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Hello all, I have been mulling this idea for a long time in my head, and since I am about to join a game that seems to be in need of a healer and a support role (as mostly other roles seem to be very decently covered), I decided to come back to it.
Thing is, I have been really wanting to try an Oradin build, but there is already one paladin in the group, and the GM does not want any "class repetition" so... I've come up with the build below:
Male Angel-Blooded Aasimar (Angelkin) Oracle (Dual-Cursed Oracle) 7
LG Medium outsider (native)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 18 (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +1 deflection)
hp 52 (7d8+15)
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6; +2 vs. death
Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5
Weakness oracle's curses (haunted, legalistic)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee masterwork cold iron longspear +10 (1d8+6/×3)
Ranged sling +7 (1d4+4)
Special Attacks channel positive energy 6/day (DC 20, 5d6)
Spell-Like Abilities
. . 1/day—alter self
Oracle (Dual-Cursed Oracle) Spells Known (CL 7th; concentration +12):
3rd (5/day)—bestow curse (DC 18), cure serious wounds, dispel magic, magic circle against evil
2nd (7/day)—cure moderate wounds, lesser restoration, oracle's burden (DC 17), shield other, spiritual weapon
1st (8/day)—bless, cure light wounds, divine favor, ill omen, magic weapon, murderous command (DC 16), protection from evil, shield of faith
0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, guidance, light, mending, resistance, stabilize
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 20
Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 22
Feats Alignment Channel, Combat Reflexes, Fey Foundling, Power Attack
Traits dangerously curious, valashmai veteran
Skills Diplomacy +14, Heal +10, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (planes) +7, Knowledge (religion) +10, Perception +7, Sense Motive +6, Use Magic Device +16; Racial Modifiers +2 Heal, +2 Knowledge (planes)
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic
SQ interaction bonus, mysteries (mystery [life]), revelations (energy body, life link, misfortune, channel), vow to self
Combat Gear alchemist's fire (4), Healer's kit (10/10 uses remaining); Other Gear +1 mithral breastplate, masterwork cold iron longspear, sling, belt of giant strength +2, cloak of resistance +2, headband of alluring charisma +2, ring of protection +1, ring of sustenance, backpack, masterwork, belt pouch, everburning torch, waterskin, 54 GP
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Special Abilities
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Alignment Channel (Evil) Channel Energy heals or harms outsiders of the chosen alignment.
Combat Reflexes (3 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Energy Body (1d6+7) (7 rounds/day) (Su) Elemental subtype and deal 1d6+7 to undead who touch you or heal 1d6+7 to allies who enter your square.
Energy Resistance, Acid (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Fey Foundling Magical healing works better on you
Haunted Retrieving stored gear is a Standard action or worse, dropped items land 10' away.
Interaction Bonus +3 bonus to one-on-one Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks.
Legalistic The shackles of Hell impose savage consequences should you violate a covenant, but also imbue you with remarkable guile. Whenever you break your word (either purposefully or unintentionally), you become sickened for 24 hours or until you meet your ob
Life Link (7 bonds, 170') (Su) Bond drains your HP to heal others.
Misfortune (Ex) At 1st level, as an immediate action, you can force a creature within 30 feet to reroll any one d20 roll that it has just made before the results of the roll are revealed. The creature must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the o
Oracle Channel Positive Energy 5d6 (6/day) (DC 20) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Ring of sustenance Immune to hunger and thirst, and only sleep two hours a night.
Valashmai Veteran (Perception) +1 trait bonus on Survival in the jungle.
Vow to Self (1/day) +4 morale bonus to one role to keep a promise.
I really haven't had many experience in trying such a combo, so I was looking for advice on a couple of things. I have obviously predated some on the 'reach cleric' notion, on the Oradin logic, and some other stuff I read around the forums.
Bottom line, I am looking for a character that can heal effectively, function as a 'Protector' of sorts for the more squishie elements of the group by creating an 'area of protection' and, at the end of the day, lay down some melee pain if needed. He seems to be able to do those things but:
- How really useful would you say is the action economy on the Oracle vs. the 'reach cleric' option?
- I am not particularly happy with my traits - I have thought about combining Magical Lineage (Spiritual Weapon), delaying the Alignment channel feat (which I took to qualify for Holy Vindicator), and add the Toppling Spell feat to create some mayhem with the Spiritual Weapon spell - does it seem logical? Maybe I don't REALLY need UMD that much, right?
