Variant Spellcasting Question

[Taja the Barbarian]

Are the 'half level to damage' bonuses from 'Variant: Scaling 0-level Spells' and the Technomancer's 'Harmful Spells' Magic Hack supposed to stack?

Spells / Variant Spellcasting / Variant: Scaling 0-level Spells wrote:

Source Galactic Magic pg. 88

Low-level spellcasters often rely on damaging 0-level spells (energy ray, hazard, injury echo, and telekinetic projectile) to injure their foes, but these spells can become obsolete as spellcasters gain levels and find weapons that deal greater damage. This rules variant allows spellcasters to rely on their damaging 0-level spells throughout their adventuring career. Make the following changes to the spells named above at the levels the character attains in a spellcasting class. Each increase happens only once at the indicated level.
At 3rd level, add half your character level to damage with these spells.
At 7th level, increase the damage of spells that deal 1d3 or less damage to 2d4. Increase the damage of spells that deal 1d6 damage to 2d6.
At each of 10th, 13th, and 15th levels, increase the damage of these spells by one die of the same type (d4 or d6).
At each of 17th and 19th levels, increase the damage of these spells by two dice of the same type.
At the end of this progression, a 19th-level spellcaster’s energy ray deals 9d4+9 damage of the chosen type, while their telekinetic projectile deals 9d6+9 bludgeoning damage.

Harmful Spells (Ex) wrote:

Source Starfinder Core Rulebook pg. 121

Level Required 2
When you cast an instantaneous spell that deals damage, you can increase the spell’s damage by half your technomancer level. This increased damage applies to all creatures damaged by an area spell, but for spells that target multiple creatures with multiple rays or other attacks (such as magic missile), the increased damage applies only to a single ray or missile. This increased damage doesn’t apply to ongoing damage from the spell (such as bleed or burn). This magic hack doesn’t increase ability damage or other spell effects, only damage to Stamina Points or Hit Points.

[BigNorseWolf]

Your caster level and your caster level would be trying to dip on the same source, so no stacking

[Taja the Barbarian]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Your caster level and your caster level would be trying to dip on the same source, so no stacking

So you're basing this on the 'combining magic effects' rule?

Chapter 10: Magic and Spells / Casting Spells / Combining Magic Effects wrote:

Source Starfinder Core Rulebook pg. 332

Spells or magical effects usually work as their descriptions state, no matter how many other spells or magical effects happen to be operating in the same area or on the same recipient. Except in special cases, a spell does not affect the way another spell operates. Whenever a spell has a specific effect on other spells, the spell description explains that effect. Several other general rules apply when spells or magical effects operate in the same place.
Duplicate Effects
Spells and effects that provide bonuses or penalties to attributes such as attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws usually do not stack with themselves if multiple effects would apply to the same attribute. More generally, two bonuses of the same type do not stack even if they come from different spells or from effects other than spells (see Bonuses on page 266).

However, damage from multiple spells that deal damage is always cumulative.

Offhand, my initial reading here is that these are two separate 'effects' ('variant rule' & 'hack') rather that one effect ('add half your level to dmg') applied twice to the same damage roll.

[Xenocrat]

They absolutely stack. Caster level is just the numerical value being added, it’s not the source. The variant rules are one source, the class feature is another.

For other examples look at Ambuscade and Deadly Aim feats. Both can add half BAB to your damage, in neither case is half BAB your source.

Same for soldier melee striker gear boost (half strength to damage) stacking with the basic rule that you add strength to melee damage.

[Darg727]

Ambuscade and Deadly aim aren't adding half BAB to damage. They add y and tell you that y = 1/2x with x being your BAB. Just adding clarity because if they did add half your BAB, then both effects would be using the same modifier which wouldn't stack (likely anyway considering how PF1 has been ruled with monk ac for example).

In the case with the variant and hack it's more of one gives bonus a and the other gives bonus b. a = 1/2c and b = 1/2e. You have c which is character level and e which is class level, both of which can vary depending on multiclass choices. You have different sources of effects and different sources for the modifier so nothing should be preventing it from stacking (+2 every 2 levels because they are calculated separately).

[Evan van de Steeg]

Does variant spellcasting apply to spell like abilities

[Taja the Barbarian]

Evan van de Steeg wrote:

Does variant spellcasting apply to spell like abilities

It's an entirely optional rule, so that's up to your GM...

[The Artificer]

Taja the Barbarian wrote:

Evan van de Steeg wrote:

Does variant spellcasting apply to spell like abilities

It's an entirely optional rule, so that's up to your GM...

I Concur.