I'm making a void elementalist wizard (yay!), I'm choosing metal as my school of opposition. So by the rules anything on the metal elementalist list should cost me two spell slots to memorize for the day (boo). The spell Gravity bow is on my void elementalist spell list, so I can choose it for my extra spell slot that I get for specialization (sweet!) But gravity bow is also on metal elementalist spell list so it costs me 2 spell slots to memorize (huh?)
Can someone please clarify this for me? Is this a good spell for me to memorize for the day or am I going to be wasting 2 spell slots to get it?
Anyone? Bueller?
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Unfortunately, you actually can't make metal your opposition school. The rules say:
Unlike a normal arcane school, the void elemental school requires the wizard to select a single element (air, earth, fire, or water) as his opposition school.
This is because there are three elemental systems: the classic one, the one with wood and fire, and the one with void. I play a void elementalist myself, so I know the confusion. (I took fire as my opposition school in the end.)
Basically... Or I would phrase it a bit differently, that there is 2 systems, fixed and variable opposition:
" fire, earth, metal, water, and wood" (fixed oppositions) and "fire, earth, air, water, and void". (variable oppositions)
Void is introduced in an auxiliary product, but is presented as part of the classic group: not creating a new group but joining an existing one.
You can ignore Void if you want (possibly because you don't have that product), but it is part of the same group.
In fact, in real-world Chinese 5 element philosophy, Void is another aspect of Metal, and Wood has qualities of Wind/Air...
So the two systems are not fundamentally different based on their contents, but the relationship between the elements.
It seems plausible, if not RAW, to allow Void and Air as alternate versions of Metal and Wood within the Fixed System... In that case,
the only relationship between Void/Metal/Wood would be Wood Elementalists must select Metal or Void as (assymetrically) Opposed.
I would say that the intent in Dragon Empires is for the Classic 4 + Void System to be on par with the Japanese 5 Element system,
as opposed to the Chinese 5 Element system... And thus each might be prevalent in the Min/Tien regions, respectively.
Paizo's only AP set in Tian Xia, Jade Regent, is set in the Minkai region (not surprising, because: Ninja! Samurai!),
so that is unsurprising for the companion products released simultaneously to develop the Min region a bit more.
But note that "Western" systems also recognied Void, and thus had identical content to Japanese,
even if all of the associations with each element, and their interactions/relationship may have been different.
(I'm not an expert on Japanese Godai vs. Classical Greek Elemental cosmology)
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Piggy-backing onto your thread, confused1, since I also showed up here with a Void Elementalist wizard question that might be of interest to you.
In the APG, a number of spells are listed as belonging to 'All' Elemental schools, such as Resist Energy and the Summon Monster spells. Do those also apply to the Void elemental school? If not, do I need to count them as part of my opposed school?
Keerawa, those spells have different versions. Resist Energy is an opposition spell when used to resist your opposition element. Summon Monster is an opposition spell when it is used to summon a creature with an opposition school's subtype and gains that subtype.
For example, if you oppose fire, Resist Fire is an opposition spell and summoning a creature with the fire subtype would make SMIII an opposition spell.
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For example, if you oppose fire, Resist Fire is an opposition spell and summoning a creature with the fire subtype would make SMIII an opposition spell.
Oh, that's peculiar. So I can prepare the Resist Energy spell in a single slot, even my reserved Void school slot, so long as I don't choose to Resist Fire (as that's my opposition school) when I cast it? Odd. Makes me wonder if I could choose to prep Resist Energy in 2 slots, and then use it either for two separate casts of Resist Cold OR a single cast of Resist Fire, as needed.
Sheesh. Maybe it would be easier to just buy a scroll.
Since Communal Resist Energy isn't on any of the elemental lists, can I can prep and use that one any way I like? Or would that still count as a opposition spell, if used to resist fire?
Your School Slot is reserved for spells of that school, not other schools, whether they are 'Opposed' or merely neutral.
Thanks for the help guys!
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Your School Slot is reserved for spells of that school, not other schools, whether they are 'Opposed' or merely neutral.
That's what is confusing me - in the APG it says that 'All' Elementalist schools have those spells (Resist Energy, Elemental Body, SM, etc.) as part of their school spell list. Void is an Elemental school, but I'm not certain if that part of the APG applies, and if so, how.