- I've struggled with the race choice: pondered half-elf for the whole Paragon Surge thing, but the GM will not buy it (even with a modified 'only once a day' Paragon Surging), so there isn't much point in taking that race I guess; I am torn betweem human (could use the extra feat to grab toughness and make up for the loss of the +CON aasimar bonus, would get some extra skill points, and more spells with the FCB), and Aasimar - mainly because of the added Channel dice, but also because of some racial goodies, like the resistances, darkvision, and even the bonus to Heal and Knowledge (Planes);
- Regarding healing, it is easy to understand why the swift LoH works wonders on the paladin+life link (or shield other) combination, but I am not so sure how well it will work in this case, mainly because I have no real swift action to work upon - Energy body is a standard action, as is casting a spell, or channeling (really cannot afford quick channel yet) Anyone had any experience with this?
- With Power Attack, and no other buffs running, he will be hitting for something like 1d8+12 damage - it doesn't really seem that impressive as far as damage goes (guess it can rise a tad with stuff like Divine Favour though...) - how does this look as far as damage is concerned at this level?
- Last but not least, I have pondered other possible characters for this same role (a Reach Bard, a crazy white-haired witch/hexcrafter magus build I have seen over on STR Ranger's guide which seems like an amazing melee support and debuffer, and even some sort of modified Inquisitor), but they all seem to lack the healing power I was looking for;
- Of course I have considered also the reach cleric itself - after all he IS a full divine caster, with a LOT of versatility as far as buffs and debuffs go. I pondered it on its straight cleric and evangelist varieties but, on the one hand I just can't wrap my head around the not being able to convert spells into cures, and losing on channel dice (though I have been told this is not such a big deal) - guess it all boils down to learning to play with open casting slots, but the evangelist looks more meant to be a melee machine, which can also heal, and I am looking for either the opposite, or a balance. Perhaps the reach cleric in its purest form would do the trick? (What really makes me want to cry with the cleric class is the sad, sad amount of skills per level...)
Well then, I apologize for the massive wall of text. I've got a lot of questions rambling around in my head, so any feeedback would be useful.
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This looks like a strong and effective build. Any group would be happy to see such a character show up. Here's a list of pros , cons, and suggestions:
You'll be able to cast a spell every round, heal your allies, and also inflict considerable martial damage. That's pretty cool.
You will be an effective protector for your allies. You are a polearm-fighter style tank.
You will deal big martial damage and draw consequent enemy attention, especially when Large.
Your Alignment Channels will be mighty versus crowds of demon mooks!
Misfortune is fantastic to protect your allies and confusticate your foes! You can carry your own weight on a team of six just with deft use of misfortune. Anything else you do is gravy. In your case you will protect your allies with Misfortune, heal their wounds, function as a primary martial combatant, and function as a primary spell caster. Wow!
Cons:
Your martial approach of fishing for AoOs depends on effective teamwork and tactics. If your team contains a loose cannon who always rushes the foe then you won't get as many AoOs. On the bright side, such characters generally have short lifespans. If your team actively works with you to generate AoOs you will get a lot more.
You are setting yourself up to possibly lethally over-extend yourself. Life link and Shield Other can be dangerous. You don't have an enormous pool of HP. If you try to both absorb a lot of damage and function as primary tank you will run into trouble and die.
You will deal big damage and draw consequent enemy attention, especially when Large.
All your Immediate and Swift actions are already spoken for.
You will run out of channels.
Suggestions:
If you take the Fate's Favored trait it turns Divine Favor into a +3 +3 buff that stacks.
You might consider taking Bull's Strength as a 2nd Level spell. Your longspear damage would then be +9 STR, +6 Power Attack, +3 Divine Favor, and possibly +1 for Magic Weapon. 1d8+19 is respectable damage at 7th level, especially for a full caster. You might even consider more exotic buffs like Weapon of Awe.
Your HP battery and healing abilities could be stronger. Your channels only heal you 27 HP in a round. Lifelink and Shield Other may feed you a lot of damage very fast, and you lack a solid way to keep up. I presume you put Aasimar Favored Class Bonus for Oracle into the Channel Positive Energy revelation to get 5d6 channels.
Elemental Body will protect you from e.g. critical hits and precision damage.
