I'm thinking of replacing my current character in Carrion Crown with an Oracle of Life. This is for several reasons I could write an entire thread about, but the short answer is, I want to do something the GM can't really interfere with, so that I can make sure I actually get to do the thing I built my character to do .
Plus, the group is large (8 people), has no healer, and for the most part are--how can I say this politely--not concerned with building effective characters (half of them made multiple character choices that would be rated Red in a class guide). In a single session, 6 out of 8 PCs hit the negatives (and two of them dropped multiple times), one died, and another was coup de graced, but the GM made it abundantly clear that he fudged things to keep him alive.
So, I have a pretty strong concept for the character, but I'm not very familiar with divine spellcasting, and I'm looking for some advice. Relevant information:
We're level 2 right now and the game is an AP, so I'm expecting to get at least to the upper teens. As I said, I'll be a human Oracle of Life, and I'd like to be Dual-Cursed if I can swing it. Haunted fits really well with the concept and has a great spell list, so that'd be my actually advancing curse. Blackened is a good conceptual fit for my second curse, but the -4 to weapon attacks is something I'm worried about in the early game, so my back up choice is Legalistic. I'm open to other ideas, but I'd really prefer to avoid Tongues if possible.
Stats are rolled, unfortunately, but I have pretty good ones: 18, 16, 14, 14, 10, 9.
My preliminary plan is:
1: Channel, Selective Channel, Extra Revelation (Life Link or Misfortune)
3: Eldritch Heritage (Arcane), Energy Body (or Life Link if I took Misfortune)
5: Whichever of Life Link, Energy Body, or Misfortune I haven't taken yet.
7: Fortune, maybe Improved Familiar as a feat?
9: ?
11: Life Sense and Improved Eldritch Heritage
As far as spells are concerned I'm really not familiar with divine magic and what is good, but here's what I was thinking (in my order of priority):
1st: Bless, maybe Protection from Evil?
2nd: Shield Other, Spiritual Weapon, Shatter, Resist Energy, Delay Poison
3rd: Prayer, Stone Shape, Dispel Magic
4th: Blessing of Fervor, Air Walk, Spiritual Ally, Freedom of Movement
5th: I don't know--Holy Ice or Fickle Winds maybe?
Oh, and I didn't want to type it every level, but I'd be happy to grab Summon Monsters, too. Now, ideally, I'll never use any weapons (I'd like the Blackened Curse as my second one for flavor reasons) and instead, spend every round using a spell or ability to support or control. Early on, though, that's looking less viable.
I can Bless first round every fight, sure, but what else can I do? Are there any good level 1 and 2 spells (I miss Color Spray and Glitterdust)? I'm hesitant about taking mind-affecting spells like Command since this is Carrion Crown and so far it's been all undead. Should I just give in, take Legalistic instead of Blackened, and wade in with a weapon until I get higher level spells, or is there still a useful way for me to support at early levels?
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My own suggestion for Oracle of Life is to also go Aasimar and use the preferred class bonus they get to increase one mystery by 1/2 their lvl. You'll channel better than a cleric if you apply it to your channel mystery.
The burnt isn't as bad as you think, you're going to be a buff machine and healer. I'm not sure I'd bother with delay poison. I'm sure others will chime in about the spells, anything that affects the whole party in one casting is a good buff specifically if it doesn't overlap with things the rest of the party is doing.
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Remember to grab the restoration and remove curse/disease spells as they become available.
As party healer, you would have to deal with more then just hp damage. Damage to ability scores, poisons, curses and diseases can just as easily cripple the party.
For ability score spread. Place the 18 into Cha, the 16 into Con and the rest as you see fit.
Remember! Don't dump Con, the more Con the better! Staying alive is very important for a healer. Even more so if you are the only healer in the party.
If you stay alive, the party stays alive.
As Erikkerik has written above, Circle of Protection from Evil is very important. Even more so if you are going to face mind-controlling effects/spells from enemies.
Summoning is a viable route, but take care, as you have a large party, they may not appreciate you taking up time with instructions for your summons.
