Because I'm going to reference it several times, here's the exact language of the Mystic Arcanum feature in the PHB:
At 11th level, your patron bestow s upon you a magical secret called an arcanum. Choose one 6th-level spell from the warlock spell list as this arcanum. You can cast your arcanum spell once without expending a spell slot. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again. At higher levels, you gain more warlock spells of your choice that can be cast in this way: one 7th-level spell at 13th level, one 8th-level spell at 15th level, and one 9th-level spell at 17th level. You regain all uses of your Mystic Arcanum when you finish a long rest.
First question: The language appears to be open to interpretation, so can you use this to cast one 6th, one 7th, one 8th, and one 9th level spell per day? Since the language begins by singling out the 6th level spell and stating you must complete a long rest each time you cast it, it seems to state that you only get one Mystic Arcanum "slot" which can be used for any of the four spells you learn. Is that accurate, or is it one "slot" per spell? (Note: I understand that you do not immediately gain access to all four spells. I am speaking from the perspective of a higher level Warlock who has access all the way to 9th level spells.) The fact that the final usage states "all uses of your Mystic Arcanum" seems to imply that you only get one, as the plural of Arcanum is Arcana. Then again, the sentence itself seems to imply you get more than one ("all uses"). It is frustratingly unclear.
Second question: I know that you cannot select a lower-levelled spell as your 9th level Arcanum (ie, you cannot select a 6th level spell meant to be upcast at 9th level as your 9th level Arcanum), but does that mean you cannot upcast these spells when you gain access to the higher levels? Assuming that you can cast your 6th level Arcanum, your 7th level Arcanum, your 8th level Arcanum, and your 9th level Arcanum each once per day, when you are at 20th level could you upcast your 6th level Arcanum spell to 9th level? If so, does that cost your 9th level Arcanum "slot" for the day, or your 6th level Arcanum "slot" for the day?
I had never really looked at the language for Mystic Arcanum before, and these are my immediate questions. Quick Google searches only referred me to answers about whether multiple 6th or 7th level spells could be chosen, which is specifically disallowed by RAW. But RAW is unclear on the above, so I'm asking y'all: How does this work?
You get mystic arcanums. You get one for each level... 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th when it says you get them. You can only cast them once per day without using a spell slot. You cannot upcast them.
When you choose your 6th level mystic arcanum, you have to pick a 6th level spell from the warlock spell list. This becomes your 6th level mystic arcanum that you can cast only once per day at level 6.
Same goes for the other mystic arcanums but with their respective levels (7, 8, and 9 etc.).
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The description says nothing about being able to cast each one. It says you learn additional spells that can be cast "this way". And the way it describes Mystic Arcanum spells being cast is limited to once per day. It doesn't say that with more spells you can cast each one once. It says once you cast an arcanum spell you cannot cast another until you complete a long rest. Help me understand why this wouldn't mean "one casting of a 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th level spell" instead of "one casting *each* of a 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th level spell".
On that note, spells can be cast at a higher level if a character is able to cast spells of a higher level. What stops a Warlock from casting their 6th level Mystic Arcanum spell at 9th level, assuming they have learned 9th level spells? The spellcasting rules stipulate ways that certain classes can cast spells without spell slots, and I don't see anything to preclude a spell from being upcast with an ability like this one.
The question that I have regarding the wording of Mystic Arcanum is which "level" is meant. Is this gained at 11th Warlock Level, or 11th Character Level (e.g. as increases are with many cantrips)?
The question that I have regarding the wording of Mystic Arcanum is which "level" is meant. Is this gained at 11th Warlock Level, or 11th Character Level (e.g. as increases are with many cantrips)?
Mystic Arcanum's are gained at Warlock levels 11, 13, 15 and 17. Total character levels have nothing to do with it, much like how a level 11 9/2 Sorcerer/Fighter multiclass cannot learn 6th level Sorcerer spells.
The question that I have regarding the wording of Mystic Arcanum is which "level" is meant. Is this gained at 11th Warlock Level, or 11th Character Level (e.g. as increases are with many cantrips)?
Pretty much every class feature that references levels only counts the class levels. Would make multiclassing way too overpowered otherwise.
When initially reading the Mystic Arcanum feature, as a DM I also had the same question as NVCoach. The feature was not written as clearly as it could have been.
After reading (and re-reading) it, I've concluded the writers chose the plural of uses in the final sentence (...regain all usesof your Mystic Arcanum...) because the Mystic Arcanum feature can be used more than once if the Warlock is high enough level (i.e. has learned more than one secret).
If the Mystic Arcanum feature allows multiple uses between long rests, this is only possible if each additional spell beyond the first can also be cast once per long rest. Thus, a 17th level Warlock would have four Mystic Arcanum spells (secrets), each usable once per long rest.