You really want Quick Channel in this build. Your feats are already stretched thin. The only way to get it at 7th level is to be human, as you need Combat Reflexes,Power Attack, Fey Foundling, and Alignment Channel. Your action economy then becomes: Misfortune as an Immediate, Channel as a Move, Cast spell as Standard, 5' step to fish for AoOs. Adding channel to that mix is huge, since you have such good spells. Perhaps stay Aasimar and get Quick Channel at 9th Level.
You might consider trading the CHA headgear for Phylactery of Positive Channeling as soon as you can afford it. You can get the same stats in an Ioun Stone for double the cost. Combined with Quick Channel you could then nova 14d6 damage versus all demons in 30' for two consecutive rounds.
You need a way to penetrate DR. All demons have DR. Consider a Grayflame longspear, only 10,000 gp, when you can afford it.
You would love to get some DR.
Here are my observations:
-Where is Selective Channeling in your build?! You need this before ANYTHING else if you're going to rely on channeling...unless you want to heal the enemy...Consider getting Toughness when you can. If you're using a different preferred class bonus then this will make up for the HP that you would be losing.
-Aasimar is the best race out there for this. The Preferred Class Bonus is great when put into Channeling. Sadly, there are rumblings from Mike Brock that this might get nerfed. I don't support this as this would literally break my entire character concept.
-Consider putting more Strength into Constitution. As previously mentioned, you are putting yourself in harms way while taking damage from other party members.
-Dump Bless and just get a wand for it.
Thank you for all your input so far people - some of my continued comments below:
@Magda Luckbender: Amazing feedback there, and a lot to ponder. I have of course read your many posts on the advantages of the 'reach cleric' idea, and it has been a most rich source of information. I will address mainly your reference to the Cons and your Suggestions:
- I was already smiling at the reference to the 'loose cannon'. I guess it will be a learning process - I'll make sure to let you know how it goes after some time playing;
- You have pointed out one of my concerns regarding the Life Link + Shield Other combination. It would seem that I have no immediate way to respond to that with a strong heal that will offset the possible incoming damage. Healing spells will be standard actions, as well as channeling (which may not be the best option if using it will also heal enemies nearby) or energy body, so I admit I am a little conflicted here. Just wanted to point out that this character will not be the main tank, but mostly a 'second-liner' - maybe that will improve my chances of survival? And yes, I have dropped Aasimar FCB on increasing the channeling power. I have pondered dropping Alignment Channel for the time being, and Quick Channel could be a good option to replace it but... With 6 channels a day, Quick channel will burn through those like a wildfire. Perhaps I should completely delay my entrance into Holy Vindicator, take Extra Channel at 7, Quick Channel at 9... Or maybe grab two levels in fighter, or another class that grants me bonus feats?(even though it delays everything else...);
- I am hoping that drawing enemy attention will not be as bad as it may seem, since hopefully, at least melee will have to get through the rest of my group AND my AoOs. Granted, ranged and casters are a different matter alltogether;
- Running out of channels is really another one of my concerns. I guess it will depend on the game pace, but I think it is to be expected that overall I may actually run out of healing power, mainly channels - without many feats to boot, I really see no way around this...
- Wow, I love the Grayflame spear :D
@Soluzar: Yeah... Selective Channeling... I am really trying to find a way to fit it in around there somewhere, but I am reaaaaally stretched thin with feats - to the point that I am considering multiclassing with something that would give me extra feats (like fighter or monk - maybe Weapon Adept?)
- As far as getting a lower STR and higher CON, as noted before, I am not planning on going 'front-tliner' so I am hoping that it would not be necessary, simply because I want to be able to drop some pain if they try to get too close;
- Bless dumped, you are right :D
@sunbeam: I am advancing Haunted yes - I guess I messed it up in Herolab somewhat.
