Panoplies and the Haunt Collector and Relic Hunter archetypes

[Weirdo]

Panoplies:

While many occultists focus on the inherent psychic properties of certain types of objects, some specialists take their studies a step further, exploring the ways specific types of implements interact with one another. While not all implements psychically resonate with all other kinds of implements, such panoplies unlock even greater magical potential when used to complement one another.

An occultist can select a panoply anytime he selects a new implement school. To do so, he must already have learned to use the implement school of each implement within the panoply at least once. As with any other implement school, when an occultist learns to use a panoply, he gains access to the resonant power and base focus power, and he becomes able to learn the panoply’s other focus powers. He also adds one spell of each spell level to his spell list, and these spells can be taken from any of the implement schools associated with the panoply. To use a panoply’s resonant power or any of its focus powers, the occultist must select and invest mental focus into the associated implements that day. A single bearer must hold all the panoply’s associated implements to gain the panoply’s resonant power, and the occultist counts the total number of points of mental focus invested among all of the associated implements to determine the resonant power’s effect. The occultist can expend points of mental focus from any of the associated implements to use the panoply’s focus powers. Unlike for other implement schools, an occultist cannot select a panoply more than once.

Haunt Collector's Possessed Possessions Ability:

At 2nd level, and every 4 occultist levels thereafter, when the haunt collector chooses an implement school he doesn’t already know, instead of using implements as normal for that school, he can gain access to a haunted implement—a powerful, spirit-possessed item collected during his travels. When he selects a haunted implement, he forsakes the resonant power from the item’s implement group and instead selects a spirit from the medium’s list of spirits, gaining that spirit’s seance boon in place of the resonant power. He can also call upon the implement’s haunting entity as a swift action to temporarily gain bonuses on all checks associated with the selected legendary spirit’s spirit bonus for 1 round. This spirit bonus is equal to 1/2 the amount of mental focus invested in the implement, to a maximum bonus of 1 + 1 for every 4 occultist levels the haunt collector has. He can call upon this spirit bonus a number of times per day equal to the amount of mental focus invested in the implement, though invoking it doesn’t expend any mental focus. Once the spirit type is selected for an implement, it cannot be changed.

Relic Hunter Relic Ability:

At 1st level, a relic hunter gains the occultist’s implements class feature (see page 47) and learns to use two occultist implement schools as relic schools. At 4th level and every 3 levels thereafter, the relic hunter learns to use one additional relic school drawn from the same source, gaining access to that school’s resonant power and base focus power and opening up that school’s focus powers for her to select. Like an occultist, a relic hunter can select the same school twice, but it is far less useful for her to do so.

1) Can an implement that has been haunted become part of a panoply? For example, if a shield is haunted by a Champion spirit, could that shield become part of the Trappings of the Warrior?

2) Can a panoply itself be haunted? For example, could a set of performer's accouterments be collectively haunted by a Trickster spirit?

3) Can a relic hunter learn to use a panoply?

[Weirdo]

So it looks like I've got one FAQ request and no answers?

Personally my guesses are "Yes," "No," and "I'd allow it but I wouldn't try it in PFS."

[Gisher]

Weirdo wrote:

1) Can an implement that has been haunted become part of a panoply? For example, if a shield is haunted by a Champion spirit, could that shield become part of the Trappings of the Warrior?

Sure. Can you think of a reason why this wouldn't work?

Weirdo wrote:

2) Can a panoply itself be haunted? For example, could a set of performer's accouterments be collectively haunted by a Trickster spirit?

I don't think that selecting a Panoply would count as choosing "an implement school he doesn’t already know."

Weirdo wrote:

3) Can a relic hunter learn to use a panoply?

I would say no. The Panoplies description states that Occultists can choose Panoplies. Relic Hunters have Implements, but that doesn't make them Occultists.

[Weirdo]

1) Not really, but I thought I'd check while I was asking about (2).

2) The reasoning in favour for haunting a panoply is the lines "As with any other implement school, when an occultist learns to use a panoply..." and "Unlike for other implement schools, an occultist cannot select a panoply more than once." Both of these sentences imply that a panoply is an implement school, which means if you take a panoply you don't know you're also taking an implement school you don't know.

The reasoning against is that even if it's an implement school, a panoply isn't represented by a single implement so you can't select it as a haunted implement.

3) I agree this is the strict RAW, but I'm not sure that the limitation was intended. If a new book introduces a list of rage powers with the sentence "Barbarians can select the following rage powers," I wouldn't read it to exclude Primalist Bloodragers or Wild Stalker Rangers from taking those rage powers. On the other hand, even if panoplies are considered implement schools they are also their own thing.

I admit there's a bit of wishful thinking here since I think the Relic Hunter works a lot better than the Reliquarian and disallowing the Relic Hunter from taking panoplies just makes both of them disappointing compared to the base occultist...