I am going to be making an Oracle for a campaign I am starting on Monday. This is going to be my first spellcaster, and I feel like I have a lot to learn. So I am seeking the advice of the community who are adept at playing spell casters.
So I did a little bit of research for Oracles and I found many of them utilized Eldritch Heritage in order to delve deeper into a magic.
I want to play a Heavens Oracle because it looks like something I would be able to play without being a strict healer. The bloodline I was looking at acquiring was Starsoul, mostly for RP reasons.
In regards to Stats I know Charisma is the most important one for an Oracle Spellcaster. I also know Con-Dex can be somewhat important, where as Strength Wisdom and Intelligent are the lesser important stats. Some clarity on this would be helpful, if I am wrong.
The race I was contemplating taking was Aasamir, as I like some of their racial feats, and the race seems very Oracle-esque. The only other option I was really thinking of was Half-Elf.
As for curse, the big one I was thinking about using was Deaf. Mostly because it allows Silent casting, and later in levels tremorsense might be kinda cool. However I was also considering Haunted, as it gets some neat spells. Suggestions?
In regards to feats, I know some of the ones I will need are: Eldritch Heritage, (improved, and greater), Skill Focus (Knowledge: Nature). But like I said I haven't played a spellcaster before and I don't know the best feats to pick in this situation. I know Heightened Spell might be useful, and maybe still casting. Extra Revelation is also a possibility but I don't think I will need anyone revelations then the 6 I have access to. Any other feats you can suggest that would work with a Heavens Oracle would be great.
Also are there any must haves in terms of spells? I know if I act as healer I will need to grab some of the healing spells, and maybe some buff spells. Are there any absolute musts from the cleric tree?
The last issue I have is what kind of equipment does an Oracle use? I assume they don't wear armor, as that would lead to spell failure. Haven't really paid attention to my friends spellcaster either.
If you don't feel that heavens oracle is the right route for me to go, then I would love to hear a suggestion. Some others I've contemplated were Life Oracle/Celestial Bloodline, or some oracle with Fey Bloodline.
Sorry for the long winded post, and I know it is a lot to ask, any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Oracles don't have spell failure because they are divine casters. You can wear armor just fine.
If you go with heavens oracle then pick up magical lineage trait and depending on dm approval the wayang spellhunter trait, throw them both towards color spray then use metamagic like heighten spell to boost the dc, you can easily be knocking foes unconscious well into level 10 by adding your level up bonuses to charisma and getting a headband of charisma. Color spray is your big go to spell as a heavens oracle, bread and butter, just prepare some buff spells to aid your party for when you come across anything immune to mind affecting spells or blind enemies
Got any other meta magic for me? I dont know anything about traits in pathfinder, can you explain?
Half elf if good for eldritch hertiage as you get skill focus for free. Having +2 perception never hurts. Bless is a good first level spell. Protection from evil is also nice.
you could go samsara, and have a few summoner spells. Especially the summon monster and teleport and such quite early.
As bloodline the abyssal. Str+6 is cute, but double summons is awesome.
Add in the Orc bloodline aswell and you can join the barb in raging and tearing apart your enemies... total +12 strength! (abyssal and orc)
Meanwhile spamming the battlefield with summons, or whatever.. ;)
but I want to play more a spellcaster like roll, melee combat isnt so much my thing
would I want Spell Focus, Spell penetration and their greater counterparts as feats for this kind of character, for the illusion school?
Also what exactly do I gain by applying those traits to color spray?
Applying heightened spell to color spray makes it a level 2 spell instead of level 1 correct? Meaning I wouldn't be able to use it at low levels. But with magical lineage it would bring the spell down back down to level 1? Then applyngi Silent Spell feat from deaf means it goes back up to level 2? Then Wayang Spellhunter would mean it goes back to a level 1 spell, but would be overall stronger then it would have been had i not used any metamagic on it?
I don't know much about how spellcasting works, so I am trying to figure out these suggestions on that spell.
Damagewise, what would be the difference?
In regards to Stats I know Charisma is the most important one for an Oracle Spellcaster.Actually... if you focus on spells that do not allow a save, You can allow your Charisma to top out at 20. More will give you more spells per day though.
