Reality Check: Nightmare Spinner 1 a good dip?

[Sinfire Titan]

Here's the dilemma: If you don't dip Nightmare Spinner 1 you get your normal spellcasting progression.

If you do dip Nightmare Spinner 1 you get immunity to fear and 9 free Illusion spells/day of every level you cast, but you lose a CL. This stacks with Specialization and Focused Specialist.

Worth it?

[deadkitten]

Best answer I can give is a resounding...probably?

[SorO_Lost]

After you obtain 9th level access you won't really suffer any mechanical loss that can't easily be made up, like Slot wise you're clearly coming out ahead and there are plenty of +1 CL Items/Feats/Spells out there. And if your game has an intended cutoff point, say level 10, you have pretty much the same deal there too.

Also did you just read Darkwing? I almost slapped Nightmare on the end, 7/level/day, freebie Fear, already meets Requirements, etc. I just got more focused on how to pick up Uncanny Forethought which is a pretty tight pinch without a Pact or finding a PrC that grants a Bonus Feat.

[Sinfire Titan]

After you obtain 9th level access you won't really suffer any mechanical loss that can't easily be made up, like Slot wise you're clearly coming out ahead and there are plenty of +1 CL Items/Feats/Spells out there. And if your game has an intended cutoff point, say level 10, you have pretty much the same deal there too.

Also did you just read Darkwing? I almost slapped Nightmare on the end, 7/level/day, freebie Fear, already meets Requirements, etc. I just got more focused on how to pick up Uncanny Forethought which is a pretty tight pinch without a Pact or finding a PrC that grants a Bonus Feat.

Good point, it's a delay that could be really worthwhile. And no, I was just updating the GOD Wizard handbook for the first time in years.

[Keldar]

9 extra illusion spells a day is probably one of the few times losing a caster level is clearly worth it. 

Presuming you can actually make good use of those illusions.  If you're smack dab in the middle of a wight-pocolypse, lots of illusions is going to do little...except feed Arcane Strike.  Also presuming you haven't lost caster levels elsewhere.  Least wise until you've gotten 9th level spells, in which case Nightmare Spinner is worth more than a lost caster level by a large margin.  Which may be the only time where a class level, in and of itself, is worth more than a caster level.

[SorO_Lost]

Presuming you can actually make good use of those illusions.  If you're smack dab in the middle of a wight-pocolypse, lots of illusions is going to do little...except feed Arcane Strike.

A Shadowcraft Mage with Earth Spell can effectively burn one of those bonus Illusions on a Heightened Silent Image for their choice of Evocation or Conjuration(summon/creation) and those Wights have a low Will bonus compared to the DCs a 6th+ level Illusionist will be throwing around.