Homebrew Oracle Curse. Looking to balance.

[Canaris Zhen]

I'm starting a homebrew campaign in a few months, and one of my players wants to play an oracle. He's not happy with the choices avalaible in the APG, or the supplements I've found, and I'd like to give him a curse that matches the theme of the campaign.

It's classic high fantasy, but it involves time travel and divine intervention.

I have an idea for a curse called Peripheral Insight, that would fit the campaign perfectly, but I'm unsure how to balance it properly. The PC can enter a trancelike state, where she occasionally stumbles on nuggets of knowledge, she should not otherwise posses.

The upside to the curse should be the ability to make untrained knowledge checks to an escalating higher DC.

Example: At level 1 the DC cap is 15, at level 5, 20, at level 10 25. At level 10 and 15 the oracle gets a super natural bonus til the skill check to make the higher end rolls possible if not likely.

This only applies to skillchecks on untranied knowledge skills, and should probably be limited to a few times a day. There's also a slight conflict with there Lore and Time mysteries, I haven't sorted out yet.

What would be an appropriate drawback for a curse with this effect?

[Icyshadow]

Maybe a Dexterity or Wisdom penalty of some sort, due to the mind being susceptible or the character's body not keeping up with his/her mind going all trippy?

[Canaris Zhen]

I thought about a wisdom penalty, but I'm unsure how severe it would have to be. -2 ?
I have a hard time gauging the value of this ability. Could it feasibly have been a feat? It seems more powerful than that.

[Icyshadow]

I think there was a Curse that gives a -4 to certain Charisma checks. Use it as a comparison point?

[Oceanshieldwolf]

Yep the Wasting curse applies a -4 to Charisma.

I like the concept of this Curse. I would make the trance usable x/day equal to Wis modifier and I would also apply a -2 (or -4 if you think the ability gained warrants it) to Charisma due to the otherworldly mien and general lost-in-time, eyes-in-the-middle-distance personality of the Oracle. At 5th level give the Oracle an immunity to a time-related effect. Check the Wasting curse out in the APG...

[Sereinái]

Just a rough draft for an idea that sounds like it might fit.
I figured that if he gains these sudden insights into a wide range of subjects it would be fitting that she would be unable to focus on studying any one subject without her mind going on wild tangents.

"An Oracle with the Peripheral Insight curse cannot put ranks into any Knowledge skills but can perform them by touching another creature with ranks in them, using it as a medium, at half that creatures ranks (still using her own modifier) plus half her Oracle level (minimum 1). An Oracle with this curse can not gain Knowledge skills from other classes and any ranks she has when selecting this curse are lost.

At 5th level you can perform a Knowledge check once per day without touching another creature. You use your full Oracle level rather than half on this roll. Every five levels after fifth you may use this ability an additional time per day.

At 10th level you can add your Charisma modifier to any Knowledge check you make. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to half your Charisma modifier (minimum 1)

At 15th level you no longer need to touch another creature to use Knowledge checks using that creatures ranks. Eye contact, telepathic or similar bonds or touching a piece of, such as a lock of hair, the creature is enough to use checks with that creature as a medium.

[Canaris Zhen]

I really like that suggestion. Thank you Serenái.