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For the first part of the AP, focus on Positive Energy and Prot from Evil, (which will not go out of style in this AP). After the first part, Spiritual Weapon, (even if it is Wis based and the devs have sugested that it stay that way even for Oracles), Sound Burst, Bear's Endurence, Lesser Restoration, Eagle's Splender, and Ghostbane Dirge are all really good options for 2nd level. Soundburst because it has the ability to stun all targets, and Spiritual Weapon because it lets you essentually act twice, cast it and mainly forget about it excet to redircect at times.
Once you get towards 3rd level spells, Prayer, Prot from Energy (not going out of style), Magic Vestment (long-lasting ans saves you a lot of money), Speak with Dead (for this AP, okay to get a few Scrolls), and Searing Light.
By the time you hit 4th level spells, you should have a good idea of what you want and need.
As an Oracle, load up on Scrolls and Wands of spells you either really want to use a lot, or are not really wanting to use much, but is really nice to have when you need it, (many of the Remove Condition spells). Scrolls for things you want a few times just to have on hand, Wands for thngs you want to cast over and ver, even if you are low on spells (prot from Evil, for example, or Eagle's Splendor/Bear's Endurence).
A few tips. Your a Cha based caster with a few more Skill points than most others casters. Especially for this AP, focus on Cha based social skills, Know Religion, and Use Magic Device. As a Cha based caster, UMD works off of Cha and that means you at least hav a good chance to be able to use any scroll or wand you come by, even if it is outside of combat. Work to your strengths, but remember your Will save is not as good as a Cerics would be, nor your Perception.
Positive Energy and Force Effects hurt Incorporeal and/or Undead, which there are plenty of.
My own suggestion for Oracle of Life is to also go Aasimar and use the preferred class bonus they get to increase one mystery by 1/2 their lvl. You'll channel better than a cleric if you apply it to your channel mystery.
I don't know--that sounds strong, but, even though the party contains two Aasimars, I'm not really interested in being one, aesthetically. Plus, that'd put me behind in revelations and feats in the early game (I'd have to wait until level 5 for Eldritch Heritage), which is the time I'm most concerned with. I'll consider it, but I think I'd really prefer Human.
The burnt isn't as bad as you think, you're going to be a buff machine and healer.
That is my goal, but my specific concern is the early game when my fights will look something like:
Round 1: Bless
Round 2: ?
Round 3: Maybe Channel if enough people are hurt
Round 4+: I guess heal as needed, but mostly ?
I think the default assumption is that I'll grab my weapon and start swinging on those question mark rounds, and a -4 penalty to that is pretty severe, especially since Strength/Dexterity will not be a focus of mine (I was hoping to drop that 10 in my Strength if possible).
I'm not sure I'd bother with delay poison.
It was my impression that the spell was essentially "immunity to poison for hours at a time." That sounds pretty good as a later choice--is there something about the spell I'm missing? Or is there a significantly better level 2 choice?
I'm sure others will chime in about the spells, anything that affects the whole party in one casting is a good buff specifically if it doesn't overlap with things the rest of the party is doing.
Can you give me some examples of spells like that other than Bless, Prayer, and Blessing of Fervor? The rest of the group is basically doing nothing, so overlap shouldn't be an issue--the Bard literally never used Bardic Music then switched his character to a Cleric with the (not kidding here) Animal and Air domains. There's an Inquisitor, so maybe not a Sacred Bonus?
1: Yes to Bless and PfE. Shield of faith is also good, magic weapon, remove fear. Sanctualry!
Sanctuary is a good thought, but not as my second spell, I think, since I need more than one or two non-aggressive things to do in combat (Bless and channel) before I rely on it. Shield of Faith and PfE both give Deflection bonuses--is it worthwhile to have both? Should I just take PfE and then switch it to Shield of Faith when I get Magic Circle Against Evil? Is Remove Fear really worth taking as an Oracle? Does it happen enough that it warrants a "precious" spell known slot? Magic Weapon is something I hadn't considered, but it's only +1 to hit and damage with a pretty short duration that is obviated by getting an actually magic weapon. Is it really worth it?
2: Spiritual weapon is a big no unless your DM lets you use chr instead of wis.
Is that really an issue? I thought it was obvious that the spell uses your casting stat for attacks.
Silence should definetly be in there.