Overall I have another question - What about multiclassing a tad (perhaps two levels)? I was looking at the Monk -> Weapon Adept: he can take Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat, and gains weapon focus on level 2, as well as another bonus feat (not very useful, maybe Dodge). With a two level dip, at level 7 I would manage to have Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Extra Channel, Fey Foundling, Improved Unarmed Strike, Perfect Strike, Power Attack, Selective Channeling, Weapon Focus (longspear) - in exchange for a 4d6 channel instead of 5d6 (but channeling 8 times a day instead of 6) - I could swap this even further, go human, decreasing the channeling dice to 3d6 8/day, but grabbing already either toughness or Quick Channel, due to the bonus feat. Though I am not sure if the longspear qualifies to be used by the Weapon Adept [Improved unarmed strike is also cool if they get too close - SURPRISE! :D]
- All of the above can be further improved if I drop to human, and dip two levels in fighter, since I would be able to have Combat Reflexes, Extra Channel, Fey Foundling, Power Attack, Selective Channeling AND Quick Channel. At level 9 I could take alignment channel and grab the Holy Vindicator PrC immediately.
Decisions... Decisions...
I would not dip monk with such a build because the lost BAB will hurt you as a 3/4 BAB class.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing Umbranus... Here's what I've got so far:
Male Angel-Blooded Aasimar (Angelkin) Fighter 2/Oracle (Dual-Cursed Oracle) 5
LG Medium outsider (native)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +2
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Defense
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AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 18 (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +1 deflection)
hp 55 (2d10+5d8+14)
Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +5 (+1 vs. fear); +2 vs. death
Defensive Abilities bravery +1; Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5
Weakness oracle's curses (haunted, legalistic)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee masterwork cold iron longspear +10 (1d8+6/×3)
Ranged sling +7 (1d4+4)
Special Attacks channel positive energy 8/day (DC 18, 4d6)
Spell-Like Abilities
. . 1/day—alter self
Oracle (Dual-Cursed Oracle) Spells Known (CL 5th; concentration +10):
2nd (5/day)—cure moderate wounds, oracle's burden (DC 17), shield other, spiritual weapon
1st (8/day)—cure light wounds, divine favor, ill omen, murderous command (DC 16), protection from evil, shield of faith
0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, guidance, light, resistance, stabilize
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 20
Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 22
Feats Combat Reflexes, Extra Channel, Fey Foundling, Power Attack, Quick Channel, Selective Channeling
Traits magical lineage, rice runner
Skills Acrobatics +10, Diplomacy +13, Heal +10, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (planes) +7, Knowledge (religion) +10, Perception +2, Sense Motive +6; Racial Modifiers +2 Heal, +2 Knowledge (planes)
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic
SQ interaction bonus, mysteries (mystery [life]), revelations (energy body, life link, channel), vow to self
Combat Gear alchemist's fire (4), Healer's kit (10/10 uses remaining); Other Gear +1 mithral breastplate, masterwork cold iron longspear, sling, belt of giant strength +2, cloak of resistance +2, headband of alluring charisma +2, ring of protection +1, ring of sustenance, backpack, masterwork, belt pouch, everburning torch, waterskin, 54 GP
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Special Abilities
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Bravery +1 (Ex) +1 to Will save vs. Fear
Combat Reflexes (3 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Energy Body (1d6+5) (5 rounds/day) (Su) Elemental subtype and deal 1d6+5 to undead who touch you or heal 1d6+5 to allies who enter your square.
Energy Resistance, Acid (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Fey Foundling Magical healing works better on you
Haunted Retrieving stored gear is a Standard action or worse, dropped items land 10' away.
Interaction Bonus +3 bonus to one-on-one Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks.
Legalistic The shackles of Hell impose savage consequences should you violate a covenant, but also imbue you with remarkable guile. Whenever you break your word (either purposefully or unintentionally), you become sickened for 24 hours or until you meet your ob
Life Link (5 bonds, 150') (Su) Bond drains your HP to heal others.
Magical Lineage (Spiritual Weapon) A chosen spell counts as 1 level lower when metamagic feats are applied to it.
Oracle Channel Positive Energy 4d6 (8/day) (DC 18) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Quick Channel Channel energy faster by expending more uses
Ring of sustenance Immune to hunger and thirst, and only sleep two hours a night.
Selective Channeling Exclude targets from the area of your Channel Energy.
Vow to Self (1/day) +4 morale bonus to one role to keep a promise.
Plan is getting Alignment Channel at level 9 and go straight into the Holy Vindicator PrC. Thoughts?
P.S. I have also been toying around with an Arcane Duelist wielding a reach weapon - he turned out MUCH better than I expected, but cannot nearly dish out the same healing.
Actually I think I may change the Magical Lineage feat with Magical Knack - I am taking too many hits on caster level as it is, and at least this will make things easier I guess.