I also know Con-Dex can be somewhat important, where as Strength Wisdom and Intelligent are the lesser important stats.If you have Str, you can wear heavier armour and go easy on the Dex. Or vice versa.
Also are there any must haves in terms of spells?
Restoration, and the other bad-thing-undoing spells.
Metamagic Reach is a good Metamagic Rod to get. It's fairly cheap and probably a lot more worthwhile than taking the feat.
more advice please :P
I would be a gnome. Then your illusion spells are +1 dc. Then you can get a Magical Lineage trait so metamagic for colorspell are effect one less level then they should be. Then you blast people with extended color spray for twice a long.
Currently I've got a gnome heaven's oracle, he's only at level 2, but colour spray + Awesome Display +Skill focus illusion +Gnome boost to illusion spells= Shut down the encounter. Courtesy of our tank doing his job, I hit 6 goblins and knocked 5 of them out of the fight with a single spell.
I opted for haunted curse as it less crippling than deaf. Mage hand and Ghost sound are also fun and I've used them many a time for tactical advantages. I have yet to delve into metamagic due to the low level, but so far I'm liking it. He's my first spell caster too.
The only weakness you will have are creatures that are immune to color spray. They are not common but they are there.
Yes benl;y you are correct, I was mistaken. But you could still apply other 1 level feats to it like focuses and such with no level penalty.
would applying magical lineage trait make the spell level 0, and able to use as much as I want, or is there still a limit to how many times I could use color spray per day?
Not to be that guy, but have you seen the guide?
This is it, here. It covers a lot of the questions you've been asking.
To answer a few of your other questions:
- Oracles tend to utilize Eldritch Heritage because it's very easy to qualify for and it provides a LOT of bonuses. It's not necessary by any stretch, though.
- Any mystery can be utilized without being relegated to a healer. Except maybe Life, because you're going to have a hell of a time telling people you don't heal. Pick your favorite and build from there.
- Charisma is indeed the most important stat for a spellcasting oracle, with Strength right behind it. Oracles wear medium armor, so it's important to have enough strength to really carry it all. Also, early on most oracles are forced into melee combat simply because you don't have enough spells per day. Don't be afraid- you should have a decent strength (14ish) to make this easier on you.
- For a spellcasting oracle you'll probably do better with Haunted. Haunted gives you some very powerful spells at the cost of increased item retrieval time. Deaf doesn't really provide much for a caster focused oracle beyond silent casting- and that's only if you choose to take advantage of the stealth aspect.
- You've got your feats down pretty well, though you might consider Extend spell for longer buffs, toughness for a few more hitpoints, improved initiative to help you go before your enemies do, and Threnodic Spell to make sure you can affect undead with all your illusions & enchantments.
- The guide covers all the spells, but you should pick up a few group buffs like Bless/Aid early on, as well as spells like Chain of Perdition and Blessing of Fervor later on.
- Equipment is easy: grab the best armor you can wear (and carry), and supplement it with other defensive items like an amulet of natural armor, a ring of protection, and a cloak of resistance. Bolster your charisma score when you can and consider purchasing a few metamagic rods when cash gets more abundant.
- Heavens Oracle can be a blast, and it's brimming with flavor. I think you'll have a great time with the mystery.
- Spell Penetration is worth picking up later on, say after 12-14th level. It's not very common early on.
- You can't use Magical Lineage to lower a spell below it's actual level. Technically, as the rules are written, yes you can- but no DM is gonna let that fly. You'd need to use a +0 level metamagic feat to accomplish this, and very few exist. Heighten Spell doesn't even work, because you can't apply Heighten Spell without raising the level of the spell.
I suggest you grab your player's handbook and read over the spellcasting section to better familiarize yourself with the process. You seem to be missing some very crucial and basic concepts to how it all works and it would be a great benefit to yourself.
If you're not interested in lugging out the book you can instead read all about how spellcasting mechanics work here. Keep in mind these three things: you are a divine spellcaster, you are a spontaneous spellcaster, and your spellcasting is based on charisma. As the guide was written before the oracle existed it often is ignored in these descriptions.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your upcoming oracle.
Also what exactly do I gain by applying those traits to color spray?
