Eldritch Archer Clarification

[dahuzi]

I have a couple of questions about the Eldritch Archer Archetype and how it interacts with other spellcasting. For context I have an elf character that has both the Magus and Psychic Dedication and Spellcasting Feats. That means this character can cast spells from spellslots in two different traditions and with two different ability modifiers (arcane/INT from Magus and occult/CHA from Psychic). The character also has the Otherworldy Acumen feat granting them the ability to cast a level 2 arcane innate spell once per day.

The Eldritch Archer Dedication states

Quote:

If you already cast spells from spell slots, you learn one additional cantrip from that tradition. If you're a prepared caster, you can prepare this spell in addition to your usual cantrips per day; if you're a spontaneous caster, you add this cantrip to your spell repertoire.

Question 1: Does an innate leveled spell count as casting from a spell slot? It functions identically to a spell slot, but I have a feeling it wouldn't count for the purpose of what this dedication feat is saying.

Question 2: Which tradition gets the extra cantrip from Eldritch Archer? Do I just get to choose? Does it go to the tradition I was first able to cast leveled spells from? Is it something else I haven't thought of?

Question 3: If I later take the Basic Eldritch Archer Spellcasting Feat how does it interact with my previous Spellcasting? I can see several ways to read the rules:

• 1 I already have basic spellcasting benefits in the psychic tradition so the feat is null. Because I didn't gain an Eldritch Archer spellcasting tradition from the Dedication Feat this feat would grant me basic spellcasting benefits in my psychic tradition which I already have so it would basically grant me nothing.
• 2 The feat grants me a second instance of basic spellcasting benefits within the Psychic tradition. I get a second spell slot of each level and add one spell of each level to my repertoire along with an extra signature spell. The spells and spell slots granted from Eldritch Archer are all part of my psychic spellcasting tradition so they all use Charisma and can be cast from any appropriate level spell slot.
• 3 The feat grants me an Eldritch Archer spellcasting tradition along with basic spellcasting benefits in that tradition. This tradition uses Charisma and has a Repertoire based on the Eldritch Archer Dedication wording for granting an Eldritch Archer Spellcasting tradition. I have no idea which spell list to use in this case. Maybe you get to pick the same way you do in the Dedication feat if you don't already cast leveled spells?
• 4 This feat grants me basic spellcasting benefits in the Magus tradition. I already have basic bounded spellcasting from my Magus archetype, but that is not the same a basic spellcasting. So now I have both basic spellcasting benefits and basic bounded spellcasting benefits. Both use Intelligence and the Arcane spell list, but the basic spellcasting is spontaneous as described in the Basic Eldritch Archer Spellcasting Feat while the basic bounded spellcasting is prepared as described in the Basic Magus Spellcasting Feat.
• 5 Something else entirely. These rules clearly were not meant to interact together, but they don't include any wording to prevent you from taking them together so trying to figure out how they interact is extremely frustrating.

[Finoan]

Q1: Correct, innate spells are not cast from spell slots. Even if the spell is a spell with a level that is normally cast from spell slots by other characters.

Q2: It is undefined, so your GM may vary. I would let you choose one of the options when you take the dedication and then make you stick to it (or use Retraining to change it).

Q3: It gives you a second copy of the Basic Spellcasting benefits with the tradition and ability settings of Eldritch Archer archetype - whichever one you chose in Q2.

[Gisher]

dahuzi wrote:

...

The Eldritch Archer Dedication states

Quote:

If you already cast spells from spell slots, you learn one additional cantrip from that tradition. If you're a prepared caster, you can prepare this spell in addition to your usual cantrips per day; if you're a spontaneous caster, you add this cantrip to your spell repertoire.

...

That text was errata'd away in the second printing of the APG.

APG errata wrote:

Page 172: Remove the paragraph from the first printing that begins, "If you already cast spells from spell slots, you gain one additional cantrip from that tradition." If you're already a spellcaster, you use your normal allotment of spells for eldritch archer abilities and don't gain more spells.

That resolves questions 1 and 2.

[Gisher]

dahuzi wrote:

Question 3: If I later take the Basic Eldritch Archer Spellcasting Feat how does it interact with my previous Spellcasting?

Well, under the new remaster rules spell attack proficiency and spell DC proficiency are no longer separated by tradition. So you always use the best spell attack proficiency and spell DC proficiency from your class and archetypes regardless of which spell list you are using.

Otherwise, the Eldritch Archer spellcasting is entirely separate from your other archetypes. In the dedication you chose a spell list (arcane, divine, occult, or primal) for the granted cantrip, and that is the same spell list that you use for your Eldritch Archer Spellcasting feats. All of your Eldritch Archer spells are charisma-based spells that are in a repertoire that is separate from any other repertoires that you have.

I am curious as to how you are able to fit in three spellcasting archetypes, though.

[dahuzi]

Gisher wrote:

That text was errata'd away in the second printing of the APG.

Thanks for the clarification on the errata. I was looking at the text on pathbuilder and apparently it hasn't been updated with the errata.

As far as how I got 3 spellcasting archetypes it is a game with free archetype variant rule and my gm was lenient in allowing me to take both Ancient Elf and Eldritch Trickster if I didn't take feats from one until I had taken 2 feats from the other. I'm not taking eldritch archer until level 10. But we are on level 9 now so I wanted to have an understanding of how the rules worked before I got there.