Arcane discoveries without being a wizard

Is there a way to gain an arcane discovery through feats, similarly to how one can gain a sorcerer bloodline powers?

Not in the RAW. If you can convince your GM to houserule, then sure.

1) No. The closest you can get is eldritch knight (if you already have at least one wizard level).

Diverse Training: An eldritch knight adds his level to any levels of fighter he might have for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites for feats (if he has no fighter levels, treat his eldritch knight levels as levels of fighter). He also adds his level to any levels in an arcane spellcasting class for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites for feats.

Is there a way to gain an arcane discovery through feats, similarly to how one can gain a sorcerer bloodline powers?

there is only one way to gain this without becoming a wizard proper. you must convince your gm to allow variant multi classing.

the long and short of it is that you give up half of your feat progression to get it as a non-wizard.

here is the basics.
your 3, 7, 11, 15, and 17 feats are consumed to use the variant multi classing. at 15th level you can select 1 arcane discovery using your character level as your wizard level for perquisites.

note this multi classing system can co-exist with standard multi classing but you can't ever take the class you took as your secondary class.(ergo wizard)

you gain a whole host of abilities themed wizard abilities ad lesser power that a normal wizard would. but it's intended to bolster the main classes spell casting. see link for full reference details.
I wish you luck in your please respond on how it goes with negotiations. :)
https://aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?Name=Variant%20Multiclassing&Category=Pat hfinder%20Unchained

Most arcane discoveries have a prerequisite of minimum wizard level. There are a few that use the term Wizards spell. Other classes don’t cast wizard spells so those also cannot be used unless you are a wizard. Sorcerers have the same spell list of as a wizard but still cast sorcerer spells not wizard spells. There are 7 arcane discoveries that do not specifically call out a wizard level or reference wizard spells. Of those two of them affect your Arcane Bond. There are archetypes that grant arcane bond to other classes, but often the archetype specifies what the item has to be.

The list of Arcane discoveries that don’t specifically state a wizard requirement or affect the arcane bond are arcane builder, creative destruction, defensive feedback, and knowledge is power. Arcane builder is from ultimate magic the other are from Champions of Balance or People of the River. Bonded mask is from mummy’s mask and Ioun bond is from people of the river.

Balanced summoning seems to be a waste of time. You can already summon multiple creatures from a lower-level list. Being able to have two opposing templates does not really do much. Creative destruction, defensive feedback and knowledge is power don’t seem to be all that useful. Arcane builder could be useful, but crafting is really not that good unless the campaign is really limited on magic items. So, what arcane discovery are you wanting to take on a non-wizard character.

Most arcane discoveries have a prerequisite of minimum wizard level.

Irrelevant for VMC; because if that system wouldn't let you replace class level from the VMC's class with "character level", the system stops working. Virtually all Rage Powers say "the barbarian", for example.

About the same is true for when you gain a class feature from another class(usually from an archetype, but not always, cf. Skald).

The VMC will work but that is the only thing that will, but even then, some of them may not function properly anyways. Opposition Research is worthless to a cleric with VMC wizard.

{brought back an old thread, 10 yrs later...}

"arcane discovery" search

essentially arcane discovery(ies) are not listed in the class description putting them out of reach for VMC as they are not secondary class features. It is a stand alone/stove-piped rule, "A wizard can learn an arcane discovery in place of a regular feat or wizard bonus feat." Reviewed the printed CRB & confirmed. So it falls to the VMC Core Classes rules.
Under VMC rules for Core Classes - Wizard "Discovery: At 15th level, he gains an arcane discovery or wizard bonus feat, treating his character level as his effective wizard level." so one at 15th level.

For more than that you will have to rely on your home game GM to make a decision.

building the wayback machine might be the harder task.

Arcanist can get arcane discoveries via an exploit.

Well, I would house rule it if the character in question could show that they've put in the effort to learn it. Arcane discoveries are a product of academics and research, so if a character wanted to learn the trick they will either need to do their own research or find a wizard willing to train them. There after they can use a feat to learn the discovery.

Arcanist can get arcane discoveries via an exploit.

Arcanists can get ONE arcane discovery through an exploit. Choose carefully.

Temperans wrote:

Arcanist can get arcane discoveries via an exploit.

Arcanists can get ONE arcane discovery through an exploit. Choose carefully.

I mean most discoveries are very specific so you rarely want multiple.

I mean most discoveries are very specific so you rarely want multiple.

I am of the rare group that wants multiple. I'd have been quite happy if the arcanist exploit that allowed for arcane discoveries was either unlimited (but capped effective wizard level to 1/2 arcanist level) or allowed you to select it no more than once every 5 levels. Or both.

Temperans wrote:

I mean most discoveries are very specific so you rarely want multiple.

I am of the rare group that wants multiple. I'd have been quite happy if the arcanist exploit that allowed for arcane discoveries was either unlimited (but capped effective wizard level to 1/2 arcanist level) or allowed you to select it no more than once every 5 levels. Or both.

In theory you could change it so its "a wizard or arcanist can choose this in place of a feat". Or limit arcanist to only once every X levels like with Fighter's Weapon Training feat.