9th Level PFS Gear Check


Advice

Shadow Lodge

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I don't want to threadjack Painlord's guide, so I'm starting a new thread for a little community critique of my gear, specifically for PFS play.

Lux will soon be a 9th level Mystery of Life Oracle and, as the game moves into the upper levels, I am unsure what I need to prioritize as this is my first tour of the upper end of PFS. Lux uses Lifelink and Shield Other to ameliorate damage, uses his spells to support (especially Ill Omen and Misfortune) and pokes with his longspear from the second rank when his spells aren't needed.

Lux:

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STATS
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Str 12, Dex 10, Con 18 (belt), Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 20

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DEFENSE
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AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17.(+7 armor)
hp 98
Immune fatigue

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SPELLS
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Oracle (Dual-Cursed Oracle) Spells Known :
4th (4/day) Blessing of Fervor (DC 19), Restoration (DC 19), Cure Critical Wounds (DC 19)
3rd (6/day) Summon Monster III, Cure Serious Wounds (DC 18), Prayer, Bestow Curse (DC 18), Stone Shape, Chain of Perdition
2nd (7/day) Oracle's Burden (DC 17), Blessing of Courage and Life (DC 17), Shield Other (DC 17), Hold Person (DC 17), Cure Moderate Wounds (DC 17), Minor Image (DC 17), Levitate, Protection from Evil, Communal
1 (8/day) Obscuring Mist, Ill Omen, Bless, Cure Light Wounds (DC 16), Liberating Command, Moment of Greatness, Sanctuary (DC 16)

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GEAR
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Combat Gear
+1 Agile Breastplate
+1 Shield, Heavy Wooden (back up)
+1 Silver Longspear
Masterwork Cold Iron Morningstar (back up)
Masterwork Crossbow, Light

Other Gear
Acid Flask
Alchemist's Fire Flask (5)
Alkali Flask
Antiplague (vial)
Antitoxin (vial)
Bag of Holding I
Belt of Mighty Constitution, +2
Cloak of Resistance, +2
Dungeoneering Kit
Elixir of Fire Breath
Flag (for Flagbearer feat)
Healer's kit (9 uses)
Holy Water Flask (4)
Pathfinder Chronicle: Knowledge (Arcana)
Pathfinder Chronicle: Knowledge (Dungeoneering)
Pathfinder Chronicle: Knowledge (Engineering)
Pathfinder Chronicle: Knowledge (History)
Pathfinder Chronicle: Knowledge (Local)
Pathfinder Chronicle: Knowledge (Nature)
Pathfinder Chronicle: Knowledge (Nobility)
Pathfinder Chronicle: Knowledge (Planes)
Pathfinder Chronicle: Knowledge (Religion)
Phylactery of Positive Channeling
Potion of Air Bubble
Potion of Endure Elements
Potion of Enlarge Person
Potion of Fly
Potion of Gaseous Form
Potion of Invisibility
Scroll: Comprehend Languages
Scroll: Displacement
Scroll: Ghostbane Dirge x2
Scroll: Restoration
Scroll: See Invisibility
Scroll: Share Language
Sky Rocket
Smelling Salts
Spell component pouch
Wand of Cure Light Wounds
Wand of Restoration, Lesser
Wayfinder with Dayfinder enchantment
Wrist Sheath, Spring Loaded x 2

Lux has to choose one more 4th, two 3rd and one 2nd level spell. Considering Summon Monster IV, Dispel Magic, Magic Circle Against Evil and (Resist Energy or Martyr's Bargain).

Considering purchasing an Ioun Stone to boost his Constitution (because of Lifelink/Shield Other); a Wand of Shield and a Ring of Protection to help with his AC; and a potion of Jester's Jaunt or scroll of Teleport in case it's time to bug out.

Is there anything I'm accidentally overlooking? Anything else I could purchase to be prepared for upper-tier PFS play?

Dark Archive

Something to counter or at least buy time vs deeper darkness at will (crops up a decent amount in higher tier) while you only need 1-2 rounds when you can see to kill them while in deeper darkness that can be extended to 5+ while taking alot of damage.

Pretty much the most common short comings at high level

1. lack of flight (you have a potion which is good, 2 is better)
2. lack of means to see in supernatural darkness (or ways to counter it temporarily)
3. low AC vs intelligent ranged attackers who will focus the casters first (at your level you can fight some decently optimised out of the book archers that can seriously hurt you in 1-2 rounds).
4. Dominate (more of a concern if used on the party tank rather than you however you do have good choices to cover it if you take magic circle)
5. Carry some diamond dust with you for restoration as you cant actually use it without the material components listed on your character sheet. Also convince your party to buy some for when you cast restoration on them my rogue actually has some in his inventory now that im aware it actually costs diamond dust to cast it.

