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Level 7 Oracle Advice

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Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I come to you today for a bit of input on how to help my oracle put more of a dent in combat.

I'm a level 6 Heaven's Oracle with the following stats:

Oracle, Heavens Mystery, Gnome:
STR: 14
DEX:15
CON:12
INT:14
WIS:13
CHA:20 (Racial bonus and my 4th level attribute point)

Due to the gnomishness and heaven's revelation that reduces hit dice for the effect of illusion spells, I'm fairly illusion focused but picked up the Interstellar void for a bit of a blast, with my spells consisting mostly of utility (detect magic, dispel, etc...) and buffing/debuffing.

That said, when we fight undead (pretty common in our campaign), my illusions are pretty useless and my 1/day blast (interstellar void) c+an't be used willy nilly. This means I'm usually resorting to poking baddies with a stick and doing 1d4+2 or 1d6+3 (depending on which weapon I use) with a +7 bonus. When we do fighting something my spells can effect, they seem to make the saves pretty easily (for example, an ettin with +5 will saves can beat my highest (lvl 3 currently) spell with a DC of 18.

I'm considering a multi-class with something that puts it's CHA to work on damage, maybe a blaster sorc, or going for a martial class to open up some weapon options, but not sure if that's such a good idea due to the low sorc level going against CR encounters for a lvl 7 party, I was thinking maybe a rogue dip for an extra D6 of SA and UMD as a class skill so I could use wands for blasting, but not sure how effective that would be either, what are your, the esteemed community's, views?

I wouldn't lose a caster level. I would pick up several scrolls of Divine Favor. At your level a plus two to hit and damage could help a bit.

Multiclassing primary spellcasting classes is generally a terrible idea. If you are facing things which are immune to your illusions then you need to switch up things a bit.

Grab a two handed weapon and wade into melee with Divine Favour and later Divine Power etc is one option. You could fall back on buffing your allies as another. You could look to pick up Threndonic Spell which will allow your mind affecting spells to affect undead at a 2 level cost.

Finally if desperate you can always disrupt undead with Cure spells.

Just pick spells so you have something to do even against undead. What spells have you picked? That's what it all boils down to. Spiritual weapon, summoning, buffs, etc. are good options. Don't multicalss. With 4th level spells you spell list will open up a lot.

I disagree with the idea that multi-classing is bad for casters. In fact, your specific problem is fixed by a single level dip.

The Undead Sorcerer bloodline lets you hit undead with mind affecting effects, like Color Spray. Take one level, get a tiny number of arcane utility spells, and go wild. If you want to kill two birds with one stone and get more normally immune enemies, you can Crossblood with Groveborn (for plants) or Pestilence (for vermin).

Dot.
Erikkerik wrote:
Just pick spells so you have something to do even against undead.

Basically this. If you already have options against things that aren't undead, this may be a good spell to learn.

Searing Light, ranged touch attack, no saving throw, and scaling up to 10d6 (or possibly 10d8) against undead.

Another thing about multiclassing sorcerer is that you will be able to use almost all spells on spell trigger items like staves and wands without making a UMD check.

I also think because you are a gnome that melee combat would be a mistake for you. Because of your size you will always be behind the 8 ball doing damage and being subject to combat maneuvers (barring a spell of some sort of which you won't have many applicable on your list, unless you UMD).

You might focus on ranged combat, but you don't have a lot of feats to put into it.

That multiclass idea might be the best one I think. Most of the things that are immune to mind affecting have poor will saves because of this (even if undead's favored save is will).

Your optimized color spray is going to eat up most corporeal undead and others.

The thing is you would definitely want to be able to affect undead, but between plants and vermin... I guess plants. Constructs would be better than plants or vermin but I don't know how you get them with a sorcerer dip.

If you dip though, it won't be very common except for constructs that you can't affect them.

I'd pick crossblooded undead/arcane.

And pick up spellfocus, your DC for a persistent color spray could be 10 + 5 (cha) +1 gnome + 2 Spellfocus, gr. + 1 arcane BL = 19, if you tool magical lineage thats a level 2 spell. You might add highten Spell pr focused spell.

Consider Dragon Disciple, stat buffs all over the place and combat focused.
stuart haffenden wrote:
Consider Dragon Disciple, stat buffs all over the place and combat focused.

Dont.

stuart haffenden wrote:
Consider Dragon Disciple, stat buffs all over the place and combat focused.

that is a horrible idea

Aside from a flat "No" on dragon disciple, why not? I wasn't considering it before anyway just out of curiousity.

I would think multiclassing to sorc is a good idea as CHA is the key stat for both oracle and sorc, so I only need to worry about pumping that. It would also open up my spell list and make wands/staves more effective for me (others seem to disregard things like wands and such so I generally get to acquire them, but then lack of UMD makes my attempts to use them fail).

So far I think I'm liking the Sorc idea, then for my 7th level feat I was thinking of taking leadership for some infrastructure NPCs and a cohort who'd be used to fill in the "behind the scenes" gaps in the party (so as to avoid a huge party/long waits between turns with another "PC" at the table), but I'm not sure how the DM feels about leadership. But maybe spell focus would be a better use of a feat?

Undead are the biggest stumbling block for my character right now, but I'm wondering if a blaster sorc would give better flexibilty, being able to hit pretty much any enemy we encounter, but the saves would be low so maybe sticking with the undead bloodline would be good to keep in mind. Thanks for the input and advice, I probably still have plenty of time to figure something out before I level.

Dragon Disciple is a bad idea because it builds off the Sorcerer and gives you physical abilities, not magical ones. A gnome caster should not be fighting in melee.

And just to be clear, if you multi-classed Sorcerer, you would not be taking more than a single level. You only need the Arcana to affect undead with mind-affecting spells and then you're done. You want to keep your Oracle levels up to keep casting higher and higher level spells. Do not become a "blasting sorcerer," too, just be a blasting Oracle if you really want to blast.
Proley wrote:

Aside from a flat "No" on dragon disciple, why not? I wasn't considering it before anyway just out of curiousity.

So far I think I'm liking the Sorc idea, then for my 7th level feat I was thinking of taking leadership for some infrastructure NPCs and a cohort who'd be used to fill in the "behind the scenes" gaps in the party (so as to avoid a huge party/long waits between turns with another "PC" at the table), but I'm not sure how the DM feels about leadership. But maybe spell focus would be a better use of a feat?

Sorcerer remains a terrible idea because you are trading in access to a tiny number of extra very low level spells for an increase in your primary magical ability. As a spontaneous caster you already gain access to new levels of spells one level later. Multiclassing delays that even further. Even a single level dip means no 4th level spells until level 9 when prepared casters are getting level 5 spells.

If you want access to some blasts then Clerics get a few, Sound Burst, Searing Light, Flame Strike. If you really want to go down that route ask your GM if you can switch to the Blackened Curse which adds a few fire blasts.

If there are Sorcerer bloodline benefits you want then consider picking up the Eldritch Heritage feat.
andreww wrote:
If there are Sorcerer bloodline benefits you want then consider picking up the Eldritch Heritage feat.

except what he wants from sorcerer is a bloodline arcana, not a bloodline power. eldritch heritage just gives the powers, not the arcana.

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