My friends are playing a cleric, inquisitor, and paladin in our upcoming Carrion Crown campaign.
To keep with the theme of divine characters, I want to make an oracle. However, after looking through the APG and UM, I am more than a little dissatisfied with my findings.
I just don't see anything that looks like it would be fun to play from level 1.
Please help me develop an oracle that would be fun from level 1 to level 15 (where the GM says the campaign will end).
If it helps, I most commonly play sorcerers, sometimes wizards.
I will be happy to answer any other questions if it will help you help me.
EDIT: And after reading the Player's Guide I feel like I shouldn't play anything but a fighter for fear of being burned at the take by a paranoid populace. How might I avoid such a fate as an oracle?
Please no spoilers.
Bones oracles are interesting, and the focus on undeath and necromancy might prove an interesting counterpoint to the more 'holy' orientation of the rest of the party, especially considering how undead heavy the campaign is. And between having a high Charisma and the free Command Undead, you've got the potential to use the enemies minions for your own power.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
What I would recommend would be a human oracle of flame. Take the haunted curse to get some interesting spell. Use every favored class bonus for extra spells. The Flame mystery will give you some decent attack spells. There are some decent revelations even at low levels.
A bone oracle or any other questionable mystery is going to cause too much party friction. Your party also seems to be a little low on direct damage spells which a oracle of flame is very good at.
Probably go with Molten Skin, and Touch of Flame for the first revelations.
Seconding what Mysterious Stranger and Volaran said, oracles can be whatever you want them to be. Make sure you plan out which curse, mystery, and revelations you want, or else you'll end up like me, getting the Fire Breathing revelation at lvl 1 when I could just get Burning Hands instead. :P
Don't worry too much about being feared/hated by the community, depending on how your DM plays it. Your high charisma will be a benefit, and as long as you don't do anything to spook the locals you'll be fine. They won't know you're an oracle until you do something to show it.
If you need a character idea, how about this: born in the town of Sturdinae, in Barstoi, you were always told to stay away from the Furrows. The blasted, barren land was the sight of a terrible battle. Countless died there and their ghosts are rumored to wander the battlefield, mourning their fates. And stay away you did, until one night you were alone looking at the fire in your hearth. The flames took the shape of a human face, screaming in agony, the flesh twisting off and revealing a screaming skull beneath. No one believed it at first, but it kept on happening whenever you were close to a source of fire. Prof. Lorrimor came to town and your family brought you to see him, desperate for answers. The Professor was kind, understanding, and helped you learn what was happening to you. You developed a close relationship, maybe even went traveling with him for a bit. Now you come home to find a letter about Lorrimor's death and the need for you at his funeral. With a heavy heart, you set out for Ravengrow...
|
Thinking about your character styles, I would recommend an oracle of Flame, Heavens, or Lore for you. Basically, a Flame oracle operates as a blaster, a Heavens oracle as a battlefield controller, and a Lore oracle as a second-string Batman type, with some interesting mysteries (check out Sidestep Secret). You've got the divine tank, divine skillmonkey, and divine buffer/healer covered, so the group is ripe for a divine arcanist.
For your style, Haunted is probably the best curse. Fetching your wands or rods may be a problem, but check out the extra spells you get at different levels. Clouded Vision is best for melee types, Deaf is best for sneaky-shutdown (Deaf+Silence is big), Lame values a strength build and is the go-to for Rage Prophets (not your type), and Wasting, although quite useful, interferes with UMD and probably gets you in trouble with the authorities. If you absolutely need to pull out lots of wands, rods, scrolls, or other magic items, and don't want to lose actions to do so, then you can consider Tongues. But personally, I'd rather get the extra spells and focus on improving myself.
A 1st level Flame oracle could take Molten Skin, the Extra Revelation feat for Touch of Flame, and grab Burning Magic at 3rd. Heat Aura is also a very good possibility. An alternate build would be Cinder Dance and Gaze of Flames, and stack that with Obscuring Mist to run around and shoot at enemies who can't see you. Since you know you'll get Fireball and Wall of Fire, you can get Magical Lineage to help maximizing metamagic.
For Heavens, the key is Color Spray + Awesome Display. Read Awesome Display and do the math. Moonlight Bridge--I'm sure you of all people would know how to use that to your best benefit.
For Lore, you've got a number of options. Lore Keeper and Sidestep Secret minimize MAD. The spell list is mainly divination. Brain Drain is a combo attack and divination. At the higher levels, Spontaneous Symbology and Whirlwind Lesson will be greatly appreciated.