Applying heightened spell to color spray makes it a level 2 spell instead of level 1 correct? Meaning I wouldn't be able to use it at low levels. But with magical lineage it would bring the spell down back down to level 1? Then applyngi Silent Spell feat from deaf means it goes back up to level 2? Then Wayang Spellhunter would mean it goes back to a level 1 spell, but would be overall stronger then it would have been had i not used any metamagic on it?
I don't know much about how spellcasting works, so I am trying to figure out these suggestions on that spell.
Damagewise, what would be the difference?
If you choose the deaf curse you get silent spell free, it also doesn't raise the spell level for using that metamagic with your spells so you're not penalized on your casting, just your initiative, perception, and linguistics, but if you put ranks into linguistics you should be able to read lips making it so your party doesn't have to all learn sign language. Applying both traits and heighten spell (you can heighten a spell more than just one level, in this case heighten it to a 3rd level spell then apply the traits so you can cast it as a 1st level spell) to color spray makes the will save your enemies will have to make 2 points higher. (Figuring a 20 in charisma would make the un affected spell dc a 16, but if you apply the traits and metamagic then the dc would be an 18) doing this also opens your character up to picking up other metamagic feats like widen, with widen and the traits you could cast color spray as a 2nd level spell but it would affect a 30ft cone instead of a 15ft cone.
And with awesome display thrown into the mix (wth the above mentioned charisma score) you can color spray enemies up to 7 hd and it will affect them as if they had 2the or lower hit die, knocking them unconscious for 2d4 rounds.
Now, as Sean fitzSimon pointed out, before investing so much into a character you need to first find out if these combos are going to be legal on HIS table, everyone plays things differently. I could be wrong but to my knowledge there has been no rules update on how heighten spell and the -1SL traits work with each other. At my table we play two traits =1 feat so to pull this combo off at first level you have to play human and you're investing everything you have into this one spell that as an oracle you wont get until 2nd level. With that in mind a +2 to the dc using this strategy is something we've agreed works other tables might see it differently but again nothing is official so it has to be worked out at the table by the players and DM
no one has actually commented on the bloodline itself though. How is starsoul for a bloodline for a heavens Oracle?
Also I have read your guide, and it was the reason why I decided on Heavens Oracle in the first place.
no one has actually commented on the bloodline itself though. How is starsoul for a bloodline for a heavens Oracle?
Starsoul? It's not great. You get a couple lame blasts and a sorta neat 15th level ability. I get that you're really aiming for thematic compatibility, but the bloodline isn't very strong.
If you're trying to stick thematically close to the Heavens mystery while also looking to enhance your caster abilities you might try a different bloodline. Destined has a lot of luck-based abilities that keep you alive, and follows a sort-of "it was written in the stars" kinda theme. Darkness plays with the duality of the heavens oracle, providing a lot of nice bonuses and a hide in plain sight similiar to a shadowdancer.
neither Destined or Shadow bloodlines seem like something the caster would need though. Would my caster be forced into a stealth position a lot of the time, that would be the only reason I could see picking Shadow bloodline.
What if I do neither Haunted or Deaf as my curse and take Legalistic instead? It seems like it would be a fun one having to stay true to your word.
neither Destined or Shadow bloodlines seem like something the caster would need though. Would my caster be forced into a stealth position a lot of the time, that would be the only reason I could see picking Shadow bloodline.
It's more accurate to say that they're powers you hope your caster will never need. You're going to get hit, or struck with some save-or-suck spell that takes you out of combat at some point. Destined helps you recover from ambushes and poor choices (you'll make a few- we all do) and keeps you in the fight having fun with your allies. Shadow Well, on the other hand, is excellent for a caster because it's a quick escape when you get in over your head. If you want to play caster then there's a good chance you don't really want to be in melee range- bam, stealth and you can quietly escape. Further, if you're trying to hit an enemy with any spell that requires a touch attack (or ranged touch) you can first stealth and then cast it to deny your opponent their dexterity bonus to AC. This makes them much easier to hit.
In short, Destined is great for helping you out of unexpected trouble, and Shadow provides a powerful escape opportunity and clever use of offensive-based magic.
I have a questions about my spells now.
I decided to pick Gnome ORacle, with 20 point buy started at 17 Cha. Then she gets a +2, meaning she gets +1 for 1st level spells at level 1.
I was trying to decide what spells to get and since I get 3 with my Charisma at first level and 4 orisons this is what I have come up with. Thoughts?
