Variant Multiclassing & Proficiency

[Raetu]

Hey folks. I was pondering the uses of the variant-multiclassing system, like getting eldritch knight without dipping a non-casting class, but then found myself wondering:

If a use Variant-Multiclassing to grab Oracle of Battle: Skill at Arms

Quote:

Skill at Arms (Ex): You gain proficiency in all martial weapons and heavy armor.

Do I get medium armor and simple armor/weapon proficiency?

If you have sources to back up your point, please cite them, thank you.

[Darksol the Painbringer]

Per RAW, no. You are proficient with heavy and martial weapons, but nothing else unless other abilities give you that proficiency. It's a weird corner case, but the ability assumes that you have simple weapon and medium armor proficiency.

If I were GM, I'd simply improve proficiencies the character has by one category, up to the normally listed proficiencies in the revelation.

[Gisher]

You don't get those other proficiencies. For VMC the rule to follow is that it gets you exactly what it says it does and not one thing more. Note that the original intent of VMC was that it would be used when other forms of multiclassing, including the use of Prestige Classes, was not allowed. Of course all of Pathfinder Unchained was intended for experimentation so many people allow the different forms of multiclassing to mix.

Nowadays, if you want to get back one of your two lost levels of casting progression, the Favored Prestige Class and Prestigious Spellcaster feat chain is a lot cheaper than spending five feats on VMC. It occurs to me that you could actually use these feats and VMC together to get a full 20 levels of casting progression at the cost of seven feats.