Elemental Savant Question:
Has anyone played (or DM'd) an Elemental Savant?
I'm specifically wondering about the Elemental Specialty ability that automatically transmutes all your spells with the elemental descriptor (cold, lighting, fire, acid, etc) into your chosen element. Which would be Lightning in my case.
Can I change my Lightning spells into another element through a metamagic rod or taking Energy Subsitution for another energy type? Basically, does my class ability trump the feat, or vice versa?
I'm just wondering in case I run into something that has monsterous electricity resistance, and I need to switch it up. I could always carry scrolls/wands for this case, or cast spells without elemental descriptors... but I thought purchasing a metamagic rod of energy substitution might be a good backup plan for these situations.
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Elemental Descriptor Question:
The PHB lists acid, air, chaotic, cold, darkness, death, earth, electricity, evil, fear, fire, force, good, language-dependent, lawful, light, mind-affecting, sonic and water as potential descriptors for spells.
Is there a sub-list of elemental descriptors that I am missing, perhaps in the DMG, as I have lent my copy to our new DM? Or is it DM-interpretation on this one?
This relates to my first question above, because I could always just learn some spells with the Force descriptor in case I run into a monster with lots of Electricity resistance. But if Force counts as an elemental descriptor (I don't think it does, but I can't find a definitive list...) then as soon as I cast the spell, it would change from Force to Electricity and I'm back at square one.
As far as I'd call it, if all of your spells are swapped to lightning then you can't metamagic it to be anything else. That's the drawback you take in exchange for getting better at lightning.
I assume LIFO for metamagic rods. Your spell would become the element of choice.
A better choice, if I may, is to get Born of the Three Thunders, so your Electric spells become half-Electric, half-Sonic. So, all your spells are now half-electric, half-sonic. Sort of like Lord of the Uttercold with a Water Elemental Savant, or stacking Fire Elemental Savant with Silver Pyrokineticist from Eberron. (The last combo being espically deadly, as your fire attacks become unsoakable damage).
Or, better yet, just do both. :)
the elements are as designated in the energy substitution feat: acid, cold, electricity, and fire. they represent earth, water, air, and fire respectively.
as for metamagic rod and the elemental savant class ability, i am not sure, as i do not have access at the moment to my books.
hope this has helped,
tog
As has been just clarified by WhiteToyMaker to me, Elemental Savant works like this: All your energy based spells are automatically made into whatever element you choose to use when taking the PrC. E.G. if you chose electricity, then any fireball you cast would automatically become a lightning ball. You can still take further Energy Substitution (and Energy Admixture) feats, but the only way you're going to cast a fireball as a fireball again is if you take Energy Substitution (fire) and augment your 'lightning'ball with it.
Metamagic Rods of Energy Substitution would also allow you to change it.
My 2cp
TK
While there's nothing in the rules to say that you can't use a metamagic feat or metamagic rod with Elemental Savant, as a DM I'd prohibit these options - you can't take the feat, and the rod doesn't work for you. It's because, as I said earlier, Elemental Savant grants you improved power in exchange for limiting yourself to one element, and it's almost like cheating to break that limitation.
While there's nothing in the rules to say that you can't use a metamagic feat or metamagic rod with Elemental Savant, as a DM I'd prohibit these options - you can't take the feat, and the rod doesn't work for you. It's because, as I said earlier, Elemental Savant grants you improved power in exchange for limiting yourself to one element, and it's almost like cheating to break that limitation.
The "cheating" thing has got me thinking too, and I'm a little torn by it... on the one hand, it is going against the concept of the PRC... but on the other hand, you are spending a feat on the new Energy Substitution:X feat... or dumping a lot of cash into a backrod metamagic rod...
I think I'm just going to "settle" for going Elemental Savant, but keeping a fair number of Force spells and untyped damage spells in my spellbook for occasions when a monster has tons of electricity resistance. That way I stay true to the class concept by not using the other elemental damage types to get around resistances, but I still don't become useless in a fight againt such creatures.