The Exchange Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16

Lots of uses for restoration without the material components, the dust is only required to restore permanent negative levels.

I agree on deeper darkness, it's a serious pain in the but, particularly since there are some encounters where creatures have it as an at-will ability or have the ability to get rid of daylight effects.

Flight is a big one at higher levels. I can think of one scenario where lack of flight may well be lethal even as low as 7th level. A scroll of air walk can be had for a mere 2PA.

Dark Archive

Components V, S, M (diamond dust worth 100 gp or 1,000 gp, see text)

The 1000gp of diamond dust is for the negative levels, 100gp worth of diamond dust is for ALL other uses of the restoration spell, hence I mantain my original statement buy diamond dust or else you cannot use the spell at all.

Dark Archive

1) If you go Circle of Protection from Evil, that might be a bit too heavy in overlap with Communal Protection from Evil. Just something to consider.

2) Ditto on flight. Potions are good to have on hand, but the cost is going to add up fast. While expensive (22,400), Celestial Chainmail is a pretty solid solution and will give you a nice AC. There are other wondrous items than can give you regular access to flight as well.

3) If you're going to be rocking spring loaded wrist sheathes, might I suggest a scroll of Breath of Life to load into one? A bit pricey, but it could save a PC or at least keep you from having to lose them for the rest of the scenario until they can be raised.

4) For the love of all that is good, get Dispel Magic. I cannot begin to count the number of times that as a non-caster at level 5+ I've turned and asked several casters at the table if they had the spell when we got snagged by a nasty AoE spell effect or the BBEG had buffs keeping us from hurting them. And not a single one did. Many an encounter gone bad can be salvaged with a targeted Dispel.

Plus, if you have nothing else to do in combat in a turn, 'Ready to Counterspell' versus an enemy caster is always a good option. I'm assuming you have Spellcraft, of course, when suggesting this.

5) I'd definitely get a spell or item that is your "oh shit button", be it Teleport, Dimension Door, or Jester's Jaunt scrolls. If you're rocking UMD, a scroll of invisibility might be good too. I've noticing that the end of Season 3 has started to include harder fights and I'm told scenarios are going to be written with 5-6 PCs in mind vs. 4 and will be tougher. There are going to be fights the PCs may realize they can't win and need to flee to fight another day.

The Exchange Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16

@Caderyn - That's what I get for commenting on cleric spells :P

Shadow Lodge

Thanks, guys!

Darkness: I do have a Wayfinder with the Dayfinder enchantment--so, I do have have a means of countering Deeper Darkness ;)

Flight: Picking up a second back-up potion of Fly sounds like a good idea for now. I'll investigate wondrous items.

Ranged: Good point. Adding a scroll of Windwall to the shopping list.

Spells:
Breath of Life Scroll--adding to the shopping list. I'm considering Channeled Revival for my 9th level feat, but a back up scroll sounds aces.

Communal Prot Evil vs Magic Circle--I was thinking CPE would be the open space option and MC would be the tight space option. If that's a bit overkill, I'd rather pick up MC now and deal with one level of overlap until I can swap out CPE at 10th for something else.

Restoration--thanks for pointing out the diamond dust issue! I'll pick some up for myself as well as make a reminder to tell folks at my tables if they want a restoration cast on them, to purchase 1000gp of diamond dust.

The Exchange

Sammy T wrote:

Spells:

Breath of Life Scroll--adding to the shopping list. I'm considering Channeled Revival for my 9th level feat, but a back up scroll sounds aces.

Take a very close look at the feat before you take it. Especially the fact that it requires a full-round action. In other words you need to be next to the person (or within a 5-foot step) when they die to use it. Also, you'll be getting breath of life added to your spell list automatically at level 10. In other words: I really don't recommend that feat for you.

I do agree with the scroll idea. Once you get the ability to cast breath of life you can just hand it to someone else at the start of each scenario. In case you are the one to need it.

Quote:
Considering purchasing an Ioun Stone to boost his Constitution (because of Lifelink/Shield Other)

This won't do you any good since you already have a Belt of Mighty Constitution. They both add enhancement bonuses, so only the better will apply. (In this case it would be a flat +2.)

Quote:
and a potion of Jester's Jaunt or scroll of Teleport in case it's time to bug out.

