I'm trying to describe oracle mysteries to a completely new player. But I couldn't quite find the words. I'd like an in-game explanation about how a PC might see their oracle abilities.
What is a 'mystery' to the oracle herself? Any explanation about why it manifests as waves or flames or time-warping? Or are the mysteries a secret even to the oracle? And if so, would that ever become clearer as she levels up or learns about her powers?
I mean, we're talking about a 'mystery' that then produces 'revelations'. Are those roleplaying cues? "I didn't know what I had become but slowly the gods revealed to me the source and purpose of my powers."
What's your take?
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The basic idea of Oracles isn't to dissimilar to Sorcerers, they just spontaneously manifest powers which they then try to explain. Sometimes there's a ready explanation (a family or personal curse, or a particular faith)...but sometimes there isn't.
Now, a savvy Oracle can figure out that the powers have some external source (because that's how Divine magic works, and you can figure out it's Divine fairly readily)...but who or what is often a mystery.
Basically, thematically as well as mechanically, they're the divine version of Sorcerers, blessed and cursed for reasons they may not even understand (though, like Sorcerers, they also might also know very well the source of their power).
You can figure out it's Divine fairly readily...but who or what is often a mystery.
Thanks, DMW. I'm interested in how an oracle might go about discovering the source and purpose of her power. There's no game mechanic. So, how might that go in a campaign?
|
I would compare them with some RW religous figures and some fictional ones; not the ones who go to seminary are are apprenticed to the local pastor, but the people who are, for lack a of a better term, drafted by a god/god for whatever reason.
Two RW examples of this are Moses and Joan of Arc. A fictional pair of Oracles are the Blues Brothers, though they are duel classed bards.
Moses is torn by his own status as a murderer and has excepted his exile, marrying, settling down etc. He then encounters the burning bush and even then he questions and argues with it---but in the end goes along with it. He even has a stutter curse (not one from pathfinder but could easily be homebrewed).
Then Joan is easily described as a battle oracle. She has also has had visions and is breaking custom right and left to be what she is (thus why she is not a Paladin, that and she doesn't strike me as full BAB IMHO). She even has a "campaign specific" wrong gender curse, which makes her stand out but eventually is part of what gets her killed.
The Blues Brothers also have vision, powers (how else does the car hold together?) and luck (hex like power?) and again, an "attracts law enforcement" curse.
My former PFS oracle was Zyphus' girlfriend (how do you say no to the guy who brings your dead brother back as a Zombie!), who didn't exactly like it...at first.
One I am designing an Oracle for Carrion Crown who has visions of wolves and lycanthopic type powers....that came after she was mauled (i.e. got the lame curse) by a wolf...and is slowly becoming more bestial.
But what all of these have in common is that they were "drafted", and what they are now becoming is drawn from that divine connection.
That journey, to me, is the essence of an Oracle.
Hope that was helpful,
Kerney
|
|
Thanks, DMW.
You're quite welcome. Always happy to be of assistance. :)
I'm interested in how an oracle might go about discovering the source and purpose of her power. There's no game mechanic. So, how might that go in a campaign?
That's up to you. Personally, I'd go with them either knowing to start with, it being unknowable, or a series of visions/revelations gradually revealing the power in question's plans for them...but those are just my personal stylistic preferences, not the only ways to do it.
Oracle power sources are in fact, the most unique spell casting magic source out there. Yes, it is Divine, but with divine casters who get power from their belief, instead of specific deities (Clerics and Inquisitors who choose domains), an oracle, who is unattached by mechanics to any religious, or deific movement, could have their power coming from...anywhere really.
James Jacobs (don't have the link) at one point even made a comment about an Oracle of time who channeled energy to himself, from a parallel timestream. (I like it)
Oracles also make great 'godlings', where you can tailor their spells to make them almost like lesser gods of fire, or battle, for example.
THey also make great "Chosen ones", by the nature of the class of course. Even something like, (if the concept was not already used with Daemons and Abbadon), if you wanted to play one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, that's a plausible option.
