Three Piece Abashai set or hard-coded level limits?

[eachna_gislin]

While being advised on what to do with my cleric, someone suggested I farm the bits to epic Abashai gear. At least 3 pieces, for my healbot-turned-evoker cleric.

As per the wiki:
3 Item version: Profane Natural Armor Bonus +3, Profane Strength +3, Evocation Caster Level Bonus +3

The main benefit to doing this would be the Evocation caster levels. The strength and natural armor bonuses would be extras.

While then reading threads in the forums, I stumbled across some discussions that explained the +3 Evocation levels possibly do not stack on a pure cleric for several of their most potent evocation spells, because of hard-coded spell level limits. It was further suggested that with the hard coded level limits the gear becomes most useful for clerics that splash other classes (to get them back up to full evocation levels), and not so useful for pure clerics.

Is this correct? Are there hard-coded level limits on the cleric evocation spells that inhibit the epic Abashai gear from granting +3 evocation levels to pure clerics?

[Matuse]

The only thing +3 evocation helps on a cleric is to give +3 spell pen to Implosion. Unless you are DEEPLY splashed with something else, in which case it might bring your blade barrier damage up to the L15 hard cap.

To me, that doesn't seem worth 3 slots.

[eachna_gislin]

The only thing +3 evocation helps on a cleric is to give +3 spell pen to Implosion. Unless you are DEEPLY splashed with something else, in which case it might bring your blade barrier damage up to the L15 hard cap.

To me, that doesn't seem worth 3 slots.

Thanks for the answers.

So there are hard coded level limits on divine evocation spells. Useful information to help me decide what to farm.

[MRMechMan]

+3 caster levels to DP, if you don't have a divine destiny or pure. It is capped at 20.

18/2, 17/2/1 cleric or fvs builds are fairly common, I mean cleric kinda begs to be splashed so getting that DP back up to 20 caster level is useful.

[Habreno]

+3 caster levels to DP, if you don't have a divine destiny or pure. It is capped at 20.

18/2, 17/2/1 cleric or fvs builds are fairly common, I mean cleric kinda begs to be splashed so getting that DP back up to 20 caster level is useful.

Even on the 18/2, it's still cast at CL 20 because of Radiant Servant.

[MRMechMan]

Even on the 18/2, it's still cast at CL 20 because of Radiant Servant.

Good point! Someone throw a tarp over me!