Good call, but how do I prioritize it? I get a 2nd level spell at 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th (plus maybe more if I use my favored class bonus at level 6+). What spells would you think it beats out?
Bulls str etc are also solid buffs.
I thought those spells were generally not worth a spell known slot, considering they become obsolete with magic items. Plus, there's a Cleric in the party I can pressure to use those sorts of buffs--he won't be reliable to heal/support in combat, though, as he's basically trying to play a Druid without getting any of benefits of the Druid class for some reason.
Grace can be very usefull and even save your life.
I do like action economy saving spells--but do AoOs from moving really come up that much?
Hold person and sound burst (but they may have the same problem in this ap as command).
Yeah, I looked at Sound Burst, but, am I correct in thinking undead/constructs would be immune to it?
3: Add circle of prtoection from evil, at least. Magic vestment.
I thought Magic Vestment was another one of those prepared-caster-spells, since its effect is minor and potentially obsoleted by equipment.
4: Greater magic weapon.
I'll have to look at the group's equipment when I hit a level I could take this at--I thought it was another one of those "better for the Cleric" sort of spells.
One word of advice, if your taking the revelation that gives everyone fast healing 5 but lets you take the dmg, you are going to value con over chr. That is also were potent defensive spells such as grace and sanctuary gets most value.
I am definitely taking that revelation, but I also want to be able to cast control spells later on (plus I get Minor Image, Telekinesis, and Reverse Gravity from being Haunted), so I was thinking 20 Charisma, 16 Con.
TBH though I'd get the summoning feats and spam summon monster a lot for this type of character. Start with summon monster 2 and summon d3+1 riding dogs with 4str and con (or actually, maybe not since you are 8 players, I dont think you wanna slow down combat to much).
I was torn on that, as well. The game is really slow (the GM is not great with pacing in general, either), so as much as I like Summoning and know that it's powerful, I question whether I want to actually do it or not.
Remember to grab the restoration and remove curse/disease spells as they become available.
The Restoration line comes free with my Mystery, thankfully. Are niche removal spells like that really worth precious spell slots, though? Does it change things to know that the party has a Cleric in it as I mentioned above?
For ability score spread. Place the 18 into Cha, the 16 into Con and the rest as you see fit.
That was my plan, yeah--I was hoping to drop the 9 and 10 in Strength and Wisdom if I can avoid using weapon attacks. Otherwise, I'll have to deal with a 10 Int.
After the first part, Spiritual Weapon, (even if it is Wis based and the devs have sugested that it stay that way even for Oracles)
Would you, by chance, have a link to that suggestion? I was under the assumption Spiritual Weapon and Ally implied they used the casting stat, not specifically Wisdom.
Sound Burst, Bear's Endurence, Lesser Restoration, Eagle's Splender, and Ghostbane Dirge are all really good options for 2nd level. Soundburst because it has the ability to stun all targets, and Spiritual Weapon because it lets you essentually act twice, cast it and mainly forget about it excet to redircect at times.
See my question above about the buffs and Sound Burst--don't Undead and Constructs ignore it? That's why I was leaning towards Shatter. Ghostbane Dirge was something I looked at, but it seems so limited--just one target per casting and how common will it really be?
Once you get towards 3rd level spells, Prayer, Prot from Energy (not going out of style), Magic Vestment (long-lasting ans saves you a lot of money), Speak with Dead (for this AP, okay to get a few Scrolls), and Searing Light.
I thought Protection from Energy was actually inferior to Resist Energy, and that Magic Vestments and Speak with Dead were more spells to press the Cleric into casting. Searing Light is not a bad idea, but is it powerful enough to bump off another choice?
A few tips. Your a Cha based caster with a few more Skill points than most others casters.
My plan was to max Diplomacy, Knowledge: Religion, and UMD, though I'm not sure where my other skill point(s) would go.
Final thought--I am guessing that Carrion Crown will be very heavy on undead--would it be worth it to take the normally mediocre Hide from Undead?
Take Hide from Undead, though you can probably swap it out later. Ghostbane Dirge is another must-have spell for this AP, especially in the early game. Magic Weapon is another must-have until you get Ghostbane Dirge.
