Energy Body (Su): As a standard action, you can transform your body into pure life energy, resembling a golden-white fire elemental. In this form, you gain the elemental subtype and give off a warm, welcoming light that increases the light level within 10 feet by one step, up to normal light. Any undead creature striking you with its body or a handheld weapon deals normal damage, but at the same time the attacker takes 1d6 points of positive energy damage + 1 point per oracle level. Creatures wielding melee weapons with reach are not subject to this damage if they attack you. If you grapple or attack an undead creature using unarmed strikes or natural weapons, you may deal this damage in place of the normal damage for the attack. Once per round, if you pass through a living allied creature's square or the ally passes through your square, it heals 1d6 hit points + 1 per oracle level. You may use this ability to heal yourself as a move action. You choose whether or not to heal a creature when it passes through your space. You may return to your normal form as a free action. You may remain in energy body form for a number of rounds per day equal to your oracle level.
What can you do/cannot do with this power? I think my players and I are reading too much into this. Any helpful input will be welcome.
It would possibly help if you say what your group is reading into it that you are not sure about.
It says you turn into something resembling a golden white fire elemental, and you gain the elemental subtype. Are you as hard to hold onto as a fire elemental? Are you incorporeal? Can only undead harm you?
It may be pretty cut and dry, but I'm allowing the oracle in the game I run to use this as kind of an "oh sh*t" button. We both aren't entirely sure this is intended.
Elementals aren't incorporel or only subject to undead damage, so i'm not sure why this one should.
It says you take normal damage from any attack, just that you also automatically cause damage back.
Also I don't see anything in the fire elementals description that they're hard to grapple, except their Burn ability, which I also see no indication that the Life oracle would gain it.
So I think you might indeed be reading too much into it.
You gain the elemental attribute which gives you immunity to lots of things, including critical hits and/or sneak attacks, you can heal yourself as a move action, or heal other allies that move to you once per turn if you so desire, you also gain the ability to hurt undead in all sorts of ways.
That's it, nothing more is gained.
The "resembling a golden-white elemental" is just fluff for a holy elemental (well considering everything has an elemental, a holy elemental isn't that far off)
Kinda what we figured. Thanks for the 2nd opinion!