Can a warding statuette increase the users AC?

[Felix Cohen]

The Warding Statuette is a spellheart that seems extremely powerful for any martial character that likes defense. It has the following effect when attached to a weapon

Warding Statuette wrote:

Weapon When you hit with a Strike using the affixed weapon, or when a spell effect you created by activating the statuette hits with a Strike, you can choose a creature adjacent to the creature that was hit. That creature gains a +1 status bonus to AC until the start of your next turn. No more than one creature can benefit from this each turn.

To me this seems very powerful, so i would like to check that it works the way i think it does. If my champion has this attached to their weapon, and hits an adjacent enemy. Can they gain this bonus for themselves? That seems like a near permanent +1 to AC.

On a related note, is it correct that a champion cannot use the spells and cantrips which have an activate entry of Cast A Spell? From what i read it seems like you need to have a spellcasting class feature in order to use those, and focus spells don't count.

[Finoan]

As long as you are adjacent to the creature hit by the necessary effect that triggers the Spellheart, yes you yourself would qualify.

If the word 'ally' was used in there somewhere, then it would not include yourself as a valid target.

As for Champion, your reading is correct. Having focus spells does not count as having a spellcasting class feature. You would need to do something involving Archetypes in order to get that ability to use Spellhearts.

[Kilraq Starlight]

Or the trick magic item feat, unless I'm mistaken on something.

[Easl]

Here are some ways to get a +1 status bonus to AC earlier than level 7, via teamwork or archetyping. Keep in mind, status bonuses don't stack.
1. An ally Champion targeting you with Lay on Hands or Shield of the Spirit
2. Bards using Rallying Anthem
3. Witches using Familiar of Balanced Luck
4. Wizards using Protective Wards
5. Casters casting Anointed Ground, Forbidding Ward, Protection, and conditionally, Spirit Sense. I don't think any of these are particularly common (or necessarily good) choices. But if you're looking to get that +1 Status bonus to AC as early as possible, having a caster cast Protection on you can happen at Level 1.
6. Archetype into draconic or imperial sorcerer, take their basic bloodline spell, cast it.

[Xenocrat]

Easl wrote:

Here are some ways to get a +1 status bonus to AC earlier than level 7, via teamwork or archetyping. Keep in mind, status bonuses don't stack.

1. An ally Champion targeting you with Lay on Hands or Shield of the Spirit
2. Bards using Rallying Anthem
3. Witches using Familiar of Balanced Luck
4. Wizards using Protective Wards
5. Casters casting Anointed Ground, Forbidding Ward, Protection, and conditionally, Spirit Sense. I don't think any of these are particularly common (or necessarily good) choices. But if you're looking to get that +1 Status bonus to AC as early as possible, having a caster cast Protection on you can happen at Level 1.
6. Archetype into draconic or imperial sorcerer, take their basic bloodline spell, cast it.

7. Exemplar using Mirrored Aegis ikon.

[shroudb]

We know that a new Aura similar to Bless but for AC is coming in the new book as well.

That's a potentially easy group wide +1