How is my Spirit Guide Loracle 1st level build?


Advice


The game I play in now is "taking a break" (yeah, right). The GM is starting up a new 1st-level campaign. And this is my first time actually building a character rather than just throwing something together for fun. So I’m nervous. And yeah, I asked about this when he first brought it up last March. I’ve reviewed what people recommended & the "Channeling the Cosmos" guide, and I'm building my PC for real now. Please review what I’ve got, and make cts.

NOTE: The GM severely restricts the material available to us. No material that’s in a splatbook or 3rd-party. Period. Material that’s actually on the PRD is a maybe. So if you make recs, please give me links to Paizo’s site, not the d20SRD. It will save us bandwidth on great ideas I can’t use.

Lore Oracle, Spirit Guide archetype, 1st Level
Ariel’s background is fairly solidified, and I want my build choices to make sense for RP as well as mechanics. I have a varied role in mind for her: tank, healer, and knowledge base.

Ariel's Background:
Ariel is the daughter of a noblewoman and a stealth-cleric of a NE homebrew deity, known as the Ill Wind, the Gatherer of Spirits, the Whisperer of Secrets. Unfortunately, her mother died in childbirth, and she was raised by a wet-nurse & nanny. Even more unfortunately, it wasn’t a natural childbirth death, no, her father used that time of great power to sacrifice her mother to his god and dedicate his new child to that god. He also asked for a boon of the death of the current mayor, and in fact was able to succeed him. So Ariel was raised as the off-spring of a noble family (through a mother who was deceased) and the town mayor. As she entered adulthood, she discovered the secret door to her father’s sanctum in the cellar. Horrified, she burned the house to the ground and fled town. Her father may well confront her later…

Unbeknownst to my father, her mother’s family has angelic blood running in it, although it hadn’t surfaced in a while. And Ariel was born a human-scion aasimar, as revealed by her solid violet eyes (no whites, but yes a pupil). So she will be conflicted between her angelic nature and the evil deity she was dedicated to and still gets her Lore Oracle magic from. The LG goddess of crops, home, fertility, and childbirth was of course outraged by the sacrifice, and also will be interested in guiding her life. Although the GM wants more of a fairy-tale atmosphere, he says, so it sounds like the gods will be more subtle than overt. I’ll have to see how this works out in play.

I do want to specify that the world abounds with spirits; I have to talk to the GM about this, but I think he’ll accept it as keeping with the world he’s putting together. Most spirits of course don’t bother ordinary folk – but they’ve noticed Ariel, and follow her, and she can notice them. As much as possible, I want to fluff special abilities as gifts from spirits. When she gets Lore Keeper and makes a high-DC Knowledge check, I want to fluff it as a spirit whispering the info into her ear, as an example. She’s starting with Side-Step Secret, and again, her incredible ability to dodge blows (given her lacrimose Dex) will be followed with a whispered “Thank-you!” to a spirit. (I hope. The RP potential is so high here! I just hope I’m up to it.) At third level, she’ll be able to bond with a spirit for the day, who will give her even more potent abilities. Of course, not all of the spirits who follow her are helpful; she has the Haunted curse!


For those of you who prefer standard form, here are the choices I’m making right now. The discussion of how I got to this will follow.

Ariel's Stat Block:
Aasimar Spirit Guide (Lore) Oracle 1
NG Medium outsider (native) & humanoid (human)

Init +0 or +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +3 (only +1 vs. surprise)--the Init bonus depends crucially on a trait.

DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (Armor +4, Cha +4) – OK for a 1st level tank, I hope.
AC w/ Shield of Faith 20, touch 16, flat-footed 16 (Armor +4, Cha +4, Deflection +2) – Now we’re looking at a tank, I trust.

HP 10 (1d8+2)

Saves Fort +2, Reflex +4 (based on Cha, but only +2 for traps), Will +5.
Special +2 racial bonus on saves vs. death effects, energy drain, negative energy, & necromancy spells or SLAs.

Defensive Abilities Negative energy resistance 5; no HP loss w/ negative level

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.

Melee Scimitar +3 (1d6+4/18–20 2H) or (+3 1H) – solid for a 3/4 BAB class, I hope.
Ranged +0 – she’s got to avoid ranged attacks, and she doesn't drop things well, so I didn’t equip her for one.

STATISTICS
Ability Scores Str 16, Dex 10, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 18.

BAB +0; CMB +3; CMD 13 – her CMB isn’t bad for a 3/4 BAB class, I hope; is her CMD right? I applied her Dex mod, not her Cha mod. This goes up by +2 with Shield of Faith active.

Feat Martial Weapon Proficiency (scimitar) – unless you all talk me into something else.

Skills Diplomacy +8, Heal +7, Knowledge (nobility) +6 & (religion) +6, Profession (noblewoman) +7, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +6. Untrained: Perception +3 (only +1 vs. surprise).
All trained skills are class skills. Sense Motive includes a +1 trait bonus. (She’ll also get a +2 trait bonus after she invests a rank in Linguistics, which will grant her 2 languages.) Ariel gets 6 skill ranks/level, +1 FCB for the first three levels. (Starting at 4th level, she’ll be taking the human FCB bonus of getting an extra spell known.) I know that a lot of people prefer +1 HP at first, but I looooove skill pts. And she has a LOT of Knowledges as class skills to drop at least one point in.

