I got a question about the Oracle of Lore's Spontaneous Symbology revelaton. It's listed as a spelllike ability (Sp), but as the same time it says you "cast any “symbol” spell using a spell slot of the appropriate level".
So ... what is it? A spell or a spelllike ability? The definition seems important since spelllike abilities don't have material compponents. The symbol spells however DO have material components and quite costly ones, I might add.
I personally think it is in fact a spelllike ability, which happens to expend a spell slot - without actually being a spell (much like Arcane Blast), especially since the revelation doesn't add the spells to your list of known spellls.
Is this assumption correct?
... anyone?
2 days and not even an opinion? Come on, I know you can do it!
It's a tricky one, certainly.
I'm not 100% convinced by any means, but if I had to make a split-second decision and rule it, as a player or a DM, my first instinct is to go with the wording of the ability: It allows you to cast the spell as if it was on your list (like a cleric spontanesouly casting a cure spell instead of a prepared spell), and as such treat it as a spell, including material components needed.
That is because feats and abilities in Pathfinder generally spell out specifically "You can cast X as a spell-like ability" rather than "You can cast X". And as such, the (sp) might be an oversight, or merely that the substitution itself is a (sp) somehow. Really not sure on that. =)
Of course, one might also argue against this interpretation by saying "But then, why didn't the revelation just add the Symbol spells to your spell list?"... and for that, it MIGHT be that it's to safeguard for future Symbol spells, and it might be because adding a spell to your spell list also affects things like magic item creation and whatnot.
I think it's spontaneous casting, and therefore is actually casting the spell as normal.
The ability is Sp (though it just as easily could be Su). The act of casting is still normal spellcasting, just like a cleric spontaneously casting a cure or inflict spell.
The ability is Sp (though it just as easily could be Su). The act of casting is still normal spellcasting, just like a cleric spontaneously casting a cure or inflict spell.
But if the ability itself is (Sp) and not the casting of the spell, that would mean that you have to spend a standard action to convert, then cast the spell afterward. That doesn't make sense either.
You could argue the same thing if it were a supernatural ability, because those default to standard actions.
The main thing to realize is the oracle doesn't prepare spells. So (ignoring what I said earlier) this ability isn't really like clerics spontaneous casting, it's like the oracle's "add all the cure spells or all the inflict spells to your spells known" ability. Which is not an Ex, Sp, or Su... it just updates one of your class features, you don't need to spend an action to "activate" it. The type is irrelevant (and should probably be "typeless" so this question doesn't come up again).
So basically the discription could just as well have been "add all symbol spells to your list of spells known"? That's a shame, really :( makes the lore mysterium a whole lot less interesting. Ah well, at least there's still sidestep secret...
Anyway, thanks for the clarification, Sean :)