Jester's jaunt isn't really a "bug out" spell since it only moves you 30 feet. The best use is getting out of black tentacles although if you use dispel magic instead that would help the whole party. Also it's a pretty expensive potion (1050 gold). Consider a scroll of word of recall instead (which for your level is a "don't roll a one" caster level check to activate).

Shadow Lodge

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@Belafon: ...and that's why I come here! Thanks for pointing out the things I missed or didn't consider!


Word of Recall scroll is 1650 gp, but it's probably the best "get out of jail free" card. Just make sure you have it set to a safe spot. I have mine set to Grand Lodge in Absalom, which I guess COULD not be the safest spot possible :P

Grand Lodge

Other than what some of the others here have listed, I think you are pretty well covered. I thought I was doing well, but after looking at this list, Im going to have to rethink some of my own preparations, lol.


Belafon wrote:
This won't do you any good since you already have a Belt of Mighty Constitution. They both add enhancement bonuses, so only the better will apply. (In this case it would be a flat +2.)

You can consider taking Toughness instead of that Channeled Revival. It affects your effective hitpoints the same way +2 CON does.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Maps Subscriber

I'd suggest considering taking ghostbane dirge as an actual spell known now that your slots are becoming plentiful enough, because DC 13 will saves on incorporeal creatures do not seem like a good use of two actions in combat.

I think I'd still go with your plan, but it's worth thinking about because those scrolls seem like a mental trap at this level.


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1) Can you deal with flying opponents?
2) Can you deal with invisible opponents?
3) Can you deal with deeper darkness?
4) Can you survive being grappled and/or swallowed whole by a huge or larger creature?
5) Can you provide the cost or components of a resurrection/raise dead/breath of life?

If you said no to any of these, you need to figure out how to say yes. Helpful suggestions:

1) Potion of fly (750gp)
2) Scrolls of invisibility purge, faerie fire, glitterdust, see invis (note, you can't have a potion of see invis).
3) Oil of daylight (750gp). Often hard to read a scroll in deeper darkness.
4) Potion of gaseous form, boots of escape, liberating command, freedom of movement.
5) Figure it out. :D

Grand Lodge

Kyle Baird wrote:
(note, you can't have a potion of see invis).

Sonofa.

*Runs off to edit a couple character's equipment list*.

Liberty's Edge

+1 for Summon Monster IV, it's a VERY versatile spell.

Shadow Lodge

@CRobledo: Already have Toughness--it's a staple for all my PCs in PFS play!

@TetsujinOni: Those scrolls have been sitting in my inventory forever. I just don't have the heart to toss them.

@Seth: Depending on how things shake out, you might be rolling with Lux at FlatCon ;)

Grand Lodge

Nice. I left my lower level slot blank for character selection since I've got 5, currently, that'll fit into that tier. I figured I could just fill in where needed with something of appropriate level. :P

Grand Lodge

I will say that many of the people here would see my characters as completely unprepared. Some would probably also see me as a selfish player (not a single one of my PCs was a wand of Cure Light Wounds).

If you are building a PC to handle anything, these folks have absolutely great advice.

I just deal with what I have. I play what is fun for me. My 11th level Oracle can handle a lot of the stuff mentioned above without needing to buy a long list of equipment, but that's more happenstance than planning.

My only recommendation is to have fun. And if you find yourself in a situation you are unready for (and you will, no matter how much you plan) be ready to accept the consequences.


cblome59 wrote:

I will say that many of the people here would see my characters as completely unprepared. Some would probably also see me as a selfish player (not a single one of my PCs was a wand of Cure Light Wounds).

If you are building a PC to handle anything, these folks have absolutely great advice.

I just deal with what I have. I play what is fun for me. My 11th level Oracle can handle a lot of the stuff mentioned above without needing to buy a long list of equipment, but that's more happenstance than planning.

My only recommendation is to have fun. And if you find yourself in a situation you are unready for (and you will, no matter how much you plan) be ready to accept the consequences.

Not having a wand of CLW is only selfish if you expect others to heal you.

This thread is great. I have some shopping to do now.


Here's a minor suggestion.

1st level Spell - Drop Bless and exchange it for something else. Pick up a Wand of Bless.

The wand is fairly cheap at that level and the spell Bless doesn't really scale in any needful way as you level.

Also pick up a wand of Comprehend Languages.

Shadow Lodge

Thread necromancy as now my Life Oracle is now L14 and will only play modules or specials from here on out. As I switch to high-level adventuring, I once again seek advice!