Languages Common, Draconic, Sylvan

SLA (CL 1st, concentration +?): 1/day – Daylight —Concentration depends crucially on traits.

SQ Haunted: Spirits follow you wherever you go: some help you, some cause strange occurrences (such as unexpected breezes, small objects moving on their own, and faint noises), and some do what they can to harm you in a mischievous way. Retrieving any stored item from your gear requires a standard action, unless it would normally take longer. Any item you drop lands 10 feet away from you in a random direction.

Revelation Side-Step Secret (su): The spirits around you help defend you in combat, prodding you to step out of danger at the very last second. Add your Charisma modifier (instead of your Dexterity modifier) to your Armor Class and all Reflex saving throws. Your armor's maximum Dexterity bonus applies to your Charisma instead of your Dexterity. [Lore oracle feature, refluffed]

Gear Masterwork chain shirt (250 gp/25 lbs); masterwork scimitar (315 gp/4 lbs); courtier’s outfit (20 gp/6 lbs); furs (12 gp/5 lbs); jewelry (currently a 100 gp amethyst pendant on a 100 gp gold necklace, and small 50 gp gold earrings); miscellania: belt pouch, blanket, grooming kit, weapon cord (2.8 gp/13.5 lbs); 2 sp in change after inn charges -- a light load of 76 lbs or less. I equipped her based on the Rich Parent trait.

Spells/Day 1st-level: 3 + 1 due to high Cha

Cantrips Known (4 + 2 from curse)
>> Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Guidance, Spark, Stabilize, & Mage Hand

1st-Level Spells Known (2 + 1 Cure)
>> Cure Light Wounds, Deathwatch, & Shield of Faith


Now for how I got the stat block above.

Ability Scores
We roll stats, and I did incredibly well. I rolled a 16, 16, 15, 14, 14, 10 – equivalent to a 37-pt buy!!! (I admit, I think we use the same rules as Lady-J’s table does. This is still the best array I’ve rolled.) Aasimars get +2 Wis & Cha, and no penalties, so I distributed the results as follows…

Str 16, Dex 10, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 16 (14+2), Cha 18 (16+2). --Who needs Dex? Not a loracle! Her ability pt at 4th will go to Con, for a free Toughness.

Feat
Ariel gets only one at first. Given that I want her in melee and she only gets simple weapon proficiency, I’m going for…
Martial Weapon Proficiency (scimitar)
The 3rd level feat will be Extra Revelation, likely to get Lore Keeper, since Spirit Guides don’t get revelations for a long time after first level.

Traits

Racial Traits:
+2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma

Scion of Humanity outsider (native) & humanoid (human) [alternate racial; no Celestial language] —I definitely want the human FCB for oracle.

Darkvision 60 ft. [racial]

Deathless Spirit Negative energy resistance 5 (no HP loss w/ negative level), plus a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against death effects, energy drain, negative energy, & necromancy spells or SLAs. [alternate racial] —the normal trait gives acid, cold, & electricity resistance 5, and a guide recommends Exalted Resistance instead, for SR 5+level vs. evil; I’m open to opinions.

Truespeaker +2 on Linguistics & Sense Motive, and 2 languages/rank in Linguistics. [alternative racial] —this will save me a lot of skill ranks; I normally do buy languages.

SLA 1/day -- Daylight, CL is character level [racial] —I didn’t see an alternative that looked compelling, but I’m open to opinions.

Oracle Class Features:
No, they’re not traits, but you gotta know about them ahead of looking at the other traits.

Curse Haunted: Spirits follow you wherever you go: some help you, some cause strange occurrences (such as unexpected breezes, small objects moving on their own, and faint noises), and some do what they can to harm you in a mischievous way. Retrieving any stored item from your gear requires a standard action, unless it would normally take longer. Any item you drop lands 10 feet away from you in a random direction. Add these spells to your list of spells known: Ghost Sound & Mage Hand; at 5th, Levitate & Minor Image; at 10th, Telekinesis; at 15th, Reverse Gravity. [Oracle class “feature”, refluffed slightly] —this is too much a “gimmee” for this character to go with any of the others in the APG.

Revelation Side-Step Secret (su): The spirits around you help defend you in combat, prodding you to step out of danger at the very last second. Add your Charisma modifier (instead of your Dexterity modifier) to your Armor Class and all Reflex saving throws. Your armor's maximum Dexterity bonus applies to your Charisma instead of your Dexterity. [Lore oracle feature, refluffed]—I want Lore Keeper, too, but it will wait. This is the one that lets me dump Dex.

Drawback & Character Traits
Spirit-Sighted You often pay such attention to the spirits around you that you are surprised by the material world. You take a –2 penalty on Perception checks to avoid being surprised and on Reflex saving throws to avoid traps or hazards. [drawback, refluffed; the original is Sentimental] I’ve refluffed this, so it looks incredibly apt. Although it is at odds with some other features & trait options.

