question about a feat

[zainale]

Ioun Bond

Prerequisite(s) You must have chosen a bonded object as your arcane bond to select this discovery.

Benefit(s) You can form an arcane bond with an ioun stone. If you choose this arcane discovery at 1st level, you gain a dull gray ioun stone as a bonded object at no cost. A bonded ioun stone must be orbiting your head to have effect.
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At 12th level, you can turn a bonded dull gray ioun stone into another kind of ioun stone as if you possessed the Craft Wondrous Item feat;
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if you die or replace a bonded ioun stone that has been transformed in this way, the stone reverts to a dull gray ioun stone.

it says at lvl 12 you can improve it. is that just at lvl 12 or lvl 12 wizard?

[Wonderstell]

Very probably lv 12 wizard.

The bond modifies a class feature for wizards, and Arcane Discoveries are wizard-only feats. Since only wizards can take this feat, I guess they didn't feel the need to be so utterly specific.

And even if it did work for any level 12 character by means of multiclassing, I feel you would be better of just getting the Craft Wondrous Items feat instead of getting this Arcane Discovery (which costs a feat).

And the normal Arcane Bond would allow you to modify your bonded item much earlier, something to reconsider.

If it is for fluff reasons, I don't really see how getting this ability a couple of levels earlier through multiclassing and the like would matter, since you still need an appropriate caster level.

[zainale]

okay thank you wonderstell

[DM_Blake]

I disagree. I think it allows you to alter the stone if your CHARACTER level is 12 or higher.

I base this upon the Ioun Stone description:

SRD, Magic Items, Ioun Stone wrote:

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be 12th level; Cost half the market price

Note that it does not say "creator must be a 12th level caster" nor does it say "creator must have a Caster Level of 12". It just says he must be 12th level. Yes, the Ioun Stone will have CL 12 but that actually doesn't require you to be a 12th level caster to create that - a 3rd level wizard could learn the feat and make ordinary Ioun Stones at CL 12 fairly easily if he specialized for it.

So since the prerequisite to CREATE an Ioun Stone is that you are simply 12th level (12 total character levels), I think the Ioun Bond discovery has echoed that requirement without transforming that requirement into one that requires 12 caster levels.

[VRMH]

Wasn't there a clarification that any mention of "level" in a class feature description refers to levels in that class?

[Wonderstell]

It becomes real convincing that they meant character level 12 when you see the crafting requirements for Ioun Stones. But if it is as you say, VRMH, then that would disperse any questions.

Either way, I would strongly discourage anyone from picking this Arcane Discovery, since it is a very inefficient way to gain a lesser version of Craft Wondrous Items.

I believe you can raise the DC of the item by 5 to bypass the requirement of character level 12 if you have the Craft Wondrous Item feat. But this Arcane Discovery would limit you to a dull gray stone until you actually are character level 12, since it is written in the feat.

Basically, the only reason why you would take Ioun Bond in lieu of Create Wondrous Items is because it fits your character concept.

Or: Your character does not have a caster level high enough to take Create Wondrous Items and decides to multiclass into Wizard just to be able to create one Ioun Stone. (Instead of taking Master Craftsman)

Seems like a waste of a feat.