General Gameplay:
Lifelink party, perhaps Shield Other on a party member. Drop Blessing of Divine Fervor at start of combat. Use Ill Omen & Misfortune revelations along with Divine Interference to force re-rolls. Maneuver to use Flagbearer to buff. Heal and Summon as needed. Fortune, Aegis of Recovery, Determination-enchanted Armor and Martyr's Bargain are my @%!@%^# abilities.

Stats, Feats & Skills:

Str 12, Dex 10, Con 22, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 28

Feats Alignment Channel, Divine Interference, Extra Channel, Extra Revelation, Flagbearer, Quick Channel, Selective Channeling, Spell Penetration, Toughness

Traits aid allies, gifted adept

Skills Diplomacy +26, Heal +10, Knowledge (history) +3, Knowledge (planes) +3, Knowledge (religion) +16, Profession (soldier) +4, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +5, Use Magic Device +21

As this was my first PFS character, the traits are simply meh.

Defense:

AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17 (+7 armor)
hp 176 (14d8+103)
Fort +14, Ref +6, Will +12
Immune fatigue
Weakness oracle's curses (haunted, lame)

I have not invested in armor simply because we've reached the point that if something wants to hit me, it probably will. The armor has the Determination enchantment so once a day if I drop below 0 I get an auto-Breath of Life on Me. I also have an Aegis of Recovery just in case.

Offense:

Speed 20 ft.
Melee +1 silver longspear +12/+7 (1d8+1/×3) and masterwork cold iron morningstar +12/+7 (1d8+1/×2)
Ranged masterwork light crossbow +11/+6 (1d8/19-20/×2) (10 Ghostsalt blanched bolts)

As a backrow caster, I've also just purchased token weapons. The longspear is for my Banner of Ancient Kings.

Spells:

7th (4/day)—ONE OPEN SLOT, mass cure serious wounds, greater restoration

6th (6/day)—TWO OPEN SLOTS, mass cure moderate wounds, greater dispel magic, heal, summon monster vi

5th (8/day)—mass cure light wounds, break enchantment (DC 24), wall of stone (DC 24), spell resistance, breath of life (DC 24), summon monster v, plane shift (DC 24)

4th (8/day)—blessing of fervor (DC 23), restoration, cure critical wounds, freedom of movement, communal protection from energy, debilitating portent, spit venom (DC 23), summon monster iv

3rd (8/day)—cure serious wounds, magic circle against evil, prayer, bestow curse (DC 22), dispel magic, stone shape, chain of perdition, communal resist energy

2nd (8/day)—oracle's burden (DC 21), calm emotions (DC 21), hold person (DC 21), silence (DC 21), cure moderate wounds, shield other, communal protection from evil, ghostbane dirge (DC 21), martyr's bargain

1st (9/day)—moment of greatness, liberating command, ill omen, bless, sanctuary (DC 20), obscuring mist, cure light wounds

I have one open L7 slot and two open L6 slots. I'm leaning Summon Monster VII for the L7 spell and Cold Ice Strike for one of the two L6 spells. Also, having leveled to 14, I can swap one spell out for one of the same level--so if there is deadweight I'm not seeing, I'd love any guidance.

potions, scrolls, etc:

Elixirs: fire breath, swimming, spirit sight

Potions: Air Bubble, Endure Elements, Enlarge Person, Potion of Fly, Gaseous Form, Invisibility,

Scrolls: Breath of Life, Displacement, Ghostbane Dirge (2), See Invisibility, Word of Recall

Wands: Wand of Cure Light Wounds, Invisibility Purge, Lesser Restoration

Magic: Bag of holding I, Belt of mighty constitution +6, Cloak of resistance +2, Handy haversack, Headband of alluring charisma +6, Banner of the Ancient Kings, Ioun Stone (Ocher Rhomboid--bonus feat), Sihedron Rune (+28 HP if activated), Wayfinder with Dayfinder enchant

Other Crap: Bunch of mundane gear (various flasks, holy water, earplugs, goggles, adventuring gear, etc)

I have 6,300 gold to spend and 7 free PP (keeping an additional 16 in reserve for the inevitable Raise Dead). I don't mind spending 5 to retrain a feat.

Thoughts or suggestions?


Looking through your stats I have a few questions/suggestions. Obviously your retraining pool is limited but you might find the suggestions useful:

1. How set are you on your chosen feats? You are 1 level away from being able to take Spell Perfection. It would require three metamagic feats but Quicken, Reach and Persistent could all be of real benefit to you. Spell Perfection is simply crazily powerful. If you want to keep focused on healing how about being able to quicken Breath of Life from a level 5 spell slot? It is even more potent used offensively. You would also need to rejig skill points so I don't know if it is viable at all.