The alternative would be Meticulous (-2 to untrained skills).

Rich Parents You were born into the minor nobility, and even though you have been forced to turn to a life of adventure, you enjoy a one-time benefit to your initial finances—your starting wealth increases to 900 gp. [social] — At the start of the game, Ariel really needs to look like the pampered daughter of minor nobility. (I'm assuming the courtier’s outfit would cost her only 20 gp net.) My big question is: have I missed anything? I mean, something she’d have actually possessed before fleeing her burning home. OK, she bought a common backpack on the road to hold her clothes while she’s in armor, but that was a clear necessity. She won’t be used to traveling out of town, much less adventuring, when she arrives in the city where the game is beginning! Note: Yes, the obvious hole is a ranged weapon. I’m afraid of the Haunted penalty (from her curse), and given her lacrimose Dex, she’ll stick to her scimitar & her spells.

Now I have to choose one from each of the following pairs of traits. Again, she wants to tank, heal & know things...

Armor Expert You have worn armor as long as you can remember, simply as part of your upbringing as a noble. Your childhood armor encumbered you as much as real armor, and you've grown used to moving in such suits with relative grace. When you wear armor of any sort, reduce that suit's armor check penalty by 1, to a minimum check penalty of 0. [combat, slightly refluffed] —I’d say it was necessary given that tanks wear armor, and she can’t use Cha for Dex-based skills; this would indeed take the penalty to 0 for her masterwork chain shirt, giving her a whopping skill bonus of +0, untrained. This trait is also great for RP. The thing is, she’s not supposed to be the graceful acrobat & slippery sneak of the group. So I’m less excited about this one than the next.
OR
Reactionary You were bullied often as a child because of your odd, violet eyes, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you have learned to let helpful spirits warn you of an impending attack. You gain a +2 trait bonus on initiative checks. [combat, refluffed] —I’d say it was necessary given that she can’t use Cha for Init, but it flies in the face of the drawback I chose. Of course, I’ve fluffed it that some spirits are helpful and others not…

Focused Mind You read voraciously as a child, partly as a retreat from a home life that was subtly horrifying. You learned to block out distractions and focus on the immediate task at hand. You gain a +2 trait bonus on concentration checks. [magic, refluffed] —This fits the RP, and has been called a good buy.
OR
Magical Lineage Angelic blood runs in your veins, and yet you were committed at birth to an evil deity. Pick one spell when you choose this trait. When you apply metamagic feats to this spell that add at least 1 level to the spell, treat its actual level as 1 lower for determining the spell's final adjusted level. [magic, refluffed] —which spell? For a sorcerer/wizard, this trait has been called so essential I ban it from my game. But is it “essential” for a loracle bent on tanking, healing, and knowing things? [/spoiler]

Spells
SLA (CL 1st): 1/day – Daylight

Cantrips Known (4 + 2 from curse)
>> Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Guidance, Spark, Stabilize, & Mage Hand

1st-Level Spells Known (2 + 1 Cure)
>> Cure Light Wounds, Deathwatch, & Shield of Faith
I’m especially curious if you all have recs on spell choices.

Sooo, whew! How’d I do in general? Which of the traits should I pick? Are there better spells? How would you improve the build?


With those stats you're not going for dervish dance, and as a non-human oracle you won't have enough feats to take full advantage of going weapon & shield. A two handed weapon (long spear w/out a feat, falchion, greatsword or polearm of some kind with) will be better. You can take a hand off a two handed weapon without dropping it.

For a tank who's likely to be up in the enemies face focused mind does sound very useful. I can't think of must-have metamagic for a lore oracle tank, with sidelines in healing and knowledge.

For another trait if you can refluff then defensive strategist could work for a tank with low initiative. It might fit better than reactionary.


Trait wise armor expert or reactionary.

Your focused is tanking so either be good in armor or go sooner to get a buff up.

Two traits I find super useful are Transmuter- +1 CL on all Transmutation and 1/day extend on a Animal buff..which for an Oracle by the time the extend hits you have a 1/day 10 Minute buff. Good enough for a few fights.

Accelerated drinker- move action consume a potion. You can enter a dungeon or room with it in hand..chug and standard buff for a great round 1.

As for why you ban magical lineage idk..I ban wayang spell hunter. One so people won't stack them but magical lineage blocks them out of other good magic traits. Not to mention I ban spell perfection because it is insanely too good. Not Uber broken but still too good to tip the scales and boarders the broken realms.

Anyways back to the character.

Deathwatch is ok but I feel you can get a better level 1. Add it later by all means but divine favor, entropic shield or weapons against evil might be better picks for 1st level. Remember you do get retraining.

Lastly on an idea how to seem more noble like...hire a hireling to be a handmaiden. Cleans, cooks, and does menial tasks for you because your a noble and above doing laundry...even your own. They are super cheap and you can even pay them a year at a time and not even put a dent in your funds.


