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Minimizing caster level: why would anyone want to do such a thing? The idea is that an artificer's item-creation abilities are caster-level based. As such, an artificer who goes by the minimum caster level of a cleric can't scribe a scroll of miracle until level 15 -- but going by other classes, they might get it sooner. Here's what I've come up with so far.

Cleric spells -- accessible to an ur-priest. Caster level = spell level, if the ur-priest has no spellcasting before entering the prestige class, or cleric spellcasting. (5th level spells have minimum caster level 5, etc).

Domain spells -- accessible to a divine crusader. One again, Caster level = spell level.

Sorcerer/Wizard spells -- here, things get a bit more confusing. There are two ways of getting high spell-level/low caster-level spells here.

A bard/sublime chord gets accelerated casting. Since this is a silly theoretical optimization exercise, we might as well push it as far as we can: let's take an illumian bard 1/rogue 9 with precocious apprentice and improved sigil (krau). She becomes a bard 1/rogue 9/sublime chord 1, able to cast 4th and 5th level bard and sorcerer spells with a caster level of two. From then on, progression is a bit more normal: 6th level spells require a caster level of 4, 7th require 6, 8th require 8, and 9th require 10.

Level 2 sorcerer/wizard spells also are accessible with a CL of 1, via precocious apprentice.

Level 3 sor/wiz spells still require a caster level of 5, as far as I can tell. It's a bit odd: you can cast level 0, 1, and 2 arcane spells at CL 1, then you need CL 5 to cast level 3 arcane spells, then you go back down to CL 2 to cast 4th and 5th level arcane spells.

Bard spells -- well, I think this is mostly covered by the bard/sublime chord combination for bard spells of level 4 or higher. Bard has another weird "hump" in CL: level 0 spells have minimum CL 1, level 1 spells have minimum CL 2, then level 2 spells go back to minimum CL 1 thanks to precocious apprentice. Spell level 3 -- well, the best I can come up with is CL 6, which is barely better than the default of CL 7. That's the caster level at which a chameleon can cast level 3 arcane spells.

Depending on whether aptitude focuses are usable for item creation, the chameleon provides a bit of help for both arcane and divine spellcasting CL minimization for level 2 spells: they can cast them at chameleon level 1 with a CL of 2. From then on, chameleon spellcasting quickly becomes a worse and worse deal for CL minimization: level 3 spells at CL 6, level 4 spells at CL 10, level 5 spells at CL 14, and level 6 spells at CL 18.

The blighter could be addressed, but in truth, I don't feel like bothering. Its spell list is so thoroughly mediocre that the divine crusader, ur-priest, bard/sublime chord, and such probably make it completely obsolete.

So... for an artificer, this means that 9th level cleric and domain spells can be scribed onto scrolls at level 7, since artificers can meet item creation prerequisites two caster levels higher than they are, and can scribe 9th level sorcerer/wizard spells at level 8. Furthermore, polymorph is available at level 1 for an artificer.

Not sure if I'm popping a bubble here, but you do realize that when your crafting an item, you can set the CL to your current CL or anything lower, right?

Commoner 1 Proxies are casting Domain spells at caster level 11, and that's even on the 7s 8s and 9s.
Presumably an item of X can be made from said castings.

Efreet and Noble Djinn are spell-like-ing Wish at caster level 12.

Ardent 2 / Caster 1 with tricks / Cerebremancer or Psychic Theurge 10,
with Psiotheurgist feat from Dragon #349, gets 3rd level powers at 3rd, 4s at 4th, etc.
but then you take ExpandedKnowledge and pick a power that is not part of the Psiotheurgist double count, and EK works with any power and 'surprise' your manifester level on that power is just your Ardent manifester level.
EK at 6th level would give you a 5th level power, but only 5ML if it's not on the Psiotheurgist feat.

T_G's RAM is better than my ROM.

Aha!
Chasing T_G's statement:
This may have bearing over here ---> linky

Now, I know it's CustServ , but they do have Caelic in their corner.

More stringently, my psionics idea above is mostly nerfed. I say mostly because you could ExpandedKnowledge a power onto your list and then use Items. This up til you have enough ML to use ML# of powerpoints to actually manifest whatever power. The Psiotheurgist trick still works, though.

Sidebar: The new search is a prettier / more D&D-ish version of google. [s]Kinda like a younger sister


What do you think the LINK above, affects this thread?

Lost Empires of Faerun web enhancement has Monastic Servant of Auppenser.

So that lets almost all psionic powers be turned into cleric divine spells.
The exception being you : "Can never have cast a spell or used a magic or psionic item to dominate or control the mind of another being."
Effectively you trade a small group of enchantment spells for psionics.
Result - psionics follows the cleric/divine pattern on post #1 above, and are now effected by post #2.


Minor Analysis - some of this came up on a recent Archivist thread. Caelic can breathe easy knowing the Artificer can *bonk* out almost all spells at 1st level. *Bonk* being a layman's version of a technical term.
The Inter-Plane-Etary Cabal of Artificers Central grows stronger again.
{ ... that's I.P.E.C.A.C. - it's supposed to make you throw up ... }