So, if a player asks where an Oracle's power comes from; Ask him the same question.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
A good analogy from our own history and mythology is the difference between priests and prophets.
Cleric is another word for priest. A priest gains whatever abilities he has through study and training. He studies religious texts, learns prayers, hymns, and ceremonies, and spends years learning how to be a priest. This gives him the knowledge on how to call on his deity, which in game terms means that his divine abilities are granted as a result of his petitions.
Oracle is another word for prophet. In Earth religions an oracle or prophet is someone who predicts the future, usually through dreams and such. But being a prophet is a gift. It takes no study at all; the prophet just wakes up one day after having clairvoyant dreams. In game terms, someone or something has granted the oracle powers unasked. This will probably be one or more gods, as the powers they have are divine magic, though it is by no means required that it be so. Likewise, the oracle may have been selected at birth (or even before) and always had his powers, or he may have suddenly received them (or realized he had them) at some point later in life.
One way to look at it is that clerics gain their powers by sending communication to the gods; oracles get their powers by receiving communication from the gods.
Traditionally priests cherish the gifts of the prophet, but priests and prophets don't always get along. Possibly the priest would bear a grudge against a prophet because the prophet got for free what the priest worked for years to receive. Also, priests tend to be incorporated into the power structure of society, whereas prophets tend to exist outside that structure and are often at odds with it.
A typical society is likely to have a lot of clerics compared to the number of oracles. After all, you can't just choose to be an oracle; you are chosen, but you can be taught to be a cleric if you want.
Spells like commune might allow an oracle to determine where his powers came from, particularly if they were granted to him by the deity he contacted. I could see other means that might work if you wanted to make an adventure out of it (tracking a "trail" across the astral plane, for example) but you would basically be singling out one character to be the star in such an adventure. You want to be careful when writing a story for character A that characters B, C, and D don't end up as just lackeys of character A.
Peet
I think for discovering the source of their mystery power should be a pretty big deal for your average oracle and be a unique story-line to them. It's one of the long term goals for my oracle currently and hasn't really been touched on in game yet but I know the DM is currently working on it.
Basically be creative with it. As mentioned above visions or dreams could be a good start. Rumours or passages in ancient texts perhaps of similar phenomenon. Make it something fitting depending on the nature of the mystery and who you imagine granting it. In the game I'm personally running, the oracle is granted their power by a certain deity and cursed by another to interfere with the first. It's an interesting contrast and one the player is going to enjoy discovering I think.
In my oracle's case, the oracle powers were considering a blessing in his home town. Others, of course, don't necessarily see it that way especially depending on the curse manifested along with them. It can be fun to play these elements up. Makes the oracle a really unique character with a lot of potential awesome roleplay scenarios.
|
You don't usually get to role play this sort of stuff in Pathfinder Society, but I wrote up a "diary" for my battle oracle, which shows his process of becoming an oracle and trying to figure out the source of his power. As someone who thinks of himself as a warrior, not a spellcaster, he honestly thinks that most of his combat skill came from his training, and doesn't realize that things like Skill at Arms are revelations.
|
|
I would compare them with some RW religous figures and some fictional ones; not the ones who go to seminary are are apprenticed to the local pastor, but the people who are, for lack a of a better term, drafted by a god/god for whatever reason.
Two RW examples of this are Moses and Joan of Arc. A fictional pair of Oracles are the Blues Brothers, though they are duel classed bards.
The Blues Brothers also have vision, powers (how else does the car hold together?) and luck (hex like power?) and again, an "attracts law enforcement" curse.
But what all of these have in common is that they were "drafted", and what they are now becoming is drawn from that divine connection.
That journey, to me, is the essence of an Oracle.
Hope that was helpful,
Kerney
Any mention of the Blues Brothers is more than helpful.
They are two sinners recruited by god to do his work. Also, American cars made before 1974 were nigh-indestructible to begin with.
Thanks for making me smile.