So much for trying to head off great suggestions I can't make use of. Defensive Strategist, Transmuter, & Accelerated Drinker -- none of them are PRD. I may have been unclear in talking about "splatbooks," since Gods of the Inner Sea is hardcover. It's still not in the PRD, so I'm not going to try to argue for material out of it. We had to work on the very concept of getting to use traits in the first place!

~~~

avr: Thanks so very much for pointing out that Ariel can best use a 2H-weapon. A falchion is certainly superior to the scimitar I went for first. As a note to myself, it will cost 375 gp & weigh 8 lbs (60 gp & 4 lbs more). It will do 2d4+4/18-20 (seriously better than 1d6!).

Thanks for the vote for Focused Mind; seeing as I can't go with Defensive Strategist, are you voting for Reactionary?

~~~

Louise: Well, technically Armor Expert doesn't help with AC, just with her terrible Dex-based skills like Acrobatics & Stealth. So does this swing your vote to Reactionary?

I banned Magical Lineage because of the many cts I've seen that amount to "you can't do an arcane caster without it." I think traits are supposed to add to diversity, not just be another shoehorn. Without Magical Lineage, Spell Perfection isn't all that insane. I hope. I haven't seen it in use, since I always play in games like my current one, that sure looks like it's ending at 11th level. (The GM has good intentions.)

Given that I have no option for the traits you recommended, do you have an opinion on the magic trait?

I'm logging your vote for putting off Deathwatch. I picked it partly because of flavor reasons, since spirits could tell her about health status. But Divine Favor & Entropic Shield are also thematic. Do you have an opinion as to which is better for her? (Weapons Against Evil is again non-PRD.)

As for the hireling, yes, of course Ariel expects a servant! And she did get her father's servants out of the house (after lighting it on fire). Maybe a housemaid is accompanying her. (Her lady's maid wouldn't cook or clean and still looked for 1 gp a day!) Paying the housemaid for a year would cost 37 gp... I don't know. Ariel is going to be looking for a way to pay her over a longer stretch, but for now, the housemaid has been paid for only 10 days (1 gp). (Partly, it will be up to the GM if he wants to deal with an NPC hanger-on.) Thanks for the idea!


Reactionary is always going to be value for a trait spent. Fate's Favored (Ultimate Campaign) might be even better if you get Divine Favor though. Easy to fluff as the aid of your spirits too.


avr, I love Fate's Favored for Varitsa, my half-orc sorceress, even though I haven't yet managed consistent sources of luck bonuses besides her tattoos. I hadn't been aware of the Luckstone until recently, nor had I thought of getting a cheap wand of Divine Favor for my UMD. If the campaign does continue, she'll be getting them soon! And it will mean +2 on Init for her, along with the +2 on attacks/damage with DF.

Hmmmm. No, I think I'll do something different, all the same. For one thing, it will be a loooonnng haul before Ariel can afford a Luckstone. And the GM is hinting it will be a low-magic campaign, in the sense of there not being a lot of magic items lying about. He wants a fairy-tale atmosphere. (I don't know if he'll restrict crafting.)

Louise, I do want to mention that I found a typo in the Ultimate Equipment text. I couldn't understand your suggestion of a cheap hireling at first, since I thought they made 1 gp per day! Oh, yes, the Hireling description (even still on the PRD) says Hirelings have "Price 1 gp – 3 gp per day," but then I noticed that the table at the top gives it as 1 sp/day untrained & 3 sp/day trained. UC under Downtime backs the table, as does common sense, given what hoity-toity folks make. So how do I flag the typo? And might the powers that be know about it, and NOT have fixed the PRD?

{EtA: Hah! The maid fixes the problem Ariel had with a common, scruffy backpack that marred her image. The MAID is carrying the backpack!}


Yay!!! I gave the GM my character write-up, and it passed muster, except for the fluff on falchion. "Why a falchion?" he asked.

"Because it's a really cool two-handed sword?" I asked back, wondering what he was getting at. Apparently they're not at all typical for the region. So I'll have to change the fluff, and that was good enough. (Apparently there's a spirit who follows the PC around and really, really likes playing with falchions -- and is sooo helpful when the PC wields one, compared to whenever she tries to wield whatever are the easy to find swords lying around.

I wrote Reactionary into her stats, and I do think I'll go with it.

Of course, I also wrote Focused Mind in, but now I'm waffling. I've looked at Spirit Sense, and it's ineligible for me in that it cancels out my drawback. Way too cheesy! But in addition to canceling the penalty on surprise that my drawback provides, it gives an underwhelming +2 to see invisible or incorporeal creatures. Creatures that add +20 to the DC because they're invisible! Gee, thanks.

I need a trait that will let my PC see spirits. Spirits that are invisible to others. (Of course, for a trait she won't get any boost to see material beings who have become invisible.) For this purpose only, I'm open to recs from Paizo non-PRD or even 3rd party sources. Assuming that I'll be requesting something homebrew, I need to settle an essential question before I can start writing:

Are these spirits incorporeal or ethereal?

