So, I have always played casters of the Arcane variety, but it seems that it has fallen to me to try and heal our group for the foreseeable future. I have 0 experience with playing the healer, or playing the Divine Casters. For that matter, I have 0 experience playing non arcane types. Always been bard, wizard, summoner, or occasionally switch hitter type ranger.
So here is my attempt. I chose Oracle because it blends that which I know with that which I need to learn. This makes me only half incompetent!
Build Points (Kind of different): 21 (isn)
30 points, but the first points you spend have to be on the race. Pricing as follows:
Aasimar: 15 RP; Changeling: 11 RP; Dhampir: 11RP; Drow: 15 RP; Duergar: 8 RP; Dwarves: 8 RP; Elves: 10 RP; Fetchling: 15 RP; Goblin: 10 RP; Gnomes: 9 RP; Grippli: 6 RP; Half-Elves: 10 RP; Half-Orc: 8 RP; Halflings: 9 RP; Human: 10 RP; Ifrit: 6 RP; Kobold: 5 RP; Oread: 6 RP; Ratfolk: 9 RP; Suli: 15 RP; Sylph: 6 RP; Tengu: 13 RP; Tiefling: 13 RP; Undine: 7 RP; Vanara: 8 RP.
2 traits plus one campaign trait added by GM based on Backgound (Omitted)
Thoughts and Concerns:
Although Awesome Display is AMAZING from level 2-6 and very powerful from 7-12 (assuming CHA bonus of +6 by level 10), Color Spray will become obsolete. Not sure if I should be building based on the limited pattern spells available to Heavens Oracles.
Blackened seems very potent a curse for a caster type, essentially trading spells, which are the bread and butter, for combat ability, which I will never focus on anyhow. However, the spells are not that great.
Haunted has the best spell list I think, not sure how hard it is to deal with the poltergeist though.
Debating Eldritch Heritage (Arcane), so I took Skill Focus Knowledge (Arcane). However, I have recently decided that if I want an eldritch heritage, Sylvan looks more fun, and affords an animal companion! Roc Here I come!!
Otherwise, I am leaning towards Spell Focus Illusion. That is burning a feat for +1 DC to a very very narrow list of spells though.
Notes:
I am aware that a 20 at level 1 is generally not considered optimal.
I will not be a heal bot. Nothing looks as boring as the guy who sits there and gets nudged every half hour to say, "Oh, yeah. Umm.... who was hurt again? I cast cure light wounds..."
Odette
Female Gnome Oracle 1
NG Small Humanoid (gnome)
Hero Points 1
Init +1; Senses Low-Light Vision; Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +2 shield, +1 Dex, +1 size)
hp 9 (1d8+1)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +2; +2 vs. illusions
Resist Noble Born - Medvyed
Weakness Blackened
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Offense
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Speed 15 ft.
Melee Heavy Shield Bash -3 (1d3/x2)
Spell-Like Abilities Dancing Lights (1/day), Ghost Sound (1/day), Prestidigitation (1/day), Speak with Animals (1/day)
Oracle Spells Known (CL 1, +1 melee touch, +2 ranged touch):
1 (5/day) Shield of Faith (DC 16), Burning Hands (DC 16), Command (DC 16), Cure Light Wounds (DC 16)
0 (at will) Create Water, Mending, Guidance, Light
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 20
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 10
Feats Skill Focus (Knowledge [arcana])
Traits Dangerously Curious, Indomitable Faith, Noble Born - Medvyed
Skills Acrobatics -6 (-14 jump), Climb -7, Diplomacy +9, Escape Artist -6, Fly -4, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Perception +5, Ride -6, Spellcraft +5, Stealth -2, Survival +3, Swim -7, Use Magic Device +10 Modifiers Noble Born - Medvyed Includes Medium Encumbrance and Armor Penalties
Languages Common, Draconic, Gnome, Sylvan
SQ Awesome Display -5, Cold weather outfit, Hero Points (1), Hot weather outfit, Illusion Resistance
Combat Gear Heavy steel shield, Lamellar (steel) armor; Other Gear Removed for brevity's sake.
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TRACKED RESOURCES
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Dancing Lights (1/day) (Sp) - 0/1
Ghost Sound (1/day) (Sp) - 0/1
Prestidigitation (1/day) (Sp) - 0/1
Speak with Animals (1/day) (Sp) - 0/1
Trail rations - 0/10
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Special Abilities
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Awesome Display -5 (Su) Your Illusion (pattern) spells treat observers as 5 HD lower than their actual HD.
Blackened Your hands and forearms are shriveled and blackened. You take a –4 penalty on weapon attack rolls
Cold weather outfit +5 Fort save vs. cold weather.
