Alright, this has been driving me insane. There is a feat in D&D 3.5 or 3.0 that enables a character to take a spell he knows as a spell-like ability but I've ransacked my book collection and cant for the life of me find it. Does anyone know what I'm talking about or am I crazy?

I think it's a tumor.

It might be cancerous, seeing as this is D20 we're talking about.

That sounds like a Reserve Feat, but not quite. Hmm.

Innate Spell, originally from Tome and Blood. I'm not sure if it made it into 3.5.

Luckily, I was recently scouring my old 3.0 stuff to get inspirations for powers and abilities to use in a HERO Fantasy game, so I still have a scattering of d20 books spread out near my computer.

"One spell slot eight levels higher than the innate spell is used to power it."

So does that mean if it's, say, a 1st level spell, you'd have to be able to cast 9th level spells to use it? What about taking a 9th level spell as an innate spell?

This is highly confusing >.<

Yup, that's what it means.


So using Magic Missile as an innate ability would take away a 9th level spell slot for memorization. If you can't cast 9th level spells, you can't use Magic Missile as an innate ability. Heck, you'd need an 8th level slot to use Read Magic or something.

The feat was reprinted in players guide to faerun and either Complete Arcane or Complete Divine.

The pre-reqs are silent spell, still spell, one other feat that I forget and you either give up a spell slot (wizard) or cast per day (sorc) to gain the ability to cast 1 spell that you know 3/day.

The name is Innate spell, there are lots of differing bits of info from book to book on it.

That...sucks.

Especially considering you can take feats from Complete Arcane that gives you several spells as spell-like abilities once per day.

Well personally I think alot sucks about D&D these days but of course that's a personal opinion.

But yea, as far as that specific feat goes, it sure seems pretty dubious. I mean, being able to do 0 or 1st level spells a few times a day is in no way equal to an 8th or 9th level spell once a day.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that at level 18+, one 9th-level spell slot is worth a hell of a lot more than being able to cast a level 1 spell three extra times a day.

Especially considering Innate Spell requires 3 other specific feats before you can take it

Better a uselessly weak feat than another overpowered one.

If you're using the version of Innate Spell from Tome & Blood that allows unlimited castings:

It's a style feat. Being able to cast unlimited Magic Missile is a mark of an uber-mage. Lesser arcanists are incapable of it, or haven't got to the level where they can afford to blow a ninth level spell slot.

(Unless of course you're playing 4th Edition where every wizard can cast unlimited Magic Missile.)

If you're using the one from Player's Guide to Faerun, then it permanently occupies a slot the same level as the original spell, but lets you cast it three times a day.

Which can be better, as it can be used much earlier and on higher level spells. I can imagine giving up a 5th level spell slot for Teleport 3/Day or Wall of Force 3/Day


-k

Decidely more a Wizard feat than a Sorcerer feat, although... it technically gives Sorcerers and extra 2 spell casts per day provided they are a spell you would have cast anyway.