The latter seems scratched out in that apparently ethereal creatures cannot affect the material plane. And these spirits certainly do! According to her curse, they can cause "unexpected breezes, small objects moving on their own, and faint noises." I want to further fluff them as actually aiding her defense in combat (purely as justification for her sidestep secret revelation).

So I started investigating incorporeal, but didn't find anything clear-cut on whether incorporeal creatures are invisible or not. And then I looked in the Bestiary (getting frustrated with how the sub-type filters work), and got the following:

  • Allip (CR 3) "This malignant cloud of shadows boils in the air, its skeletal maw eerily babbling as the creature's claws manifest from the darkness."
  • Banshee (CR 13) "This beautiful, ghostly elven woman glides through the air, her long hair flowing around a face knotted into a mask of rage."
  • Bhuta (CR 11) "This ghostly apparition floats in the air on backward-facing feet. Its hands end in sharp talons, and its eyes glow with blue fire."
  • Dybbuk (CR 15) "This grinning spectre has mad eyes and blood-red hands that twitch and jerk like a puppeteer's."
  • Duppy (CR 7) "This floating, ghostly humanoid's face is a blend of human and beast. Canine shapes twine around the creature's legs."

While I stopped with "D," so far, it sure looks like incorporeal creatures are all, in fact, visible!