Though Spiritual Weapon is a really nice one :D
Yeah, I still think they should edit that. There's a handful of Cleric spells that explicitly work with Wisdom and it sucks for Oracles.
Hmmmm, I REALLY should confirm that :D
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Thanks for the tip insaneogeddon - I had also been accompanying that thread, and noticed your amazing suggestions on Spiritual Weapon. In fact there have been very good suggestions in that thread overall, but they don't seem to be heading in the direction I would like my character to go, and also I didn't want to hijack it with my own questions and text walls :D
I'm still kicking a couple of ideas around in my head, but the fact is that I've learned a lot in the process. One thing that seems evident is that IF you go the direction of Paladin/Oracle (say Hospitaler/Life Oracle for example), the magnificent action economy of LoH actually allows you to free up feats that you would otherwise invest in your channels, being able to use them in combat ones instead, allowing you more options during the game.
The character I am mulling over cannot go the paladin route, or I would not hesitate (been dying to try the Oradin), so has to focus on channels to pump out healing as needed (and spells of course) if he wants to use Life Link and Shield Other - using channels effectively in such fashion is complicated, and ends up making the investment in Extra Channels, Quick Channeling, and Selective Channeling almost mandatory, leaving you much less breathing room.
These are just my inexperienced two cents of course ;)
How big and what is the make-up of the rest of the group? How well do they build/optimize characters? Do you expect to encounter significant undead or evil outsiders in the campaign (yeah, I’m looking at you Carrion Crown)?
It seems like you might be trying to do too many things at once. But if the group is really small that might be necessary/useful. If the group is large and varied you might back down a bit on the number of things you are trying to be able to do.
The build isn’t bad, and I would be glad to have it in my group. But I’m not sure exactly what you are trying to accomplish so I’m not certain how effective it will be at completing your goals. Since I don’t have the answers to the above questions, I can only give some general suggestions.
It doesn’t sound like you want your build to be that specialized. If you just want to be able to make sure an ally that goes down doesn’t die, you can handle that with a spontaneous cure X wounds spell. Especially if you have safe curing and/or combat healer. Then you can use your channels for group healing after the fight and wands of CLW for individual heals after the fight.
@Bigdaddyjug: I have considered that option also, even though I don't think I have enough system mastery to chose the right offensive spells for the part - maybe I'll do some investigation and find out. In any case, why don't you have to worry so much? I would say an Oracle without STR18, a reach weapon, and combat reflexes makes quite a nice target :D
@Kydeem de'Morcaine: You make several VERY valid points there:
- I guess the group can be considered a large one, six in total with me included (Paladin, Ranger, Wizard, Rogue, Barbarian and myself), and no it is not Carrion Crown, but I guess thorough evilness can be expected ;)
- I agree with you in that I have also pondered if I am indeed trying to do too much all at once - my main goal here is to provide efficient/sufficient healing [call me main healer if you will :D], but maintaining enough self sufficiency to hurt in a combat (I imagine the Ranger - crossbow spec - and the Wizard to be laying around my 'protective area' while they do their thing - in the meantime I can Misfortune here and there, lay some hurt from reach, and drop down those well deserved heals). Seems too much?
- Thank you for your suggestions, I hope to have given an approximate idea of what my goals are above, but in any case I will probably be getting another two Oracle levels - that means an additional revelation (quite probably one of safe curing or combat healer, so that will make me actually quite focused on the healing part, wouldn't you say?) Which one would you suggest, by the way? :D
- Regarding area denial, I think I am trying to go for the more basic approach (not taking lunge, nor spring attack because I really cannot afford the feats - perhaps MUCH later on) - being strong, having reach, combat reflexes and Enlarged whenever possible. I know this is but skimming the 'reach weapon possibilities' but I guess it is as far as I can go for the time being;
- Channel Force (Channeling; Aasimar) -> So... You are just trying to throw more feats at me to frustrate me, right? :D
- Great suggestion about spell selection - I had never thought about it from that perspective. Maybe I am starting to reach the conclusion that it is more useful to simply stay full Oracle of Life, forget about melee, invest hard on Charisma, some Spiritual Weapons with Toppling spell and Magical Lineage, selective spells to make other's life harder, and ours better, and in the process you end up being a better healer...
