Expanded Wishcraft Nerf Problem?

[Wrong John Silver]

So I'm looking over the Wishcrafter archetype, which has the following power:

PRD wrote:

Expanded Wishcraft: At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, the wishcrafter grows more adept at altering reality to fit the whims of others. She may add an additional spell selected from the sorcerer/wizard spell list to her list of spells known. This spell must be one level lower than the highest-level spell she can cast. A wishcrafter can only use these spells in conjunction with her wishbound arcana ability. For example, if she used this ability to learn cat's grace, she can only cast it when another creature wishes for it, and can't cast it on herself because it is a targeted spell. She cannot use these spells to craft or recharge magic items. These bonus spells replace the bloodline spells gained by the sorcerer's bloodline.

Now, the problem I see is that at third level, a sorcerer can still only cast level 1 spells. Normally, a 3rd level sorcerer receives a level 1 spell at 3rd, 2 at 5th, and so on.

As written, the sorcerer receives a level 0 spell at 3rd, 1 at 5th, and so on, and it can only be cast in conjunction with people wishing. Is that correct?

[Andarion]

After reading over the archetype, you are correct and incorrect. Expanded Wishcraft does not modify the spells that a sorcerer gets normally. So at level 3 a sorcerer will have 3 1st level spells as noted on the class table.

However, Expanded Wishcraft does modify the BONUS spell the sorcerer gets from their bloodline. So at level 3 when they would normally get a specific 1st level spell they cannot choose, like Enlarge Person for the Abberant Bloodline or Mage Armor for Draconic, they get a 0 level spell of their choosing.

At lower level this can be kinda blah, but when you get access to a 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th level spell of your choice, it kinda works out.

So a 3rd level Sorcerer of normal variety will have:

5 0 level spells known
3 +1 1st level known (where the +1 is a predetermined bloodline spell)

A Wishcrafter Sorcerer will have:

5 +1 0 level spells known (where the +1 is a player chosen spell)
3 1st level spells

*Edit Ignore me, looks like I just explained what you already said.

[Hubaris]

By RAW you are correct. The developer mentioned that it's a mistake though. If you're forced to go as written, a Bloodline Familiar will delay your Bloodline spells 1 Sorcerer level, making the option work as intended.

[Wrong John Silver]

That's a pity. Given that the spell is already only circumstantially granted, it seems awfully sad to make it a lower power spell anyway.

Also, a Bloodline Familiar delaying your bloodline spells won't help, because you don't get bloodline spells.

I ran into a similar problem because I thought there might be some cool synergy between the wishcraft spells and the trait Unseen But Not Undone. If you can cast a bloodline spell as a Still Spell once per day, and you don't need a verbal component either (and you never need cheap material components), then someone can wish for something and it just happens, no physical action on your part. But it's not a bloodline spell. Sorry.

[Tacticslion]

D'b'dawt.

[Hubaris]

You still have the Bloodline Spells, it just replaces the specific ones.

Here's the developer post on it, maybe this will help if you're not playing PFS.

Benchak the Nightstalker wrote:

Hi, I'm Ben Bruck, I wrote the wishcrafter archetype.

I agree its a bummer, my original turnover gave you that ability at 4th (and every even level after) so you could take a 1st level spell at the start. It got changed to 3rd, I'm guessing so that it was at the same level of the ability it replaced.

If you're not playing PFS, I would suggest your GM remove the "one level lower" restriction and let you pick a 1st level spell, but of course that's just me.

But otherwise, Draco is right, my intent was to be a jerk, screw people over, and make them not play my archetype. That's just how I roll, son! :)

[Natan Linggod 327]

I just noticed that the way it's worded now, you will never get a 9th level spell using Wishcraft.

[Wrong John Silver]

Hubaris wrote:

You still have the Bloodline Spells, it just replaces the specific ones.

PRD wrote:

These bonus spells replace the bloodline spells gained by the sorcerer's bloodline.

It doesn't call them bloodline spells, so it remains questionable whether they are or not.