So what are my invisible but prankster or helpful spirits?

~~~~

Bonus request:
Maybe the PC actually can see the invisible. If these spirits are ethereal, I could give the PC a racial SLA for See Invisibility. I'd have to replace something else, though.

By the ARG Race Builder rules,

  • Aasimars' celestial resistance (and presumably its replacements) cost 3 RP.
  • Skilled costs 4 RP, which is actually 2 times 2. (Sense Motive & Linguistics are really purchased separately.)
  • The racial SLA aasimars get (Daylight) is an advanced trait costing 3 RP.

  • I'd buy a 1/day See Invisibility as a "Spell-Like Ability, Lesser" costing 2 RP.
  • There's no rule permitting this, but it's possible that I could make this 2/day for 4 RP.
  • See Invisibility at-will (what I'd love her to have) would be a monstrous trait costing 4 RP.
  • Simply making two skills (specifically either Diplomacy/Perception or Linguistics/Sense Motive) class skills would cost 1 RP. Thematically, it might work for Perception/Sense Motive, though. (This is annoying, because I'd prefer the two oracles don't get -- Perception/Linguistics! But it doesn't seem fair to cherry-pick.)
So where should I go with this?


Generally speaking 'spirits' which provide a character ability have no existence in the game outside that ability. That's true whether the effect is positive or negative. You may rarely find things like unfettered eidolons in the bestiary, but they're written and published after the class feature (often well after) and the class ability won't reference or use them.


avr, thanks for explaining. What about my See Invisibility, then? I'd stubbornly like to be able to see my existence-less spirits. I'm considering requesting that I be allowed the following Alternate Racial Trait:

Sixth Sight Some aasimar are highly perceptive, often beyond the bounds of normal vision. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks. In addition, they may use See Invisibility once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level is equal to the aasimar's character level). This racial trait replaces skilled.

Basically, I'm replacing the +2 on Diplomacy in the base trait with the 1/day See Invisibility. (Both are 2 RP.) Yes, I have to give up the 2 languages per rank in Linguistics I'd liked, but the point is that a new feature should cost something. What do you think?


The name might be better as either sixth sense or second sight. On the actual mechanics, usually alternates replace like with like (magical traits with other magical traits, etc.) but it doesn't seem terribly unbalanced for the games I play. If skills like diplomacy are important in yours too then it should be OK.

Grand Lodge

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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

The spirits of a spirit guide oracle are nebulous things that you can define however you like.

Roleplaying the Spirit Guide
There are many ways to roleplay your interactions with the spirits. Here are some fun options to consider:

Target of Jealous Spirits. This is especially apropos for Oracles with the Haunted or Tongues curses, but you can make this story work with most curses. Each of these spirits is vying for your attention. Each day, they insist that you choose one of them. The one that you chose showers you with gifts, while the others proceed to make your life miserable by messing with your stuff, interfering with your communications, tripping your lame leg, causing smoke to wisp off your burnt fingers... Whatever. You could have active arguments with your spirits (like Whoopi Goldberg's medium in "Ghost") or be the resigned yet snarky pawn of destiny (like Zathras from "Babylon Five".)

Recipient of Mysterious Envoys. The wandering spirits can be different envoys of your deity, pantheon, or "the powers that be." You haven't chosen these messengers. They come each day, bearing your gifts with cryptic hints about the challenges to come. You can be the bewildered seer, respectful of these divine messengers, yet uncertain of what they want you to accomplish with the tools they have provided.

Passionate Petitioner of Divine Aid. Who can forget the moment when Inigo Montoya beseeches the soul of his dead father to help him find the Man in Black? The Petitioner is not merely a tool of fate, but a conscious postulant, who knows what she needs and that her cause is just. Play up your big moment, and beseech the spirit for its aid

Family Reunion. All those spirits who are helping / advising you? They’re your crazy ancestors. Everyone’s there... Your weird uncle Frank who ran naked through the woods (Nature), your annoying cousin Marge the know-it-all (Lore), your great grandfather Ralph the pyromaniac (Flames). And they all want to reminisce about the bad old days and tell you what to do. “In my day, we walked to the dungeon uphill both ways through waves of goblins this deep!”

Canny Mystic. In exploring your mystery, you’ve become open to the world of spirits. They’re your advisors and friends. You call on them as old friends, perhaps even trading favors or leaving trifles in return for their aid. You could play this wild like a voodoo priestess or serene like the Oracle of Delphi.

_____

I created my own list of the spirits and the hexes they bring so that I could avoid slowing down gameplay and be more aware of all the options they offer.

Hmm


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Hmm wrote:

The spirits of a spirit guide oracle are nebulous things that you can define however you like.

Roleplaying the Spirit Guide
There are many ways to roleplay your interactions with the spirits. Here are some fun options to consider:

Target of Jealous Spirits. This is especially apropos for Oracles with the Haunted or Tongues curses, but you can make this story work with most curses. Each of these spirits is vying for your attention. Each day, they insist that you choose one of them. The one that you chose showers you with gifts, while the others proceed to make your life miserable by messing with your stuff, interfering with your communications, tripping your lame leg, causing smoke to wisp off your burnt fingers... Whatever. You could have active arguments with your spirits (like Whoopi Goldberg's medium in "Ghost") or be the resigned yet snarky pawn of destiny (like Zathras from "Babylon Five".)

Recipient of Mysterious Envoys. The wandering spirits can be different envoys of your deity, pantheon, or "the powers that be." You haven't chosen these messengers. They come each day, bearing your gifts with cryptic hints about the challenges to come. You can be the bewildered seer, respectful of these divine messengers, yet uncertain of what they want you to accomplish with the tools they have provided.

Passionate Petitioner of Divine Aid. Who can forget the moment when Inigo Montoya beseeches the soul of his dead father to help him find the Man in Black? The Petitioner is not merely a tool of fate, but a conscious postulant, who knows what she needs and that her cause is just. Play up your big moment, and beseech the spirit for its aid

Family Reunion. All those spirits who are helping / advising you? They’re your crazy ancestors. Everyone’s there... Your weird uncle Frank who ran naked through the woods (Nature), your annoying cousin Marge the know-it-all (Lore), your great grandfather Ralph the pyromaniac (Flames). And they all want to...

I like using the Canny Mystic and Recipient of Mysterious Envoys styles myself.

Played my Oracle as a Priestess of Shelyn with a love for the Gods and Goddesses of Good. When the teachings lined up with Goodness, Love, Redemption, Peace, Friendship, Freedom, Dragons, Traveling, Arts, and Music. So pretty much Desna, Cayden, Iomedea, Apsu, and Sarenrae.

I flavored the Spirits that she could bond with as like minded and drawn to her personality to want to help her in spreading good. Heaven, Life, Lore, Slums, and Nature. I made it so Bones wouldn't go near her, and Ancestors did not like a Shabti being a "Fake" person in the spirits "eyes".

Very good Post Hmm.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Thanks, Louise!

Bitter Lily, can you tell us more about the Campaign setting that your GM has set his story in? Rejecting a Falchion seems odd to me, especially since it's a core racial weapon for half-orcs. Yes, I realize that you are an aasimar, not a half-orc. I'm just commenting that falchions are fairly common for most settings. That it is not available in yours is something interesting, and I want to know more so that we can give you the right flavor advice.

Other questions:

Who else is in this party? I like to know what the rest of the team is planning to bring before giving out too much advice.

Have you considered just going with a spear?

Looking on the Paizo PRD for Traits, I see Seeker as a Social Trait that any character can take. It would give you Perception as a class skill to go with that great wisdom.

Seeker Trait wrote:
Seeker: You are always on the lookout for reward and danger. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perception checks, and Perception is always a class skill for you.

Hmm


I agree, I wouldn t spend a feat on a weapon proficiency. If you do atleast get something cool and exotic like a falcata or fauchard.
I have a melee focused spirit guide oracle and at lvl 9 I find myself less and less hitting things. You have so many spells at that lvl that if I get to whack someone with my spear it s in round 4 or 5 when the battle is basicly over. It all depends on group composition but even with a starting str. of 18 and a +3 spear, I can t compete with our frontliners, so I rather buff them or the whole group, then spend 2extra rounds buffing myself, just to get 2 hits in per fight.
There is nothing wrong with going melee in your early lvls as an oracle but you re a full caster class and that s where you should focus your precious ressources like feats.
improved initiative or (scion of war which you probably can t take) make good 1st lvl feats.


My PC is not named Ariel any longer; I had had no idea what Disney had done with a perfectly thematic name! Suggestions as to her name would be great icing for the cake!

Background of the new campaign:
Unfortunately, I don't know a lot.

Aasimars, tieflings, catfolk, etc -- apparently all are quite present, along with humans and most Core races. The presence of ARG races itself marks a departure from the current game world, where all of the races are Core. In addition, the GM has chortled over the fact that no one in the new campaign has asked to play an elf; he wants elves to be more fey and mysterious, he says. I'm assuming that the fey will play a major role in general. Of course, I don't think anyone asked to play a half-orc, either, and based on a fragmentary convo, I suspect there aren't any orcs.

I've seen the regional map; very rural and mostly downright wilderness, with a few towns scattered about and one significant city. My PC is from one of the towns, and has fled to the city, where the game will start. From my background, I know there are nobles; there's apparently a monarch somewhere distant. Still, the town that my PC comes from is governed by a mayor who is selected in some fashion (admittedly from the ranks of the minor nobility), rather than by a feudal over-lord as such.

It's an isolated region, so it's not surprising that the nobility (and thus everyone else) would focus on a single style of weaponry. I assume straight-bladed longswords or greatswords, but the GM didn't say. He didn't outright ban the falchion, in any case, but nixed my fluff text, which assumed that the nobility would have easy access to the blade. I said I'd change that, and he accepted it. He said that people would know what a falchion was, but that it was an unusual choice. Going with the lack of wide commerce, magic items will be fairly rare; there certainly won't be shops that carry them. We may be restricted from crafting as well; I don't know. (It's permitted in the current game, but since we're first level, we don't... wait, I guess maybe the wizard does know.) It's going to be different from the rolling in items campaign we've got now!

Finally, the GM didn't blink at my specifying a host of spirits helping or hindering my character, but did grow uneasy when I started outlining possible motivations for deities. (Not for face to face meetings; I simply assumed that deities would take a direct interest in the world. Not much, apparently.) He says he wants a more fairy tale atmosphere than the typical Pathfinder universe.


I hope this helps! I'll be back after dinner...


Hmm, the suggestions on styles for spirit guide are fascinating! And I'm with Louise, the Canny Mystic and Recipient of Mysterious Envoys styles look good for this character. And thanks for the link to your doc on spirit abilities. I'll add one thing to a copy for myself: descriptions of the spirits being bonded with.

Louise, which spirits are antithetical to Lore? Or to "the Ill Wind, the Gatherer of Spirits, the Whisperer of Secrets"? (The deity she got dedicated to at birth, if you recall.) Her alignment is soooo complicated; I wish I could just assign some as "evil."

