New Expanded Preparation Feat (Arcanist)

[Fearspect]

Really would appreciate some help on this. Here is the relevant text:

Expanded Preparation:

Benefit: You gain an extra spell slot of the highest level you can cast. This is in addition to the number of spell slots you can normally prepare from your spellbook. You can instead add two spell slots, but both of these spells must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level spell you can cast as an arcanist. You must choose which benefit you gain when you take this feat.

The question is: if I take this at level 1, and add another prepared spell slot, when I gain level 2 spells (at arcanist 4), will the extra prepared spell slot move to level 2 spells, or remain at level 1?

[Nocte ex Mortis]

No, it's a static Feat. You get an extra spell slot of 1st level spells, or two more Cantrips.

[Fearspect]

Thank you, I figured it would work as such.

[andreww]

Yes it would be static. You could however retrain using the UC rules.

[Lifat]

Yup... It would be static as others have said. But as andreww pointed out, if your GM lets you retrain feats, then you could retrain it into the same feat and choose a new spell level for the slots (assuming you have reached a high enough lvl to actually gain access to higher lvl spell slots)

[claudekennilol]

I've got to disagree. The benefit is either "You gain an extra spell slot of the highest level you can cast." or "You can instead add two spell slots, but both of these spells must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level spell you can cast as an arcanist".

As you level up, your highest level spell slot also changes. The text of the feat says nothing about it only ever applying to the spell levels you have when you pick up the feat. If I pick up this feat at lvl 1 then I always have the benefit of "gaining an extra spell slot of the highest level I can cast."--which will change as my ability to cast higher level spells change.

Also, a "spell slot" for an arcanist is how many spells you can cast per day, not what spells you prepare

prd, arcanist wrote:

Spells: An arcanist casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An arcanist must prepare her spells ahead of time, but unlike a wizard, her spells are not expended when they're cast. Instead, she can cast any spell that she has prepared consuming a spell slot of the appropriate level, assuming she hasn't yet used up her spell slots per day for that level

...
An arcanist must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook. While studying, the arcanist decides what spells to prepare and refreshes her available spell slots for the day.

The benefit is far better than the flavor text-description of this feat. It gives the arcanist more spells per day to cast. It doesn't actually let them prepare more like the description says.

full text of feat:

Expanded Preparation

You can prepare more spells than other arcanists can. (wrong if you read the description of what a spell slot is as defined by the arcanist class)

Prerequisite(s): Arcanist level 1st.

Benefit: You gain an extra spell slot of the highest level you can cast. This is in addition to the number of spell slots you can normally prepare from your spellbook. You can instead add two spell slots, but both of these spells must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level spell you can cast as an arcanist. You must choose which benefit you gain when you take this feat.

Special: You can take this feat up to three times. Each time you do, you can choose either benefit.

Overall, it's just poorly worded and doesn't do what it's intended to.

[wraithstrike]

I also think it is a static feat, just like any other feat that gives extra spells.

[BaconBastard]

I hate to reanimate this thread, but it's relivant to my current discussion.

What would lead you to believe that it's static? Through feat says "you gain an extra spell slot of the highest spell level that you can cast" when you level up, that highest level changes. I don't understand what would imply that you're stuck with the levels you took it at. If that is the case then it's a very weak feat.