0 Level Spells:
Create Water
Detect Magic
Spark
Resistance
1st Level Spells:
Cure Light Wounds
Bless
Shield of Faith
Problem with this is it leaves me with no offensive Magic. Would Summon Monster I be worth taking over one of them?
Okay I get 150 gold to spend.
i could have spent all that outright on the 150 gold armor.
But I was thinking of spending 50 gold on Scale Mail.
I would also have to buy shield, and maybe a small short spear, for my gnome.
Thats 99 gold before purchasing a shield. Then I would some essentials like Rope, backpack, bedroll, rations, first aid kit.
Am I missing anything key?
I would go for the 20 CHA. As a gnome you get a plus 2 so I am not sure if you mean 19 or 17 as the final score. But if you wanna control with the command and color and such you will want Cha as high as possible. A low int would nto hurt you much if you wanna dump it.
I like the thought of Dual-Curse Oracle but they would get ill omen over color spray, which is the one spell I really wanted. Or am I wrong?
Is there any way to gain the feat any other way then just through dual cursed? It is a fantastic revelation.
also Wayang Spellcaster and magical Heritage only affect 1 spell each correct?
Okay so I created the character!
Skylar
Gnome Oracle: Heavens Mystery
Curse: Legalistic
20 point buy
Str: 14 - 2 = 12
Dex: 12
Con: 12 + 2 = 14
Int: 10
Wis: 8
Cha: 17 + 2 = 19
Contemplating maybe switching Con and Str so that it winds up 10 Str and 16 Con.
Since I get 4 skills (+1 favored class) the ones I picked for first level were: Diplomacy, Fly, Knowledge Arcana, Knowledge planes, perception.
The Traits I took were:
Magical Lineage (Color Spray)
Wayang Spellhunter (Color Spray)
Feat:
Level 1 - Heighten Spell
Spells:
0 Level
Read Magic
Create Water
Detect Magic
Light
1st level
Bless
Obscuring Mist
(Cure light Wounds)
(Inflict Light wounds)
Equipment:
Short Spear
Scale Mail
Items:
Rations
Bedroll
Backpack
Flint
This build becomes effective when I get level 2 when I get access to color spray. Since I now have the foundations done. I am opening it up for criticism as well as a few last questions.
Since I get a -2 with my traits on Color Spray, Heighten Spell only makes it go up by one. Can this be applied twice? If not what other metamagic feats can I take advantage of in order to utilize the traits, which would also help the character? Would I want Widen Spell?
Also Other feats I am considering: Spell Focus/greater, Spell Penetration/greater. Maybe I should take Effortless Trickery (Color Spray), on order to make it a swift action?
Any essential skills that I am missing, I plan on raising fly, diplomacy, and perception each level, allowing me to throw around the 2 extra skills as needed.
I have about 600 gold left after the first play through, I don't really know what to purchase. (aside from maybe a masterwork Scale Mail so I don't take the -1 on dex when I roll) Any suggestions what I should go with 600 gold? What kind of weapon should the gnome use? I am assuming the first thing I should be saving for is a wand of cure light wounds.
I know other suggestions for items are Reach wands, continuous wand of cure light wound purchases. Any other items I am missing, let me know! Also any weapons/other equipment I should strive for in the first few levels.
Yea that's about it, aside from those questions. Let the final criticism begin. (Can't al
The dual cursed oracle would replace color spray but the guy said to have only one level of oracle. Then level as a sorcerer. The sorc gets color spray at level 1 so at second level you would get it anyway. The dual cursed oracle can make eahc creature reroll any d20 roll if they are within 30 feet.
So your buddy fails a save, give them misfortune so they reroll. Something by chance saves your ungodly color spray, bam reroll.
Misfortune is very powerful. I woudl seriously reconsider the dual cursed oracle.
I would also dump strength. IF you wanna do control spells you do not need strength. My controll gnome has a 5 and rocks it. He just can not swim or climb.
Focuse metamagic maybe be nice as well. it make it is more then one creature is hit one of them get a +2 on their DC.
If you are doing PFS use your 2 prestige points to buy a wand of cure light.
I am sorry I do not have access to Wayang Spellhunter or legalistic, are these PFS legal and where can I find the information on them.