~~~

Who is in the party? LOL, I've got to remember!
<> My aasimar loracle, who has a lot of secrets to keep
<> Halfling bard
<> Dwarven ranger
<> Tiefling slayer, also with a mysterious past
<> Mysterious wizard (with a player peeved that his secret got out before he even started play): illusionist. (Ah well, our PCs don't know!)
<> Somebody as yet undecided, which makes them the most mysterious of all at the moment.

~~~

Hmm, I have suggested but not yet heard back on my custom Second Sight. If the GM grants it, then getting Perception as a class skill becomes less important. Which would be good, because Seeker is in the same category as Rich Parents. I had originally thought of it as another dual choice, like Armor Expert vs. Reactionary, and Focused Mind vs. Magical Lineage. But the more I considered how poor she'd be without Rich Parents, and how bad that would be for RP, Seeker sank lower and lower. By the time I submitted my OP, I had dropped Seeker from consideration. This may be grounds for an expensive (+ 800 gp) retraining request later, however.

~~~

Tyophelis, as for not using a spear, the main reason I went for a Weapon Proficiency is that I want to tank. I figure I'll be in melee a lot, as a result. Even if I'm not doing DPR-style damage, I want to be able to do something worthwhile! If I can get Keen on my falchion somehow, I should have a reasonable chance of nasty damage from critting. (We use crit cards.)

As for not using a falcata or other exotic blade, I actually went over all of the cool exotic weapons carefully... and THEN looked at the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat. OOOPS! Prereq of BAB +1, my violet eyeballs!!! (You'd think they saw me coming or something.) This is supposed to be a proficiency she picked up in her childhood training, and for a 3/4-BAB caster, it won't work.

Have I persuaded you all on the falchion?

Grand Lodge

A little late to the party. But here are some thoughts on the future of the character. A keen fauchard would be better for you if your burning a feat on a weapon.

Consider additional traits magical linage divine favor level 7ish and quicken at level 9 this really powers up your melee.


Quote:
Louise, which spirits are antithetical to Lore? Or to "the Ill Wind, the Gatherer of Spirits, the Whisperer of Secrets"? (The deity she got dedicated to at birth, if you recall.) Her alignment is soooo complicated; I wish I could just assign some as "evil."

That is difficult to say as Lore can represent.

Let's see she is an Aasimar so I would say HEavens could make a good fit for being drawn to her and trying to keep her on a good path despite the bad that has befallen her.

The Ill wind- Well perhaps the Winds spirit is drawn to her. Where as the opposite of Wind would be earth/Stone. So perhaps it would not like her since she is "Marked/Haunted" by the ill wind.