Like I said, the build isn't bad. I would be glad to have you in my group. It is probably more 'spread out' than I would have fun playing if it were my character. Don't get me wrong. All of my PC are well rounded and can do several things decently. But this just seems like it might be a bit to far in that direction for my taste.
... I guess the group can be considered a large one, six in total with me included (Paladin, Ranger, Wizard, Rogue, Barbarian and myself)...
Remember, class isn't as important as roles they are taking on for themselves. Barbarian almost has to be melee high damage. Paladin could be melee or ranged, tank or damage. Ranger could be melee or ranged high damage, or mostly scout. Even the rogue if built right could be a pretty darn decent melee or ranged combatant. It is rare, but I have even seen a melee focused wizard on occasion.
So you have at least 1, maybe as many as 4 PC's that will/should be between you and the bad things. You have to decide if your secondary role of reach damage dealer is needed enough that you will have fun and feel useful.... my main goal here is to provide efficient/sufficient healing [call me main healer if you will :D]...
The main question here is: are you expecting/intending to do very much in-combat healing. If yes, then you really have to specialize in it to be able to do enough points in a short enough time to be worth while. I think you will find your current build will not be sufficient for that.
If you expect/intend to rarely do in-combat healing, with just the occasional cure X for someone to keep them alive and allow them to retreat, it should be fine. (This is the approach most players take even if they are a life oracle.)I can't tell if "main healer" means in-combat healer to you.
... Channel Force (Channeling; Aasimar) -> So... You are just trying to throw more feats at me to frustrate me, right? :D
This is most useful if you know you are going to have lots of enemies that you can effect with your channels, then you make your build around specializing in channels. That is where you put your feats, traits, revelations, magic items, etc... Anything else would only be leftovers once those are fulfilled. It is a very specilized build. And if you end up with an opponent that can't be affected by your channel, you could find yourself in trouble.
So this is really only a good option if you know the campaign is going to have lots of undead, evil out siders, or a specific elemental type. But if you know that, you can really have a blast throwing them around and damaging them.
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In PFS play there is no expectation that the group will have a dedicated, or even primary, healer. They are always welcome, mind you. Everyone appreciates it when you lay down the healing, and it sometimes prevents death.
You will have ~80% of the curative ability of a dedicated healer life oracle. You will have ~80% of the area denial ability of a dedicated martial polearm wielder. You can do both at the same time. Also you will prevent most GM-rolled critical hits with Misfortune.
Once you somehow squeeze in Quick Channel you double your emergency per-round self-healing. A burst of 47-54 HP+ self healing in one round (and possibly 40+ for the entire team) is plenty. That should eliminate any concerns about Life Link.
All your Immediate Actions will be consumed by Misfortune. Don't expect to ever use any swift action spells or abilities besides Misfortune. This is a good thing.
I'll be interested to learn how this build works out. I guess that between Misfortune and battlefield control you will prevent far more damage than you heal.
@Kydeem: I think you are correct in most of your assessment - I am not sure how far the build is stretched, that's for sure. I have been pondering much of what you said - namely the roles of the characters involved - I do get the feeling that there are more than enough barriers between me and the bad guys... We'll see.
I am expecting to manage well enough to do "in combat healing" in peaks of damage, though for sure I would have to be more Oracle, and more Life, to be able to sustain that for long periods at a time - and maybe even then it would probably be a stretch. Again, I think you are probably correct - this is an experiment after all - and I will end up adopting more of the 'keep them alive' approach. It's a fine line to thread upon though, and will also depend on the group's coordination, and even playstyle - I'll have to try and adapt I guess.
I am still pondering your suggestion for Channel Force (Channeling; Aasimar) -> I believe I would enjoy throwing evil around :D
Overall, thank you very much for your detailed input - it has been very useful for me to double think and ponder further how I am approaching this build. I still ned your input though [see below :D]
@ Magda: And what a most valid point that is indeed - PFS does bring that different aspect to the table - the expectation for a dedicated healer is not there, and it makes all the difference. In fact, it seems most people end up trying to be as self-sufficient as possible [lending a wand of CLW to someone who can use it, and request for a few zaps is self-sufficiency is it not? :D]
I like the 80% approach (would it sound too dumb if I would confess I still do not understand that well the mechanics behind misfortune..?).
I already have Quick Channel ;)
I will make sure to come back and keep you updated on how things are working out - I'll try to be detailed about the challenges faced.
