Here's a good question!

Can a Cleric "MG" his spell set?

They pray at <Time of the day/month/year> If favoured by their God, the Deity may channel divine powers 'through' the Priest, at "request." - Atleast, it goes something like this -

So, here's the thing. When you decide to do the Sewertown Quest, involving Enemy X and enemy X, which you so happen to know OOC, can you MG your spell set? Or do you, as a Priest (Same goes for Druids and Paladins) "request" every single 'spell' up front?

As a reminder, a Priest may sacrifice spell slots same level to cast un-memorized Healing. This sort of makes it feel as if a Priest may 'pray' for his spells at whatever time being.

Well, most clerics and mages will ask, ICly what the group will be facing. If it's known, meaning the NPC told you what you'll be facing, then it's quite acceptable to change your spells around to fit the task.

However, if the quest is one such as the portal quest or the dunwarren 'lost child' quest, where the NPC just says 'go investigate', then ICly you'd have no way of knowing what you're about to face and thus should not use OOC knowledge to prepare your spell list.

Also, consider this. A smart mage usually has an assortment of spells for numerous situations at hand. Typically a mage, if they were real, probably wouldn't have 11 weapon enchantment spells at the ready; she'd maybe have 1.....along side a variety of others of various usefulness depending on the task at hand.

Heck, even in the NWN handbook it states: an unprepared wizard is often quite vulnerable, but if they are prepared for battle, they are a force to be reckoned with. Now that's not a direct quote but it's a damn close paraphrase.

I'm assuming your question is if a cleric knows what spells he has before he casts them, or something to that effect. My take on it is that yes, the cleric does know, and prayed for those spells specifically. I don't think the priest can just pick and choose what blessings he wants within an alotted amount at the time of casting, else the cleric would have spellcasting like a Sorceror or Bard. That is, spontaneously.

Healing Spells are just an exception to the rule, where the Cleric gets to cast them spontaneously.

Okay, let me see if I understand what you're asking.

If you're asking this:

Can I metagame my spell selection so that when I see an enemy of type x I can pretend that I am asking my god for a specific power which I memorized beforehand because it is especially useful against enemy x even though I had no knowledge that enemy x would be present beforehand.

The answer is no.

If you're asking this:

My cleric knows what powers he has prepared and can cast them willy nilly.

The answer is yes.

You definitely select the prayers for the day when you rest. The exception is spontaneously casting heal spells as a good/neutral cleric, or inflict spells as an evil/neutral cleric.

evil clerics cant sac spells for healing?

is that a usual guidline? or was that a mechanics change?

In NWN, clerics have always been able to cast healing and inflict spells spontaneously. That means, if you don't actually memorize healing spells, you can still cast them, sacrificing a spell of the same level that you -have- memorized. To do this, simply drag the spell from your spellbook to your quickslot.

Considering that Inflict spells are necromantic in nature, Good clerics should rarely, if ever, cast these. An evil cleric (I'm assuming) is still entitled to cast healing spells spontaneously.

On a sidenote, an evil cleric who casts these spells looks decidedly badass! The animation is awesome.

MadCaddies Considering that Inflict spells are necromantic in nature, Good clerics should rarely, if ever, cast these. An evil cleric (I'm assuming) is still entitled to cast healing spells spontaneously.

Necromancy Spells are not inherently evil.

That has no bearing on the actual issue, discussed here, but-

Considering that Inflict spells are necromantic in nature, Good clerics should rarely, if ever, cast these. An evil cleric (I'm assuming) is still entitled to cast healing spells spontaneously.

While its true many believe that Inflict is evil, and I am not saying it isnt, it isnt evil simply because its related to Necromancy.

Howland You definitely select the prayers for the day when you rest. The exception is spontaneously casting heal spells as a good/neutral cleric, or inflict spells as an evil/neutral cleric.

That's what I needed to hear. I mainly asked this as the idea popped up in my head when I found a Cleric adjusting his spell set mayorly for Sewertown quest, without him knowing what we'd face. For those that misunderstood me: "Does a cleric 'select' his prayers for the rest of his day, previously? - Or is that only mechanics, whereas a cleric IC wouldn't have to memorize (Memorize, Mechanic wise) his spells up front, but be able to cast -any- spell he'd like to at whatever time being. "

d20srd Clerics meditate or pray for their spells. Each cleric must choose a time at which he must spend 1 hour each day in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain his daily allotment of spells. Time spent resting has no effect on whether a cleric can prepare spells. A cleric may prepare and cast any spell on the cleric spell list, provided that he can cast spells of that level, but he must choose which spells to prepare during his daily meditation.

So theoretically if your cleric's time of meditation is before the mission that you know about you can "rest" then. Nwn puts rest and meditation together always, though obviously with SRD it can be quite separate.

As for inflict's from good clerics, it would depend what the deity has to say about the use of the spell in the particular circumstance as to whether it would be doable or not.

It's quite possible that a cleric of loviatar would NEVER be able to cast healing spontaneously at all, because loviatar would rather people feel the pain as long as possible. (this may not be the case but it's quite possible other deities my block spontaneous curing anyway)

Maybe deities cannot block spontaneous conversions on spells already given at mediation time, but they'd have something to say when you ask for spells again next time. (or their subordinates that may be giving you the spells)

Hmm, the mechanics are not the best, though yes, when a cleric "rests" he also choses his spells... technically, in PnP you meditate/rest as a cleric when you choose spells, and not say "i pray to my god to prepare this spell or the other", but in PnP you also can rest with no restrictions (unlike here). So its quite a problem (which dms probably solve as: its best and balanced that way).

I say clerics should have the ability to pray to thier gods, and get the spells.

Now, this should be on suggestions, why not having /pr channel, for prayers? If a dm is availiable, he would "listen" and RP the god, and might grant the spells the cleric wanted.

This will encorage RPing a prayer, as well as make it more logic, comparing to the Forgotten Realms world, I think :)

It would also give the poor DMs a whole lot of extra work they absolutely should not spend their time on, and as a cleric you wouldn't be able to do anything when there are no DMs on. I say nay.