2nd level spells for my life oracle

[Bigdaddyjug]

Basic thread. Just hit level 4 on my life oracle. I only get one 2nd-level spell of my choosing. I have narrowed it down to aid and silence. Is there a spell I'm missing that would be better than one of those two?

BTW, I get cure moderate wounds[i] and [i]lesser restoration from being an oracle and my mystery! respectively.

[stuart haffenden]

Pro evil or resist energy are better cast than scrolled.

Silence can cause issues but it depends on the party make-up.

[Gerald]

Of those two, I'd probably take Aid, and buy a scroll or two of Silence for when you really need it.

[Dingleberry]

My life oracle (now 8th level) has gotten a ton of use out of spiritual weapon. She casts it in the first round of combat and then can still contribute to damage even when she's buffing and/or healing in later rounds - or she can spam it against opponents the rest of the party is having trouble with, eg, flying or incorporeal.

[Bigdaddyjug]

How does spiritual weapon work for you without a high Wis stat?

[Dingleberry]

My very reasonable DM ruled that it should be based off the primary casting stat, not Wisdom exclusively.

[Stockvillain]

Good call from your DM, Dingleberry. I think there are quite a few attack-type spells that need to have their language altered to reflect that fact that Arcane spells aren't always coming from INT casters and Divine spells aren't always coming from WIS casters.

Back in the day, those ability scores were the only ones that would apply, and I think the language just stayed in place for sake of convenience. Spells with that artifact terminology should probably be altered to say "you BAB for this spell equals your caster level, modified by your primary casting stat modifier," or something along those lines.

Some of them do say this, but they get clunked up by always adding the parenthetical "WIS, INT, or CHA." Maybe making a general rule that all spells that operate like that always use your primary casting stat to modify the roll would do the trick.

BACK ON TOPIC:

Between your two options presented, I'd say go with Aid, as it's something you're more likely to cast every day, in most any fight. Silence is pretty situational - situational enough that scrolls are a fine option.

[Bigdaddyjug]

Yeah, this is a PFS character, so I have to go by the RAW unfortunately.

As far as which spell I get, I get 4 castings a day, but only know the one spell on top of the cure and restoration. So this could be a spell I end up casting a few times.

[Paladin of Baha-who?]

Shield Other.

[Brendan Missio]

Remove Paralysis is a good one to have handy, being able to spontaneously cast it literally saves lives if you forget to carry a scroll of it.

[TheSideKick]

SILENCE SILENCE SILNCE!!! use it every fight, every time!

M:"hey big dumb fighter, get over here for a sec"
F:"yeah boss?"
M:(casts silence, then points at BBEG)
F:(runs over and kills the BBEG in 2 rounds)

it will nuter most BBEGs because casters are usually the biggest threat in an end encounter.

[mplindustries]

Shield Other, without question.

The whole trick behind Oracle of Life healing is using Shield Other and Life Link to spread damage around and utilize AoE and self healing far more efficiently.

[Bigdaddyjug]

Shield Other is less appealing when I already have the Life Link revelation

[mplindustries]

Bigdaddyjug wrote:

Shield Other is less appealing when I already have the Life Link revelation

I disagree--utilizing both is the key to efficient healing. I have played Oracles of Life--I quite enjoy playing support/healers--so I know what I'm talking about.

My second choice would be Spiritual Weapon, assuming a remotely reasonable GM.

My third choice would be Burst of Radiance, with Sound Burst as a back up if it's not available.

[ArmouredMonk13]

Spear of purity and Shield Other are both very nice. The former for offense and the latter for defense. Silence is awesome against BBEG's, but not so much against a lot of other fights. In the mean time, Spear of Purity will do massive damage to evil outsiders, and Shield Other means that you can help take more damage for your party.

[Remy Balster]

Burst of Radiance. 10ft radius burst, long range, blinds for 1d4 rounds reflex for dazzled for 1d4 rounds. All evil creatures take 1d4/level (max 5d4,no save for damage).

It is very effective.

Edit/addition: My Oracle of Life calls it his version of 'detect evil'.

[Bigdaddyjug]

I would love to take Burst of Radiance, but this is for PFS and I don't own Champions of Purity. I'll have to see how much the PDF costs, because Burst of Radiance would fit my character perfectly.