Heavens Oracles are really kind of one trick ponies, I like them and the trick is cool, but if you can't Color Spray it you have to sit around and buff or heal.
If you do go with Oracle, you should consider whether you want to use the spell Paragon Surge. It is a Half-Elf only spell from the ARG, so you need to be a Half-Elf or do the gymnastics required to count as one. It can give you your whole spell list and with the right feats the whole sorcerer list as well at high level, but it is very powerful and some people don't like it.
Paragon Surge is very easy to use. You cast the spell, you get some irrelevant bonuses and a feat of your choice that you qualify for. You always qualify for the feat Expanded Arcana, so that takes care of the cleric list. If you take Skill Focus (any knowledge) and Eldritch Heritage (Arcane) you qualify for Improved Eldritch Heritage (Arcane) at 11th level. Improved Eldritch Heritage (Arcane) lets you choose New Arcana, so that takes care of the sorcerer list.
You will make Sorcerers and Oracles who can't do this jealous, but you are really no more powerful than a Cleric, Druid or Wizard.
I'm currently playing an Oracle/Witch as the party's main healer. Our party consists of me, a bard, a druid, a paladin, and a wizard.
I multiclassed a level of witch, took the healing hex, and now I get a free "cure light" on everyone once a day. Everyone else can heal themselves a little, and I loaded up on ranged combat skills so that I can also fight.
Using CHA instead of DEX is pretty awesome, and with a diplomacy of +8 I can be the face of the party.
Another plus: roleplaying the curse and mystery. Make them align with each other, and turn them into an origin story. You don't have to take the classical route of losing your eyes and gaining second sight, but make the two related somehow and have fun with it.
My character is Haunted with the Nature mystery, so eventually she'll be able to drain the life from things with a touch. I decided that it's her kills that haunt her. Any time she scores the killing blow, that creature becomes one of her spirits.
(That opens me up to take it in one of two ways: Either she wants to focus on healing the party, not dealing damage, if these are the consequences; or she goes mad at some point and decides to target specific enemies that she wants as spirits to round out her collection (i.e., "leave me that particularly attractive bandit -- he's mine...forever!").
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Heavens Oracles are really kind of one trick ponies, I like them and the trick is cool, but if you can't Color Spray it you have to sit around and buff or heal.
I'd argue this isn't true at all. A Heavens Oracle is a bog-standard save-or-die caster build, only with a specific trick. They can easily take other save-or-suck spells and use them when Color Spray isn't workable.
If you want heavens, by heavens go heavens!
Wood, metal, and battle are probably the best for melee, but if you choice the right spells (and avoid the wrong curses) any of the oracles can work.
- Bone: summon allies
- Heavens: great crowd control
- Nature: pick up an animal companion (works best if you are small.
... etc.
You'll have medium armor and can pick up a morningstar and a fair number of buffing spells to help you in melee.
A lot of people like the Lunar mystery for the awesome revelations:
