Help me with my Life Oracle? (PFS legal)

[Soul]

I'm going to play Rise of the Runelords with some friends of mine and we're using pfs rules, with some lee-way as far as races and illegal items so im not really worried about items and such, i can take care of that. what im really having trouble with is feating it out (other than level 1) and naming her. im playing a Life Oracle with the Cloudy Eyes curse. she was born in Taldor, but her powers come from Sarenrae ( plot twist ) because of her disability and shamefull divine abilites (in the view of her parents) they had planned to abandon her as a child, but they couldn't bring themselves to do it so they kept her in hiding, claiming she had died at childbirth. when she was old enough to be away from them her parents arranged for her to be sent to a relative in Absalom (or wherever Runelords begins, i havent really read much about it) but i CANNOT think of a good Taldan name for her so if you could shoot me a few ideas thatd be awesome. barring the name and/or any other cool things i could do with a level 1 character, she can channel and has selective channel and battle caster as well as a trait that total to +3 to concentration checks for casting while in combat, her abilities are str 8 dex 8 con 14 int 12 wisdom 10 and charisma 20(18), and has 11 hp. i debated taking lifelink instead of channel, but i decided that that would be too risky at only 11 hp.

your advice is appreciated.

[Chris Ballard]

My suggestion for revelations would be make the first two be channeling and safe curing. Those greatly improve your ability to successfully heal the party. After that, I would go with spirit boost and enhanced curing for increased survivability, especially when you have a high initiative and access to the mass cure spells.

Life link is one that I wouldn't even mess with, but go with it if you want. Energy body is a good one, but would be my fifth choice. Battle healer is nice too.

For feats, selective channeling is a must. Quick channel, extra channel and alignment channel evil are great choices. Extra revelation is good too, when you are able to take it.

One great item to get is Phylactery of positive channeling. It's in Ultimate Equipment. It increases the amount you channel by two dice.

Just my two cents.

[Choon]

Whatever you do, focus on one thing. Don't try to channel and cast. If you want to channel, focus on that for your feats. If you want to focus on casting, take selective channel and then focus on your castr feats from there. It's really easy to spread yourself too thin on feats as an oracle.

You've already been given good avice on channeling feats. For casting, may I suggest Eldritch Heritage: Arcane. (Half elf will help with this with the free Skill Focus). The second power is very useful. It reduces the casting time of spells that have been modified with meta magic. And you get a Bond or Familiar as a Wizard. Pretty good for a Spontanous caster.

[Soul]

My basic plan with her is to eventually be able to lifelink my allies and simply heal myself or them whenever the liflink isnt enough or whenever it threatens me, with Energy Body for self healing out of combat or even in combat if i dont have other better options. i hadnt really planned on using much spellcasting other than what few cure spells i automatically recieved and things like Heal and BoL, but i did hope to use those to a greater effect for when im the only one down hp from lifelink (if i had 4 allies that take 5-15 damage im down 20 hp automatically, where as they're only down 0-10, so ill need a cure light/mod to keep myself out of the red zone next time they're hit.) i also like that you can sever the bonds immediatly if they would put you into the red zone, and it's just another AoE heal that could potentially save me from needing to burn a channel. i plan on playing her to literally be an AMAZING healer, but not much else, only channeling to harm when up against ghosts or undead that my allies are truly struggling against. with the blindness and not having perception as a class skill ill mostly rely on allies to spot danger and ill stay to the middle of the party, hopefully out of harms way, with prot evil on myself and healing whenever necessary, thing is i want to be able to heal adequately with both my cure spells and my channels. also the phylactery is already on my list of items to buy asap.

[John Spalding]

So, I played one/am playing one in PFS. In my view you have a couple resource pools:

1) Revelations
2) Feats
3) Spells
4) Skills

I took http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/oracle/archetypes/paizo---orac le-archetypes/seeker That let me use my skills to cover another party role beyond healer. "Healer" as role does not require any skills. I used my skills to diversify roles.

Spells: There is only so much healing a party needs. With free healing spells known, you can do this without dedicating additional resources. Choose a focus and be good at it.

Feats: I will echo the advice above. Either grab selective channel and then focus on other things, or grab the whole channel line of feats and be dedicated to that. I chose enchantment spells and grabbed spell focus and greater spell focus, etc.

Revelations: Safe curing is a nice perk. Life link slowly reduces in utility and is never really a marquee ability. The quicken heal at lvl 7 is a nice touch and can come through in a pinch.

Race: Aasimars get an alternate favored class bonus that can crank up your channel ability.

[Hendelbolaf]

I have an 11th level Oracle of Life and I went with Channeling, then Safe Curing. I took Extra Revelation a couple times along with Selective Cannel, Quick Channel, and Improved Channel. I also like Energy Body as I always seemed to have it up when the DM rolled a critical hit and I could ignore it.

