Dark Tapestry Oracle


Advice


Hey guys!

I stumbled upon the Dark Tapestry Oracle and have some great back story and role playing ideas in my head. The problem is I don't really know how to build an effective divine spontaneous caster, especially with this mystery. I know the Oracle is supposed to be a specialist, but I don't see the Dark Tapestry leading in a real defined direction.

I want to be a caster focused character, and am leaning towards the Haunted Curse (ie I don't want to use many forms and buffs to become a melee machine). I like the Dark Tentacles spell, and am wondering how effective Divine battlefield control is.

Really I'm looking for a party role to fill, and spells and feats that will help me fill it well! Thank you so much.

Yours,
Mr Zhun


The best revelation that Dark Tapestry has to offer is Many Forms. Couple it with the Elf or Aasimar favored class bonus and you can have very early access to high lvl transmutation spells. This of course lends itself in a more martial focused, build that capitalises on natural attacks. It also gives many different sences and movement types.

However, the fact that natural attacks do not need serious investment (high Str, Power Attack, Combat Reflexes and decent Dex for the froms that have reach and you are done with it), so you are free to focus on your casting afterwards, just as long as you do not use save or suck spells.

Other than that, this mystery offers great spells and lets you grow wings as a 7th lvl revelation. There is no other particularly useful revelation. Pierce the veil is nice if you do not have darkvision, gift of madness has some use after the 7th lvl.

If you go as a Half-Elf you can have access to the Ancient Lorekeeper archetype (I am not sure that it is worth it over the Dual-Cursed Oracle, given that you already have a great spell list), the elf favored class bonus for many forms and the Paragorn Surge spell.

So my suggestion is to take the essentials for many form fighting an then take the eldric heritage feats (arcane) for a familiar and encahnce your caster-side.

Other than that, a pure caster Dark Tapestry Oracle is viable but inferior to a Heavens Oracle with Awesome Display for example.

Grand Lodge

I agree about the Heavens Oracle. They're great for battlefield control with the Awesome Display revelation used with their bonus spells.

Whichever you choose, I'd go with a race that can give you the favored class option to add a new spell to your known list of at least one level lower than you can cast. As a spontaneous caster, you need all the spells you can get.


Pierce the veil seeing through deeper darkness is very powerful.


XMorsX wrote:

The best revelation that Dark Tapestry has to offer is Many Forms. Couple it with the Elf or Aasimar favored class bonus and you can have very early access to high lvl transmutation spells.

So I guess my question is, what am I getting here that I'm not doing better as a Druid?

Heavens Oracle is interesting, and a lot more focused for sure. We'll see.

Liberty's Edge

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Dark Tapestry works well as a caster-oracle, too. Dust of Twilight, Black Tentacles, Insanity, Reverse Gravity, the coolness of Planar Binding...

The Revelations are a bit less handy for this, but Cloak of Darkness is nice for anyone high-Dex, Wings of Darkness is wonderful for casters, Pierce the Veil is great if you grab Deeper Darkness as a spell (you Deeper Darkness the enemy, then Black Tentacles them to keep them there, or vice versa, then cast additional death upon them). It's a solid choice.

Many Forms is a solid combat-Oracle buff, but hardly necessary to make Dark Tapestry Oracles good, and, as you say, likely less good for that purpose than just going Druid.

Heavens is also solid, and does hilariously ridiculous things with Color Spray, but it's not miles better or anything, especially if you like Dark Tapestry's thematics.


The easy one, access to magical beasts. They have the more unusual senses, and some useful special abilities, and get both better stat raises and lower stat reductions than the equivalent animals. But, for direct damage capabilities, you’re probably best served by the Huge animals.

With the alternative favored class bonus of the Oracle though, you will be able to access greater polymorph at 10th lvl. This gives you options that are not available to druids.

The drawback is that you cannot take natural spell. So instead, be wolfscarred / deaf for silent spell and a natural attack, and take escew materials.

