Is a Thassilonian specialist of Gluttony and Hallowed Necromancer a legal Archetype combination?

[Nikolaus Athas]

Hi all,
I have been looking around for a definitive answer to this and I have found some older threads that discuss whether or not the Thassilonian Specialists can take focus schools (they can't) but I couldn't find anything that talked about combining archetypes.

My take is that it is a legal combination because as far as I can see:
a) The Thassilonian Specialist of Gluttony doesn't alter any of the school powers.
b) The Hallowed Necromancer only alters the school powers.
c) both require you to make Necromancy your school.

Is this right?

[Java Man]

Looks okay to me, I can see how a very restrictive reading would say they both alter arcane school however.

[willuwontu]

They don't stack, both alter the arcane school class feature.

[Cavall]

I would agree the both alter the same thing despite not saying so in the details. This would have to be GM permission although I'd let it slide just to see it work.

[blahpers]

Thassilonian Specialist is weird. Archives lists it as an archetype, but it doesn't follow the format of an archetype, and I'm not certain that Inner Sea Magic lists it as an archetype. In many ways, it's more like an alternate choice for arcane school, similar to choosing an elemental school. It does serve a lot of the same function as an archetype, though, and some things that aren't archetypes nevertheless interact as though they were archetypes.

If one does treat it as an archetype, then you're out of luck. School powers aren't a class feature; they're a part of the larger arcane school class feature. If that feature is already altered, you can't stack another archetype that also alters it.

[gnoams]

The rules for multiple archetypes does not apply here, Thassilonian magic is a "variant magic system," not an archetype. There is definitely some contention on how it is supposed to function, so talk to your GM is the best answer.

[Nikolaus Athas]

Hi all,
and thank you for the replies. This would probably get even muddier if I say I was thinking about doing this as a PFS character, who has the Boon that allows a Thassalonian specialist. Given the advice given by a few about getting a GM ruling I would probably be facing a lot of table variation if I tried this.

So without some kind of 'official' ruling on this I suppose this concept goes into the "Characters That Could Have Been" folder.

Thanks once again for the feedback.

[Cavall]

I would simply clear it with them, as they have more authority to yay or nay it.

Simply ask before filing. Personally like I said I'd allow it. And I'm pretty strict.

[gnoams]

FWIW I've seen a few pfs wizards with that boon and they've all gone with the interpretation that it works with everything and you still get school powers and can take archetypes. I have yet to encounter any GM that had any issue with this reading of the rules.

However, there is an extremely restrictive interpretation: the Thassilonian schools are alternate schools, as in you don't get any necromancy school powers, you didn't choose necromancy, you chose gluttony and the school power of gluttony is +1 spell per level. Now again, it's not an archetype, however you would be specializing in the school of gluttony, not necromancy, so you wouldn't be eligible for hallowed necromancer. Also any archetype that trades out schools would trade out everything Thassilonian gives you, making it an irrelevant choice.

[Java Man]

There are multiple NPC statblocks for thassilonian specialist wizards that include school powers in RotRL, if not elsewhere. An AP is not a definitive rule source, but for a GM to rule otherwise is to claim that they found an error that the writer(s) and editor(s) missed.