If I multiclass into an arcanist can I use metamixing on the other class's spell list?


Rules Questions

Scarab Sages

Metamixing (Su): The arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir to add a metamagic feat that she knows to a spell as she casts it without affecting the casting time (though using a higher-level spell slot as normal). She can use this ability to add a metamagic feat to a spell that she prepared using a metamagic feat, although she cannot add the same metamagic feat to a given spell more than once.

Question 1) Lets say I'm a cleric and I take a level of arcanist and have the feat empower spell. I use my arcane pool to empower a cure light wounds, making it a level 3 spell, what happens? Can it happen?

Question 2) I'm a sorcerer/arcanist and I really need to empower this fireball and then make a move action, can I use my arcane reservoir to add empower spell to my sorcerer spell and make the move action? I'm assuming the answer to this would apply to all spontaneous casters, like bard, oracle, occultist, ect.


Ruske Bell wrote:

Metamixing (Su): The arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir to add a metamagic feat that she knows to a spell as she casts it without affecting the casting time (though using a higher-level spell slot as normal). She can use this ability to add a metamagic feat to a spell that she prepared using a metamagic feat, although she cannot add the same metamagic feat to a given spell more than once.

Question 1) Lets say I'm a cleric and I take a level of arcanist and have the feat empower spell. I use my arcane pool to empower a cure light wounds, making it a level 3 spell, what happens? Can it happen?

Question 2) I'm a sorcerer/arcanist and I really need to empower this fireball and then make a move action, can I use my arcane reservoir to add empower spell to my sorcerer spell and make the move action? I'm assuming the answer to this would apply to all spontaneous casters, like bard, oracle, occultist, ect.

"Points from the arcanist reservoir are used to fuel many of the arcanist's powers. In addition, the arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir as a free action whenever she casts an arcanist spell. If she does, she can choose to increase the caster level by 1 or increase the spell's DC by 1."

"Most arcanist exploits require the arcanist to expend points from her arcane reservoir to function."

"The arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir to add a metamagic feat that she knows to a spell as she casts it without affecting the casting time (though using a higher-level spell slot as normal). She can use this ability to add a metamagic feat to a spell that she prepared using a metamagic feat, although she cannot add the same metamagic feat to a given spell more than once."

I mean, I don't see any specifications saying that the spells you empower need to arcanists spells, however the rest of the class features Heavily imply that they have to be arcanist spells.

I guess If A GM allowed it, first question is first, can your character physically cast a 3rd level CLW? Do you have an available 3rd level slot?

and then to answer your next question, while it may reduce the casting to a standard action, would you have a sorceror spell slot of lv5 to use an empowered fireball?

Scarab Sages

We're going to assume the character is of sufficient level to do these things for this question.

Let's go to the cleric first. I convert a first level spell, let's say Bless, to cure and I have a third level slot open, I use that slot for the cure light wounds, spell slot is used, BUT what happens to the bless I prepared, since I converted it but didn't actually cast a first level spell? Now let's say all my third level spell slots are filled, we'll say with water breathing and aura sight, plus domain spell. Do I chose which one would convert?

Would I have a sorcerer do that with a fire ball? I don't know, this is so far hypothetical.

Again, this is all assuming I can use metamixing like this. If I can't then these questions are moot.


Arcanist Exploits look like they can be used cross-class, at least for now, similarly to how sorcerer arcanas are cross-class. Compare with the magus, with has "magus spell list" restrictions for both spell combat and spellstrike, and thus only work with magus spells/slots. Since the exploit in question doesn't have this restriction, it should work. You would not be able to use the base caster level or DC increases as they do have the restrictions.

To you questions on specific examples.

Both the Bless spell you prepared and a third level slot would be expended, but you would now have an open first level slot. Basically you would treat it as if you had prepared an empowered cure light wounds in the third level slot instead of bless in a first level slot.

If all your third level slots are filled, you would not be able to cast an empowered cure light wounds, as you are unable to expend a third level spell slot.

With spontaneous casters like a sorcerer, you would just expend the appropriate level spell slot (5th level for an empowered fireball)

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Ruske Bell wrote:
Metamixing (Su): The arcanist

As a general guide, you will find several examples of abilities that use the class names in the ability limited to the class's spellcasting. Examples include Magus, Cleric Spontaneous, Druid Spontaneous. None of these abilities in past FAQ allow you to apply the effect to spells cast by other class levels you have.

