So I have a PFS cleric (no archetypes) and I've just come across the Iron Priest archetype from the Technology Guide. It fits the character pretty well so I looked at retraining, and had a bit of a question.
Quote:
To gain an archetype that replaces standard class abilities you already have, you must spend 5 days for every alternate class feature you would add, subtract, or replace by taking that archetype. At the end of the training period, you lose the standard class features and replace them with the archetype’s alternate class features (if any).
The Iron Priest archetype does three things: different class skill list, alters channel energy, and alters casting.
Quote:
Iron priests preach of the messengers from beyond the stars, envoys of the divine brought to Golarion in a falling star. Iron priests can affect robots and other unliving constructs with channeled energy, but lack power over the undead. Appropriate deities for an Iron Priest include Brigh, Nethys, Gorum, and Haagenti. An iron priest has the following class features.
Class Skills: The iron priest’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Survival (Wis).
Channel Energy (Su): When an iron priest channels energy to heal or harm living creatures, she heals or harms constructs with the clockwork or robot subtypes as well. Constructs without those subtypes are also affected, but gain only half the normal amount of healing or take only half the normal amount of damage, as appropriate. An iron priest cannot harm or heal undead with channel energy. This ability alters channel energy.
Spontaneous Casting: An iron priest can spontaneously cast make whole and greater make whole in place of cure/inflict moderate wounds and cure/inflict critical wounds, regardless of whether she channels positive or negative energy. This ability alters casting.
While it doesn't specifically state so, I assume that the class skill list replaces the standard cleric class skills. My question is that the archetype alters channel energy and casting, it doesn't add, subtract, or replace either of them.
Lots of archetypes alter abilities rather than replacing them outright, and the archetype retraining never mentions abilities that alter.
tl;dr Is retraining altered class features free or is it considered replacing?