Dancing Lights (1/day) (Sp) With Charisma 11+, cast Dancing Lights once per day.
Ghost Sound (1/day) (Sp) With Charisma 11+, cast Ghost Sound once per day.
Hero Points (1) Hero Points can be spent at any time to grant a variety of bonuses.
Hot weather outfit +2 Fort vs. Hot Weather (does not stack with Survival skill's bonuses)
Illusion Resistance +2 racial bonus to saves against illusions.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Noble Born - Medvyed +2 Diplomacy vs. Fey, +1 will save vs. fey spells and supernatural abilities.
Prestidigitation (1/day) (Sp) With Charisma 11+, cast Prestidigitation once per day.
Speak with Animals (1/day) (Sp) Speak with Animals 1/day.
Just remember with a headband of charisma your cha will be even higher than +6 at level 10. And if you're going eldritch heritage, I'd recommend using arcane so you can add to your spell list those pattern spells you're missing. Also consider Veiled Illusionist prestige class for the same reason. Check it out on SRD.
I was debating going Paladin after 5 levels to pick up Lay on Hands, saves, and possibly revert to Oracle after a couple levels in Paladin.
My thoughts/number Crunch on Color Spray and Awesome Display.
A vivid cone of clashing colors springs forth from your hand, causing creatures to become stunned, perhaps also blinded, and possibly knocking them unconscious. Each creature within the cone is affected according to its HD.
2 HD or less: The creature is unconscious, blinded, and stunned for 2d4 rounds, then blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, and then stunned for 1 round. (Only living creatures are knocked unconscious.)
3 or 4 HD: The creature is blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, then stunned for 1 round.
5 or more HD: The creature is stunned for 1 round.
Sightless creatures are not affected by color spray.
Color spray is most effective at 2 HD or less. Awesome display subtracts your Cha mod from their HD for determining the effect of Color Spray (and other pattern illusions).
Using the basic thought that the CR level of monsters is roughly your level, and that the CR of monsters is generally their HD. (sometimes this deviates, but not by much.)
Therefore, Color spray is most effective, in general, against creatures of CR less than or equal to your Cha Mod +2.
Level 1: Cha Mod for 20 Cha is 6. So at level 2 when you get the Color Spray spell, you are great until level 8 (6 Cha Mod +2 HD).
By level 8, you should have +2 to Cha from level 4 and 8 Ability Increases. You are now good to go to level 9.
At level 9, the 'starting wealth by level' table grants 46,000 gp. You should have in excess of that. Crafting a Headband of alluring charisma costs 18,000, and buying one costs 36,000 gp. Chances are you will have one by level 9. This increases your effective range on Color Spray to level 12.
Starting Wealth for level 12 lists at 108,000 gp. Crafting a Tome of Leadership and Influence +5 will cost 131,250 gp. With luck, you can afford this. If your teammates see the power that is the Color Spray lasting into the double digit numbers, they may even chip in to help your awesomeness, as long as you promise to pay them back, of course.
Your tome usage + the stat increase at 12 will bump Cha by another 6 for another +3 mod.
You are now good to go to level 15 on Color Spray!
the DC of your color spray is now: 10+13 Cha Mod+1 Gnome+1 Spell Focus+1 Spell Level or ... DC 26.
The only feats I see as being super worth it for this path are:
1: Spell Focus, Illusion
3: Craft Wondrous Item
5: Persistant Spell (Make them roll twice . . . See Misfortune for twice cursed oracle, mentioned below)
Thoughts:
1: Twice Cursed Oracle. Choose Blackened as secondary, (who needs to swing an axe when you knock out level 15 creatures with a rainbow! ) and Haunted as your primary curse. Great spells from Haunted.
Why:
DM looks cheerful because someone saved! Drats! " Reroll that save please. Misfortune." No, there is no save against misfortune, nor spell resistance. It just happens. . .
2. If you are in one of those classic million mile dungeon crawls, Cloudy Vision is not bad, rarely can you ever see beyond 60 feet anyhow! and you see EVERYTHING in 60 feet... HORRIBLE for outdoor campaigns though..
3. Invest in Metamagic rod (Lesser) enlarge for some real fun! Or Extend to keep the bastards down...
4. Sadly, you will have to think of something to get you from level 17 (Color spray will just stun now...) through level 20.
Have you considered playing a hedge Witch? A hedge Witch does not get channel positive energy but can act as a full healer. Like a cleric they get the ability to spontaneously cast the cure spells. Your patron spells cover most of the non HP spells needed for a healer. You also get some decent mixture of spells including all Summon Monster spells. Take some decent combat hexes and you are set.
You do know that if you choose Dual cursed oracle, it replaces the bonus spells from your mystery and you wont have Color spray, right?
DOh!!