a Greater Dispel with Spell Perfection, and Additional Traits (a feat that gives you Outlander or Gifted adept), you could (technically) get a +6 bonus to your caster level check to that greater dispel. This is not bad, since almost everything at level 15+ has some kind of magical effect buffing it.

This is actually a pretty devastating debuff!

[bfobar]

spell specialization boost a single spell 2 caster levels, so its caster level checks are accordingly higher.