So my player is arguing that using Blazing Bolt, at 3 actions, does 12d6 damage when used against a single target (4d6 for each bolt). I argue that the attack only does 4d6 when used against only a single target.
Who is right?
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For each additional action you use when Casting the Spell, you can fire an additional ray at a different target, to a maximum of three rays targeting three different targets for 3 actions.
You couldn't target the same creature with all three bolts. This isn't Magic Missile.
At Rank 2 for one action you could target one creature for 2d6 damage.
You could also cast it for two actions to increase the damage to 4d6 damage against that one target. You could also target a second creature if one is available.
For three actions you are still only doing 4d6 damage to one target. You could do the 4d6 damage to up to 3 targets if there are that many available.
Using expanded Spellstrike is the question here.
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So, the argument is that Expansive Spellstrike's restriction on the number of targets is overriding the standard targeting with the result that all three beams get directed onto one target? First, you can't Spellstrike with a 3 action spell so that much is right out. Second, no, Expansive Spellstrike isn't letting you bypass the targeting restrictions from the original spell, it's just adding another restriction on top of them.
So my player is arguing that using Blazing Bolt, at 3 actions, does 12d6 damage when used against a single target (4d6 for each bolt). I argue that the attack only does 4d6 when used against only a single target.
Who is right?
You are correct.
At best I would allow all 3 bolts to affect the same enemy for 6D6 damage total (which is no higher than a heightened Briny Bolt, scaling at the rate of 2D6 per bolt).
Using expanded Spellstrike is the question here.
Expansive Spellstrike wouldn't work with Blazing Bolt at all.
When you Cast a Spell that doesn't have a spell attack roll as part of a Spellstrike, it works in the following ways.
Blazing Bolt does have a spell attack roll.
Even houseruling away that restriction, the rule about multi-targeting says the following:
If the spell lets you select a number of targets, it instead targets only the creature you attacked with your Strike.
So Expansive Spellstrike has to be pretty heavily modified in order to let you cast Blazing Bolt to affect two targets for the two action version.
It still wouldn't let you cast the three action version of Blazing Bolt. And it still wouldn't let you pile all three of the Blazing Bolt target's damage onto one target.
You might instead look at Cascading Ray.
Yeah, don't cross the streams. That's bad.
However, if you are permissive when it comes to targeting objects and environmental features, then they could target the enemy, target the cover the enemy is using (to destroy it), and target the chandelier above the enemy (to drop it on their head). Fun stuff like that, that might get a little extra mileage out of the spell without needing multiple enemies or breaking any rules.