The Perfect Preparation ability from Mythic Adventures grant a character the ability to cast any spell on their class list, or are they still limited to "spells known" in some way?
1 Answer
They're Limited, though exactly how is fuzzy
Perfect Preparation (Ex): You have discovered the secret to preparing spells without having to refer to outside sources. You no longer need to prepare spells from a spellbook (if you're a magus or wizard) or a familiar (if you're a witch). You still must spend the normal amount of time preparing spells. You may keep or discard your spellbook or familiar.
The bolded part of the quote is the most relevant part. Perfect preparation doesn't change your spells known or how you acquire those spells, nor does it alter your class spell list. Unfortunately the ability doesn't take into account how vital spellbooks and familiars are to the process of learning spells for the classes it references, so it leaves this weird limbo where you don't need your spellbook to prepare spells but you still need it to know them (ditto with your familiar as a witch). These sorts of editing errors are common, and I'd actually suggest asking about it on the Paizo forums to see if it can get an FAQ.
That Said...
I would avoid ruling that the character gains all spells on their class spell list if at all possible, mainly because of the overwhelming prowess of those spell lists. Yes, with enough optimization one's spells known are an arbitrary number; however, beneath that level of optimization they're a way of keeping those spellcasters manageable. Don't throw that away if you don't have to.
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1\$\begingroup\$ I would think that the last sentence, "You may keep or discard your spellbook or familiar", implies that you don't need your spell book to learn new spells, either. Other than that, I think it's pretty clear that the intent is not to open up all of the spells on the spell list, especially when you compare it to the other tier-1 abilities. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Feb 28, 2014 at 2:20
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3\$\begingroup\$ @MarkBessey The problem with that is that it doesn't specify what you do instead. Does the wizard still need to buy scrolls to learn new spells? At what cost? Can he still learn from other wizards? Does he just, what, memorize the spells? Tattoo them onto his body? Rip the page out of the book, eat it, and scream, "KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!" at the top of his lungs? \$\endgroup\$ Commented Feb 28, 2014 at 2:33
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\$\begingroup\$ Yeah, it definitely leaves a lot for the DM and player to work out. It might be that that's entirely intentional - I haven't used the mythic adventures rules, but from browsing the intro material, they're apparently intended to be a way to tie characters into significant events in the game world. You get "mythic" tiers from meeting some significant challenge, or coming into contact with a powerful artifact, or similar life-changing events. Maybe you're supposed to work the explanation for the effect into the description of the event that grants it. That seems sensible. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Feb 28, 2014 at 4:49