So I have a long ramble as to my desires to build an Oracle at my blog (there are pictures, too). But I can probably do I more focused presentation here.
I am hoping to build something other than a Cleric that can fulfill a party's need for healing. That is the primary reason why Oracle looks appealing, but there are also some features to the class that seem to fit well with crafting one as a type of fighting (Tian) mystic.
However, I cannot wrap my head around how to make an Oracle who fights. The Flame and Life mysteries seem to lend themselves to substituting (in a way) for the blaster mage or the heal-bot Cleric, but still maintain a good deal of flexibility.
Maybe part of my problem is a desire to make the character Tian (or at least from the Empire). I keep trying to find a way to -- at some point -- wield some cool Eastern weapon to add to the flavor.
At any rate, this is the most viable option that I have been able to manage, and I am of the opinion that it is suboptimal to the degree that it could potentially be a drag on the party. (It is also entirely possible that there are errors in the creation of this character.)
Male Gnome
STR 10 (±0)
DEX 16 (+3)
CON 12 (+1)
INT 12 (+1)
WIS 12 (+1)
CHA 17 (+3)
AC: 18 (Touch AC: 14) (Flat-Footed AC: 15)
HP: 10
Fort: +1
Ref: +3
Will: +3
BAB: +0
INIT: +5
CMB: -1
CMD: 12
Move: 20'
Mystery: Metal
Curse: Clouded Vision
Revelation: Steel Scarf
Traits: Etymologist, Reactionary
Feat: Weapon Finesse
Spells:
0-Level Guidance, Detect Magic, Purify Food and Drink, Stabilize
1st Level Burning Disarm, Cure Light Wounds, Shield of Faith
So this character can hit a little (+4 to hit, 1d8 damage with the scarf), has a decent AC for a starting PC, and (from a RP perspective) gets to be a linguist. The limited vision melee fighter has some appeal, and it seems to blend in well with how I imagine Tian culture. As for being a gnome, I have avoided playing 'smalls' all of my life. But Pathfinder has found a way to make the gnome interesting to me. I just don't know if making this kind a character a gnome makes any sense.
So, to any and all who have a better way to make an Oracle who can go into combat (or suggest a good progression for one), I am open to all kinds of advice and feedback.
Thanks,
TMc
How about a reach weapon so you can stay behind your front line, healing as needed without as much fear or attacks when you do? (scarf probably is, but I'm not familiar with it)
If you want to go into melee, I'd personally prefer Str and Dex both 14 to just one of them at 16.
And remember that Small creature gain +4 to Stealth, make full use of it.
Battle, metal, or ancestors are your best bet for a combat oracle.
Remember though that bards, Paladins, rangers, and inquisitors can heal just as well as a cleric. Slap a wand of cure light wounds on, and you are good to go.
Do you need high Spell DC´s (and a few other things related to spells)?
If not, there is absolutely no reason to have a 17 starting CHA.
You minimally only need the CHA to cast the Spell Levels as you gain access to them (10+spell level).
Having bonus spell slots is nice as well, but it´s more than reasonable to only start with a 14 CHA.
That leaves your ´build points´ available to put into STR, DEX, and CON... I.e. if you want to be an actually effective ´fighter´.
If you don´t need the high DCs (because you use different types of spells, etc), then having a high CHA is a waste (besides other things like skills) and you will miss out on the extra effectiveness the physical stats bring you.
Battle or Metal are probably the most straight-forward and easy to build a fighter-type Oracle with, although other options are workable as well.... But if you feel like it´s too hard to understand all at once, I would say drop your CHA score and go Battle Oracle. You CAN go with a high DEX/lower STR build (though if you have an even STR mod, you get an extra +1 dmg with 2-handed weapons), but it uses alot more Feats to be effective, and you don´t get any bonus Feats (although Battle Oracle helps with that). Going for bigger STR vs DEX (still having a decent DEX score is good for things like AoOs) will be more directly useful, and with the Battle Oracle abilities and Oracle buff spells you should be able to fill the ´melee dude´ role very well.
I don´t believe there´s any info released on Gnomes´ role in the continent of Tian Xia, so I can´t give any advice on that angle.
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If you going for a easter theam Gnome is not a good choice. Human works as well as dwarf in standard eastern mythos. Other then that nothing realy fits will in standard race options.
Combat oracle with a Str 10 and Cha 17? You realy need to think along the lines of making a fighter first and a oracle second. Another reason that gnome is a very pore choice.
Oracle of wood ? over Battle?
Wood Bond VS. Skill at Arms
Spear 1D8 20X3 +1 to hit every 5 levels VS.
Nodachi 1d10 18–20/×2 brace
and
Composet Long bow
wood +1 for every 5 level. So you will need to be a level 15 Wood oracle or spend a feat.
