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Quick Study (Ex): The arcanist can prepare a spell in place
of an existing spell by expending 1 point from her arcane
reservoir. Using this ability is a full-round action that
provokes an attack of opportunity. The arcanist must be able
to reference her spellbook when using this ability. The spell
prepared must be of the same level as the spell being replaced.
What the f---? Am I reading this wrong? For those of you who don't know the Arcanist is the new Sorcerer/Wizard hybrid class paizo released in the Advanced Class Guide. They're essentially sorcerers with fewer spells per day but the ability to prepare new spells known every morning. They were considered one of the strongest classes in the playtest. Then they released this ability with the book's official release as one of the Arcane Exploits Arcanists get every other level. Not only does this ability overwrite prepared spells, something that nothing else in the game can do, it can do so in combat. Why would I ever play a wizard or a sorcerer if I can play an Arcanist and be a sorcerer who chooses his spells on the fly?
Yeeeeeeeeep. That is all.
well wizards still get new spell levels sooner. and sorcerer had more spells and a bloodline. p lus it's limited by reservoir and well have you take two rounds to get off the spell in combat
I wouldn't do it in combat, since standing there with your spellbook out ... that's just asking for it.
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I'm not saying do it every combat, but for use against golems or undead or summoners that have specific spells that wreck their day? Move Earth does 5d12 damage to clay golems and pushes them back 120 feet with no save. Guess who just prepared that spell?
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Why would I ever play a wizard or a sorcerer if I can play an Arcanist and be a sorcerer who chooses his spells on the fly?
You might play a wizard because you want the free metamagic feats, the discoveries, faster access to spells, more spells per day, or the ability to have many spells available at any given time available in your bag of tricks.
You might play a sorcerer because you want to sling spells like a drunken sailer slings coins in bar. Because you like having access to a ton of tricks (human sorcerer), because you want to highly specialized magic (kitsune), or because you don't want to deal with a spellbook, or because you want to be highly social and charismatic.
I built out arcanists during the playtest without Quick Study. They were awful, and highly subject to lack of meaningfulness with their higher level slots. I had the option with my GM to flatly rebuild using it, and turned it down because unless you went hyper generic with your spell selection they struggled, and at that point you might as well play a sorcerer. Now they've got a nitch with the ability to break out nitch spells as needed for out of combat problems. It's very good - arguably essential - but it hardly renders all the other options worthless.
I'd still play wizard and sorcerers. In fact, I still do. The arcanist does not render them irrelevant.
Since it requires a full-round action AND requires you to retrieve and stow your spellbook to do so, I think it's fair. Since all it lets you do is change out a single prepared spell, I'd hardly call it overpowered, just adaptive.
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No, you don't recognize the true power of this ability:
At the end of each day you sacrifice a spell or two, and cast extended and trade out your remaining spell slots for extended buff and utility spells that last 1 hour/level or longer. Then the next day you have all your spell slots full of combat spells AND you are wearing lots of pre-cast buffs. SO:
Mage Armor
Protection from Arrows
False Life
Darkvision
Nondetection
Greater Magic Weapon
Mneumonic Enhancer
Improved False Life
Overland Flight
etc.
Are now ALWAYS ACTIVE ON THE WHOLE PARTY, at essentially NO COST, since you didn't even have to keep a spell slot open to pre-cast them, and you didn't have to spend a "spells known" slot either. Just make sure you save out a handful of combat spells in case you get attacked at night before you memorize new spells in the morning.
This is crazy powerful.
I feel like the wizard will be better than the arcanist for half his career. Every odd level the wizard will have higher level spells and just be better. The versatility of the Arcanist will have a niche. I think it will really shine in PFS where you never know what your group will be composed of.