Oracle Wind Revelation thoughts


Round 1: Cavalier and Oracle


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Just some thoughts on the revelations for Wind Focus

Air Barrier - I find this choice lacks luster. The class can use a shield and light armour. The bonus granted is an armour bonus which means that you either take up to a +4 for wearing a chain shirt at level 1 or you take a +2 bonus for 1 min per level that takes a standard action to activate (I think the always up light armour wins here easily). If the 'armour' bonus was supposed to be a shield bonus then you still are often better with a regular large shield which grants the same bonus and does not take a standard action to activate.

At level 3 the bonus spells gives the class a +4 shield bonus in the Shield spell. When the Air Barrier matches this at level 7 it is likely a player will be having access to +2 magic large shields which have the same bonus and no need to spend actions to activate.

The Air Barrier really doesn't start to become a benefit till level 11 when it reaches +6 (+4 large shields are hard to acquire at this level and usually far costlier then the benefit to the player). The Air Barrier is also an Extraordinary Ability and not subject to dispell magic. It still takes a standard action to activate (as do all Revelations unless specified otherwise).

The best advantage that this Air Barrier provides is at level 13 with the 50% miss chance though with Invisibility and Gaseous Form as other Revelations on the list, there are other ways to get a 50% miss or 100% miss chance that are able to be taken at level 1 and level 7. Greater Invisibility is available at level 9. These aren't Extrordinary abilities but are still Supernatural which is pretty good.

Suggestions of improvement (suggestions are mutually exclusive) of the Air Barrier Revelation are;

1> Make it like Wind Wall which can used a number of rounds equal to the Oracle level. This gives a way of shielding others which is a bit more useful to a group. It gives the protection to arrows and bolts and 30% miss to other missiles.

2> Make the bonus a deflection bonus and make it a swift action to activate. This won't interfere with the light armour and shield the Oracle will normally be equip'd with and fits better with the idea. Duration would remain minutes per day equal to Oracle level. This then adds and makes up for the lack of medium armour compared to a regular cleric. Still, I would likely just go with Invisibility and Gaseous Form with Sanctuary Spell tossed in as another level of protection at lower levels.

3> Make it like Sanctuary Spell. The winds surround the character preventing them from attacking or being attacked unless the opponent succeeds at a Will roll. You could use it a number of rounds per day equivelant to your Oracle level. Again, if you already have invisibility then this is more of the same. The advantage might be that you can use this Santuary on other people (like the Santuary Spell).

Gaseoeus Form - I take it the level 5 restriction on taking this power is a typo that should be level 7 as you can not get a revelation at level 5. This appears to a solid straight forward choice.

Invisibility - This too seems a solid and straight forward choice.

Lightning Breath - has a damage of d4. I can understand at level 1 that you don't want this out shining burning hands or magic missile. I do think that since this is a 1/day at level 1 and increases to 2/day at level 5 and 3/day at level 10 (and so on) that you might consider the damage die type increases at say level 7 to a d6. Since the maximum damage is capped at 10 dice (compared to say the Dragon Sorcerer or Elemental Sorcerer that do not have a capped level on the damage) it might also be worth considering that at level 13 to increase the damage die to d8. Wizards and Sorcerers will still be able to shine and the damage die increase will keep this power staying equivelent to other choices (level 13 Oracles have access to Flame Strike, Blade Barrier and Clerics have Holy Word).

Spark Sin - This seems a decent choice. Fits thematically with the character but just not sure it will get chosen when there are all the other solid choices to make. It might be better as an auto power given to a character of a certain level (since there are Resist Energy and Protection from Energy that the Oracle can customize on the fly and use for the whole group).

Thunderburst - This is mostly fine but would like the range to be clarified as Range 0 if it is meant to be a burst centred on the Oracle or a distance if has an actual target range. If it is range 0 then this is a panic button for the Oracle when people are swarming on top of them. The trouble will be to use this ability with other players on your team without affecting them. I think the deafness of 1 hour sounds nice but would be better if it lasted rounds equivelent to the Oracle level. This would allow it to clear faster in a post battle if you accidentally splatted a team mate with the effect and should still last a full fight if used (minimum level is 7 which is 7 combat rounds which is generally plenty).