2. On Defences is there any reason you aren't using a shield and dropping Greater Magic Vestment on it to make it +3. A +5AC bonus is not too terrible. Are you doing the same to your Armour? A lesser Extend Rod (3k) will let them run all day. While most things will hit you with Primary Attacks iteratives might well miss. I know you have a longspear but ask yourself, honestly, how many times have you actually attacked with it in the last five levels? You have probably had the occasional OA but how many times have you hit and done anything effective with it? You really don't need a weapon at this level.

3. On spells lots of things to consider. One I think you might want to look at adding or changing if you can (retraining costs permitting).

Level 1: Bless is not worth the action at this level. A Wand of Obscuring Mist is 750gp and does the same as knowing the spell. Quickened Shield of Faith is a decent buff action, +4ac can help. Similarly Remove Fear is a strong buff for low will save allies.

Level 2: I would strongly recommend trying to fit Grace in there somewhere. Being able to go wherever you want on the battlefield and now worrying about OA's is really helpful, especially for a healer. On the buff side Delay Poison gives people immunity for 1 hour/level and I personally find Remove Paralysis too important to ignore although it could be on a scroll.

Level 3: If you have the Deeper Darkness thing covered then I would pick up Dispel Magic. You have Greater Dispel but the normal version is no longer limited to a +10 on the caster check and this would free up a level 6 spell slot. I personally think Invisibility Purge is pretty important. Having it in a wand means minimum caster level and higher level wands are expensive. Borrow Fortune lets you reroll utterly critical failed saves.

Level 4: Communal Protection from Energy seems redundant with Communal Resist Energy. Personally I like Holy Smite here for aoe blindness which at worst will do a small amount of damage to any neutral allies. Air Walk will save you on potions.

Level 5: SMV is running out a steam a bit at this point. Greater Forbid Action or Greater Command is a decent aoe control spell.

Level 6: As an Oracle there is nothing at all preventing you from taking and using Harm. 140hp damage touch attack is not bad (although honestly Plane Shift will often be better). Blade Barrier is a decent battlefield control spell and I would grab one of Wind Walk or Word of Recall. Plane Shift can also serve as an emergency run away spell though.

Level 7: Ethereal Jaunt is a powerful scouting tool, Repulsion is an amazing defensive buff especially if you are in a party of casters or archers. The Word spells are probably the pinnacle of impact at this level, especially if you can boost your caster level (Ioun Stone, Karma Bead, Varisian Tattoo feat amongst others). Higher level adventures tend to have a lot of outsiders in them and banishing them is a good idea. If you are Lawful Good then Bestow Grace of the Champion will net you a 9 point bonus to your saves.

4. On equipment at this level you should totally be running with a +5 Cloak of Resistance. Immediate removal from a failed save is the biggest risk at high level so you really want to push your saves as high as they will go. On potions I don't believe you can drink them from bottles while underwater following the introduction of the potion sponge. You may want to add one of those for Air Bubble.


Mnemonic Vestment allows you to use a spell slot to cast a spell from a scroll. This will allow you to reuse scrolls.

The Exchange

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Tailoring my responses to your money, feat, and prestige situation:

I initially started to agree with Andreww about most of his post. Then I realized we are really working without complete information. From my experiences your spell list could be stronger but that is completely dependent on your party makeup. At this level you are most likely playing with the same group of characters most of the time. Some of the spells you seem to be missing might be made up for by your party members. Especially magic vestment and greater magic weapon. Even if you don't use them they can be AWESOME for your party members.

The summon monster IV and V spells really are probably underpowered for your level.

Andreww's suggestions of spells like holy word and dictum can be incredibly powerful but they have serious drawbacks as well. Most of the things you will be fighting in modules have more HD than you have caster levels. You don't have the cash for the caster level boosters mentioned above. The bigger problem is that it isn't targeted. If you use a strand of prayer beads with your orange prism ioun stone and cast holy word your neutral allies are in serious trouble.

Grace, grace, grace. Absolutely grace. A Page of Spell Knowledge is 4000 gp if you can't find another way to get it.

You are now at the level where keeping that 16PP for raise dead isn't necessary. You get a lot of gold from each module, so the 5450 becomes - while not trivial - less impactful. Also you are starting to face more things where raise dead may not cut it. You might need resurrection or true resurrection to recover from some of the things that can happen to you. If you can make yourself better overall by spending that prestige (retraining, etc.) do so. Keep 5 for body/gear recovery in case of a TPK.

