
FallingIcicle |

The rules for the Oracle's curse state that it "cannot be removed or dispelled without the aid of a deity." The miracle spell states that "you don't so much cast a miracle as request one. You state what you would like to happen and request that your deity (or the power you pray to for spells) intercede."
So can a miracle spell be used to get rid of an Oracle's curse? If so, what happens? Would the oracle lose the entire curse (including its beneficial effects) or just the negative part of the curse?
The miracle spell also states that "in any event, a request that is out of line with the deity's (or alignment's) nature is refused." Since it was the gods (or other divine forces) that cursed oracles to begin with, would lifting their cuse be something they'd refuse to do?
If a miracle spell wouldn't do the trick, what about wish? Wish is considered to be equivalent in power to divine intervention, as far as I recall. Would this fall under the "remove injuries and afflictions" function of that spell, or would it be one of the potentially dangerous "greater effects" that you can attempt with that spell?

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In general, "the aid of a deity" doesn't mean any spell a mortal can cast - no, not even the Big Two. You actually have to go to a deity, who will probably reply
1) You chose this path and all its travails.
or
2) Sure, kid, I'll take it off. But first you gotta do somethin' for me...
It's hard to say which response will be more annoying, the smug one or the blatant adventure hook. (Hm.)

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I'm not sure how I'd feel about an Oracle wishing her own handicap away. An Oracle's divine power is granted from the same deity that crippled her in the first place, so taking that power and using it to remove your curse seems like a cheat.
Then again, it reminds me of the Chuck Norris joke, where Chuck sells his soul to the devil and then roundhouse kicks the devil to get it back, and that's probably the kind of thing a player would feel awesome about doing if they had worked their way up from Level 1+.
As for getting some other spellcaster to wish it away for them, it depends on the circumstances under which the oracle got an 18+ level spellcaster to grant them a wish. If they defeated a djinn and used the wish on that, I'd allow it, if only to keep them from using the wish on something more gamebreaking.

Maddigan |

I'd let them wish or miracle the curse away and keep the benefits. If a deity decides to lift the curse, that deity is doing it to benefit them not take away from them. I'd think about whether the deity wants the curse removed and what the character has done to deserve it.
Oracles do not have to worship a god. Their power isn't even necessarily given to them by a deity as far as the class reads. They are not beholden to a deity nor do they even need to pray to one. They are more gifted or cursed casters. So if the oracle was say evil and cursed with their strange powers by an evil deity, maybe that deity doesn't want the curse gone.
I've often wondered if my deaf oracle should try to remove her curse. So far she hasn't because she doesn't think about it, her curse has become a part of her. The reality is it benefits her. She often avoids effects that hurt those that can hear like charm songs or bard effects. And casts all her spells silently, which helps during stealth. She can use the silence spell better than any other class. She can cast while standing in a silence spell which can be very powerful. Maybe her deity wants her to have that power, maybe she gave her that power so she could go do battle with evil and have an advantage over them.