Feats for a healer Oracle


Advice


Hi, everyone. I'm starting a new online campaign as a level 3 halfling Oracle. The party desperately needs healing, so that's what I'm aiming to provide. I get that a cleric might actually be better at that, but I'm ok with being non-optimal.

Having said that, I'm just not seeing any feats that are likely to help much. I had a Favored Soul in 3.5 that took Reserve feats and could heal all day long. That's not an option here: I'm limited to PF feats and Forgotten Realms feats.

I'm inclined to take Luck of Heroes as a regional feat. But after that, I'm totally at a loss.

Melee seems like a bad idea - not only bc a light armored halfling, but because I'm taking the Haunted curse, so swapping items in and out is costly.

I'd LIKE to use feats to optimize casting and healing. But I might need to optimize for skills instead, since I'm not seeing anything obvious.

Help?


Improved Initiative so that you can go first to cast buff spells like shield of faith or bless to PREVENT damage before it happens. Later on you might want Extend Spell so you can put a magic vestment on someone's armor that lasts 12 hours-- if you can't buy the absolutely cheap Metamagic rod of Extend (3000gp).

Combat Casting.

Toughness.

Why a light armored halfling? You can wear a breastplate and need only one hand to cast. Wear a breastplate with a shield and ride a combat-trained riding dog. Now you have +8 AC and move at 30. Not to say melee isn't a good idea for, say, a battle oracle, but for a pure support/buff oracle it's not too keen. Just hit and run with heal and buff spells.

Also, for melee-- I think "stored item" means stuff in your bag, like potions, not stuff in your belt, like weapons. But it's up to your GM's interpretation, not mine.

What mystery are you planning on running?


Hmm... hadn't considered the dog. He's looking at the Nature mystery (for flavor reasons), so he could take the animal companion option at level 4.

I was doing light armor cause Oracles don't get medium!

Will definitely look at the metamagic rod - assuming it exists in PF? Not that he has 3000 gp to play with at the moment.

I'd never noticed that PF toughness was improved! Good to know.

Is there a PF/FR feat to cast and move in the same round? I know there is in 3.5, but I can't remember what it's called or where I found it...


Heelzebub wrote:

Is there a PF/FR feat to cast and move in the same round? I know there is in 3.5, but I can't remember what it's called or where I found it...

You can always cast and move in the same round, unless your spell's cast time is full round. Most are standard action, though.


Heelzebub wrote:

Hmm... hadn't considered the dog. He's looking at the Nature mystery (for flavor reasons), so he could take the animal companion option at level 4.

Would be the first good reason to use that revelation I've heard. Not bad. Would be good!

Quote:


I was doing light armor cause Oracles don't get medium!

Well, you'll be glad to know...

APG Finale wrote:


Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Oracles are proficient
with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor,
and shields (except tower shields). Some oracle revelations
grant additional proficiencies.
Quote:


Will definitely look at the metamagic rod - assuming it exists in PF? Not that he has 3000 gp to play with at the moment.

It exists in PF. It's the sleeper hit of the game world!

The Exchange

Oracles do so get medium. What version are you looking at? They fixed that in the final playtest version.

Anyways, get breastplate and a buckler, since you can still use that hand to cast and can have something in your other hand as well. The humble buckler is always overlooked, for shame.

There was a feat called "Mobile Spellcasting" in Complete Adventurer (I think) that allowed you to move your speed and cast a spell that has a standard action casting time, all as a single standard action. You needed a bunch of ranks in concentration, so... I guess swap out ranks in concentration for levels in spell-casting class and -3 from the required ranks. If you can use it, that is.

Other than that, there's not a lot of stuff to improve an Oracle's healing ability, other than good old fashioned castings per day and wands once you can afford them. The Cleric still currently has them beat in the healing department, what with the healing domain and channel energy. But you do get all of the Cure (or inflict) spells for free, which is good, I guess. If you can find a way to convince your GM to let you have the Vigor spells from complete Divine and get extend spell, that is great out of combat healing (lesser vigor supplies you with fast healing 1 for 10 rounds + 1 round per level, max 15 rounds. Extend makes this max out at 30 rounds, so for a second level spell slot you can give someone back 30 HP over 3 minutes. A wand of Lesser Vigor is an amazing deal, as it's basically 750 gold for 550 total HP recovery.)


Yeah, so mobile casting was obviously what I was remembering.

I was looking at the SRD version of the Oracle here: http://www.d20pfsrd.com. Apparently I need a newer version. Any pointers?