Which also brings me to another spell suggestion - raise dead. Again, might be covered elsewhere in your party but I'd be shocked if you hadn't needed it at all in Eyes of the Ten.

Any money you don't currently need can be kept in the form of diamond dust. It's fully convertible (it's a trade good) and serves as the material component for restoration, raise dead, and greater restoration. Make sure you have material components on hand for anything you plan on casting.

Mysterious Stranger wrote:
Mnemonic Vestment allows you to use a spell slot to cast a spell from a scroll. This will allow you to reuse scrolls.

This is very iffy. It's still a PFS character and most modules are single-day events that give you a level's worth of XP. That means you're going to get one use per level (approximately) out of the Mnemonic Vestments. And you still have to own the scroll, it must be one that is on your spell list and you have an open slot to cast, and you still have to provide the material components. Can be good, can be overpriced. Depends on your perspective. Best use is for a scroll of a long-duration, high-level spell you know you want to cast every day. But there aren't that many of them.

Shadow Lodge

First off, lots of great advice here. Thanks for taking the time to help me out!

A lot of ground to cover, so bear with me if I meander.

ACTION ECONOMY:
I realize I forgot to mention my dual-cursed Oracle has the lame and haunted curse. The haunted curse is the non-progressing one and it takes a standard action to retrieve stored items.

First off, Andreww's points:

Spoiler:
1. Spell Perfection: Given the amount of Feats and Skill Ranks I'd need to shuffle around, this is simply beyond my character's reach. Although I'm strongly considering dropping Alignment Channel and taking Quicken Spell.

2. Not carrying a shield: I don't carry a shield because I carry a longspear with the Banner of Ancient Kings (+4 circumstance bonus to my Initiative check; if I fail a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect I may attempt a new saving throw against that effect every round; all allies within 30 feet a +2 resistance bonus on all saving throws against mind-affecting effects and a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, and saving throws against fear and charm effects.

3. Spell List (changes to be made as PP and gold allow over time):

Level 1: Replace Bless with Remove Fear (2 PP)

Level 2: Replace Calm Emotions with Grace (4 PP)

Level 3: I already have Dispel Magic and I already have re-roll abilities (Misfortune, Fortune, Player Folio). I will swap out a spell for Invisibility Purge when PP or leveling allows.

Level 4: Because of Life Link/Shield other, Holy Smiting my (often neutral) allies only blows back on me. Replace Spit Venom with Air Walk when PP or leveling allows.

Level 5: Interested in using my L14 spell swap to drop SMV for Raise Dead. I'm interested at L15 in grabbing Greater Forbid Action and/or Command -- my only worry: they're language dependent and I'm not a linguist. Is language dependency often an issue at higher levels? (At L15, I will pick up Raise Dead)

Level 6: I use Plane Shift offensively in conjunction with Ill Omen or Misfortune. It's also my get the heck out of dodge card. I'm torn between immediately picking up 2 out of 3 from Banishment, Undeath to Death, Blade Barrier with the 3rd coming next level.

Level 7: Holy Word is a no-go for the reasons Belafon mentioned. Considering Summon VII and then picking up Resurrection at L15.

4. Cloak of Resistance +5: I will pick one up ASAP when I can afford it. I've gotten a bit lazy due to the rerolls I have.

No onto Belafon:

Spoiler:
Re: Party
For most of my PFS career, about 2/3 of the time I played with a very competent PFS home game crew and the 1/3 played with randome FLGS or Convention PFS tables. Greater Magic Vestment and Greater Magic Weapon are buff spells I never really considered using since I hung in back and focused on buffing/healing/summoning.

I'll be using PP retraining to pick up Grace.

Good point that 5450 gp isn't that much in the grand scheme of things now and I can use those PP for other things. I will trade out Summon V for raise dead and grab resurrection at L15. (We only needed it once in EotT--I used Breath of Life multiple times, but after one of our party members got barbarian full attacked in the arena into a fine paste, I didn't roll well enough to revive him.)

