Leaving Spell Slots Empty For Later (A Prepared Spellcaster Hack For Pathfinder)

There is a noted wariness among a lot of Pathfinder players when it comes to prepared spellcasting classes. Wizards, clerics, alchemists, and so on may have the ability to choose from larger lists of total spells, but they have to choose which spells they're putting in which slots, and if they choose the wrong spells, well, then they're screwed. Or so the thought process goes.

However, there's a piece of fine print that a lot of folks miss, or don't really think about. Prepared casters largely have the ability to leave a certain number of spell slots empty when they prepare their spells, and they can then perform a small ritual to fill that slot later, thus providing them some wiggle room to ensure the character can choose the proper spell when they actually need it.

It's a strategy that comes with its own risks, but it's still worth exploring to see if it will work for you.

Magic is all about rules, loves. Twist them until they serve.

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A Little Ace In The Hole

If you read through the description of classes like the wizard, cleric, and alchemist, you'll note in the fine print about their spells that the character may choose to leave spell slots open for the day, essentially acting as blank storage spots. These rules are also repeated in the Magic chapter of the Core Rulebook. At any time before the next time the character prepares their spells, they may go through a smaller version of their spell preparation ritual in order to fill that slot with a spell. Whether it's reading from a spellbook, going through a small religious rite, or breaking out their field laboratory to mix a fresh extract, these small rituals typically don't take more than 5 minutes.

This seems pretty straightforward. As a prepared caster, you are essentially hedging your bets that you might need a specific spell during the coming day that you can't predict, so you're leaving a slot open, and hoping that you have the time to prepare the spell safely. Time is the key, here, because as long as you're in a situation where you can crouch down and do some quick reading, praying, etc., this strategy is perfectly sound. When it isn't sound, though, is realizing that in the middle of combat, or when a trap has gone off and the walls are closing in to crush you, you have the perfect spell to deal with this situation... you just didn't pick it that day!

Ah, balls... I didn't take Commune With Eldritch Horror... it's on my list, though...

The strength of prepared casters is that they have access to a wider variety of spells than spontaneous casters do. Additionally, metamagic feats are more efficient when applied to prepared spells. However, while they might be a Swiss army knife in a lot of ways, the drawback is they can feel cumbersome. This is one strategy that can be quite useful, but it's one that should be done sparingly. Because sometimes you'll have the breathing room you need to memorize the new spell that will save the day... but other times if you can't whip out the solution in the next 6 seconds, it isn't going to matter.

As with everything else, though, it's important to have a varied approach to using magic as a tool... especially if you're a prepared spellcaster.

Consider checking out my older article 3 Advantages of Wands in Pathfinder, for instance. Because wands, potions, and scrolls are great for keeping access to certain spells on-hand that will be really powerful in specific situations, but they aren't something you want to keep memorized every day, taking up space in your spell allotment. Additionally, if you're playing a wizard or a cleric (or you're combining the two for a Mystic Theurge with 2 aces in the hole) take the bonded item feature for the former, and gain the bonded holy symbol option for the Ecclesitheurge archetype in the Advanced Class Guide. These features allow you to, once per day, immediately cast a spell that you know which is on your class list as if you had prepared it that day, making it a get-out-of-screwed-free card if you have the perfect tool for the job.

Taking a layered approach with a prepared caster can help ensure that you really are prepared for every situation you might come up against. So make sure you've got a variety of tools in your bag, and help get yourself (and your party) through your next adventure!

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What Do Your Verbal and Somatic Components Look Like?

In most D20 fantasy roleplaying games, spells have three components; a verbal component, a somatic component, and a material/focus component. These are the things every spellcaster needs in order to turn their willpower into reality, whether they're charming the town guard to let them pass, or summoning aid from the far reaches of the ethereal planes. Clerics and wizards, druids, sorcerers, and others all have these three requirements in common.

However, if you want to make your magic user truly unique, try describing what these components look like to your fellow party members.

"What did you cast?" What does it LOOK like I cast?

In posts like How To Roleplay During Combat and Dungeon Master Alchemy: Turning Stats Into Story, I recommended that players with spellcasting PCs describe the effects of their spells instead of just saying the name of the spell. However, the effect is just one half of a magic user's action. In fact, focusing on the effects instead of the components is sort of putting the horse before the carriage.

Develop Your Spellcasting Style

If you were playing a martial character, you'd ask yourself certain questions. Questions like:

- What is my weapon of choice?

- Who taught me to fight?

- How long have I been doing this?

- Do I use a particular fighting style, or did I make up my own?

Just because your weapon of choice happens to be the primal forces of the elements, or psychic attacks on the free will of your enemies, that's no reason you can't go through the same steps.

That isn't how wizard's duels work!

 

For example, say you're playing a wizard in Pathfinder. You've examined the prominent wizard colleges in Golarion, and you decide your character graduated from the abjuration program in Nex. So, you have an established school, with a long history of both powerful tradition and innovation in the magical arts. Your instructor was a pragmatist, who often tested your reaction times by flinging objects at you, and then when you were more established, throwing magic at you without warning. You were average in power, but developed a unique flair for deflecting elemental spells. Because you were used to reacting quickly, your somatic components are short, sharp gestures instead of wide, sweeping ones.

Alternatively, say you were a conjurer who graduated from the arcane college in Korvosa. An arrogant caster, your imp familiar is imperious and impatient, a tiny reflection on your soul. A master linguist, you make sure to always use the correct language of the plane you're summoning your creatures from. Infernal for devils, celestial for heavenly beings, and abyssal for when you need a slavering demon horde to come to your aid. Perhaps your imp intones the spells simultaneously, adding an echoing resonance to the magic as you connect a space on the material plane to the far reaches of the ether where you are calling forth minions from.

Stand Out From The Other Casters

There are so many different flavors you can add to your magic. If you want to make your next experience unique, or just jazz up your current one, you might consider using some of these spices.

- Language: The language you use for different spells can make a big difference. You could also use language as a way to reflect certain metamagic feats. For example, you might speak your incantations in Ignan in order to let loose with a maximized burning hands.

- Directing The Magic: When you move your hands, what are you doing? Do you mimic the motions of the spell, or do you simply direct it as if you were practicing a more martial art form? When you cast Black Tentacles, do you jam your fingers upward, mimicking the motion of the conjured tendrils? When the cinder flies from your finger when you cast Fireball, do you open your hand violently to trigger the detonation? Or are your motions more like a kata, using your entire body to summon, control, and direct your spells?

- Special Effects: A spellcaster's power comes in a variety of different flavors, and that can add some tell-tale signs that power is about to be unleashed. For example, if your magic user has arcane tattoos, or a divine birthmark, do they glow when she casts spells? Does the air stir around the sorcerer as he unleashes bolts of raw power? Do a warlock's features distort, taking on a cast similar to her heritage when she calls upon the dark power of her pact?

Presentation matters.

 

These are just a few ways you can stand apart from other spellcasters when it comes time to showcase a unique art. Everything from casters who speak their spells in rhyme, to those who incorporate their motions into an interpretive dance, are an option. So, if you want your casters to stand out, give us more than a twist-and-flick when it comes time to make your magic.

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