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Ok, so the build is like this at the moment:
Telurion
Male Angel-Blooded Aasimar (Angelkin) Fighter (Polearm Master) 2/Oracle (Dual-Cursed Oracle) 5
LG Medium outsider (native)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception -1
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Defense
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AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 18 (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +1 deflection)
hp 55 (2d10+5d8+14)
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +4; +2 vs. death
Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5
Weakness oracle's curses (haunted, legalistic)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee masterwork cold iron longspear +10 (1d8+6/×3)
Ranged sling +7 (1d4+4)
Special Attacks channel positive energy 8/day (DC 18, 4d6), pole fighting
Spell-Like Abilities
. . 1/day—alter self
Oracle (Dual-Cursed Oracle) Spells Known (CL 7th; concentration +12):
2nd (5/day)—cure moderate wounds, oracle's burden (DC 17), shield other, spiritual weapon
1st (8/day)—cure light wounds, divine favor, ill omen, murderous command (DC 16), protection from evil, shield of faith
0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, guidance, light, resistance, stabilize
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 20
Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 22
Feats Combat Reflexes, Extra Channel, Fey Foundling, Power Attack, Quick Channel, Selective Channeling
Traits magical knack, rice runner
Skills Acrobatics +9, Diplomacy +14, Heal +10 (+13 to treat poison), Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (planes) +7, Knowledge (religion) +10, Spellcraft +5, Survival +8; Racial Modifiers +2 Heal, +2 Knowledge (planes)
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic
SQ interaction bonus, mysteries (mystery [life]), revelations (energy body, life link, channel), vow to self
Combat Gear wand of bless (50 charges), alchemist's fire (4), antitoxin (2), Healer's kit (10/10 uses remaining); Other Gear +1 mithral breastplate, masterwork cold iron longspear, sling, belt of giant strength +2, cloak of resistance +1, handy haversack, headband of alluring charisma +2, ioun stone, dusty rose, cracked, ring of protection +1, ring of sustenance, antidote kit, backpack, masterwork, belt pouch, everburning torch, waterskin, 754 GP
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Special Abilities
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Antidote kit (10 uses) +3 circumstance bonus to Heal checks to treat poison.
Antitoxin This substance counteracts a specific toxin. If you drink a vial of antitoxin, you gain a +5 alchemical bonus on Fortitude saving throws against poison for 1 hour.
Alchemical Power Component
Like antiplague, this substance can augment certain healing spells.
Neutralize Poison (M): Add +2 on your caster level check to neutralize poison on a target creature. Antitoxin has no effect when you cast the spell on an object.
Combat Reflexes (3 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Energy Body (1d6+5) (5 rounds/day) (Su) Elemental subtype and deal 1d6+5 to undead who touch you or heal 1d6+5 to allies who enter your square.
Energy Resistance, Acid (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks.
Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Fey Foundling Magical healing works better on you
Haunted Retrieving stored gear is a Standard action or worse, dropped items land 10' away.
Interaction Bonus +3 bonus to one-on-one Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks.
Legalistic The shackles of Hell impose savage consequences should you violate a covenant, but also imbue you with remarkable guile. Whenever you break your word (either purposefully or unintentionally), you become sickened for 24 hours or until you meet your ob
Life Link (5 bonds, 150') (Su) Bond drains your HP to heal others.
Magical Knack (Oracle [Dual-Cursed Oracle]) +2 CL for a specific class, to a max of your HD.
Oracle Channel Positive Energy 4d6 (8/day) (DC 18) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Pole Fighting -4 (Ex) Use a spear or polearm against adjacent targets with a -4 penalty.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Quick Channel Channel energy faster by expending more uses
Ring of sustenance Immune to hunger and thirst, and only sleep two hours a night.
Selective Channeling Exclude targets from the area of your Channel Energy.
Vow to Self (1/day) +4 morale bonus to one role to keep a promise.
Am I missing anything particularly outstanding? How do you think my spell selection looks like? And what about magical items? I really cannot afford the Phylactery or the Grayflame Longspear unfortunately...
Do you think there is any obvious additional wand I should carry around?
Last, but not least, I am worried about my Saving Throws... They really make me want to cry for a level 7 character, mainly my Will save - any suggestions on improving that one to a decent level?
Only thing I might do is give up energy body for fortune. That would allow you to reroll 1 save a day. That will help make up for the low saves.