Shadow Lodge

Just a short recap of the above:

RETRAINS
Drop BLESS.
Gain REMOVE FEAR.
2pp, 280 gp

Drop CALM EMOTIONS.
Gain GRACE.
4pp 560 gp

Drop RESIST ENERGY (COMMUNAL)
Gain INVISIBILITY PURGE
6 PP 840 gp
(sell wand for 1350gp)

Drop ALIGNMENT CHANNEL (EVIL)
Gain QUICKEN SPELL
5 PP 700 gp

Drop SUMMON MONSTER V
Gain RAISE DEAD
Free from L14 Oracle spell swap

SPELLS FROM LEVELING
Learn L7 spell Summon VII
Learn L6 spell Blade Barrier
Learn L6 spell Banishment

The Exchange

Magic vestment and greater magic weapon are wonderful for a spontaneous caster to have in a well-integrated party. If your group plans together, the physical types can spend all their money on non-enhancement upgrades to their armor, shields and weapons. In other words the barbarian might have an +1 furious, courageous, holy greatsword for 50,000 instead of a +4 furious for 50,000 since he is expecting you to cast a CL15 greater magic weapon. (Resulting in a total of a +4 furious, courageous, holy greatsword. I know you're not CL15 yet, and yes I know it won't overcome all DRs. It's a tradeoff to consider.) Ditto for armor enchantments. I know of at least one 15th level PFS group coordinated to do just this. At the start of the day the divine caster says "Hey Mr. Wizard, let me borrow your orange prism ioun stone for a few minutes. I'll use my strand of prayer beads. OK, +5 on the non-casters' shields, armor, and weapons." (This particular one is a cleric and they make liberal use of Pearls of Power as well.)

But again - if your party is not coordinated to take advantage of that synergy it doesn't really work out. Just something to think about for the future.

I missed the feats at first. I agree with Andreww that Reach is an excellent metamagic feat to have. Especially with your curse, you can't pull out a Rod of Reach and cast a close range breath of life. At 14th level, having the feat means you could cast a close range heal or up to a medium range breath of life. I suggest Reach at 15th level if you don't retrain into it first.

edit: Of course this is mostly just my opinions. Everyone will have different preferences.

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16

Remember that you get to retrain one spell at even levels for free.

For a second-level spell, I'd recommend Grace or Suppress Charms and Compulsions. For third-level, Dispel Magic seems like a solid choice.

Also, since you seem to be mainly a support character, I don't think that scroll of see invisibility is your best choice. Invisibility purge will make people visible for your allies as well, and doesn't require a UMD check for you. And a scroll has a range of 25 feet, which is pretty solid.

For water hazards, some air crystals and a potion of touch of the sea in a potion sponge are a cheap solution.


One of the reasons I suggested the Mnemonic Vestment is so can use your caster level instead of the minimum level to cast the spell. This can make a huge difference on a lot of spells. For example a 9th level caster using a scroll of remove curse rolls 1d20+5 against the caster level of the curse, using the vestments you roll 1d20 +9. Since it acts like you cast the spell it would use your casting stat instead of assuming the minimum, and be able to be modified by metamagic feats or rods.

Shadow Lodge

Pale Green Ioun (cracked) for +1 to saves. Buy a second one for +1 attack if you're frequently casting rays.

Shadow Lodge

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Ahh, necromancing my own thread as my Oracle is L17 and beginning the final push to 20.

Spoiler:

Longspear Lux
Male human (taldan) oracle (dual-cursed oracle) 1
NG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses lifesense; Perception +0

--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 12, Dex 10, Con 22, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 29
Base Atk +12; CMB +13; CMD 23
Feats Extra Channel, Extra Revelation[APG], Flagbearer[ISWG], Quick Channel[UM], Quicken Spell, Reach Spell[APG], Selective Channeling, Spell Penetration, Toughness

--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18 (+7 armor, +1 shield)
hp 212 (17d8+124)
Fort +19, Ref +11, Will +16; +2 resistance bonus to recover from a continuing effect (ongoing poison, ongoing disease, recover from hold person, etc.)
Immune exhaustion, fatigue

--------------------
Spells
--------------------
. . 8th (5/day)—mass cure critical wounds, mass heal, holy aura
. . 7th (7/day)—mass cure serious wounds, holy word (DC 26), greater restoration, resurrection, summon monster VII
. . 6th (7/day)—banishment (DC 25), blade barrier (DC 25), mass cure moderate wounds, greater dispel magic, heal, summon monster VI
. . 5th (8/day)—break enchantment, breath of life (DC 24), greater command (DC 24), mass cure light wounds, greater forbid action (DC 24), plane shift (DC 24), raise dead, spell resistance, wall of stone
. . 4th (8/day)—blessing of fervor[APG] (DC 23), cure critical wounds, debilitating portent, freedom of movement, greater magic weapon, communal protection from energy, restoration, spit venom (DC 23)
. . 3rd (8/day)—bestow curse (DC 22), cure serious wounds, dispel magic, invisibility purge, magic circle against evil, magic vestment, prayer, stone shape
. . 2nd (8/day)—calm emotions (DC 21), cure moderate wounds, ghostbane dirge (DC 21), grace, hold person (DC 21), martyr's bargain, oracle's burden (DC 21), communal protection from evil, shield other, silence (DC 21)
. . 1st (9/day)—cure light wounds, ill omen, liberating command, moment of greatness, obscuring mist, remove fear, sanctuary (DC 20)
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound (DC 19), guidance, light, mage hand, mending, read magic, resistance, spark (DC 19)

