Pretty sure life oracles get them at earlier spell levels.
|
My apologies for the confusion:
Neutralize poison is the bonus spell you receive at level 6 Oracle if you have the Life mystery.
Mass Heal is likewise the bonus spell you receive when you reach level 16 in the Oracle class if you have taken the Life mystery....and Neutralize poison is not stated as a level 3 spell for Oracles - it is a level 4 Cleric spell and so I must assume it is a level 4 Oracle spell (which cannot be cast until 8th level in the Oracle class).
I don't know if this is actually spelled out, but my reading has been:
Neutralize Poison is not a 3rd level spell for Oracles, but it is for Life Oracles.Likewise, Mass Heal is a 8th level spell for Life Oracles and 9th level for all other oracles.
Oracles were written a little weirdly, and for some reason they tied the mystery spells to class level instead of spell level, which means if you start taking a prestige class that advances your caster progression, you won't get any more mystery spells.
EDIT: Ah, this general issue has been clarified http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fn#v5748eaic9oyl
|
So technically by the way the rules are written I will know each of these spells for two levels before I can cast them, which seems rather pointless.
Is there any other PFS-legal way to play this? For example, could I cast neutralize poison as a 3rd level spell until I reach level 8 Oracle? Is there some way to reduce the effective level of a spell; a metamagic feat that lowers the level for example?
You've got it wrong. The bonus spells are availible for use at the level you acquire them (so Neutralize poison is a 3rd level spell for you). Kinda like how the Darkness Domain Cleric gains Blindness/deafness at 2nd level, even though it's a 3rd level cleric spell.
That said, the disadvantage here is that spell DC is based on the spell's level. So if the spell is a level lower, then the DC will also be 1 lower. Not a big loss, but something to keep in mind.
And on topic with bonus spells, if you get a spell added from an arcane class, the spell is still divine when the Oracle casts it. Drawback here is that you are unlikely to find any usuable divine scrolls/wands of a spell that doesn't normally exist on a divine class list. PFS ignores this drawback.
|
Neutralize poison is not stated as a level 3 spell for Oracles - it is a level 4 Cleric spell and so I must assume it is a level 4 Oracle spell (which cannot be cast until 8th level in the Oracle class).
Aside from the linked FAQ, take a step back and re-read what you're typing. Does it make any sense that at 6th level you'd gain a bonus spell known that you couldn't use for another two levels?
|
|
And, for the record, Neutralize Poison is a 3rd level Druid spell, with bonus spells often borrowing from other spell lists, it can safely assumed that their intention is a 3rd level spell. It's safe to conclude that there is no mechanical issue with PCs having access to a 3rd level version of this spell.
That said, if it being 3rd or 4th is such an issue for you, you could always take an archetype that swaps it for another spell. The Dual Cursed Oracle with the Life Mystery, for example, gains Bestow Curse at 6th instead of Neutralize Poison.