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This past Friday, 12/5/09, I ran 5 friends through the Fort Rannick section of Hook Mountain Massacre. For the unfamiliar, lots of ogres in a smallish fort in the mountains.
The party consisted of:
Dwarven Cavalier
Halfling Oracle
Human Witch
Gnome Summoner
Elven Rogue (I would have used another APG class, but there wasn't enough, nor a good replacement for the rogue yet)
All characters were built by me, with a 15 pt buy and the standard 7th lvl gear (some 20k or so).
I will have more detailed build info later, but do not have the sheets with me ATM.
Here are general thoughts/observations of the 7th lvl Cavalier and Oracle. First up, the stand-in healer, the Oracle.
For this test, I picked a Wind focused Oracle, and went Halfling for the Cha boost, AC boost, and Save Bonus. Favored class went into HP.
Spellwise, I found it a bit easier than with a Sorcerer to pick spells. The Focus Bonus spells are a nice touch (would have loved to see a Healing Focus, but I am sure it will come up eventually) and having the whole Cleric list made for some tough choices. Eventually, I grabbed the Cure Wounds line, some other buff spells, and loaded up on scrolls.
I deliberately chose the healer role, as no other divine caster was intended. If there had been a cleric, the more offensive spells would have probably been more attractive. The oracle held her own healing, though. Those Ogre Barbarians and Fighters hit for a ton, and she was right up there popping off Cure Serious and Cure Criticals when necessary.
It helped to have 3 full CLW wands in the party, but most groups would have SOMETHING similiar.
Offensively, the Oracle swung her morningstar once, i believe, and with no zap or SoD spells, she stuck by the Cavalier and healed his wounds (him, or the Rogue.) Skillwise, she fared as I would expect a Cleric, doing decent with Spellcraft and Perception, and not having anything else that came into play. Having Appraise would have been nice, but that was an oversight on my part (entire party without Appraise, and almost all of em had Detect Magic somehow. D'oh!)
The player loved the class, as she enjoys both healing and spontaneous casting. I found the class the 2nd easiest to create (Rogue was 1st, as I've played those in PF several times now) and intuitively grasp. I'd rate him right up there with Sorcerer (Focus = Bloodline, Arcane Magic Offense offset by d8 HD, 3/4 BAB, and 2 good saves) and with some more Foci he'll really shine.
Next up, the Cavalier!