Hello, friends!
First off, thanks a lot for help on previous inquiries I had with my slayer. The build I created was truly efficient. However I was asked to buil an Stygian Slayer and I have the following question.
-Can the Stygian Slayer use Arcane Strike?
The feat states:
You draw upon your arcane power to enhance your weapons with magical energy.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast arcane spells.
Benefit: As a swift action, you can imbue your weapons with a fraction of your power. For 1 round, your weapons deal +1 damage and are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. For every five caster levels you possess, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.
And the S.S. receives:
At 4th level, a stygian slayer can cast invisibility (Which is an arcane spell) once per day, using his slayer level as his caster level . The slayer uses his Intelligence modifier for concentration checks when using this ability. The slayer can use this an additional time per day at 8th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
This ability replaces the slayer talent gained at 4th level.
Thanks in advance!
This FAQ rules that no you would not qualify.
However many people disagree with this ruling and if you are in a home game you should talk to your GM about it. If you're in PFS you're SOL, sorry.
The ability doesn't say "as a spell-like ability" in the text, which might have TheCyrus thinking that this is cast like a normal spell. The (Sp) right after the name of the ability (Invisibility) indicates that it is a spell-like ability, which as noted doesn't qualify, unfortunately.
Spell-like abilities are automatically arcane unless they only appear on divine lists, but this was modified in aforementioned FAQ to not count as arcane for prerequisites.
Modified to not count as able to cast spells.
Threadly reminder the FAQ reversal exists only to make life more miserable
Threadly reminder the FAQ reversal exists only to make life more miserable
Disagree. The initial FAQ was a mistake, they simply failed to realize it until they saw it in action.
Threadly reminder the FAQ reversal exists only to make life more miserableDisagree. The initial FAQ was a mistake, they simply failed to realize it until they saw it in action.
Making prestige classes usable and a handful of feats being accessible by non-casters is hardly a "mistake"
I consider it fully to be one.
But its okay to have differing opinions.
Sorry for the late answer and I appreciate your responses!
We don't use any home-made rule and we gotta stick to the official rules. If the game doesn't allow it and it was corrected in the FAQ, then, sadly, arcane strike won't be an option. :(
I guess I'll have to rely on power attack at the cost of my attack bonus.
If you qualify as an Ifrit, Oread, Sylph, or Undine you can take the somewhat similar Elemental Strike feat from Inner Sea Races instead. It isn't as good as Arcane Strike since it deals energy damage instead of untyped damage, but otherwise it has the same mechanics. I've been toying with a Sylph Investigator build using this.
It's sad because that archetype would have been designed before the reversal, so likely had the intention of qualifying as spell casting.
There're other things that doesn't seem to be right with this class either. It doesn't get:
-Spellcraft.
-Knowledge (Arcana/Planes)
-Use Magic Device.
Reading how the class works and how they can get spells, they should, AT LEAST, get spellcraft as a class skill.