The reason a standard Cleric needs medium armor, shields, and a D8 HD is because their heal and buff spells are mostly all range touch. They need to be able to take hit as a front line buffers. I want to do something different with the Oracle class. To further differentiate them from Clerics and make them more scholarly and less meleey. Or maybe it's just the iconic art that's biased me against Oracles wearing lots of armor. :p
Anywho! I was thinking of dropping all of their combat values by one step to D6 HD/Low BAB (from D8/Medium), and light armor only (from medium+shield). To balance this they need to be able to cast their spells without having to be on the front line. So I was thinking in place of their combat features they would instead be able to cast all ranged touch spells at ranged close.
Do you think this would need some further balancing?
You know, that would really allow characters to obliterate the undead (or many other things if they get the right feats). Clerics don't get all of that stuff because they are "frontline healers". They get it to allow them to be flexible in what they do and allow them to take advantage of divine magic's armor allowance.
If you don't want to be a battle oracle, just don't buff up their combat stats. Casting touched spells at close as an entire class feature is just too strong when you look at the big picture.
hmm What if to make close into short range it cost a higher slot like with the Enlarge Spell feat?
Well I guess another alternative would be to just give out more feats. Medium armor and shields are both feats. Dropping the HD one step averages 1 hp/level. So that's pretty much equivalent to the Toughness feat. Then finally we could say the lower BAB is roughly featish.
So after dropping all their combat stuff a step how about giving Oracles 4 extra feats then? hmmm Ya that seems like a lot to give out all at once. Maybe if it were spaced out a little over the lower levels.
I dunno. Anybody else have any other suggestions?
Give the Oracle a Reach Rod or access to the Spectral Hand spell, and leave it at that?
Give the Oracle a Reach Rod or access to the Spectral Hand spell, and leave it at that?
Oh! I wouldn't have thought of that. Almost makes me want to give all my clerics a couple of levels of wizard in the future. ^_^