The Mongrel Mage archetype gives up its bonus feats for spells known
At 7th level, each day when she selects her bloodline, a mongrel mage adds the 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-level spells from her selected bloodline to her current list of spells known.
At 13th level, each day when she selects her bloodline, a mongrel mage adds the 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-level spells from her selected bloodline to her current list of spells known.
At 19th level, each day when she selects her bloodline, a mongrel mage adds the 7th-, 8th-, and 9th-level spells from her selected bloodline to her current list of spells known.
This ability replaces the bloodline feats gained at 7th, 13th, and 19th level.
Now I just want to check that I am reading this correctly, does that mean every time you pick a new bloodline, you PERMANENTLY learn that bloodlines spells?
For example if I have five days of downtime, I can learn the spells of 5 different bloodlines?
Question 2) What happens to the archetypes bloodline skills?
I think it's only while that bloodline is selected that you know those spells. You could read it your way though, if you have a masochistic GM.
Q2: A mongrel mage replaces the normal bloodline including the class skill gained, and just doesn't get the extra class skill from anything listed in the archetype. They don't get one.
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It depends on how much your group's game depends on trying to find a crack in rules language and exploit it.
Despite the fact that "intent" is often a dirty word in the rules forum, it's pretty clear that the ability is supposed to add the spells only while you have that bloodline selected.
Honestly, would they really publish an ability that said "at 7th level, take a few days and permanently add the 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-level bloodline spells from every bloodline to your list of spells known?"
Honestly, would they really publish an ability that said "at 7th level, take a few days and permanently add the 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-level bloodline spells from every bloodline to your list of spells known?"
You wouldn't put it past Paizo based on other things they have released
Another interaction that makes this archetype interesting is how does Mongrel work with the 'New Arcana' bloodline power from the Arcane Bloodline? Can you change what spells you want everytime you activate it?
Probably you choose spells each day going by similar abilities. Take arcane and get telekinetic charge each time you call on the 9th level powers today, tomorrow choose arcane again and you choose again, maybe get wall of fire.
Note that you need a small common sense change to get 9th level powers at all via mongrel mage. A typo has you getting 7th level powers instead.
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Another interaction that makes this archetype interesting is how does Mongrel work with the 'New Arcana' bloodline power from the Arcane Bloodline? Can you change what spells you want everytime you activate it?
Yeah, that's another one that's going to need some interpretation. One that could reasonably vary from group to group.
Personally I'd say that if a bloodline power requires you to make a choice that is normally (non-mongrel) permanent, the first time you make the choice in a day, it is set for the rest of the day. You can make a different choice the next time you select that bloodline. But a GM could allow you to change each time you spend reservoir points to activate the bloodline. Or a strict GM could require you to track your choices and keep them the same each time you select that bloodline.
Note that you need a small common sense change to get 9th level powers at all via mongrel mage. A typo has you getting 7th level powers instead.
Just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how poorly written this whole archetype is
Personally I'd say that if a bloodline power requires you to make a choice that is normally (non-mongrel) permanent, the first time you make the choice in a day, it is set for the rest of the day. You can make a different choice the next time you select that bloodline.
Yeah I would tend to agree with this interpretation. Still with some downtime and the Scribe Scroll feat, it could be extremely beneficial.
At 7th level, each day when she selects her bloodline, a mongrel mage adds the 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-level spells from her selected bloodline to her current list of spells known.
I like to exploit rules, but the proper grammatical reading of the qualifier "current" with the time specification of "each day" makes this a daily spell addition, not a permanent one.
As for your other question,
Another interaction that makes this archetype interesting is how does Mongrel work with the 'New Arcana' bloodline power from the Arcane Bloodline? Can you change what spells you want everytime you activate it?
read the bolded part:
At 3rd level, when activating her selected bloodline, a mongrel mage can instead spend 2 points from her mongrel reservoir to allow her to use the bloodline’s 1st- and 3rd-level powers as well as its bloodline arcana at her full sorcerer level for a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1).
You do not get the bloodline powers each time you activate your bloodline, you are only allowed to use them each time at your full sorcerer level. This means the first time each day you use a bloodline power, you make the decisions associated with it, and this sticks until next day's bloodline selection.
Still, the archetype requires some common sense GM fiat, like the already mentioned typo from 7th- to 9th-level power and the obviously missing 15th-level power that would require 4 points to activate.
It's my favorite archetype because it expands the already great versatility of the sorcerer class and makes it definitely the most versatile caster (class?) in the game; there's basically no limit on what items you can craft, even without spending feats on crafting if you utilize the Impossible and Salamander bloodlines via Ampoule of False Blood. And the Draconic bloodline's variant Esoteric arcana allows learning a few psychic spells permanently (as it's triggered only during level-up).
However, you are feat-starved otherwise and have to select carefully which feats to take. General feats (e.g. False Focus) are better than specialized ones (e.g. Spell Focus); even metamagic feats can be a trap (unless Sacred Geometry is allowed).