In the first part of this AP, you'll be facing almost exclusively undead baddies, and a number of incorporeal undead. You should coordinate with the cleric and find out what spells he plans to prepare on a regular basis. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't know some of those spells anyway, though, since he won't be able to give everyone in the party a magic weapon (and everyone in the party will often need a magic weapon, and there won't be many opportunities to pick one up until you finish the first book).
Can you use your positive energy channel to harm undead? If so, do that in combat whenever the party is up against a group of undead baddies.
That's my main problem with oracles: there just aren't that many cleric spells that you want to cast over and over again.
Command and Murderous Command are decent level 1 spells, but not for the first bit of Carrion Crown!
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Sadly, I don't even know where to begin looking about Spiritual Weapon. The thing is, it is one of the few spells out there that specifies a specific stat rather than "whatever stat you use for casting", so it's bonuses are Wisdom based, even for an Oracle. What I am suggesting, however, is that you can cast it, direct it to attack something, and it will keep doing that on your turn without you needing to do anything, unless you want it to move to a new target.
For Magic Vestment (and later Greater Magic Weapon), the point it that you cast it one (twice for a shield) and it basically lasts all day, meaning you do not have to waste much money on buying magical weapons and armor. Both are 1 hour per level durations, which saves you money to buy wands and scrolls.
Soundburst is your first real area attack spell, that deals Forc Damage. Against Undead and Constructs, yes, it is fairly weak, but against a group of basically anything else, the money is in the fact that it has the chance to Stun, and Oracles generally have much better DCs than Cerics, as they are much, much less MAD.
A stunned creature drops everything held, can't take actions, takes a –2 penalty to AC, and loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).
Attackers receive a +4 bonus on attack rolls to perform combat maneuvers against a stunned opponent.
I don't want to spoil anything, but I promise, Prot From Evil can save lives in ths AP, as can Ghostbane Dirge. Magic Circle vs Evil, I don't think is that important by the time you get it, though a Communal Prot from Evil, (as well as many of the Communal Spels) will be. More likely than not, you will be very disapointed with Shatter, though, unless you can convince your DM that the vial holding a magical potion is not, itself a magical item, (the only use I have ever actually had for the spell).
Speaking from experience, Tongues is a really safe bet for an Oracle curse if you wanna go dual-cursed (have it be the one that doesn't improve), as it's one drawback can be negated with a one-point dip into Linguistics so someone can act as translator in combat.
Blackened is a nice curse that gives you a little extra to do during a session in the event you find yourself in a good position to do nothing that round. The penalties to attack rolls is pretty much moot unless you plan to carry a bow or something, and by 10th level, it drops down to a much more manageable -2.
Haunted adds some really nice spells to your spell list, but if you're going to be stocking up on scrolls and wands for spells, Haunted negates one of the chief advantages to using a Handy Haversack.
In addition, if you wanna really beef up your channeling, consider dipping into the Holy Vindicator prestige class. You're going to be bleeding every round to give yourself many of the bonuses of the PrC, but Energy Body should be negating much (if not all) of the damage it deals if you use the move action heal. Otherwise, if you're channeling, you're gonna be healing yourself anyway.
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It sounds like your group is totally hopeless. I think you are setting yourself up for a lot of grief/angst when the party continues to flounder. I would not take blackened as a non-improving curse.
You need to remember that spells that are obsolete at higher level can be traded out as you advance. Bless is probably the most useful level 1 buff spell, but you can replace it when you hit level 6 and gain Prayer.
Delay Poison is very situational. You are better off learning a different spell and suggesting that all the party members purchase at least one vial of antitoxin.
Doing all my responses in a single post is really crazy here on these boards, since quotes apparently cut out after a few paragraphs. I'll try it in a series of shorter ones.
Just make sure you always have something usefull to do other than healing and you should be fine.
Well, that's pretty much what I'm concerned about. No 1st level spell other than Bless looks worth casting with any regularity, and I would like to take a Curse that gives me a -4 to weapon attacks (I'd do something else if weapons are just too important early, though), so my options are pretty limited. Any suggestions on stuff I can do that isn't attack with a weapon or "heal when needed?"