I'm working on Stealth based Oracle with the Dark Tapastry Mystery taking the Eldrich Heritage with Umbral Shadow Bloodline. Adding a bit of Shadow Dancer might be interesting though not optimal. It would definitely fit the them. Taking the haunted curse.
Thanks for the advice everyone! I've given your suggestions a lot of thought and, well, I'm still on the fence. I think I would love to play a heavens oracle, but I worry about being reliant on mind-affecting effects in an undead heavy game. I'm not sure I'm in the mood to play an "evoker" type of oracle, so fire is right out. Due to their being a paladin in the party (and NPC linch mobs waiting to pounce) I don't think a bones oracle would be a good idea. At the very least I would have several wasted abilities.
Currently, I'm thinking of a "scary" battle oracle.
Here's what I've worked up so far (PDF).
I'm thinking I will take Eldritch Heritage (accursed) at 3rd and Power Attack at 5th. At later levels I may put favored class bonuses into hit points and spells while taking more heritage feats and combat feats.
I think it makes for good flavor: a warrior who can't see well due to an old injury that left his face forever scarred and horrifying to look at. No longer the warrior he once was he has to start again using new, nearly mystical abilities that he develops on his adventures.
What do you think?
|
|
The PDF doesn't appear to be working, Ravingdork. At least, not for me.
The idea of a fear-based Battle Oracle is good, and synergizes with the high Charisma.
As for a Heavens oracle in a divine-heavy party with a paladin, and potentially facing lots of undead, here's a suggested build:
Race: Human
Ability priority: Cha>Dex>Con>Int>Str>Wis
Curse: Haunted
Skills: Knowledge(Religion)
Perception
Spellcraft
Use Magic Device
Diplomacy
Traits: Dangerously Curious
Indomitable Faith
Feat and Revelation Chain:
1: Guiding Star, Extra Revelation(Moonlight Bridge), Spell Focus (Enchantment)
3: Awesome Display, Spell Focus (Illusion)
5: Reach Spell
7: Lure of the Heavens, Threnodic Spell
9: Persistent Spell
11: Interstellar Void, Spell Focus (Necromancy)
13: Spell Specialization
15: Dweller in Darkness, Spell Perfection
17: Greater Spell Specialization
19: Star Chart, ??
Sorry for threadjack, but InVino, have you seen the mistmail? Seems like it'd fit your mist assassin well.
My recommendation is to take Tongues curse. Being able to act as if you are possessed could be fun, and thia is easily overcome by having the party learn your language. Haunted gets those extra spells because the penalty really hurts.
|
|
Sorry for threadjack, but InVino, have you seen the mistmail? Seems like it'd fit your mist assassin well.
My recommendation is to take Tongues curse. Being able to act as if you are possessed could be fun, and thia is easily overcome by having the party learn your language. Haunted gets those extra spells because the penalty really hurts.
Haven't seen the mistmail, I'll take a look.
Haunted's a curse if you rely on lots of scrolls, wands, rods, and staves to get stuff done. If you rely on wearable wondrous items, weapons, and armor instead, Haunted's mostly flavor.
dont forget in ultimate magic there are two metamagic feats that let you bypass typical undead immunities.
Threnodic Spell lets you affect undead with a mind-affecting spell.
I'm not sure this AP is all that undead-heavy, actually. As a GM for an upcoming CC game, I can't say it has too much more undead than a typical game so far (as every game has some). Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, a game that I also ran, now that was almost exclusively undead in that game.
Now, the first book I'd say it absolutely is heavy undead. But, metamagic helps you the least at low levels.
If you do want this feat for the occasion it matters, though, I'd suggest taking it at 9th level or so.
|
I love the Oracle of Battles, easy way to build a decent combat caster and not to have to tie up a feat to get Heavy Armor. Combat wise, you'll always be lagging until Bull's Strength and other potential bonuses kick in. Mind you, a Oracle of Metal (UM) is almost just a good choice but for slightly different reasons. You'll trade off maneuver bonuses for the ability to craft you own gear with mad bonuses, and some really sweet self buffs.
Oracle of Battles - Very decent combat caster, great for going the full. I am the voice of WAR theme.
Oracle of Metal - Again, decent combat caster, but goes more for the The Riddle of Steel, master of smiths feel.
Ancestor oracle can be decent in combat as well. Especially once they can set their BAB = HD for a while.