Caster Stat Importance

[TheHunted]

Do I really need a high caster stat? Besides needing it high enough to cast your spells and high enough for bonus spells, why else would it be recommended to be higher?

[Jayson MF Kip]

Save DCs. Skills. Flavor. Ability Damage buffer.

[BartonOliver]

Depends on what role you're looking to fill. If you just want to buff high enough to cast your spells is high enough. If you want to do something that involves saves, the higher the better.

(Though you do also get bonus spells from having a higher casting stat)

[kinevon]

As mentioned, save DCs.

Depending on the caster class and spells, sometimes the same stat is useful for opposed rolls. Charm Person and Charisma, for instance.

For Int-based casters, extra skills, as mentioned.

Some caster classes work just fine with a lower casting stat, Bard and some Cleric builds, for instance; other caster classes or builds, like Evoker Wizard, are much more stat-dependent.

[Ring_of_Gyges]

Save DC's is the main reason.

I have a cleric who mainly casts support, healing, and buffing spells. Since they don't trigger saves, he gets by just fine with a modest Wisdom and spent the bulk of his points on physical stats.

If you had an enchanter who wants people to be failing their saves against his spells he'd need as high an Intelligence as possible.

[Andreas Forster]

Agreed. Anytime your main spells say "Fort/Ref/Will partial" or even "Fort/Ref/Will negates", you want your save DCs as high as possible. Nothing is more annoying than spending your action and a high-level spell slot to achieve nothing.

If you're mainly buffing or summoning (or anything else that doesn't require a save), you might want your casting stat at least high enough to cast all your spells, but anything beyond would be optional.

[MisterSlanky]

Good question, but you may want to take this over to the advice forum.

[Gary Bush]

Jayson MF Kip wrote:

Save DCs. Skills. Flavor. Ability Damage buffer.

This is a timely piece of advise....