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"The oracle’s curse cannot be removed or dispelled without the aid of a deity."
Oracle curses are somewhat self-mitigating at higher levels. But can their effects be mitigated by magic (or non-Oracle class abilities) at lower levels?
Examples:
The "Lame" Oracle has their "base land speed" reduced. Can their land movement rate be increased by Boots of Striding and Springing? What about Haste? The "Fleet" feat? Barbarian or Monk levels? Oracle Revelations (Cinder Dance (Fire) now excludes Lame oracles, but Dance of the Blades (Metal) doesn't yet do so)?
The "Speaking in Tongues" Oracle can only speak and understand a specific language in combat. If they cast "Comprehend Languages" in combat, can they then understand other languages? What about Tongues (the cast spell, not the curse-mitigation they get at 10th level)?
RAW and RAI, I'm not sure. Flavor-wise, it seems to me that Boots of Striding and Springing (etc.) should work for a Lame Oracle, since you're just summing up reductions and additions to movement. Speaking in Tongues, though, overrides the languages you would normally know, so perhaps it overrides/supresses ones you know magically as well.
Thoughts?
I would probably allow it.
Casting tounges for each combat or buying an expensive item that supplies the ability seems a reasonably heavy enough burden.
Comprehend Languages is only 1st level, though, and (unlike 3.x) no longer requires you to touch a creature to understand them. Of course, you still have to take it as a known spell (which means you didn't take some other spell), and you have to spend the round to cast it, and you still can't *speak* any non-Curse language, so it's not like the Curse isn't still a pain.
An oracle's curse does not cause other game rules to stop functioning unless it says so.
But does it say so? Depends on what "cannot be removed or dispelled" means.
"can not be removed or dispelled" means you can't uncurse yourself.
You are cursed. Period. End of story.
That doesn't prohibit you from spending resources to circumvent them, however.
The tongues/comp languages thing for example. You can easily circumvent it.
1) choose a language.
2) have everyone else also choose that same language.
3) profit.
or just cast the spell. You are either using alot of scrolls, or you are using a spells known and spell castable slot. This is an opportunity cost.
The same is true of the lame curse. Sure you can use the boots- but you are not only spending money but you are slower than someone else who used said boots.
Heck you could multi-class into barbarian also to help offset it if you chose to do so.
Note that in all cases you are still 100% cursed. The curse is there- you've just found a handy (and sometimes expensive) way to get around it.
The Curses lack any language such as "Any attempt by the oracle to circumvent their curse using magic or other class abilities fails".
It just says you can't dispel them or have them removed.
-S
The tongues/comp languages thing for example. You can easily circumvent it.
1) choose a language.
2) have everyone else also choose that same language.
3) profit.
That's occurred to me, even though that imposes a cost on others. Even more so if you're leading troops into battle.
However, only being able to speak (say) Celestial and Infernal in combat means that you're very rarely going to be able to use language-dependent spells and combat abilities (such as Command, almost all of the Litanies, probably Antagonize(Diplomacy), etc.).
... However, only being able to speak (say) Celestial and Infernal in combat means that you're very rarely going to be able to use language-dependent spells and combat abilities (such as Command, almost all of the Litanies, probably Antagonize(Diplomacy), etc.).
Yeah I had a build planning on murderous command, suggestions, etc... until I realized I wouldn't be able to do any of them very often.
Yeah I had a build planning on murderous command, suggestions, etc... until I realized I wouldn't be able to do any of them very often.
I've got a Paladin who's looking into taking an Oracle level. Losing Litanies would hurt.
The tongues/comp languages thing for example. You can easily circumvent it.
1) choose a language.
2) have everyone else also choose that same language.
3) profit.
That's occurred to me, even though that imposes a cost on others. Even more so if you're leading troops into battle.
However, only being able to speak (say) Celestial and Infernal in combat means that you're very rarely going to be able to use language-dependent spells and combat abilities (such as Command, almost all of the Litanies, probably Antagonize(Diplomacy), etc.).
There are definately down sides to it. But having the entire group able to speak a language other than common can be useful in other ways, too.
*most* folks in the game world only speak one language- maybe two.. If everyone speaks some off the wall language then you can usually communicate on the sly.*personally* I don't cast many, if any, language dependent spells.. but thats just me.
(enchantment spells just suck with all the blanket immunities out there and AFAIK those comprise the bunk of the language dependent spells)
That is just my .02 though.
-S