On grace, getting out of threatened without wasting a full round actions can be very usefull. Also you can now run through the battlefield to heal the dying fighter without taking the 15 AAOs you'd take otherwise. I'd probably not pick it as my first 2nd lvl, but its a strong choice.
I guess I'm having trouble picturing a scenario when I can't get out of threatened with a 5' step. I am expecting to have a Life Link on my tanks, so they'll heal automatically, and I figure Channel will be my main combat heal, which essentially has a 30' range. Still, it's a good thing to consider.
That's my main problem with oracles: there just aren't that many cleric spells that you want to cast over and over again.
Command and Murderous Command are decent level 1 spells, but not for the first bit of Carrion Crown!
I've noticed that. Kind of surprising to me, considering how amazing Clerics were in 3rd edition (I'm fairly new to Pathfinder, but I've played every edition of D&D).
Bless seems good, but Bane kind of doesn't, even though it seems like my best second option. It doesn't seem like until 4th level spells that there are any really great things to cast.
The thing is, it is one of the few spells out there that specifies a specific stat rather than "whatever stat you use for casting", so it's bonuses are Wisdom based, even for an Oracle.
I accept that RAW, but I thought it was obvious by RAI that's not the case. It was written that way before they had any clue there would be a non-Wisdom based divine caster.
What I am suggesting, however, is that you can cast it, direct it to attack something, and it will keep doing that on your turn without you needing to do anything, unless you want it to move to a new target.
Absolutely, and that's why I want it--I think it's one of the best second level spells I could take--I just don't want to dump my Wisdom as hard as I intended if the devs say I need it.
For Magic Vestment (and later Greater Magic Weapon), the point it that you cast it one (twice for a shield) and it basically lasts all day, meaning you do not have to waste much money on buying magical weapons and armor. Both are 1 hour per level durations, which saves you money to buy wands and scrolls.
Ok, I have to admit--I've run various incarnations of D&D for about 20 years, but never included non-MacGuffin magic items, and the only campaign I got to PC in had very few magic items (just a weapon, armor, and primary stat booster by the end), so I have no clue what playing in a game with the "normal" item rules is like beyond what I've read about on the boards.
Soundburst is your first real area attack spell, that deals Forc Damage.
Doesn't it do Sonic damage?
Against Undead and Constructs, yes, it is fairly weak, but against a group of basically anything else, the money is in the fact that it has the chance to Stun, and Oracles generally have much better DCs than Cerics, as they are much, much less MAD.
Absolutely, but I think I'm up against like 90% undead and constructs, so I don't know how high of a priority I could put on a spell like that.
More likely than not, you will be very disapointed with Shatter, though, unless you can convince your DM that the vial holding a magical potion is not, itself a magical item, (the only use I have ever actually had for the spell).
Of course the vial is not magic. But I've always liked Shatter for the creative uses--first, it's obviously a sunder against most enemy gear. It can blast an enemy cleric's Holy Symbol. Plus, there's the general utility of destroying stuff. Of course, just reading what I'm typing now, I realize the GM does not seem the type to go for this sort of creative stuff (sigh) so you're probably right.
Speaking from experience, Tongues is a really safe bet for an Oracle curse if you wanna go dual-cursed (have it be the one that doesn't improve), as it's one drawback can be negated with a one-point dip into Linguistics so someone can act as translator in combat.
Blackened is a nice curse that gives you a little extra to do during a session in the event you find yourself in a good position to do nothing that round. The penalties to attack rolls is pretty much moot unless you plan to carry a bow or something, and by 10th level, it drops down to a much more manageable -2.
Haunted adds some really nice spells to your spell list, but if you're going to be stocking up on scrolls and wands for spells, Haunted negates one of the chief advantages to using a Handy Haversack.
For flavor reasons, I'm taking Haunted, and I'm intending to take it as my "curse that improves" because of the awesome spells (Minor Image makes me drool, Telekinesis is so utilitarian, and I find Reverse Gravity hilarious when facing non-flyers).
I'm really anti-Tongues for four reasons: it's barely a curse at all so it feels like cheating; I find the flavor of it totally unappealing; it would stop me from taking Greater Command (I assume we stop fighting only undead and deal with cultists at some point); since Dual Cursed gives me Oracle's Burden for free, I might as well take a Curse that will actually hurt my enemies if I give it to them (and Haunted is already not so great on that front).
