Reserves of Strength

[Smokey_the_bear]

"When you cast a spell you can decide to increase your caster level by 1, 2, or 3 but you are stunned for an equal number of rounds immediately after doing so. Your increased caster level affects all level based variables of the spell, including range, area of effect, spell penetration, and the difficulty of dispelling the spell. You can exceed the normal level-fixed limits with this feat so a 9th level wizard could use reserves of strength to cast a fireball as a 12th level wizard and deal 12d6 fire damage. If you are not subject to stunning effects, you instead suffer 1d6, 3d6, or 5d6 points of damage when you call upon you Reserves of Strength feat."

Normally, it would seem that people would just seek become immune to stunning. However, my question is can you break caster caps with this feat even if you don't increase your caster level? For example, if a 20th lvl caster uses fireball but doesn't use the feat to increase his caster level above 20th, does his fireball still do 20d6 with no kind of backlash?

[SorO_Lost]

"When you cast a spell you can decide to increase your caster level by 1, 2, or 3 but you are stunned for an equal number of rounds immediately after doing so. Your increased caster level affects all level based variables of the spell, including range, area of effect, spell penetration, and the difficulty of dispelling the spell. You can exceed the normal level-fixed limits with this feat so a 9th level wizard could use reserves of strength to cast a fireball as a 12th level wizard and deal 12d6 fire damage. If you are not subject to stunning effects, you instead suffer 1d6, 3d6, or 5d6 points of damage when you call upon you Reserves of Strength feat."

Normally, it would seem that people would just seek become immune to stunning. However, my question is can you break caster caps with this feat even if you don't increase your caster level? For example, if a 20th lvl caster uses fireball but doesn't use the feat to increase his caster level above 20th, does his fireball still do 20d6 with no kind of backlash?

One of the answers is literally in the text you quoted. You cannot use that feat to boost by +0 and you do not get the CL break benefit unless you use the feat.

As for boosting by 1 and blasting people with a 20d6 fireball. I've presumed so but I don't see a DM accepting that idea.

[bearsarebrown]

Do you really see no debate in the wording of the text? The way I see it, there are two possible readings.

• the feat grants the ability to: add 1,2,3 to your caster level and uncap your spells.
  
• the feat grants the abilities to: 1. add 1,2,3 to your caster level 2. uncap your spells.

As far as what 'you can exceed the normal level-fixed limits with this feat' means, well, that's difficult. It doesn't specify if you totally ignore CL caps, or if the bonus CL is allowed to break the CL cap. The example given does fall under the second interpretation, however, it in no way disputes the first one.

[Hallack]

Seems pretty plain that it is not a total uncapping of CL limits produced by the feat.  It only allows you to exceed normal caps by the 1, 2, or 3 CL just as stated in the Feat.  So a 10th level Wizard with no other metamagic modifications could get up to a 13d6 Fireball (with exceeding the normal CL by 3).

[PhaedrusXY]

It's poorly written. I think most people would go with the conservative interpretation that the two abilities are not separate.

[bearsarebrown]

I agree with both of you for terms of game balance and DM logic. But in the sake of the language, I simply don't see that being said. I'll be honest, I read it 'liberally' for the first 4 or 5 times I read it. It wasn't until someone pointed it out that I even thought of the other interpretation.

"with this feat" is the problem text. it doesn't specify if it means, in the terms of this feat, or if it's a power granted by the feat.

[Akalsaris]

It seems pretty clear to me that even as a 20th level wizard, at most you'd be dealing a 13d6 fireball with this feat.  It's not very well-written, but the alternative reading has little to no connection with what the feat is trying to do, and is probably too strong an effect for a single feat anyhow (whereas Reserves of Strength is a great flavor feat, but I'd never actually want to use it).

[JaronK]

I think this is one of those cases where RAI is extremely clear... you're supposed to break the cap by up to 3, and that's it.  RAW it works too... you can only exceed spell level caps with the feat itself, which means using the feat's bonus to exceed the cap.  Anything else can't exceed it.

Still a darn useful feat, if you can be immune to stunning and heal yourself nicely.

JaronK

[SorO_Lost]

It can be a great feat depending on it's use. Damage wise, taking 5d6 damage to deal another +3d6 isn't really all that great, but taking 3d6 to have an extra 4d6 ray is handy. Theres other uses of course, even as nothing more than a standard CL booster. Tack on three extra hours of duration to your mage armor spell or boost your undead horde amount then just wand up a spell of Vigor.

