Jolt Coils and Electric Arc

[Chris_Fougere]

Question - if you activate the Jolt Coils by casting Electric Arc does that mean you'd get two Electric Arcs? One from the spell you cast and then a second from the coils?

[Eoran]

I think you are showing a fundamental misunderstanding of how Spellhearts work.

You don't activate a spellheart by casting the spell in it through other means. You activate a spellheart by using the Cast a Spell item activation and the result is that the spellheart casts the spell.

[Darksol the Painbringer]

Yeah, the intent is that you activate the Jolt Coils to cast Electric Arc for you, not that casting Electric Arc causes the item to also cast Electric Arc on top of your existing cast.

Our group had an understanding issue with spellhearts as well, and they felt like the rules poorly portrayed how it was supposed to work, and I kind of agree.

[Chris_Fougere]

Darksol the Painbringer wrote:

Yeah, the intent is that you activate the Jolt Coils to cast Electric Arc for you, not that casting Electric Arc causes the item to also cast Electric Arc on top of your existing cast.

Our group had an understanding issue with spellhearts as well, and they felt like the rules poorly portrayed how it was supposed to work, and I kind of agree.

That's what threw me as well. Like if I'm casting Electric Arc then I'm using the Cast a Spell Activity so doesn't that activate the item?

Glad to see it doesn't and I understand now.

[Eoran]

It may have been better if the item activation method was named something other than Cast a Spell. Perhaps Invoke Spell or something like that.

[Farien]

Still not as badly overloaded as 'level', 'feat', or 'action'.

[Cordell Kintner]

Please see the rules regarding Activating an Item.