MAGIC ITEMS:
Headband: Headband of CHA +6
Neck: Aegis of Recovery
Shoulders: Cloak of Resistance +5
Chest: Mnemonic Vestment
Belt: Belt of CON +6
Slotless: Bag of Holding, Cracked Pale Green Prism I.S. +1 Saves, Page of Spell Knowledge: Grace, (assorted scrolls & potions)

Weapon: +1 Silver Longspear w/ Banner of the Ancient Kings
Armor: +1 Determination Agile Breastplate, Masterwork buckler

FEATS:
Extra Channel
Extra Revelation
Flagbearer
Quick Channel
Quicken Spell
Reach Spell
Selective Channeling
Spell Penetration
Toughness

I'm dual-cursed Life Oracle so I'm chockfull of the standard suite of revelations (Misfortune, Life Link, Channel, etc.

I have 2 open feats: one needs to be a Metamagic feat (need a suggestion) and the other will be Spell Perfection: Breath of Life. I'm thinking maybe Extend since I dole out a lot of buffs at night before we go to sleep that will last through the next adventuring day?

I have 2 open L7 spell slots and 1 open L8 spell slot. I can also change 1 spell known. Suggestions?

I typically run with a conjuration Wizard, Superstitious Dazing Assault Pounce Barbarian, fully kitted out archer & an archeologist Bard. The Wizard and I share a Slotted Orange Prism Ioun Stone for buffing. I toss out Magic Vestments (including on myself) and Greater Magic Weapons.

I'm sitting on approx 150K gp.

Things I was thinking of:
Otherworldly Kimono (have access via chronicle)
+1 Spiked Gauntlet of Dueling (+4 Init)
Ioun Stone (that grants +1 Init)
Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier
Ring of Freedom of Movement
Glove of Storing (if I buy rods)
Spellguard bracers
Tome (CHA) or Manual (CON)

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.


You have access to a kimono?!? That is like the best item in the game, buy that thing for sure

Shadow Lodge

Whelp, Kimono for sure then. Any suggestions for L7/8 spells?


Why are you thinking about buying a Dueling Spiked Gauntlet instead of just putting Dueling on your longspear?

Shadow Lodge

Quote:
A dueling weapon (which must be a weapon that can be used with the Weapon Finesse feat) gives the wielder a +4 enhancement bonus on initiative checks, provided the weapon is drawn and in hand when the Initiative check is made.

Shadow Lodge

@Kestral287 Because Dueling needs to go on a Weapon Finesse weapon. And an added benefit as a gauntlet, you can wear/wield it without any penalties (it still counts as a free hand for spell casting, etc).

It is also particularly effective for rude hand gestures (as a GM I would add a circumstance bonus to intimidate, extra if recognize the source reference).

Edit: Ninja'd


... Valid point. Sometimes I miss the obvious.

For your metamagic feat, I'd give Persistent a look as well as Extend. If you're looking at hour/lvl buffs, you're going to normally have them active for what, the first ten hours of the day if you cast right before sleep? All day if you cast when you wake up. But if you Extend, you're looking at 36 hours, -8 for sleep the night before, which turns into 28 hours... meaning you have a full day, another night of sleep, then a mere four hours into the next day. Decent odds that you need to cast it again on the second day, in which case it hasn't really earned you much. If you cast in the morning it'd work nicely though; the full 24 hour loop then another 12, so it'd run out only four hours before sleep on the second day.

Persisting up a Banishment or Greater Command can save lives though. That's certainly not something to underestimate.

Item-wise, Ring of Freedom of Movement and Kimono are a must. Beyond that... either a Quicken Rod or just start buying down that list. Though, how capable do you feel you are of using rods anyway? With the spear constantly in one hand that might be a waste.

Are Runestones of Power PFS legal? I suppose I've never checked but those could be useful to you if you do wind up taking Persistent.

Shadow Lodge

Rune stones are legal but dang pricey.

Dark Archive

You have a lot of gear, but no Handy Haversack to carry it all?

Anyhow, consumables are amazing.

Shadow Lodge

I have a bag of holding. I didn't include my consumables list because it's long and situational.

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