Suggestions for Improvement;

1> If this is a range 0 power meant to be a bail the Oracle out of trouble effect then I would remove the damage component. Instead give the power a repulsion or push back effect like Forceful Hand with a Bull Rush on everyone in the area of effect using the Oracle level + set bonus (+9 is used in Foceful Hand ~ +8 Str +1 Large). This would avoid the fratricide of fellow players and still accomplish the goal of clearing a space around the Oracle. I would still leave the deafness with the modifier of rounds instead of hour.

Touch of Electricity - I know this is a touch attack power but I can use a mace almost as well and do a d8 to hit (plus any magic weapon bonuses). The limit of uses of Charisma Modifier + 3 just doesn't add to the value when I can have a mace available to use whenever I want. The increase of Shock at level 11 increases this to 2d6 + 1/2 level doesn't do much when the 1st level Wizard/Sorcerer spell Shocking Grasp can do up to 5d6 damage.

When you have a choice of commiting one of your precious Revelation choices and grabbing a piece of lumber and hitting the opponent with the chunk of lumber (club for d6 plus strength) then you are going to choose the chunk of lumber.

Suggestions for Improvement;

1> Change the touch range to a 30' range with an additional 5' per Oracle level. I would still likely use a crossbow before choosing this as a revelation but this at least brings it closer to the similar abilities of Sorcerer and Wizard. If you have light armour then range is a benefit. Even for the lightning focused Wind Oracle they would likely choose the Lightning Breath first (range 30' with line attack and damage increasing to 10d4 at level 10), Vortex Spells second (usuable all the time on all spells when a critical occurs ~ second choice do Thunderburst not available till level 7), and third would be Thunderburst (d6 damage for 20' radius burst). Even after that I would still likely choose some other movement revelation because I would have enough cleric spells for combat purposes that I really would not often need a d6 or 2d6 touch attack.

2> Change this to Shocking Grasp. It does a d6 per Oracle level to a maximum of 5d6. To prevent it from dominating, I would lower the uses per day to 1 at level 1 and an additional usage per day at level 5 and every five levels thereafter. Players might still like things like Lightning Breath and Thunderburst but this keeps it in line with those powers. I might also suggest that around level 11 the damage die be increased from d6 to d8 or d10 to keep this power competive with the other revelations and spellcasting choices.

Vortex Spells - This is a solid choice and works as written.

Wind Sight - This is a solid choice and works as written. It has some interesting interaction with the curses of Clouded Vision and Deaf but GMs and players should be able to work that out or choose a different Curse to avoid the interaction.

Wings of Air - I take it is a typo that this is listed as level 5 instead of level 7 for when you can take this revelation. This is fine as it is written.

I was recently working on making a Wind Focus Oracle and this was the impressions and thoughts that I got from looking through the list.


Smerg wrote:

Just some thoughts on the revelations for Wind Focus

Air Barrier - I find this choice lacks luster. The class can use a shield and light armor.

Suggestions of improvement (suggestions are mutually exclusive) of the Air Barrier Revelation are;

2> Make the bonus a deflection...

I had the same thoughts when I first read this revelation's description. If the air surrounding the oracle's body is effectively solid and somehow difficult to penetrate, like armor is, then I imagine that it'd be more akin to tangible fields of force surrounding the body; much like a mage armor effect. But since an oracle can simply wear a suit of light armor anyway, this approach makes this revelation largely superfluous.

I imagine a protective enveloping wind would function by driving weapon tips away from the oracle's body as the air rushes past; making it effectively a deflection bonus. A deflection bonus is also more useful to the oracle since it'll stack with his armor and shield.


As to the Final Revelation of the Wind focus, it lets you apply enlarge, extend, silent, or still spell to any air or electricity spells you cast... but neither the Cleric spell list nor the Wind focus spells contain any electricity spells.

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