Agreed that buckler and breastplate are obvious if medium is allowed. Although the weight allowance is tricky.

DM has already ruled against Vigor, saying that PF chars are tougher than 3.5, so they don't need it.


Craft feats will extend your ability to heal the party. Essentially, you're getting all that healing stored up, so you have it when you need it.

Potion, scroll, wand, it's really up to you.


Heelzebub wrote:
...DM has already ruled against Vigor, saying that PF chars are tougher than 3.5, so they don't need it.

True.

Even in 3.5 combat healing usually was a bad idea, but in Pathfinder only the Cleric with a well placed channel has any chance of coming out on top.

Problem is, even a healing specced cleric can usually cause more damage (directly+buffs to other pcs) than heal and this is almost always the better option.

So instead going all out heal, "craft wand" is all you need for cheap in between healing. Better focus on removing "sucks" as stun, paralysis or level drain and spec to buff your teammates if you are hell bend playing a supporter 24/7.


I suspect that the APG will have a life mystery, basically giving oracles a healing overdrive if they want to concentrate on that.

I also whipped one up, you might give it a go:

Oracle Mysteries
Life

Deities
Irori, Pharasma, Serenrae

Class Skills
An oracle with the life mystery adds Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis) and Survival (Wis) to her list of class skills.

Bonus Spells
Remove fear (3rd), lesser restoration (5th), remove disease (7th), restoration (9th), breath of life (11th), heal (13th), greater restoration (15th), greater spell immunity (17th), mass heal (19th)

Mysteries

Channel Life (Su)
You gain the ability to channel positive energy like a cleric, using your oracle level as your effective cleric level, but only to heal living creatures. You can take feats to improve this ability, such as Extra Channel, but not feats that alter this ability, like Turn Undead.

Defeat Death (Sp)
This ability works like raise dead, except that it has a casting time of 1 full round and no material component. On 13th level, it works like resurrection instead, and on 17th level, like true resurrection.
You must be at least 11th level before selecting this mystery

Healer's Blessing (Su)
All of your cure spells are treated as if they were empowered, increasing the amount of damage healed by half (+50%). This does not apply to damage dealt to undead with a cure spell. This does not stack with the Empower Spell metamagic feat.
At 15th level, you can choose instead to treat your cure spells as if they were maximised. This does not apply to damage dealt to undead with a cure spell.
You must be at least 7th level before selecting this revelation.

Healing Hands (Su)
You gain the ability to turn channel life ability into a healing touch. This can only affect one target at a range of touch, but the ability uses d8s instead of d6s. In addition, you gain the mercy ability like a paladin to use on your healing hands, using your oracle level as your effective paladin level to determine the number of conditions you can cure, and what options you have available. If you take this ability after 3rd level, you gain new abilities retroactively.
You must already have the channel life mystery before selecting this mystery.

Life's Vigor (Su)
You gain resist negative energy 5. This resistance improves to 10 at 5th level and 20 at 11th level. At 17th, you gain immunity to negative energy.
For every 10 points of resistance (rounded down), effects that deal ability damage or ability drain deal 1 less point of damage or drain. At 17th level, you gain immunity to ability damage, ability drain and negative levels.

Lifesense (Su)
You know the status of all allies within 60 feet as per the spell status. In addition, you know how wounded your allies are (relative to their total HP: full, above 3/4, above 1/2, above 1/4, above 0, at 0, below 0)

Mystic Protection (Su)
You can act as if under protection of the spell sanctuary for a number of rounds equal to your oracle level. Activating this ability is a standard action.
At 11th level, whenever you activate this ability, you can take another standard action in the same turn if you use that action on an ability that heals hit point damage, ability damage, ability drain, or removes any negative condition.

Rebuke Death (Sp)
You can touch a living creature as a standard action, healing it for 1d4 points of damage plus 1 for every two oracle levels you possess. You can only use this ability on a creature that is below 0 hit points. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

Recuperating Aura (Su)
You or allies within 30 feet of you gain fast healing 2 as long as they have less than half their total HP.
At 15th level, you or allies within 30 feet of you gain fast healing 5 instead if they have less than a quarter of their total HP.
You must be at least 7th level before selecting this mystery.

Remote Healing (Su)
You can use a spell or ability that has a range of touch and heals hit point damage at a range of 30 feet. At 7th level, you can also use this ability on spells that cure ability damage, or permanent ability drain. At 11th level, you can also use it on spells that remove negative levels, as well as negative conditions such as paralysed, poisoned, diseased, cursed, blind, and so on. You can use this ability once a day plus an additional time per day at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter.

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