I was working on a nice high level bad guy for my players last night and wanted a high charisma divine caster since she was going to be focused on devil summoning. I decided to go Oracle and then Diabolist from the Book of the Damned, but then I saw the big problem with Oracles - multi-classing.
I'm sure this has been brought up before, but the Oracle is the only class that gives a penalty for taking a single level of it. You can be a Bbn1/Brd1/Clr1/Drd1/Ftr1/ex-Mnk1/ex-Pal1/Rgr1/Rog1/Sor1/Wiz1 and whereas you would generally suck it's not like you suddenly go deaf.
There is an easy work around as you can take a low penalty curse. Haunted is a really nice one for NPCs since it has no real penalty in the short run, or for this case Tongues adds to the flavor a bit and again poses no penalty if I take Infernal as my battle language.
My problem is that it is an easy to deal with penalty if you know which direction the character is going in the long run (or if you are making a high level character), but does a first level character know what he's doing years down the road? If I plan on focusing on the Oracle path then poor sight or deafness aren't bad choices. I like to offer my players options in terms of flavor prestige classes and then you might be stuck in Oracle rather than switching classes.
There is another thread on penalizing multi-classing, but the Oracle is certainly penalized more than any other class.
I'm not one to complain and complain without offering solutions, so here's my suggestions
1) The simple solution would be to make the bonuses associated with the curse based on character level not class level. Some, like Haunted again, pose a major problem, by offering a 5th level or so spell you can't cast.
2) Rather than giving the poor first level character (he's flimsy enough by being first level) a big penalty, ramp up the penalty. As you embrace more of your gift your curse manifests stronger. Instead of deaf for example put a limit on the range the character can hear and a -1 initiative penalty, then reduce that range to zero when she gains Tremorsense.
I can see a problem with number 1) when a 5th level whatever with 10 levels of a prestige class decides she wants Blindsight, so takes a single level of oracle and skips all the "hard levels," but even then there were always some prestige classes that provided a major bonus with one level and no penalty. Mindbender comes to mind.
I'm sure this has been brought up before, but the Oracle is the only class that gives a penalty for taking a single level of it.
I would stick the Paladin in the club as well (you need to obey the code of conduct).
I'd probably soften the wording in the description ("cannot be removed [..] without the aid of a deity") and treat the oracle's curse the same way -- you can get rid of it (with Remove Curse or Break Enchantment or the like), but then you become an ex-oracle.
I would stick the Paladin in the club as well (you need to obey the code of conduct).
I'd treat the oracle's curse the same way -- you can get rid of it (with Remove Curse or Break Enchantment or the like), but then you become an ex-oracle.
At least with the Pally you can multiclass and keep the low level abilities. An ex-oracle could not cast spells etc.
The remove curse - become an ex-oracle thing isn't a bad idea, but I could see a Greater Dispel Magic being used as a crippling tool against the oracle then. I think remove curse requires a willing target (not 100% sure) but greater dispel magic can remove the same stuff willing or not.