Building a psychic and I have questions

[Agodeshalf]

My character is going to be an elven changeling. And I was thinking of taking Virga May to add electric arc to my spellcasting abilities. Virga May says

"Born of a storm hag, you have one crystal-blue or rain-gray eye. You share your mother's power over wind and storm. You can cast electric arc as an occult innate cantrip. As normal, a cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up."

Does this mean that a) it is charisma based? or b) it is based on the spellcasting stat specified by the subconscious mind chosen?

Is it consider a psychic spell for purposes of Unleashed Psychic given that all the spells that the psychic can cast are occult spells?

Is it considered psychic casting so it will benefit from psychic spellcasting component substitution, i.e. mental component, or no?

I'm beginning to think that sadly it will be charisma based and will not benefit from unleashed or psychic spellcasting. :(

[Teridax]

To answer the questions in order:

a) Yes, your innate electric arc will be Charisma-based, because all innate spells use Charisma as their spellcasting modifier.

No, the innate spell you get is not a psychic spell. Your psychic spells are occult spells, just like your occult innate electric arc, but not all occult spells are psychic spells.

No, the innate spell you get wouldn't benefit from the spell component substitution of Psychic spellcasting. I wouldn't worry about this too hard, however, since the remaster has done away with spell components and you just need to follow the traits listed in the spell itself, i.e. concentrate and/or manipulate.

Your intuition is correct: your innate electric arc will indeed be Charisma-based but will not benefit from the Psychic's features that relate to psychic spellcasting. On the plus side, however, your cantrip will use the spellcasting proficiency you get from being a Psychic, so you'll be able to fire it with up to a legendary spell DC at level 19! Additionally, the Ancestral Mind 1st-level feat would make your innate cantrip a psychic cantrip as well, letting it benefit from the spell component substitution and other benefits of psychic spellcasting. Depending on your choice of conscious mind, your cantrip might also be quite complementary to your Psychic, as many conscious minds focus on utility and it's good to have a solid damage option at low level such as electric arc.

[Finoan]

Agodeshalf wrote:

I'm beginning to think that sadly it will be charisma based and will not benefit from unleashed or psychic spellcasting. :(

You are correct.

However, there is a fix for that. Ancestral Mind will give you what you want.

Without that, an innate spell is charisma based, though it would use your standard spellcasting proficiency (they aren't separated out by tradition any more). And an innate spell is not a psychic spell, so it wouldn't use your psychic spellcasting components or be affected by Unleash Psyche.