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Arcane Bolt (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you can unleash a ray of magic force as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. This ray deals 1d4 points of damage + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. This damage is treated as a spell of a level equal to half your sorcerer level, and is a force effect. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your (see FAQ/Errata) Charisma modifier.
This bloodline power replaces arcane bond.
My questions are-
1. Does this count as "a spell of the highest level you can cast"
2. If it is treated as a spell, could you potentially apply metamagic to it?
3. If you are wearing a Robe of arcane heritage this would theoretically cause arcane bolt to be treated as a spell of your sorcerer level+4/2. Which, at level 10 would mean arcane bolt's effective spell level is 7th, not 5th. (10+4=14/2). If question 1 is a yes, this would mean you can cast a "spell" of 7th level, which means you can select 5th level spells with the human favored class bonus, and expanded arcana could apply two spells known to 5th or 6th level spells?
4. If non of the above, what is the point of the bolded sentence?
1. No. It counts as a spell equal to half your Sorcerer level.
I understand that those two things are roughly equivalent, but they are not the same... so if you have shenanigans relying on "the highest level you can cast", this doesn't count for that purpose.
2. Probably... given that it says it is treated as a spell, and metamagics can be applied to spells. There might be some wierd or pointless interactions, but sure. Why not? Hopefully you have found a way to make a throw away power somewhat useful. But see question 4...
3. What? No. The robes simply up the additional damage of your ray...
Level 10 w/o robes: 1d4 + 5
Level 10 w/ robes: 1d4 + 7
That's it.
4. Paizo has LOTS of completely useless text added in all sorts of wierd places. But maybe spell resistance? Are Bloodline Powers subject to SR? Or, perhaps it is there for the addition of metamagic, or to deny it... not sure.
If it's already a spell equal to half your level, how are you going to apply metamagic to it? As you said, it's pretty much the highest level you can cast... there are no tricks like those traits to apply metamagics to Bloodline Powers without raising the "level"... so you might be screwed for adding metamagics.
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Those were my thoughts, however I've met some claiming to the contrary.
taking the stance that, since it is counted as a spell, it should be considered one for highest spell level you can cast. (which lead into the arcane heritage robe)
"The wearer treats her sorcerer level as 4 higher than normal for the purpose of determining what bloodline powers she can use and their effects."
which, would mean arcane bolt's effect of being treated as a spell of a level equal to 1/2 their sorcerer level is affected too.
What does that specific interaction accomplish, though?
Level 10 w/o robes: 1d4 + 5 (5th level spell equivalent)
Level 10 w/ robes: 1d4 + 7 (7th level spell equivalent)
So what...? What changed? It's still just a Bloodline Power shooting a single ray that does force damage.
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Because, if it functioned as a spell, you were technically castings a 7th level spell. Which means you could use the human FCB to get spells known of 5th level. Or use expanded arcana to get two spells known for 5th or 6th level spells.
I felt this one was more suspect, so posted it here to see if I could get a concrete answer.
we already had one wording with the arcane bloodline come up with an issue, namely getting the 3rd level power by grabbing eldrtich heritage and a robe so you could get arcane apotheosis at level 16 with the feat line due to the 3rd level power stating "At 20th level, this ability is replaced by arcane apotheosis."
Yes, but Arcane Apothesis replaces something at a certain level... level 20, or 16 with the robes... there isn't really shenanigans or tricks to abuse this. It's just a thing you can do now... and at that level, literally nobody cares that a 9th level caster just picked up another trick.
The Robes of Arcane Heritage, to my knowledge, cannot be abused to gain access to spells you would not otherwise get. Even gaining the Arcane Bloodline's New Arcana at level 5 instead of 9, you must choose a spell from a level you can cast.
Are you saying that using your Bloodline Power is treated as a spell of half your level should qualify as being able to cast that level of spell? I see the logic, I don't think it works like that... although I have no evidence to support that, really. The Bloodline Power in question DOES say it is treated as a spell, but not that it counts as CASTING a spell of that level, or even qualifying as the ability to cast a spell of that level.
It does NOT say: "This damage is treated as CASTING a spell of a level equal to half your sorcerer level, and is a force effect."
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I'm personally not entirely sure. I had never thought it could work like that until someone pointed it out to me.