For spells I went with things like Grace so I could move around the battlefield and provide flank. I was heavily armored and I liked this character more than any cleric. I was every party member's best friend as I would have everyone totally healed up before the fight was even over. It was just ridiculous.

[Soul]

thanks for the advice everyone, i think im just going to roll with it for now and see how she plays out, like i said im playing Rise of the Runelords, which is a set adventure path that takes you from level 1 to level 15 or something, and ill use your recommendations as a kind of loose plan and make changes as i see fit during the game. like, if i have issues with lots of party members taking moderate-low amounts of damage ill take lifelink, but if i find that most enemies focus on a single ally or focus on me ill start putting more effort into my single target heals, ya know?

[Rory]

Channeling (revelation) and Selective Channeling (feat) is a great combination at level 1.

Safe Curing is then a waste until you can cast a healing spell that does sufficiently more than your channel. At level 4, this starts to come about with Cure Moderate Wounds. However, you only have a small amount of level 2 spells to cast, and then, there is even a smaller subset of times that you actually provoke with casting it. So, all told, Safe Curing is a waste at levels 4 and 5 too. This one can wait until later in your career.

(posterity note, my level 3 PFS oracle took Safe Curing at level 1 and has yet to use it once, much to my surprise and chagrine)

Life Link is what can set you apart from other healers. It's a pro-active healing mechanic that is actionless. It's tricky to use until you have enough hitpoints though. At level 1, it's too risky to use, I concur. You can start to safely use it at level 3. The Toughness feat goes well with this.

Energy Body is a whole new source of extra healing that doesn't cost spells. That is a good boon. It eventually saves you some action economy for healing, and it also moves some of the action economy to people that require healing. The perks of becoming a light elemental? Fun!

Enhanced Cures? A waste mathematically speaking. It doesn't help one iota until level 6. And then it only helps when casting Cure Light Wounds, which you will have 8 1st level spells per day. That is +8 hitpoints of healing for the day if you cast all your 1st level spells as Cure Light Wounds (unlikely). In comparison at level 6, Channel will heal for 3d6 X 6 castings = 63 average to a single person. Energy Body will heal a single person for 1d6+6 X 6 rounds = 57 average damage. Neither of these cost spell slots to do, and both also come with extra perks.

Spirit Boost is better at later levels. At initial levels, most of your healing is going to come from channeling. Channeling doesn't trigger Spirit Boost (a shame). It won't be until level 6 or later that you'll really start casting Cure spells that trigger it. Further, the temporary hitpoints cap at low levels leave a bit to be desired.

My recommendation for revelations:

- Channel (1st)
- Energy Body (3rd)
- Life Link (3rd)

My recommendation for feats:

- Selective Channeling (human)
- Toughness (1st)
- Extra Revelation (3rd)

With a 14 CON, you'll have 8+2x5 (levels) + 6 (CON) + 3 (feat) + 3 (favored class bonus) = 30 hitpoints. This should allow you to use Life Link safely. Healing +5 hitpoints every round to a party member is a big deal at level 3. Channeling 2d6 hitpoints to the party is a big deal at level 3. Healing a party member for 2d6+5 at range at level 3 is nothing short of incredible.

So with healing prowess covered, pick spells that focus strength on other areas besides healing.

Guidance (0th)
Bless (1st)
Murderous Command (1st if you are neutral)
Cause Fear (1st if you are good)
Command (3rd)

That should give you some spells to cast to provide versatility to your healing forte.

And being human, at level 4 on up, pick up +1 spell known as your favored class bonus. This will drastically increase your versatility as a character from being a straight healer.

Just my 2 cents...

[Sammy T]

Human

Trait: Dangerously Curious (makes UMD class skill)
Trait: Sacred Conduit (+1 DC Channel DC)

Extra HP favored bonus L1-5, extra spell known human favored bonus L6+

L1 Feat: Fey Foundling
L1 Feat: Selective Channel
L1 Revelation: Channel

Fey Foundling: whenever you receive magical healing, you heal an additional 2 points per die rolled. FF sets up your damage soak Oracle down the road.

L3 Feat: Toughness
L3 Revelation: Life Link

Congratulations, you've started down the "I eat your damage" road. On your turn, you eat people's damage via life link. Then, you can heal yourself with cure spell when you get about 50% and get a nice bonus from Fey Foundling (or burst heal the party with channel...and you still get that beautiful bonus from FF).

Worried about life link damage? Remember, you don't have to LL everyone in your party AND you can use an immediate action to drop all links before your turn.

L4 Stat Boost: +1 CHA

L5 Feat: Quick Channel

Having a move action channel frees up your healing action economy. At level 4 or 5, pick up Shield Other and drop it on your tank or, alternately, a squishy, to protect them from damage spikes and redirect damage to you.