Other than that, you combine the above features with the Oracle perks (the various revelations, like Misfortune from the Dual-Cursed archetype and the Wings of Darkness).

It is probably an inferior chocie to the Druid, unless you (ab)use the Paragorn Surge + Eldrich Heritage (Arcane) trick.

Heavens Oracle rocks. Be a gnome, take spell focus and greater spell focus (illusion) take effortless trickery. Peristent spell for color spray and the other patterns, maybe stack highten spell too which gives you access to prefered spell. A 1lvl dip in crossblooded Undead/Serpentine sorcerer will make you able to use the patterns to all but constructs.

Or you can just dip one lvl of Oracle and teh rest being in Undead bloodline sorcerer for easier access to patern spells (namely Loathsome Veil and Scintillating Pattern).

As an Oracle, you can always dip acouple of lvls at the Veiled Illutionist prestige class, so that you can aquire the Above two patterns at the proper lvls.


@Deadmanwalking
Thank you,for the advice about pierce the veil, and the extra spells. What feats and spells could I take to compliment that kind of build, other than deeper darkness of course?

@XMorsX
The deaf curse is interesting because it's main benefit comes at first level. I can see the benefit for sure. Do you recommend dual cursed oracle then?


You could take the Tenebrous Spell, Umbral Spell and Shadow Grasp Spell.

Dual Cursed Oracle is always recommended, especially in your case. In addition tho the curses combination, make sure you take the Misfortune revelation.

Liberty's Edge

Mr Zhun wrote:

@Deadmanwalking

Thank you,for the advice about pierce the veil, and the extra spells. What feats and spells could I take to compliment that kind of build, other than deeper darkness of course?

All the standard caster Feats. Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus if you're wiling to specialize in one variety of magic. Spell Penetration. Metamagic Feats (Heighten Spell to make Deeper Darkness 4th level plus spell makes it nearly un-counterable with light spells). Save-enhancing Feats. Power Attack if you ever do want to engage in melee.

That sort of thing. All based on specific build, of course.

And you're very welcome. :)


XMorsX wrote:

You could take the Tenebrous Spell, Umbral Spell and Shadow Grasp Spell.

Oh these look very nice...but Oracles don't get access to many Shadow spells do they...I guess I could use the Arcane Heritage feat line to get one or two...w


Feats

1: Skill focus (Knowledge Planes)
3: Eldritch Heritage (Arcane)
5: Tenebrous Spell
7: Spell Penetration
9: Improved Eldritch Heritage (Shadow Conjuration etc etc)
11: Umbral Spell
13: Shadow Grasping

What do you think?


Gets the job done.


So I have decided to take your advice XMorsX and to focus more on melee with the alternate forms. I'm wondering which forms I should look at - adding magical beasts on top of everything else just makes it more confusing.


- Alter self:

Lizardfolk (swim speed)
Troglodyte (2 claws + bite)
Sasquatch (move speed, sences)

- Beast Shape I

Deinonychus (60 move speed + 4 attacks)
Eagle (fly speed, 3 attacks, small)

- Beast shape III

Galvo (Three attacks (two with 10ft reach), blindsense, darkvision, swim)
Aranea (web, also has poison, darkvision, and a climb speed)
Peryton (fly speed at 60ft (good), three attacks)
Aurumvorax (Five attacks, all with grab, four rakes)

- Greater Polymorph: many choices, reach this lvl and we discuss it again :)

Liberty's Edge

On the Magical Beast front Dweomercats have Pounce, which is a hard ability to overstate the awesomeness of, along with three natural attacks and rake. So those are a solid choice as well.


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Personally, I love Cloak of Darkness. At high levels you don't really sweat running out of it, and you take no armor check penalty. I also run in a game with no magic mart though, which means I can't rely on enhancements for my armor. Still, considering you are probably flying with Wings of Darkness, Cloak can be pretty rad. Also, you can see if your DM will let you use it after shifting via Many Forms.

Edit: gah, sorry for the necro.

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