I really like the feel of Blackened as my second, non-advancing curse because of my character concept, but if the -4 to weapons is too brutal (I know it will stop mattering around level 6-8, but until them, weapons might be too important), I can also swing Legalistic for my concept, though it seems almost more like cheating than Tongues does.
In addition, if you wanna really beef up your channeling, consider dipping into the Holy Vindicator prestige class. You're going to be bleeding every round to give yourself many of the bonuses of the PrC, but Energy Body should be negating much (if not all) of the damage it deals if you use the move action heal. Otherwise, if you're channeling, you're gonna be healing yourself anyway.
Actually, Energy Body makes me an elemental, so I would be unable to bleed. Also, I looked at the class, and it didn't seem like any part of it buffed my Channel in any way--it seemed more like it just let me get various buffs based on the strength of my channel. It's good, but seems far more suited for an actual fighter, whereas I'm trying to avoid swinging a sword.
It sounds like your group is totally hopeless. I think you are setting yourself up for a lot of grief/angst when the party continues to flounder.
Yeah, I kind of fear that outcome, but I have to try something. I'm frustrated as an Alchemist, so I figure if I heal and buff instead, I'll at least always get to do that--even if I'm healing and buffing the hopeless.
I would not take blackened as a non-improving curse.
You think I'll have to fight early on? That's what I fear. But I did just notice today that since I get the Oracle's Burden spell for free, if I take the Blackened Curse, I can inflict a -4 to enemy's attack rolls from a large distance with a Will save (I'm assuming "natural weapons" are "weapons" for the purpose of the curse--otherwise, it's probably pointless for that purpose). I imagine that could ruin the day of many a brute type monster and is at least a small check in the "take the Blackened Curse" column (with the other check being flavor).
Burning Hands seems really crappy, though.
I'm getting less worried though, the more I turn down spells that won't affect undead. As long as I have Channels, Cure spells, and Energy Body, I can always hurt undead and thus, not waste my actions even if I can't attack in melee.
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@mplindustries,
If you have a dedicated Cleric, you don't really need all the removal spells. BUT! Do keep a scroll or two of each at hand. Especially for remove poison and maybe even for diseases.
You want it for emergencies. Remember it is cheaper to use a remove scroll then to have to fork out a rise dead spell.
On your party cleric/bard(?), Animal is not too bad for a domain. If he took the Feather Sub-domain (animal) it can be very powerful, due to the boost to perception. And he can still get a full level animal companion with the Bonded Companion feat.
Your party... is overlapping a lot of roles here. But that said, just pick what you want to use and have the others change to match you!
Clerics can swap their spells, so have the Cleric pick spells that YOU don't have, instead of the other way around.
So, the character will start at 2nd level, so here's what I'm planning:
Human Dual Cursed Oracle of Life
Str 9, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 20
Feats: Selective Channeling, Extra Revelation, Skill Focus (Knowledge: Religion) [Focused Study], Fast Learner (we get a free racial or local feat in this game and it seemed like the only good one)
I have no idea what traits to take, but one of them has to be specific to Carrion Crown.
Revelations: Channel and I can't decide between Life Link and Misfortune.
Spells:
0th: Create Water, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Guidance, Light, Mage Hand, and either Mending or Read Magic
1st: Bless, Protection from Evil, plus the free spells
At third level, I will take the Eldritch Heritage feat to get the Arcane Bloodline. I'd like a Raven because I happen to like them, but Diplomacy is better than Appraise, so I'd probably grab a Thrush instead for a similar flavor (a talking bird). At 7th, I'd like to upgrade to an Improved Familiar, though I'm not sure which I'd take. I'm partial to Pseudodragons and Fairy Dragons, but their core abilities (for example, the Psuedodragon's Sleep poison) would be useless against undead/constructs, so I might go for the one that can Lay on Hands.
Also at third, depending on what I choose to start with, I'll be taking Life Link, Energy Body, or Misfortune. I have no idea what spell to grab--Magic Weapon maybe? Hide from Undead? Sanctuary? I don't know.
At 4th, I'll take whichever Orison I didn't before, and Spiritual Weapon (assuming I can use Charisma to hit with it).