[Negative Zero]

A Shapechange with some CL boosters (say, Bead of Karma and an Ankh of Ascension) gets you CL 25. Reserves of Strength can get you to 27, netting you a Gibbering Orb shape. Gibbering Orb is crazy-good.

[Aliment]

Yeah definetly a great out of combat feat.  But maybe to keep this thread alive a little we should give it the uncap interpretation.  Or should that just be a new TO thread?

[JaronK]

TO doesn't mean interpretting the abilities wrong, it just means using them in ways that were never intended.  Either way, this feat is awesome for long duration stuff (Mage Armor was a great example). 

JaronK

[Tshern]

A Shapechange with some CL boosters (say, Bead of Karma and an Ankh of Ascension) gets you CL 25. Reserves of Strength can get you to 27, netting you a Gibbering Orb shape. Gibbering Orb is crazy-good.

Assuming the less convervative view and allowing Shapechanging into any creature with HD equal to your CL. We have found a trick, my friends. My Consumptive field calls your Gibbering orb and raises to Great wyrm Force dragon.

[Tshern]

TO doesn't mean interpretting the abilities wrong, it just means using them in ways that were never intended.  Either way, this feat is awesome for long duration stuff (Mage Armor was a great example). 

JaronK

Or anything that ends encounters based on your CL. I know, a blasphemous proposal, but still.

[Negative Zero]

A Shapechange with some CL boosters (say, Bead of Karma and an Ankh of Ascension) gets you CL 25. Reserves of Strength can get you to 27, netting you a Gibbering Orb shape. Gibbering Orb is crazy-good.

Assuming the less convervative view and allowing Shapechanging into any creature with HD equal to your CL. We have found a trick, my friends. My Consumptive field calls your Gibbering orb and raises to Great wyrm Force dragon.

Ah, of course. If you assume the "truly uncapped" interpretation into the "up to 3 over" interpretation, then that's probably the best thing you're going to get. I'd raise you something else, but I don't think there's anything better than a Great Wyrm Force Dragon (assuming you can't apply templates).

Then again, if you're at caster level 75, or 72 +3 from Reserves of Strength, I'd suggest you cast a Body Outside Body, through Miracle/Wish if necessary. CL 75 means you're looking at 15 clones. Sure, you'll probably die if many are killed (you take 10 damage if one dies), but having fifteen clones is just fun.

[SorO_Lost]

Even Mirror Image gets a boost. Take 5d6 damage and spit out 11 clones since three of them ignore limits, assuming the foe lacks blindsight it is quite worth it. Dispel Magic & Greater Magic Weapon comes to mind as well, but GMW is more of ignore all caps rather than just +3.

[Tshern]

I know, I know, that was the funny interpretation. There might be something better, at least situationally so, though. Hagumemnon is great, for example.

And 150 damage? Whatever, that doesn't budge a real Wizard. Get some subsequent CON changes and enjoy your 300 hitpoints and Contingent Heals.

[KellKheraptis]

Even Mirror Image gets a boost. Take 5d6 damage and spit out 11 clones since three of them ignore limits, assuming the foe lacks blindsight it is quite worth it. Dispel Magic & Greater Magic Weapon comes to mind as well, but GMW is more of ignore all caps rather than just +3.

Hello bypassing Epic DR.  By the way, does this feat only operate per spell or per round?  If it's "until the end of your turn" or "until the beginning of your next turn" it just became the nova-mage's best friend IMO.

[Tshern]

Even Mirror Image gets a boost. Take 5d6 damage and spit out 11 clones since three of them ignore limits, assuming the foe lacks blindsight it is quite worth it. Dispel Magic & Greater Magic Weapon comes to mind as well, but GMW is more of ignore all caps rather than just +3.

Hello bypassing Epic DR.  By the way, does this feat only operate per spell or per round?  If it's "until the end of your turn" or "until the beginning of your next turn" it just became the nova-mage's best friend IMO.

What he posted is a quote as far as I can tell, so it only applies to a single spell, but nothing is stopping you from using it as many times a round as you want. Welcome Time stop, Celerity, Anticipatory strike and DM fiat!

[bearsarebrown]

Even Mirror Image gets a boost. Take 5d6 damage and spit out 11 clones since three of them ignore limits, assuming the foe lacks blindsight it is quite worth it. Dispel Magic & Greater Magic Weapon comes to mind as well, but GMW is more of ignore all caps rather than just +3.

I was building a concept character built around the un-conservative reading of the feat and all three of those were things I had on my sheet. Chained GMW on Defending Quaterstaff/Shield Spikes/Armor Spikes gives you silly AC for a third level spell, and lasted for three days if it was extended.