Animists and staves

[Ravingdork]

As a class that grants both prepared and spontaneous spells, how does an animist interact with magical spell staves? Do they get the best of both worlds?

[Baarogue]

I don't have my copy yet so I'm just going by what was in the playtest.

Since their prepared spells are the only ones they have any agency in picking I would categorize them as a prepared caster for purposes of using staves (or for anything else that mattered for) and that is how I would run it at any table I GM barring PFS guidance to the contrary

If I was a player at their table I would not argue with another GM who allowed an animist player to choose how their staff worked during daily prep

I would not expect any GM to allow an animist to get it both ways at once

[Finoan]

Disclaimer, I am going off of what I know from the playtest version. I don't think the main points have changed regarding this and I am assuming that the full rules don't address this.

But this is my thoughts on it:

I would have the staff gain extra charges from the prepared slots.

I could maybe be talked into using the spontaneous preparation style instead, but it would be an ask.

I wouldn't allow both methods for the same character. Choose one at character creation and stick with it.

As for which staff spells can be cast and therefore which staves can be prepared, I would allow the entire divine tradition and the current Repertoire. Since apparitions are chosen during daily preparations, those spells can be part of the spell list that can be cast from a staff and can be used to prepare a staff with.

[pH unbalanced]

From page 13 under the animist:

"You are a prepared spellcaster for the purposes of determining how you interact with staves and other items or effects that differentiate between prepared and spontaneous spellcasters."

[Ravingdork]

Thanks, pH unbalanced!

So the question now is: If characters with multiclass dedications can take advantage of both aspects, why not animists?

[Easl]

Ravingdork wrote:

So the question now is: If characters with multiclass dedications can take advantage of both aspects, why not animists?

Are you asking "why did the devs decide to write the rule to be You are a prepared spellcaster for the purposes of determining how you interact with staves... rather than allowing the Animist class both benefits at once"?

Or are you asking "if an animist multiclasses into a spontaneous caster class (like anyone else), do they get the same MC benefits (as anyone else)?"

My answer to the first: ask them. But there's an obvious guess, yes?
My answer to the second: why wouldn't they?

[shroudb]

Ravingdork wrote:

Thanks, pH unbalanced!

So the question now is: If characters with multiclass dedications can take advantage of both aspects, why not animists?

Animist spontaneous repertoire is very limited. It would kinda defeat the purpose of their repertoire being so limited if you could ignore that limitation by grabbing a staff.

As for multiclass archetypes taking advantage of it, the nature of the spontaneous advantage for staves is such that it inherently is restricted by the low ranks of Archetype spellcasting.

Afterall, the benefit is using your spontaneous slots to cast something from the staff, so if you have to be like level 12 to get a 4th rank to replace (as an example) from multiclass that's already naturally restricted.

[Unicore]

Animists can lose access to their spontaneous casting in the middle of the day. That alone makes it a pretty good idea to consider it primarily a prepared casting class with some specific exemptions rather than a truly hybrid version of both.

[Ravingdork]

It's the former, Easl.

So following the logic of spontaneous stave options being off limits to keep their repertoires limited, wpuld it be safe to assume that an animist with a (typically) non-divine spell in their repertoire could not cast said spell from a scroll or similar item?

[shroudb]

Ravingdork wrote:

It's the former, Easl.

So following the logic of spontaneous stave options being off limits to keep their repertoires limited, wpuld it be safe to assume that an animist with a (typically) non-divine spell in their repertoire could not cast said spell from a scroll or similar item?

If it's on their repertoire, they can cast it, but keep in mind that their repertoire changes with their daily prep.

Basically, at any given moment, their repertoire is only the spells provided by the current spirits they have.

[Easl]

Ravingdork wrote:

wpuld it be safe to assume that an animist with a (typically) non-divine spell in their repertoire could not cast said spell from a scroll or similar item?

I don't have WoI so my analysis should not be considered very valuable, but my understanding would be the same as shroudb's.

Note that pH's quote says they are prepared casters for "items or effects that differentiate between prepared and spontaneous spellcasters." Scrolls work the same for both; the spell must appear on your spell list. That's all the GMC says. It doesn't have any "if prepared...x, but if spontaneous...y" distinction, so I see no reason to extrapolate any.

[Unicore]

I would think an animist who has switched apparitions, or lost access to one would no longer count those spells as on their list for scroll use, so you would need to be a little careful having scrolls and items with temporary spells on them.

Otherwise, someAnimist’s would be able to count every spell on every apparition list as on their list