L7 Feat: Extra Channel
L7 Revelation: Combat Healer

As a high CHA spontaneous caster, you'll have slots to burn. This also sets up supernova healing round of Swift Action Cure Serious, Move Action Channel, Standard Action Channel. That's 8d6 of healing to the party and 8d6+16 and 3d8+13 healing to you. If you're wearing a Phylactery of Positive Channeling, 12d6 to the party and 12d6+24 & 3d8+13 to you. On the flip side, you can quick channel/standard channel and blow up a bunch of undead, making life much easier for your party.

After this, you'll be on cruise control as long as you pick up a CON-boosting item. Will there be scary moments? Yes, but because of you your party will basically have a constant fast healing 5. With the L2 spell Martyr's Bargain you delay any OMFG damage spikes to after combat to keep unexpected you on your feet.

[Soul]

Thank you Rory and Sammy, you pretty much outlined what i was planning, also thanks for pointing out that gem of a feat, ill certainly think about it. Rory pretty much outlined my plan to the tee, but he gave numbers and such. im excited to play my life oracle, she will probably be alot of fun, one of my party members is a Half-orc wizard who grew up with orcs, and because of her sheltered life that should be really fun to roleplay out xD. Also, does anyone have any recommendations or guidelines for Taldan-style names? shes going to be from taldor, but i just cannot find any reference sites that give common naming patterns from that area.

[Crosswind]

Soul wrote:

Thank you Rory and Sammy, you pretty much outlined what i was planning, also thanks for pointing out that gem of a feat, ill certainly think about it. Rory pretty much outlined my plan to the tee, but he gave numbers and such. im excited to play my life oracle, she will probably be alot of fun, one of my party members is a Half-orc wizard who grew up with orcs, and because of her sheltered life that should be really fun to roleplay out xD. Also, does anyone have any recommendations or guidelines for Taldan-style names? shes going to be from taldor, but i just cannot find any reference sites that give common naming patterns from that area.

Look into the achievement feat Healer's Touch. It's magical for you.

-Cross

[Soul]

is that pfs legal? how would one track it officially? is it really worth it?

[BiggDawg]

Aasimar put all your favored class bonuses into your channeling revelation. Go dual curse with the misfortune ability, take blackened as your main curse and the one that makes items count as broken in your hands. Take fey foundling as your 1st level feat.

[Bigdaddyjug]

I'm building a life oracle to use in society play. What I decided was to focus my feats on channeling and use my spells to do damage when healing wasn't needed. If you look at the oracle spell list, they get some nice blasty spells at level 2+.

Human life oracle (whatever curse)
Str: 7
Dex: 14
Con: 12
Int: 10
Wis: 10
Cha: 20 (18 + 2 racial bonus)

Take Fey Foundling and Selective Channeling as your level 1 feats then take Quick Channel as your level 3 feat. Take Channeling as your level 1 revelation and Life Link as your level 3 revelation. Life Link will heal up to 3 party members for 5 dmg at the start of the turn, but you'll take that damage. It's ok, though, because you'll have Fey Foundling to heal yourself for more damage every time you channel. Also remember, you get to add all of the "cure" spells to your list, so you can use those spell known slots for other goodies.

What I'm doing with my life oracle is going life oracle X/hospitaler paladin 4. In 1 turn I'll be able to lay on hands myself and channel twice. At level 7 I'll be able to heal something like 150 points of damage in 1 round with averge die rolls.

[Rory]

Bigdaddyjug wrote:

Human life oracle (whatever curse)

Str: 7

Be careful with 7 STR.

Using only a breastplate (30 lbs), a light wooden shield (5 lbs), wearing a backpack (2 lbs), explorer's outfit (8 lbs), and carrying a spell component pouch (2 lbs) is going to put you into a Heavy Load condition (47+ lbs at str 7).

Not to mention a rope, waterflask, sunrods, a weapon, rations, alchemical goodies, scrolls, wands, etc. That can add up quickly to be 10 to 20 more pounds.

Even going mithril breastplate and mithril shield will still put you in the medium load, giving a max move of 20 despite a mithril breastplate being treated as a light armor.

You can get past this with the Lame Curse, potentially. You might need to invest into the spell Ant Haul (or a wand of it).

[Soul]

im 8 str 8 dex, rather than 7 str, and im dual cursed, lame and blind. i wanted blind and deaf but... that would just be brutal. fyi for dual cursed Lame is the curse that never changes, i will not be giving up the only good things that Clouded Eyes gives you.

[Soul]

athough Blind and Deaf would be really interesting from a roleplay point of view, but frankly i dont want to be the party member than cant even contribute to assisting in a Diplo check in town...

[Soul]

well... looks like im not playing Runelords after all... gm decided that he couldnt work out a schedule that worked around mine. time to convert this to pure pfs and play it once every month or two...