I'm thinking of building an amnesiac psychic because it matches up very well with a concept I have in mind for a harrower PrC character, but the archetype is confusing me a little.
I understand how you figure out the number of spells known and amnesia slots. Does the character learn an appropriate number of spells when she gains a new level of spell casting, though? The archetype says how first level spells work, but doesn't mention what happens at level 4 or any other level when you gain access to a new level of spells.
The spell recollection feature is a little confusing; it reads:
Regardless of the result, the amnesiac expends an amnesia slot of the appropriate level for the spell she is attempting to remember; she must cast the spell remembered (if any) using that amnesia slot during the same round, or the spell slot is lost without effect.
Once a spell has been remembered in this way, the amnesiac can cast it as one of her spells known for the rest of the day (even if she failed to cast the spell during the round in which she remembered it), unless spell recollection allowed her to cast a spell of a higher level than she would normally be able to cast.
So the first paragraph says I expend an amnesia slot regardless of the result. I read this to mean that if I'm a 7th level psychic and I attempt and fail to remember a spell with a 3rd level amnesia slot that the amnesia slot is unavailable for the rest of the day. Is that correct?
The first paragraph also says if I don't cast the spell remembered with the amnesia slot that round that I lose a spell slot without effect. Now, spell slots refers to my spells per day, right? So if my hypothetical psychic remembers a third level spell but doesn't cast it I still deduct one casting from the number of third level spells I can cast per day. Is that right?
Lastly, in the second paragraph I quoted it says I can treat a remembered spell as a spell known for the rest of the day (provided that it wasn't a higher level cast from the 96+ option on the table), even if I failed to cast it when I remembered it. I don't understand how I can remember it but fail to cast it? There's no entry on the Spell Recollection table that says I remember the spell but can't cast it. Really, the first option on the table says I can't cast spells this round, but doesn't say whether or not I remembered a spell. Is this just assumed to mean I also don't remember the spell? I assume that is the case, since tables often tend to have the worst results near the bottom. Regardless of that, can I attempt to remember a spell if I have an amnesia slot for a given spell level but no remaining spell slots?
Thanks a bunch for helping me understand! I appreciate it!
You still get the normal spell slots, but you don't fill them with prepared/etc.
Instead you blow up a unused spell slot of same level, (why you you then not use it, I don't know?) then cast any spell of same level (your choice).
But once used, it now locked as one of your spells known for the day.
You can fail to cast due to failing a Concentration check, failling, your remember check, dispel magic counter, deafness, ASF, etc.
So just in case, you still have it. They just wanted to confirm it.
You still get the normal spell slots, but you don't fill them with prepared/etc.
Instead you blow up a unused spell slot of same level, (why you you then not use it, I don't know?) then cast any spell of same level (your choice).
But once used, it now locked as one of your spells known for the day.You can fail to cast due to failing a Concentration check, failling, your remember check, dispel magic counter, deafness, ASF, etc.
So just in case, you still have it. They just wanted to confirm it.
Thanks for the reply!
Sorry, still trying to understand. So the way I'm reading the archetype is that I'm gambling with my spells known. There's between a 30-35% chance that I'll know one or two spells less on a given day of adventuring if the dice are against me.
Are you saying that rather than gambling with spells known I'm more gambling with my turn's actions? That an amnesiac slot is always converted to a spell known, but I simply may not be able to cast that spell that round or, to a lesser extent, any spell that round?
You're gambling with your spells known.
An "amnesia slot" is described under the amnesiac's altered spellcasting as one of the psychic's spells known for the day, which can be utilized with the spell recollection feature.
Spell recollection allows you to try to fill an amnesia slot with a new spell known from your list as a swift action, but:
Regardless of the result, the amnesiac expends an amnesia slot of the appropriate level for the spell she is attempting to remember; she must cast the spell remembered (if any) using that amnesia slot during the same round, or the spell slot is lost without effect.
It's unlikely that you'll be unable to cast a spell at all, since you can only get that result on a roll of 1-100, and if you're in combat, your recollection check is a d100+d10.
On average, you'll succeed and remember the spell that you're going for, but every once in a while, you'll blow up an amnesia slot for the day.
That said, I think the potential payoff is well worth the risk. The ability to spontaneously choose your spells known is almost Mythic in power. Plus, it has great flavor. I suspect there will be a lot of Amnesiac psychics playing in Strange Aeons.
Play an Amnesiac Psychic with Rebirth for the discipline, and you go around remembering other lives instead. Plus, an extra flexible spell known.
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Thanks! That's what I figured, otherwise there's almost no downside for quite a bit of upside. I think I get how it works, the wording is just a bit confusing to me. Appreciated!
Play an Amnesiac Psychic with Rebirth for the discipline, and you go around remembering other lives instead. Plus, an extra flexible spell known.
That is actually the discipline I'm planning on using, though the background for the character is pretty different!
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Play an Amnesiac Psychic with Rebirth for the discipline, and you go around remembering other lives instead. Plus, an extra flexible spell known.
Samsaran rebirth amnesiac psychic with the same RP hook you suggest (remembering past lives but nothing about her current life) was the character I almost played in Owen's Giantslayer game, but after being unable to decide, with some decision help from John, I went with a dwarf goliath druid instead.
Sorry for the thread resurrection, but I have a question about the Amnesiac I haven't seen addressed...
So I get that you retain spells known from the previous day equal to half your spell slots rounded up, and a number of Amnesia Slots equal to half your spell slots rounded down. I also understand how to determine the "previous day's" known spells at 1st level.
But every time you gain a new spell level, you only gain a single spell known, and thus have to pick that spell from the previous day's spells. Except you have no previous day's spells of that level, because you just leveled up, and the rules don't tell you how to select your initial spell for the new level.
For example, you're playing a Amnesiac and go up to 4th level. You now gain access to 2nd level spells. You're "Spells Known" are 6 Knacks, 1 First Level Discipline spell, 2 First Level spells from the day before, 1 First Level Amnesia Slot, 1 Second Level Discipline spell, and 1 Second Level spell "from the day before". Is that correct? If so, how do you determine your first spell at each new spell level? Are you just supposed to pick one?
Yes, just pick one. The retention mechanic only applies once you have both normal spell slots and amnesia slots of the same level.