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Subject says it pretty much. How do Class Archetypes interact with the Free Archetype rule? Does that mean you can get a regular class feat alongside the dedication at level 2? Or could you pick up (if you so choose) a different archetype while still getting the dedication?
I ask partially because it feels like Class Archetypes and Non-class Archetypes are very different things, even if their Dedications have the dedication trait.
Class Archetypes are different from regular Archetypes. Class Archetypes will affect your character starting at level 1. Regular Archetypes won't affect your character until you take the Dedication feat for them.
With the rules as-written, you can put a Class Archetype's Dedication feat in your level 2 Free Archetype feat slot, leaving your level 2 Class feat slot available for a Class feat of your choice. Because that Class Archetype Dedication feat is just a normal Archetype feat. Even though it is coming from a Class Archetype.
You couldn't take a different Dedication with your level 2 Class feat slot unless you have one of the Class Archetypes that don't have the restriction on needing additional feats before being allowed to take another Dedication.
All that said, Free Archetype is often houseruled. Allowing multiple Dedication feats is one of the most common houserules.
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Since a class archetype counts as an archetype, RAW you'd have to use your FA feats on the class archetype feats. Until you get enough of them to take another archetype, you can't use them for anything else. That means for a level 1 character, FA could only be used for the class archetype dedication, and level 4/6 class archetype feats before you can take something else (and your class feats would have to stay in-class).
FA was written back when the game had no class archetypes in it, of course, so it wasn't really an issue except for Ancient Elf. Now that there's suddenly more of them its a bit of a thing.
Since FA is already a variant rule, it's expected that you tweak or alter it to suit the table as needed. That may mean loosening up restrictions if its an issue so the class archetype doesn't count (in which case the FA feats can't be used on it and have to be used on another archetype). This is something the group should discuss and agree on how its going to work.
Until you get enough of them to take another archetype, you can't use them for anything else. That means for a level 1 character, FA could only be used for the class archetype dedication, and level 4/6 class archetype feats before you can take something else (and your class feats would have to stay in-class).
The exception, of course, is when your class archetype has a skill feat in it. The new investigator class archetype in divine mysteries, Palatine Detective, has a skill feat at 4th for instance, so it'd only need to use its 2nd and 4th Free Archetype feats and could even start a new archetype by spending a class feat on it at 4th.
It's even funnier if you have a class archetype and the Ancient Elf heritage. Technically selecting a class archetype isn't prevented by having a dedication feat at level 1, and since you don't have the class archetype's dedication feat until level 2 you aren't prevented from being an Ancient Elf.
But what happens at level 2? The class archetype says you MUST take the dedication feat, but the multiclass dedication says you CANNOT take another archetype dedication yet.
I'd say that the class archetype rule that you must take the dedication feat is more specific than the general archetype dedication rule, and thus you can have both archetypes concurrently from level 2 on, but must still satisfy the 2 feats requirement for both archetypes before you can pick up a 3rd one.
The exception, of course, is when your class archetype has a skill feat in it. The new investigator class archetype in divine mysteries, Palatine Detective, has a skill feat at 4th for instance, so it'd only need to use its 2nd and 4th Free Archetype feats and could even start a new archetype by spending a class feat on it at 4th.
The skill feat ones always catch me out because they're easy to not notice. Good point!
It's even funnier if you have a class archetype and the Ancient Elf heritage. Technically selecting a class archetype isn't prevented by having a dedication feat at level 1, and since you don't have the class archetype's dedication feat until level 2 you aren't prevented from being an Ancient Elf.
But what happens at level 2? The class archetype says you MUST take the dedication feat, but the multiclass dedication says you CANNOT take another archetype dedication yet.
I'd say that the class archetype rule that you must take the dedication feat is more specific than the general archetype dedication rule, and thus you can have both archetypes concurrently from level 2 on, but must still satisfy the 2 feats requirement for both archetypes before you can pick up a 3rd one.
That's a funny situation.
I think in a FA game you can deal with Ancient Elf in one of two ways:
1. Ban it and force people to take another Heritage because it doesn't play nice with FA. (This is what I do.)
2. Have it's Dedication effectively not count so people can take one normally at level 2.
It's even funnier if you have a class archetype and the Ancient Elf heritage. Technically selecting a class archetype isn't prevented by having a dedication feat at level 1, and since you don't have the class archetype's dedication feat until level 2 you aren't prevented from being an Ancient Elf.
But what happens at level 2? The class archetype says you MUST take the dedication feat, but the multiclass dedication says you CANNOT take another archetype dedication yet.
I'd say that the class archetype rule that you must take the dedication feat is more specific than the general archetype dedication rule, and thus you can have both archetypes concurrently from level 2 on, but must still satisfy the 2 feats requirement for both archetypes before you can pick up a 3rd one.
The same thing happens when you take Eldritch Trickster with an Ancient Elf.