On the contrary, things like Sorcerer Bloodline abilities, that don't say "A Sorcerer" work on all spells cast by the PC regardless of the spell slots source.


FAQ
Unless specifically restricted a class ability can affect your spells for all classes.


You can only do Metamixing by spending Arcane Reservoir points and you can only spend Arcane Reservoir points whenever they cast arcanist spells (according to the first quote provided by Fernn).

It doesn't say "arcane spells" like the Sorcerer Arcana abilities do, it says "arcanist spells", much like Magus and spell combat and spellstrike.

So if you can only spend points when casting arcanist spells, then you can't use exploits on spells cast by other classes slots/resources.


Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

RAW doesn't say you can't but strong RAI that exploits are for arcanist spells only.

In my game, I would say no you can't.


Canthin wrote:

You can only do Metamixing by spending Arcane Reservoir points and you can only spend Arcane Reservoir points whenever they cast arcanist spells (according to the first quote provided by Fernn).

It doesn't say "arcane spells" like the Sorcerer Arcana abilities do, it says "arcanist spells", much like Magus and spell combat and spellstrike.

So if you can only spend points when casting arcanist spells, then you can't use exploits on spells cast by other classes slots/resources.

Your first restriction is incorrect. The arcanist spells restriction only applies to increasing the spell DC or caster level as a free action. Check the FAQ dragonhunterq linked, its directly on point. I already addressed the magus abilities in my previous post, they have a specific restriction to magus spells explicitly in their text, no such restriction applies to arcane reservoir as a whole.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Calth wrote:
Check the FAQ dragonhunterq linked, its directly on point.

It is kinda not on point, and the whole "Cleric 1 Wizard 19 can Spontaneous Cast with Wizard slots Cure spells" threads devolved from a misunderstanding of that FAQ.

That FAQ refers to things that say "You spell casting is [enhanced in some way]" and does not refer to "An Arcanist {gets to do blah}" which is the OP question.

Scarab Sages

How about prestige classes like eldritch knight and mystic theurge? Eldritch knight you could argue easily that you can use those exploits for it, since one archetype, black blade, is designed to go eldritch knight. Mystic theurge then falls back to how it works with cleric spells, assuming you prestige class with a prepared caster.

Edit: The reason this question first popped into my head is that I was looking for a way to get the mind blade magus an empowered shocking grasp back with spell strike.


The line "Points from the arcanist reservoir are used to fuel many of the arcanist's powers. In addition, the arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir as a free action whenever she casts an arcanist spell. If she does, she can choose to increase the caster level by 1 or increase the spell's DC by 1." comes from the arcanist reservoir section, not the arcanist exploit section. Further, the line does not specifically state you need to be casting an arcanist spell to access the arcanist reservoir, but gives you a generic use for the reservoir and that use is restricted to the arcanist spells.
The exploits section gives you a long list of abilities that tap into the reservoir that would take a standard or full round action (spell-like abilities) that would prohibit you from casting any sort of spell, arcanist or otherwise.
So, by design the two are separate: Arcane Reservoir and Arcane Exploit, and you don't need to be casting an arcane spell to use it. This means that an arcane exploit should be usable with other spell classes.

The better question is what happens when you do use arcane exploits with other spell classes? If we're talking about the metamixing feat you might have issues, especially with prepared caster classes. Spontaneous casters are considered to have free spell slots until they're used - they KNOW their spells and can use any spell in an appropriate slot without loosing use of that spell for the day, just the slot. Prepared casters are different - their spells are locked to specific slots when they prepare them. When you use metamixing you apply the meta-magic feat spontaneously without effecting casting time, but you still effect the spell level. For a spontaneous caster, this just eats up a higher level spell slot. For a prepared caster this would appear to eat up the original spell (in one slot) and burn a higher slot (an presumably the spell prepared in it). So... a prepared caster using this exploit would be eating up two of his spells per day to use this exploit.

And there in is your balancing agent that prevents this exploit from being super-powered. It's great for spontaneous casters as it gives them a more effective means of using metamagic feats - but they get slower access to higher level spell slots to tack those feats to. For prepared casters it burns two spells of different levels at the same time.

This is, at least, my interpretation of what is written.

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