The clue is in the word "regain" - if your character doesn't have those slots in the first place, you can't "regain" higher level spell slots, you can only "gain" those higher level spell slots.
I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with exactly. If a 2nd level sorcerer expends its 2 sorcery points on creating a 1st-level spell slot, while still having its normal three 1st-level spell slots available, it has created a fourth 1st-level spell slot. If it tries to use a Pearl of Power at this point... nothing happens, because they haven't expended any slots. If they expend that fourth (extra) spell slot, they have expended a slot, and can use the Pearl of Power to regain it (even though they still have their normal three spell slots). Agreed?
You can't regain spell slots with Pearl of Power that you've never had (e.g., regaining a third level spell slot when you've never had a third level spell slot). I'd think it's RAI that you can't regain spell slots that you've already regained (e.g., casting a spell on Day 1, regaining it with Pearl of Power on Day 1, and then on Day 2 trying to regain it again with Pearl of Power before you've cast any more spells). But you can regain spell slots you've expended, even if they're not spell slots that are provided on your class table.
I completely agree :) ... it never occurred to me that someone might try to use the pearl of power without expending a spell slot first. They have to have expended a spell slot in order to get one back. In addition, if the spell slot expended was 4th level or higher, the character gets a 3rd level slot whether they have expended a third level one or not.
However, a sorcerer can expend a spell slot purchased with sorcery points and get it back with a pearl of power - thus possibly bypassing the flexible casting constraint "Any spell slot you create with this feature vanishes when you finish a long rest." A spell slot regained by use of a pearl of power is arguably not created by the flexible casting ability but by the pearl of power. This creates a spell slot that could survive a long rest.
A spell slot regained by use of a pearl of power is arguably not created by the flexible casting ability but by the pearl of power. This creates a spell slot that could survive a long rest.
Absolutely not. It was created by flexible casting, whether it's been used and then regained via the pearl or not. The pearl cannot create new spell slots.
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I believe the confusion is about how spell slots function, so try thinking about it this way:
Expending a spell slot does not make a spell slot disappear, it is just temporarily "filled up".
Regaining a spell slot "empties" an expended slot, making it available for use again.
When you use a pearl of power you are not creating a new spell slot, you are just regaining an existing spell slot. Only the flexible casting feature allows you to create new spell slots.
I think it was Chicken Champ who specified that the sorcery points can only be used for metamagic, not flexible casting - but a lot of DM’s disagree with that concept. It makes narratively very little sense why they would even call it sorcery points when they could just call them something else, or just have specified ‘You can use the metamagic options you have chosen up to twice per day in any combination, and the ability to do so is recovered after a long rest’. They do that with Fey Touched after all? You gain a 1st and 2nd level spell that work outside of the realm of spell slots or points.
The stupid thing about it is it makes very little sense to add that caveat for balancing. For example with a 3rd level sorcerer creating a 3rd level spell slot that under normal circumstances is beyond their means; Firstly you would have to spend nearly every sorcery point at your disposal to make it, which there is basically no way that that is as useful as using, say, twinned spell up to 5 times. And secondly, you don’t have access to third level spells, so all you can do is buff up earlier spells which again, not nearly as flexible or useful.
My DM has used ‘rule of cool’ for me because he thinks I’ve found an impressive loophole whereby I create a third level spell slot just before I level up to level 3, and so when I level up I can learn spells for which I have a spell slot allowing me to learn a level 3 spell early. But that rule nerfs itself because the only way I’ll ever be able to use that spell is if I spend ALL MY SORCERY points to create the third level slot to be able to cast it. On top of that I lose access to a 2nd level spell that I DO have slots for. His way of rewarding me is to give me Pearl of Power so that if I spend that 3rd level spell slot, I regain it and can either turn that into 3 sorcery points, or keep the third level spell slot which will expire after a long rest.
The conditions that have to be met in order to make anything of this discovery are so specific that it’s not worth getting all up in a tizzy about RAW stuff. Why on earth the Metamagic adept feat demands that a sorcerer with access to 2 extra sorcery points must use them in a specific way is beyond me. It doesn’t even come close to breaking the game by comparison to other classes, and the sorcery points are by in large far more useful for the metamagic options ANYWAY.
Rule of Cool all the way my fellow nerds.
To Summarise. In the situation where you have a spell slot you would not normally have, the Pearl of Power regains any expended spell slot in any form that slot takes. It does not specify conditions under which that spell slot be found, only that a spell slot is expended at the time of calling upon it.
Why on earth the Metamagic adept feat demands that a sorcerer with access to 2 extra sorcery points must use them in a specific way is beyond me. It doesn’t even come close to breaking the game by comparison to other classes, and the sorcery points are by in large far more useful for the metamagic options ANYWAY.