Now, I don't think that, OR the arcane apotheosis trick are RAI. As you state, I could see the logic that would say "because its treated as a spell, And because technically it treats my sorcerer level as 4 higher, 5th level spells are technically not the highest level I can cast" And I think there is a small area of debate on whether it works this way RAW.
No it does not work that way. It is a spell like ability not a spell. The first sentence in the description of spell like ability states that while they work like spells they are not in fact spells. That means you are not casting the spell.
You cannot apply meta magic to a spell like ability because they don’t use spell slots. Applying a metamagic effect to a spell like ability requires its own feat. The only one I am aware of is Quicken Spell-like ability. I think there are also a couple of creatures with spell like abilities with other meta magic effects added in, but that is part of the spell like ability, not adding a metamagic feat to a spell like ability.
Globes of invulnerability do keep out spell like abilities. So the purpose of the bolded line is to allow an arcane bolt cast by a high level sorcerer to bypass a globe of invulnerability. If it did not have that text it would probably be treated like a magic missile and be kept out by any globe.
Rules as Intended are a freaking joke. As someone who is purposefully trying to contribute to a published game, it is your d@mn job to publish your intent. Say what you mean, and mean what you say... even Dr Suess knows that.
So, like 99.9% of the time, I couldn't care less what they intended to write... all I have to go off of is what was freaking published. Maybe there should be a system of checks and balances, some way to control the content you publish, a way to proofread and edit BEFORE publishing... if only, right?
So, given that PF1 has been set free, we most likely will never get official answers to any of these questions... which means our ability to find out what they intended versus what they published has all but been removed. All we have left is what has been published.
Arcane Apothesis being accessible early with the robes if you already have the Bloodline, or even being accessible at all via VMC is hardly an exploit to worry about... ever.
Whereas Arcane Bolt is obviously something someone may try abuse to gain access to spells they otherwise cannot cast... which is BS shenanigans, that can be abused. Or maybe not, I don't know.
Level 10 w/o robes, you have 5th level spell slots.
Level 10 w/ robes, you have 5th level spell slots.
I still don't see how you can abuse it, I don't, try learn a 7th level spell, I guess... you still can't cast it.
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the intent wasn't to get spells they can't cast, just get spells of the highest level they can cast now. Bypassing a couple levels. (so a 10th level sorcerer that uses the human FCB would be forced to pick from 4th level spells, with the argument presented if they made use of the robes they would be able to pick a 5th level spell known instead) or if they picked up expanded arcana at level 11 they could pick two 5th level spells instead of 1.
The wording isn't tight enough to require the interpretation that this works as theaitetos suggests, and the consequences are weird enough I don't think many GMs will say 'yeah OK'.
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Arcane Bolt (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you can unleash a ray of magic force as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. This ray deals 1d4 points of damage + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. This damage is treated as a spell of a level equal to half your sorcerer level, and is a force effect. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your (see FAQ/Errata) Charisma modifier.
This bloodline power replaces arcane bond.
My questions are-
1. Does this count as "a spell of the highest level you can cast"
No. Read the part you bolded: only the damage count as a spell, not the whole SLA. It isn't a spell.
2. If it is treated as a spell, could you potentially apply metamagic to it?
No. As already explained by other posters, it isn't a spell. You can apply the monster feats that apply to SLA, if you meet the prerequisites.
3. If you are wearing a Robe of arcane heritage this would theoretically cause arcane bolt to be treated as a spell of your sorcerer level+4/2. Which, at level 10 would mean arcane bolt's effective spell level is 7th, not 5th. (10+4=14/2).
Partially. The damage of the spell is calculated as if your caster level was your sorcerer level+4/2 bot for the quantity of damage delivered and for the spell level of the damage. But that doesn't make it a spell.
If question 1 is a yes, this would mean you can cast a "spell" of 7th level, which means you can select 5th level spells with the human favored class bonus, and expanded arcana could apply two spells known to 5th or 6th level spells?
Question one is a No.
4. If non of the above, what is the point of the bolded sentence?
As already explained there are a few ways to stop damage that depend on the equivalent spell level of an SLA. The ability allow this SLA to bypass them if your sorcerer level is high enough.