Reading over the Arrowsong Minstrel, the Arrowsong strike ability is a little vague, particularly in its 18th level advancement.
Arrowsong Strike (Su)
At 6th level, an Arrowsong minstrel can use spellstrike (as per the magus class feature) to cast a single-target ranged touch attack spell and deliver it through a ranged weapon attack. Even if the spell can normally affect multiple targets, only a single missile, ray, or effect accompanies the attack. She cannot use spellstrike with normal touch attacks or melee attacks.
At 18th level, an Arrowsong minstrel using a multiple-target spell with this ability can deliver one ray or line of effect with each attack when using a full-attack action, up to the maximum allowed by the spell (in the case of ray effects). Any effects not used in the round the spell is cast are lost.
With ranged spellstrike, whenever you cast a ranged touch spell, you can deliver it through a ranged weapon attack, getting a free attack with you ranged weapon in order to do so. Since the Arrowsong Minstrel doesn't get spell combat, the only way they could combine a spellstrike with a full-attack is with a quickened spell. So is that all the 18th level ability is referring to?
I think it was just poorly worded. Remove the words "single-target" from the first sentence and everything works fine.
You can use a ranged touch attack spell and deliver it through your weapon. If the spell could normally target multiple enemies, it instead can target only one.
At 18th level it can target more than one.
You are right that there is the problem of casting and deliver multiple attacks with the 18th level ability since they don't have spell combat. The author of the archetype seems to have forgotten that. It you quicken the spell it does work, but that would be the only way.
Yeah, the 6th level ability wasn't confusing me, really. Just the 18th level. The fact that the ability only works if you have quicken spell seems odd to me. I believe Alexander Augunas was the one who wrote the Arrowsong stuff, it'd be great to have his input.
It is also possible that the original author of the ability included Spell Combat (or something like it) in the write up, but that it was removed in editing without thinking about the consequences.
Either way, it can function but is largely worthless if the spell has to be quickened to function. Of course, most game never get to 18th level so I'm not sure the fact that it doesn't function well makes much of a difference when almost no one will use it.
It's poorly worded. You should really just read the Myrmidarch for clarification (multiple-target ranged spellstrike is a special full-round action). Is there any serious doubt that it is intended to work like that?
It's poorly worded. You should really just read the Myrmidarch for clarification (multiple-target ranged spellstrike is a special full-round action). Is there any serious doubt that it is intended to work like that?
Since it's not a myrmadarch and since it's a bard archetype and not a magus archetype, yeah.
It would make sense to work like the Myrmidarch's ranged spellstrike, since it has very similar language. I might even rule as much in a home game, though as it stands it's unclear.
It's poorly worded. You should really just read the Myrmidarch for clarification (multiple-target ranged spellstrike is a special full-round action). Is there any serious doubt that it is intended to work like that?Since it's not a myrmadarch and since it's a bard archetype and not a magus archetype, yeah.
But since the ability in question explicitly references the Magus ability, and assuming that the point of discussion is to reach a useful answer, do you sincerely, after having read and compared the two abilities, doubt it?
Sure. Until Paizo makes an official ruling I would run it as written because 1) it's an 18th level ability and virtually irrelevant 2) it functions even if it doesn't function well
Also, it references the magus not the myrmadarch archetype. If they had intended it to work as the myrmadarch they should have referenced that ability.
I will agree however, that they way it is written is probably not how they intended it to work.