She was raised as a Noble- Perhaps the Slums spirit dislikes the fact she was raised in upper society and doesn't want to lend you its power.

She was raised a City girl- Perhaps Nature spirits (Mammoth included) does not like she knows nothing about it or how to live along with nature.

Honestly, it is all up to you with which spirits you want to say doesn't Jive with your Loracle.


Grandlounge wrote:

A little late to the party. But here are some thoughts on the future of the character. A keen fauchard would be better for you if your burning a feat on a weapon.

Consider additional traits magical linage divine favor level 7ish and quicken at level 9 this really powers up your melee.

Welcome! Sadly, the fauchard fits in the realm of great suggestions I can't make use of -- it's not in Ultimate Equipment. I can use PRD material only, remember.

OTOH, your other suggestion looks unmitigatedly great! I can take Magical Lineage for Divine Favor now at character creation. And put Divine Favor into my spell list as well, of course. That would let me go for Extend Spell at 3rd, although my blasters haven't been fond of that metamagic in the past. Still, while I've seen fights go to 10 rounds, none have even neared 20, so it would be helpful. An Extended Divine Favor might even be castable before combat begins. The real plan, as you say, is to get Quicken Spell at 9th level, when Divine Favor is adding +3 to attack and damage.

This is a solid plan for a tank oracle: thank you!

Grand Lodge

Sorry forgot about the book restrictions I read to op a few hours before writing. The build looks good have fun.


Contextual quote by Louise Bishop:
Louise Bishop wrote:
Quote:
Louise, which spirits are antithetical to Lore? Or to "the Ill Wind, the Gatherer of Spirits, the Whisperer of Secrets"? (The deity she got dedicated to at birth, if you recall.) Her alignment is soooo complicated; I wish I could just assign some as "evil."

That is difficult to say as Lore can represent.

Let's see she is an Aasimar so I would say HEavens could make a good fit for being drawn to her and trying to keep her on a good path despite the bad that has befallen her.

The Ill wind- Well perhaps the Winds spirit is drawn to her. Where as the opposite of Wind would be earth/Stone. So perhaps it would not like her since she is "Marked/Haunted" by the ill wind.

She was raised as a Noble- Perhaps the Slums spirit dislikes the fact she was raised in upper society and doesn't want to lend you its power.

She was raised a City girl- Perhaps Nature spirits (Mammoth included) does not like she knows nothing about it or how to live along with nature.

Honestly, it is all up to you with which spirits you want to say doesn't Jive with your Loracle.

That Slums spirit looks cool; I wish it were in the PRD, so I could debate whether it worked with me or against me!

Thinking of Heavens, Lore, & Wind as all associated with the deity sending her these spirits, or at least neutral to him, does make sense. <runs off to see what is left and what she loses by this>

<> Bones will also be with her; we're talking about the "Ill Wind." OTOH, my PC will likely try to dodge this one.
<> Battle looks like it's with her, based on the bonus spells.
<> Flame looks aligned or neutral, since fire is largely gaseous.
<> Life is sadly open to question; the "Ill Wind" would obviously never send Life Spirits, but yes, the Goddess of fertility and childbirth would -- I'd strongly wanted access to this one -- I think I can pull it off with good RP. "How nice to see you!"

<> That leaves Nature, Stone, & Waves as antithetical. Looking them over, I can see that. There's some good hexes there, but nothing that sings out to me for this character. The themes are all so, so gravity-bound, even the Waves. That's 30% of the spirits provided, which surely should suffice.

Thank you!

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Flames and Heavens are often my go-to spirits. They have some very nice hexes, even though Heaven's spells are somewhat week without the benefit of the Awesome Display revelation. Life is awesome too if you need to provide life links and other support for your party.

It could be easy to give these spirits a more fey feel too if that would make them more acceptable to your GM.

I would also advise to not take the trait "Rich Parents." It's a waste of a trait, and trait's cannot be retrained. At low level, sure, it's great, but by 2nd or third level you'll wonder why you took it. Fate's Favored and Divine Favor also work well together, though I know you're not that excited by Fate's Favored for this character.

What you also want to consider is that you'll be fighting in melee for only the early part of your career. But by mid level your spells will take precedence, especially when you are dishing out fireballs and other high level spells.

It sounds like you pretty much have your character together. Enjoy playing her!

Hmm


Note from the trenches: The GM has approved Second Sight as a custom alternate racial trait, and is adding a custom twist of his own to the Haunted drawback. Small items may disappear for a time, eventually reappearing where they had been without explanation. I can accept that.

I'm excited; I think I'm narrowing in on a final build. Hmm, do you have any other cts? Sorry, I didn't look!

Hmm, I hear your caution. The optimizer in me agrees, wholeheartedly. But I simply cannot pull off having her leave her home with an ordinary weapon, wearing scruffy studded leather, with a scholar's outfit as the alternative, and maybe a tiny silver brooch for jewelry. I cannot.

This PC is about the RP as much as about the utility for the party. And I am hoping to make playing a tank work for her career, spells or no, if only because I've never tried it.

Now if I can just pick a name!

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