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I've got a question about the Spirit Guide Archetype for the Oracle.
The archetype:
Spirit Guide Archetype
Class Skills
A spirit guide gains all Knowledge skills as class skills. This replaces the bonus class skills gained from the oracle's mystery.
Bonded Spirit (Su)
At 3rd level, a spirit guide can form a temporary bond with a spirit, as the shaman's wandering spirit class feature (see page 37). She must make this selection each day when she refreshes her spells. A spirit guide cannot bond with a spirit that is incompatible with her alignment, ethos, or mystery (GM's discretion).
A spirit guide gains one hex of her choice from the list of hexes available from that spirit. She uses her oracle level as her shaman level and her Charisma score instead of Wisdom for the purpose of determining its effects.
At 4th level, she adds the bonded spirit's spirit magic spells to her oracle spells known for that day, but only of spell levels she can cast. At 7th level, she gains the spirit ability of her current bonded spirit. [At 15th level, she gains the greater spirit ability of her current bonded spirit.]
This ability replaces the revelations gained at 3rd, 7th, [and 15th] levels.
The spirit I'm going for is Lore, which has this hex:
Arcane Enlightenment (Su):
The shaman's native intelligence grants her the ability to tap into arcane lore. The shaman can add a number of spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1) to the list of shaman spells she can prepare. To cast these spells she must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell's level, but the saving throw DCs of these spells are based on her Wisdom rather than Intelligence. When she casts these spells, they are treated as divine rather than arcane. Each time the shaman gains a level after taking this hex, she can choose to replace one of these spells for a new spell on the wizard/sorcerer spell list.
I'll be paying pathfinder society for the first time, and I don't want to buy the book just for this ability and have it not work. The only problem that could possibly exist that I can see is from the text "add a number of spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list... to the list of shaman spells she can prepare." Technically, oracles don't prepare spells, they have spells known, so I would assume they would simply be counted as spells known. I would also assume that because I would have to re-pick the Spirit each day, I would re-choose the spells that I want on a given day as well.
I can't rely on the GM simply telling me, because I can't expect the same person reach time. My question is this: Can I count on my GM to read this the same way? For those who are GMs, how would you rule it?
Thanks.
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To best insure that your question gets the attention it deserves I've flagged your post to be moved over to the Rules Questions Forum. The Campaign Leaders over here have little ability to give you an official answer, whereas if this is moved over to the appropriate forum you might just get Mark Seifter or someone on the Design Team to answer you directly. Barring that occurrence, the Rules Forum is where FAQs are posted and answered.
There are no PFS-specific rules regarding this hex that I am aware of.
Best of luck! I asked a similar question last year and it got little attention. Perhaps now that the Shaman has been around a bit longer people will be more ready to answer you.
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Alas, you will hit table variation on this ability for Spirit Guide Oracles, especially with the word "Prepare" in there.
Because I never received an official answer on this, I decided eventually that the lovely Lore Spirit Hex "Arcane Enlightenment" does not exist for my Spirit Guide Oracle. It's great for prepared casters, like Shamans. But since you can change your wandering spirit every time you play, you can experiment. This archetype still gives you more flexibility than any other that I've seen. You can change up your spells and abilities like no one else that I've seen!
It's still worth looking at this lovely archetype, even without that particular hex.
Hmm
You might also get table variation about getting different wizard spells each day. Some GMs will count it as 'you're binding to the same Lore Spirit so you get the same spells as yesterday.'
My belief is that the oracle can't benefit from that hex because they do not "prepare" spells.
By changing up spells, I was referring to the spells that come with each spirit that you bind to...
Indeed, and that is a good thing, restricted again by GM fiat according to the fluff that only spirits that are somehow in accordance with the character can be bound.
But I was referring to the OP's intention to get a different set of wizard spells from the Lore spirit each day.
To best insure that your question gets the attention it deserves I've flagged your post to be moved over to the Rules Questions Forum.
Thank you!
It's still worth looking at this lovely archetype, even without that particular hex.
Honestly, after thinking about it more, I think you're right. The flexibility alone makes it worth it, and the Life and Lore Spirits especially are pretty good (even without the extra wizard spells). Plus, I mean it's ten dollars, and it supports Pathfinder.
Based on y'alls' input so far, I'm not expecting the GM to rule it my way, but I think I'm going to go for the archetype, and if a GM does rule it my way, that's cool too.
There are a lot of fun hijinks to be had with the spirit guide. For instance, you can have double life for double the channels and double the life link. Double life is the closest healing gets to overkill.