The funny thing is I'm playing a character where, if I proceed as planned, it will matter because I'll be a Fighter 6/Sorc 1 with Metamagic Adept as that 6th level feat. Creating an extra 1st level slot might actually be more useful than twinning a mind sliver or whatever -- but of course I won't have that option.
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Why on earth the Metamagic adept feat demands that a sorcerer with access to 2 extra sorcery points must use them in a specific way is beyond me. It doesn’t even come close to breaking the game by comparison to other classes, and the sorcery points are by in large far more useful for the metamagic options ANYWAY.
The funny thing is I'm playing a character where, if I proceed as planned, it will matter because I'll be a Fighter 6/Sorc 1 with Metamagic Adept as that 6th level feat. Creating an extra 1st level slot might actually be more useful than twinning a mind sliver or whatever -- but of course I won't have that option.
Indeed. You don't get Flexible Casting until Sorc 2 anyway.
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The clue is in the word "regain" - if your character doesn't have those slots in the first place, you can't "regain" higher level spell slots, you can only "gain" those higher level spell slots.
I completely agree :) ... it never occurred to me that someone might try to use the pearl of power without expending a spell slot first. They have to have expended a spell slot in order to get one back. In addition, if the spell slot expended was 4th level or higher, the character gets a 3rd level slot whether they have expended a third level one or not.
However, a sorcerer can expend a spell slot purchased with sorcery points and get it back with a pearl of power - thus possibly bypassing the flexible casting constraint "Any spell slot you create with this feature vanishes when you finish a long rest." A spell slot regained by use of a pearl of power is arguably not created by the flexible casting ability but by the pearl of power. This creates a spell slot that could survive a long rest.
Absolutely not. It was created by flexible casting, whether it's been used and then regained via the pearl or not. The pearl cannot create new spell slots.
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I believe the confusion is about how spell slots function, so try thinking about it this way:
When you use a pearl of power you are not creating a new spell slot, you are just regaining an existing spell slot. Only the flexible casting feature allows you to create new spell slots.
I think it was Chicken Champ who specified that the sorcery points can only be used for metamagic, not flexible casting - but a lot of DM’s disagree with that concept. It makes narratively very little sense why they would even call it sorcery points when they could just call them something else, or just have specified ‘You can use the metamagic options you have chosen up to twice per day in any combination, and the ability to do so is recovered after a long rest’. They do that with Fey Touched after all? You gain a 1st and 2nd level spell that work outside of the realm of spell slots or points.
The stupid thing about it is it makes very little sense to add that caveat for balancing. For example with a 3rd level sorcerer creating a 3rd level spell slot that under normal circumstances is beyond their means; Firstly you would have to spend nearly every sorcery point at your disposal to make it, which there is basically no way that that is as useful as using, say, twinned spell up to 5 times. And secondly, you don’t have access to third level spells, so all you can do is buff up earlier spells which again, not nearly as flexible or useful.
My DM has used ‘rule of cool’ for me because he thinks I’ve found an impressive loophole whereby I create a third level spell slot just before I level up to level 3, and so when I level up I can learn spells for which I have a spell slot allowing me to learn a level 3 spell early. But that rule nerfs itself because the only way I’ll ever be able to use that spell is if I spend ALL MY SORCERY points to create the third level slot to be able to cast it. On top of that I lose access to a 2nd level spell that I DO have slots for. His way of rewarding me is to give me Pearl of Power so that if I spend that 3rd level spell slot, I regain it and can either turn that into 3 sorcery points, or keep the third level spell slot which will expire after a long rest.
The conditions that have to be met in order to make anything of this discovery are so specific that it’s not worth getting all up in a tizzy about RAW stuff. Why on earth the Metamagic adept feat demands that a sorcerer with access to 2 extra sorcery points must use them in a specific way is beyond me. It doesn’t even come close to breaking the game by comparison to other classes, and the sorcery points are by in large far more useful for the metamagic options ANYWAY.
Rule of Cool all the way my fellow nerds.
To Summarise. In the situation where you have a spell slot you would not normally have, the Pearl of Power regains any expended spell slot in any form that slot takes. It does not specify conditions under which that spell slot be found, only that a spell slot is expended at the time of calling upon it.
The funny thing is I'm playing a character where, if I proceed as planned, it will matter because I'll be a Fighter 6/Sorc 1 with Metamagic Adept as that 6th level feat. Creating an extra 1st level slot might actually be more useful than twinning a mind sliver or whatever -- but of course I won't have that option.
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Indeed. You don't get Flexible Casting until Sorc 2 anyway.