Does Rime-Blooded Arcana Actually Do Anything?

[OutsiderSubtype]

Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell with the cold descriptor, you may select one *target of the spell* to be slowed (as the spell) for 1 round. A Fortitude save (DC 10 + the level of cold spell + your Charisma modifier) negates the effect.

Emphasis mine. Pretty much no cold descriptor spells actually target a specific person or monster. It might work with Ray of Frost and Polar Ray, but that seems quite debatable since those spells don't have a Target line in the description.

You could maybe get around this by doing Crossblood with Elemental (Water), but then you're combining the Crossblooded and Wildblooded archetypes which also seems of dubious legality. Elemental Spell feat does not actually change the descriptor.

So does this arcana only work with like 3 spells? Or was this bloodline solely meant as a 1-level Sorcerer dip for Admixture Evokers?

[Lloyd Jackson]

There are some new cold descripter spells that came out with Reign of Winter. Snowball would be a likely spell for this arcana.

[Katz]

It's possible that 'Target of the spell' could refer to anybody the spell is hitting/attempting to hit. Marked for FAQ, though, because that wording could probably use some clearing up.

[Weirdo]

Also works with Frigid Touch, though I agree it looks too limited.

[Blakmane]

I marked it as an FAQ, but I assume that 'target of the spell' refers to anyone who has been directly effected by the spell. 'Target' is used pretty generally in pathfinder. You can't apply MtG logic, where it is used to mean a very specific action. For example, whilst cone of cold doesn't specifically say it targets someone, all those caught in the area of effect are 'targets' and eligible for the rimeblooded arcana.

[Salindurthas]

I'm of the opinion that the level-0 spell Ray of Frost works with it.
Under the EFFECTS heading no target is listed, but the description specifically says "You must succeed on a ranged touch attack with the ray to deal damage to a target" (emphasis mine).

In a similar fashion I'd think it worked as Katz and Blakmane described. If you are throwing a spell at them then they are a target, at least in the common english definition. The alternative is to have it do next to nothing, which I think is a bit silly.

[Umbranus]

Blakmane wrote:

I marked it as an FAQ, but I assume that 'target of the spell' refers to anyone who has been directly effected by the spell. 'Target' is used pretty generally in pathfinder. You can't apply MtG logic, where it is used to mean a very specific action. For example, whilst cone of cold doesn't specifically say it targets someone, all those caught in the area of effect are 'targets' and eligible for the rimeblooded arcana.

This.

Frost fall and ice storm would also be spells it works with under those asumptions.

[OutsiderSubtype]

I agree that everyone in the area of, say, Cone of Cold should be considered a "target" for purposes of this ability, but I think the wording is ambiguous.