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So I have a curious question about the Pathfinder Savant prestige class. One ability it offers is Esoteric Magic:
Esoteric Magic (Ex): At each class level beyond 1st, the Pathfinder savant chooses a spell from any class’s spell list and thereafter treats it as if it were on the spell list of his base spellcasting classes; if his base class could not normally cast that spell, it is treated as 1 level higher. The spell’s type (arcane or divine) and save DCs function as normal for his base spellcasting class. All other restrictions of his normal spellcasting class apply. This ability does not allow other spellcasters to prepare, cast, or use spell trigger or spell completion items of esoteric spells (such as a sorcerer using a cure light wounds scroll).
On its face, this is clear: you get to add a spell to you class's spell list. If you're a sorcerer , for example, you might want to add Heal to your sorcerer class spell list. So far, so good.
What confuses me is the language about "if his base class could not normally cast that spell, it is treated as 1 level higher." Again, this is obvious on its face. In the example above, the spell Heal is not on the sorcerer class spell list, and so while it's a 6th level cleric spell, it would enter the sorcerer's class spell list as a 7th level spell. (Setting aside the cheesy attempt to use the Adept skill list to get it on at a lower level.)
What confuses me in particular is the "if" in that sentence. "If his base class could not normally cast that spell." That "if" implies that the condition following might or might not be true. In other words, the spell being added to the class spell list might actually be one his base class could normally cast. But if the spell were already one that the Pathfinder Savant's based class could cast, it would already be on his class spell list and wouldn't need to be added.
So what does the "if" mean? Am I missing a situation in which the the base class could cast the spell but it wouldn't be on the class spell list? Is it just a poorly worded description, and should read simply: "it is treated as 1 level higher"? Is there a situation in which a spell could be added without it being treated as 1 level higher?
In law school we're trained to interpret rules such that no portion is interpreted as being meaningless. Presumably the authors intended something by that phrase. But I'm having genuine trouble with the "if his base class could not normally cast that spell" portion of the Esoteric Magic description.
Can anyone offer any insight into this?