Over all it depends on what your trying to do.
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Ok a few things after reading your Blog. You want a combat effective eastern style mystic. Now the question is do you want to pull more from film or from history? There are meny ways to work with what you want. Gnome realy limites your combat effectivnes I don't recomend it. There are alot of things that hinder making it a good choice becous of size.
Just a example of what you might want.
Oracle
Mystery Battle
Human (PFS 20 point buy)
Str 17 ( all level up points here. I know it dose not realy fit with the look your going for but it's a machanices problem with the game. And you need to focus on Str for to hit and damage.)
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 8
Cha 14
Human Bonus Feat: Exta Revelation : War Sight
Feat : Improved Initiative
Revelation : Skill At Arms
Oracle Curse : Clouded Vision (going with the blind mystic/swordman them in chinas culture)
Gaine : Cure spells
Spells :
(1st) Bless, Divine Favor, Sun Metal
Weapons :
Sansetsukon, Double chicken saber, Broadsword nine ring. are all good choices
Feats :
3: Power Attack
5: Improved Over Run
7: Charge Through
9: Improved Bull Rush
11: Bull Rush Strike
Revelations :
3: Weapon Mastery
7: Maneuver Mastery:Disarm
11: Surprising Charge
My 25-year-old daughter plays a 10th-level elven battle oracle with haunted curse who is devastating in battle. She says the key is buff spells. An oracle is great at self-buffing. Her combat spell sheet lists Divine Favor, Shield of Faith, Magic Weapon, Weapon of Awe, Resist Energy, Magic Vestment, Achron's Aura, Aura of Doom, Divine Power, and Righteous Might. (She made a sheet to carefully track on which round her buffs will expire.) I recall that she used to use Enlarge Person, Bull's Strength, and Haste too, but those are not currently on her sheet.
Unfortunately, encountering a battle situation without warning means that her oracle is buffing rather than fighting for the first two rounds of combat. My daughter's oracle carries a Lesser Metamagic Rod of Quicken to be able to buff faster. She says the low-level buff spells are all her oracle needs for ordinary battles.
I know my daughter's concept works for an elf. I don't know how well it would work for a gnome. The weapon shrinkage and -2 to Strength for a gnome seriously reduces his ability to deal damage. The +1 to attack rolls merely balances out the -1 to Strength modifier on those attack rolls. And don't think about using combat maneuvers instead of damage, because CMB is Strength based and gets a -1 for Small size instead of a +1. An archery-based combatant would work; however, in your blog you said, "PC #3 is an Archer (so ranged combat is covered)."
In addition, your blog said, "I don't like making the Fighter-type that wears heavy armor and moves slowly." But gnomes do move slowly: they have a land speed of 20 feet per round. Some oracle revelations can correct this: Flame's Cinder Dance and Metal's Dance of the Blades increase base speed by 10 feet, Nature offers a Bonded Mount to ride, and Battle can catch up with Surprising Charge. Or your gnome could take a level of barbarian.
Gnome has two strikes against it as a race for your character. But if your concept of Eastern mystic requires gnome, then you need to take advantage of your character being a gnome to compensate. A nature oracle gnome could ride a wolf as a Bonded Mount for greater speed and still fit into small corridors. A flame oracle gnome could cast Obscuring Mist, use Gaze of Flames to see through it, and use the gnome's bonus to stealth to become hard to see as he attacks. A wind oracle gnome gets Stealth as a class skill to combine with the gnome's stealth bonus and the 3rd-level invisibility revelation. For extreme oracle combat, your gnome can take advantage of racial bonuses to both Constitution and Charisma to become a rage prophet.
Sounds to me like you want Metal. Heavy Metal.
Metal oracle that is. You want to play a mobile style fighter with the metal mystery. First, don't be a gnome sadly gnomes only make decent cavaliers but only due to mounted combat. Medium is your best bet and of those Humans, Half Orcs and Half Elves are the best in that order.
No time to go into detail but metal will provide all that you require.
I would like to thank everyone for the feedback.
I think I am going to borrow heavily from calagar's build, but probably not go the overrun route (this is more of a personal preference to avoid than any kind of quibble over how well it works). Still think I am going to favor Metal as the mystery, but there are definite benefits to taking Battle or Wood.
As for the reasoning behind the idea of it maybe being a gnome...
1) I never play smalls, and I kind of want to get past that at some point.
2) There are a cluster of players with whom this PC would play who are going for an all-gnome feel with their new-ish characters(and even when it isn't intentional, it is easy to be dismissive of the one party member who doesn't fit it).
3) I thought that the Metal mystery could buy back against some of the gnome drawbacks -- Dance of the Blades gets the speed up, Lead Blades puts the weapon damage back on par with a medium character, and so on -- but that probably is really robbing the PC of the chance to have actual benefits from the class.