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Does the feat Expanded Preparation allow me to prepare more spells or cast more spells?
Obviously the intent is to prepare more spells (as per the description), but as written the feat allows an arcanist to cast more spells (as per the actual Benefit of the feat).
Another point of contention is that I've seen people say that once you pick what "spell slots" you get they're locked in. I don't see any text in the feat to support that. 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.
Now on to the important part: a "spell slot" for an arcanist is how many spells you can cast per day, not what spells you prepare.
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
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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.
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 <This is wrong, arcanists don't prepare spells slots--this is the only power a GM has to veto this as this is the only part of the Benefit that doesn't make sense when you actually know the arcanist rules>. 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. (It's intended to let you prepare more spells per day, but it actually lets you cast more spells per day)
FAQ'd. I've been wondering this for a while.
I Think you are over thinking it. It seems pretty clear to me what it Does.
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I Think you are over thinking it. It seems pretty clear to me what it Does.
I know, right? From the Benefit it's pretty clear that you can cast extra spells per day. Or am I supposed to go by what it's intended to do in its flavor description in that I actually get to prepare more spells per day? I guess it's not as clear to me as it is to you..
Or rather, it's incredibly clear that it doesn't do what it's supposed to do.
From the PRD: "Feats and other effects that modify the number of spells known by a spellcaster instead affect the number of spells an arcanist can prepare."
The Arcanist can already use the feat Expanded Arcana (from the Advanced Players Guide) to increase the number of spells they can prepare without needing an Arcanist specific feat. Also, Expanded Arcana has no limit on the number of times it can be selected.
Therefore, it's more likely that the name of the feat (Expanded Preparation) and the flavor text were poor choices.
Why make a feat with MORE restrictions that effectively does the same thing as a preexisting feat?
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From the PRD: "Feats and other effects that modify the number of spells known by a spellcaster instead affect the number of spells an arcanist can prepare."
The Arcanist can already use the feat Expanded Arcana (from the Advanced Players Guide) to increase the number of spells they can prepare without needing an Arcanist specific feat. Also, Expanded Arcana has no limit on the number of times it can be selected.
Therefore, it's more likely that the name of the feat (Expanded Preparation) and the flavor text were poor choices.
Why make a feat with MORE restrictions that effectively does the same thing as a preexisting feat?
Well, They don't qualify for Expanded Arcana because their spells known is not limited--they can scribe more spells into their book.
But what you're saying is that even though the feat specifically made for them says they can cast more spells their class ability overrides it and they can only prepare more spells with it.
Well, I guess with the combination of that rule (which I don't remember reading, so thanks for pointing it out) and the feat it's clear that they get to prepare more spells--even if that is a backwards way of coming to a conclusion that should have been plain all along.
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From my limited understanding, the Expanded Preparation feat allows an arcanist to prepare an additional spell.
So for example, If the arcanist can only prepare one spell a day, then this feat allows the Arcanist to prepare two spells.
At least in the game I am playing an arcanist in, that is how we are reading the feat.
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From my limited understanding, the Expanded Preparation feat allows an arcanist to prepare an additional spell.
So for example, If the arcanist can only prepare one spell a day, then this feat allows the Arcanist to prepare two spells.
At least in the game I am playing an arcanist in, that is how we are reading the feat.
If you didn't read the "description" of the feat and only read the "benefit" would you have drawn that same conclusion? (it's kind of a moot point with the other text the previous poster pointed out, though)
My apologies for missing the limiting effect of Expanded Arcana. So, Arcanists cannot select it.
That means that the Expanded Preparation feat could be intended to increase the amount of spells prepared, as the name and fluff seems to indicate, as opposed to extra slots, as the Benefit describes. This feat definitely needs to be addressed by the Devs!
BTW: I wouldn't bother taking a feat for more prepared spells, I'd instead take the Quick Study exploit and spend the feat on Extra Reservoir.
If it was extra slots, then it's a feat that I'd take. :P
The feat is poorly written, but I think what it is designed to do is quite clear. You can prepare (but not cast) more spells normally.
Arcanists really have two sets of slots. They have 'slots' that they can use to prepare spells in, and they have the more usual slots, like spontaneous casters, that is the number of spells they can cast.
In the arcanist description, only the second (cast per day) is referred to as a 'slot' specifically, but that doesn't really change the fact that they do indeed have what could generically be called slots for the first item (prepare per day.)
The text of the feat, in referring exclusively to preparation when talking about slots makes it clear that it is increasing how many slot an arcanist has for the purpose of preparing spells.
I agree that the feat as written doesn't do what it appears to be intended to do.
While I think the name of the feat is clear as to what the feat is supposed to do here, I would still like it if the feat were clarified. It does sort of read like it just gives you extra spells per day instead of extra preparation slots.
Hey guys, I started a thread over here asking if Expanded Preparation's bonus slots are always your highest.
I've found that when you ask multiple questions in one post like in the OP, the devs are less likely to answer all of the questions therein (instead choosing not to respond at all, or only responding to one of the questions), so I encourage you to FAQ my thread as well.