Shadowcaster rules help needed

[Tarlek Flamehai]

Greetings all,

I have been trying to make a Shadowcaster. I find myself confused constantly, but I have managed to work through (with some help) most of that confusion.
However, I still cannot figure out the Spell Casting/Spell-like Ability/Supernatural Ability part of the rules.

Can someone please explain to me how/when the use of Mysteries changes from Spell Casting to SLA to Su? And do Fundamentals act the same way?

Thanks in Advance!

[Nettlekid]

To put it most simply, look at that table on page 113. If a Mystery is usable 1/day, it's usable as though it's a spell you're casting. If it's usable 2/day, it's usable as a spell-like ability. And if it's usable 3/day, it's usable as a supernatural ability. This holds true even if you get more uses via the feat Favored Mystery-it gives you an additional use, and shifts it over to the next type of casting.

Alternatively, level 1-3 Mysteries are Apprentice, start as spells, and become SLAs and Su at the levels marked on the Shadowcaster class progression table (see there at levels 7 and 13?) 4-6 are Initiate, and 7-9 are Master, and also change whenever the Shadowcaster table says they do.

Fundamentals of Shadow are always Su abilities, and the only difference is that at level 14 you get to use them at will instead of 3/day.

[Piggy Knowles]

LEVELS 1-6: You can only cast apprentice mysteries. You cast them as spells (1/day).

LEVELS 7-12: You can cast apprentice mysteries and initiate mysteries. You cast apprentice mysteries as spell-like abilities (2/day), and initiate mysteries as spells (1/day).

LEVELS 13-20: You can cast apprentice mysteries, initiate mysteries and master mysteries. You cast apprentice mysteries as supernatural abilities (3/day), initiate mysteries as spell-like abilities (2/day) and master mysteries as spells (1/day).

Fundamentals are different - they begin being cast as supernatural abilities (3/day). At level 14, you can cast them at will instead of three times per day - although they remain supernatural.