At 5th, when I definitely have Energy Body (as I'll take whichever of the 3 Revelations I didn't get before), I'll grab Shield Other and I have no idea what level 1 spell. I could even take two level 1 spells if I used my Favored Class bonus for that. I also have no idea what Feat to take--Toughness? Maybe some kind of Metamagic?
At 6th, 7th, and 9th, my first three level 3 spells will probably be Dispel Magic, Prayer, and Stone Shape, though I have no idea in what order. I find Visions of Hell pretty tempting as well, but I think undead/constructs can't be Shaken, so it's probably not a great choice. I have no idea at all about another Orison, and I might also take the Favored Class bonus to grab Silence at level 6.
At 7th, I'll take one of the above 3rd level spells, probably Resist Energy, and I have no clue about 1st levels. I think I'll take the Fortune for my Revelation and Improved Familiar for my feat.
At 8th, Blessing of Fervor is my top choice, and I might use my favored class bonus to get another level 3 if there are good suggestions.
I guess I'm not super concerned from then on, as I feel pretty solid about spells 4th level and up.
You want it for emergencies. Remember it is cheaper to use a remove scroll then to have to fork out a rise dead spell.
One of my goals for this character is to ensure nobody in the party dies again--that's why I want to focus so heavily on healing and buffing. Still, it will definitely be a challenge.
On your party cleric/bard(?), Animal is not too bad for a domain. If he took the Feather Sub-domain (animal) it can be very powerful, due to the boost to perception. And he can still get a full level animal companion with the Bonded Companion feat.
No, he didn't take a good subdomain like Feather or even Cloud, just straight Animal and Air. I'd wager more likely than not that he'll take a useless animal as his companion and be too busy taking weak flavor feats to take Boon Companion.
Your party... is overlapping a lot of roles here. But that said, just pick what you want to use and have the others change to match you!
Not counting me, the party is (from most optimized to least): a Half-Elf Inquisitor rocking a Curve Blade (with 20 Str--it's for the Crit range, not the Finesse), a Two-Handed Half-Orc Fighter, an Aasimar Paladin, a Half-Orc Wolf Shaman Druid (he thinks he can convince the GM to fudge the rules a bit and let him take the form of larger, templated wolves later), a Dwarven Fighter (he and the paladin sword and board it), a Human Rogue, and the Air/Animal Cleric.
So, the only real overlap is that everyone fights in melee and has extremely limited ranged options (except the Inquisitor who has a Composite Longbow).
Clerics can swap their spells, so have the Cleric pick spells that YOU don't have, instead of the other way around.
He's kind of clueless, so I imagine I can have a lot of say over the spells he picks. I have to admit, as bad as it makes me sound, I'm mostly writing him off, mentally, and expecting he'll function like a scroll rack for me. He does have crazy good stats for the second character in a row, though (I think he didn't drop the lowest die on the 4d6), so I expect he'll at least be passable in melee.
For an oracle, you can't afford to take "spells that would be good to have once a while" -- that's what scrolls, wands, and a cleric are for. At least you have those. Get spells that you will be casting regularly. Bless and pro/evil are both very good low-level spells, land retain their utility for quite a while.
After that, see how it goes. Swap out spells you rarely cast, ask yourself what would it be regularly nice to have.
Strongly agree resist energy for second level spell. The long duration means you can cast it before combat, and it lasts for many combats, saving lots of in-combat actions. And preventing damage is almost always better than burning spells to heal it, particularly in combat.
With 8 characters in the party, don't worry about needing to make attack rolls yourself. :)
Generally,I'd try and have one offensive spell (buff, damage, debug), one defensive spell (preferably one that you can cast on friends as well as yourself)', and one utility spell at each level.
I've noticed that. Kind of surprising to me, considering how amazing Clerics were in 3rd edition (I'm fairly new to Pathfinder, but I've played every edition of D&D).That's my main problem with oracles: there just aren't that many cleric spells that you want to cast over and over again.
Command and Murderous Command are decent level 1 spells, but not for the first bit of Carrion Crown!
I had the same issue with the Favored Soul in 3E, so I don't think it's a Pathfinder thing.