Energy body sounds nicer than it actually is. At least in my experience. I've really only found it terribly useful on 2 occasions. Otherwise it has just been a 'might as well use it' additional source of healing.
But I might not.
Your to hit is pretty terribad. When PAing you have +8, +10 if divine favor is up. In my experience, that's not enaugh to be a threat. To give you an handy comparison, pure rogue 2wf at level 7 have around +10 to hit. And we all know how well they hit even when flanking.
As a melee threat you are just not credible. Anyway if you wanna go through with this you may think at the phalanx soldier archetype for the fighter, so that you can also shield up.
Yeah, I still think they should edit that. There's a handful of Cleric spells that explicitly work with Wisdom and it sucks for Oracles.
There's many things that need written. The core rules were written with the language that the game would never have any new classes in the future.
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He already has the Fey Foundling feat.
I agree with most of what Rory says. Only thing I might contend is Combat Reflexes. Combat reflexes is most useful at the start of a fight, often before your team takes damage. With you low HP maybe it's a riskier proposition. It depends on how aggressive you play. Overly aggressive play will get you dead, but the proper amount of aggression wins the day. How fine a line do you want to walk? :-)
Get Shield Other on a scroll. It is best used with low-HP allies and NPCs, with you in a bodyguard role. Magda uses Shield Other generously, but she has 93 HP at 9th level. Bull's Strength will go a long way towards consistent better to hit and damage. The fighter levels are not worth the gimped spell casting by 7th level. If you go 7th level Oracle you buff at least +13 to hit for 1d8+18. For damage that's +6 for STR, +6 for Power Attack, +3 for Bull's Strength, and +3 Divine Favor. That's a credible threat, even without a magic weapon.
Personally, I'd go with Bless as a cast spell, not on a wand, because of the long duration. A 7 minute buff allows for much more flexible pre-buffing than multiple 1 minute blesses.
Don't forget to use Prayer. Best spell in supports arsenal after haste.
As for spiritual weapon, drop it. Forget it exist. She doesn't benefit from any of your buff making her to hit terrible and her damage is even worst at 1d8+2. Terrible spell.
Consider working with a teammate for making use of Paired Opportunist.
@Rory Spiritual Weapon is a spell effect, not a person. It does not benefit from anything in that list.
But none of those spells affect the weapon. They all affect the person carrying the weapon.
You could cast greater magic weapon, versatile weapon, etc... and they would work. But not spells that affect the wielder. Because there isn't one.
Plus (unless they've finally changed it) it doesn't work off your charisma modifier. It goes off your wisdom modifier which in this case is a -1 to hit.
Bold emphasis mine.
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For example, a bard's inspire courage says it affects "weapon damage rolls," which is worded that way so don't try to add the bonus to a spell like fireball. However, rays are treated as weapons, whether they're from spells, a monster ability, a class ability, or some other source, so the inspire courage bonus applies to ray attack rolls and ray damage rolls.
The same rule applies to weapon-like spells such as flame blade, mage's sword, and spiritual weapon--effects that affect weapons work on these spells.
Seems clear to me also.
.I missed that you had inspire courage in there. I would have to allow that one to work because they specifically stated that one does. I'm not sure why they did, since it doesn't match their reasoning. But they did state it.
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But the rest of the post says effects that affect weapons. Most of those spells don't affect weapons.
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Bless
School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level cleric 1, paladin 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range 50 ft.
Area The caster and all allies within a 50-ft. burst, centered on the caster
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
Bless fills your allies with courage. Each ally gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects.
Bless counters and dispels bane.
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Heroism
School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level bard 2, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 10 min./level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
This spell imbues a single creature with great bravery and morale in battle. The target gains a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks.
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Etc....
Prayer has some of its wording kinda similar to inspire courage. So you could make the argument for that one.
Ok so oracles draw from the same spell list as clerics. Use summon monster to get an easy flank if you can't work it out with the party and divine favor to amp up your to hit and damage a bit. Also if you get spirtual weapon and summon monster out before you wade into battle yourself you can easily end up with a few extra attacks to throw around each round increasing your dpr. That is how I play my clerics anyways. Cheers and good gaming!
I'd add that I'd rather have a +1 weapon than a ring of sus and I'd want more CON.
Otherwise the build looks solid.