If the writers had intended for only one use of the feature between long rests, the last sentence would have read "...regain the useof your Mystic Arcanum...".
IMHO, the singular Arcanum is used in the last sentence because it is referring to the feature in the singular (not to the secrets in the plural). Again, the feature was not written as clearly as it could have been.
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Because I'm going to reference it several times, here's the exact language of the Mystic Arcanum feature in the PHB:
First question: The language appears to be open to interpretation, so can you use this to cast one 6th, one 7th, one 8th, and one 9th level spell per day? Since the language begins by singling out the 6th level spell and stating you must complete a long rest each time you cast it, it seems to state that you only get one Mystic Arcanum "slot" which can be used for any of the four spells you learn. Is that accurate, or is it one "slot" per spell? (Note: I understand that you do not immediately gain access to all four spells. I am speaking from the perspective of a higher level Warlock who has access all the way to 9th level spells.) The fact that the final usage states "all uses of your Mystic Arcanum" seems to imply that you only get one, as the plural of Arcanum is Arcana. Then again, the sentence itself seems to imply you get more than one ("all uses"). It is frustratingly unclear.
Second question: I know that you cannot select a lower-levelled spell as your 9th level Arcanum (ie, you cannot select a 6th level spell meant to be upcast at 9th level as your 9th level Arcanum), but does that mean you cannot upcast these spells when you gain access to the higher levels? Assuming that you can cast your 6th level Arcanum, your 7th level Arcanum, your 8th level Arcanum, and your 9th level Arcanum each once per day, when you are at 20th level could you upcast your 6th level Arcanum spell to 9th level? If so, does that cost your 9th level Arcanum "slot" for the day, or your 6th level Arcanum "slot" for the day?
I had never really looked at the language for Mystic Arcanum before, and these are my immediate questions. Quick Google searches only referred me to answers about whether multiple 6th or 7th level spells could be chosen, which is specifically disallowed by RAW. But RAW is unclear on the above, so I'm asking y'all: How does this work?
You don't get spell slots above 5th level.
You get mystic arcanums. You get one for each level... 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th when it says you get them. You can only cast them once per day without using a spell slot. You cannot upcast them.
When you choose your 6th level mystic arcanum, you have to pick a 6th level spell from the warlock spell list. This becomes your 6th level mystic arcanum that you can cast only once per day at level 6.
Same goes for the other mystic arcanums but with their respective levels (7, 8, and 9 etc.).
Yes thanks I understand the basics.
The description says nothing about being able to cast each one. It says you learn additional spells that can be cast "this way". And the way it describes Mystic Arcanum spells being cast is limited to once per day. It doesn't say that with more spells you can cast each one once. It says once you cast an arcanum spell you cannot cast another until you complete a long rest. Help me understand why this wouldn't mean "one casting of a 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th level spell" instead of "one casting *each* of a 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th level spell".
On that note, spells can be cast at a higher level if a character is able to cast spells of a higher level. What stops a Warlock from casting their 6th level Mystic Arcanum spell at 9th level, assuming they have learned 9th level spells? The spellcasting rules stipulate ways that certain classes can cast spells without spell slots, and I don't see anything to preclude a spell from being upcast with an ability like this one.
The question that I have regarding the wording of Mystic Arcanum is which "level" is meant. Is this gained at 11th Warlock Level, or 11th Character Level (e.g. as increases are with many cantrips)?
Mystic Arcanum's are gained at Warlock levels 11, 13, 15 and 17. Total character levels have nothing to do with it, much like how a level 11 9/2 Sorcerer/Fighter multiclass cannot learn 6th level Sorcerer spells.
Pretty much every class feature that references levels only counts the class levels. Would make multiclassing way too overpowered otherwise.
When initially reading the Mystic Arcanum feature, as a DM I also had the same question as NVCoach. The feature was not written as clearly as it could have been.
After reading (and re-reading) it, I've concluded the writers chose the plural of uses in the final sentence (...regain all uses of your Mystic Arcanum...) because the Mystic Arcanum feature can be used more than once if the Warlock is high enough level (i.e. has learned more than one secret).
If the Mystic Arcanum feature allows multiple uses between long rests, this is only possible if each additional spell beyond the first can also be cast once per long rest. Thus, a 17th level Warlock would have four Mystic Arcanum spells (secrets), each usable once per long rest.
If the writers had intended for only one use of the feature between long rests, the last sentence would have read "...regain the use of your Mystic Arcanum...".
IMHO, the singular Arcanum is used in the last sentence because it is referring to the feature in the singular (not to the secrets in the plural). Again, the feature was not written as clearly as it could have been.