Oversight on elemental races?

[MyTThor]

The Ifrit, the Sylph, the Undine, and the Oread, as expected, all get their elemental affinity ability. But what I don't understand is why those races get the bonuses to their appropriate cleric domain or sorceror bloodline but these benefits don't extend to the appropriate oracle mystery. Is there some mechanical or balance reasoning that I'm overlooking here? Or is this just an oversight by the devs? I don't get it.

[Kazaan]

Well, Sorc bloodline is self-explanatory as to whey they get that. Cleric Domain is a little bit more abstract, but you could say it represents an inherent quality that the Cleric already possesses and their deity reinforces. But Oracle Mysteries are things that are completely foreign to the Oracle; hence the term "mysteries". An Ifrit with a Fire mystery isn't gaining revelations on the fire within themselves but rather they're exploring the nature of fire that's outside of their scope of understanding. Sorcerers look within for understanding. Clerics look within and see how it relates to what is not within. Oracles focus entirely on what is not within and unfamiliar to them. If you look at it that way, it makes a lot more sense.

[Cheapy]

Was the Oracle even out when those races came out?

[MyTThor]

Cheapy wrote:

Was the Oracle even out when those races came out?

Not in the bestiary, but when they were published in the ARG, definitely.

[Cheapy]

They didn't generally update the races in the ARG. I know somefreelancers wanted to update their assigned race to be more PC friendly but they were turned down.

[Weirdo]

Sounds like a good place for a houserule.

[MyTThor]

If they added favored class bonuses for the classes, obviously they were open do doing at least some changes.

[Cheapy]

That's different from changing the actual rules. One is a simple addition, the other is a change that would affect every previously published member of that race.

It's probably fine to have it add to the relevant mystery though, balance wise.