Curse Immunity and Oracles


Rules Questions


If a character were to gain immunity to curses and then take a level in oracle what would happen?

Would they:

1: be cursed as normal?

2: be cursed but only receive benefits?

3: not be cursed and receive neither boon nor drawback?

PRD Oracle Curse says wrote:
Oracle's Curse (Ex): Each oracle is cursed, but this curse comes with a benefit as well as a hindrance. This choice is made at 1st level, and once made, it cannot be changed. The oracle's curse cannot be removed or dispelled without the aid of a deity. An oracle's curse is based on her oracle level plus one for every two levels or Hit Dice other than oracle. Each oracle must choose one of the following curses.

I'm thinking 3 as the character is immune so the curse cannot be applied thus it's technically neither dispelling nor removing the curse.


1. I don't see an oracle's curse to be [curse] effect, just a name for a class feature.


As long as the immunity to curses is no direct divine intervention the oracle's curse is stronger. If it IS a direct divine intervention the two deities should talk it out. But two gods battling about one mortal should not happen frequently.
Short Answer:1
Long but not RAW answer: If two gods are battling over one mortal they have to do their fight and in the end the mortal is either an oracle of god one then 1. Or he is no oracle but immune to curses as god 2's wish.


Drejk wrote:
1. I don't see an oracle's curse to be [curse] effect, just a name for a class feature.

That. Kinda like how having immunity to fire doesn't equate to having immunity to firearms.


chaoseffect wrote:
Drejk wrote:
1. I don't see an oracle's curse to be [curse] effect, just a name for a class feature.
That. Kinda like how having immunity to fire doesn't equate to having immunity to firearms.

Unless the firearm in question is laser, which in PF inflicts fire damage. ;)


Short of deific intervention, the answer is they are cursed normally by the Oracle curse class feature.


Drejk wrote:
1. I don't see an oracle's curse to be [curse] effect, just a name for a class feature.

I agree.


Or they are prohibited from the class.


Be cursed as normal. What you would need is for something to negate what results from the curse. For example being an oracle cursed with constant immolation immunity to curses would not be helpful. However, immunity to fire would negate the negative effects of the curse though you would still be on fire.


Somewhat off-topic, but letting players simply choose not to have curses on their oracles (gaining neither benefits nor drawbacks) isn't imbalancing in the slightest.


Zhayne wrote:
Somewhat off-topic, but letting players simply choose not to have curses on their oracles (gaining neither benefits nor drawbacks) isn't imbalancing in the slightest.

Agreed, however the curse is explanation of how character received their powers.


Not really, no. Most curses in no way relate to mysteries, and nobody else with 'granted' powers gets a negative effect tacked on. The explanation of how an oracle gets his power is purely narrative.


But that is my point. When someone defines himself as a wizard, one has a basic understanding of whom that person is, one who studies the arcane. When one is known to be an oracle, one knows that they are cursed and thus derive their power from it. It's the curse that drives an oracle to pursue a great mystery and gain revelations.

Dark Archive

Rogar Stonebow wrote:
But that is my point. When someone defines himself as a wizard, one has a basic understanding of whom that person is, one who studies the arcane. When one is known to be an oracle, one knows that they are cursed and thus derive their power from it. It's the curse that drives an oracle to pursue a great mystery and gain revelations.

Still slightly off topic I know, but I always viewed it the other way.

The oracle is cursed due to the raw, unfiltered touch of the divine. I view it as the mortal characters are unable to deal with the raw power and normally need it filtered via ritual (spell casting). Thus they are cursed because they have their powers and not the other way around. This raw, unfiltered divine touch is also what makes it almost impossible to remove the curse.

As to other classes with granted powers having negative effects stacked on, There is always the Paladin.

I agree, it is mostly RP and not mechanical, but to me, that is part of the fun.


Rogar Stonebow wrote:
But that is my point. When someone defines himself as a wizard, one has a basic understanding of whom that person is, one who studies the arcane. When one is known to be an oracle, one knows that they are cursed and thus derive their power from it. It's the curse that drives an oracle to pursue a great mystery and gain revelations.

Classes are metagame constructs; nobody in-game knows what they are, much less that they have one. Unless you can actually see the future, your character shouldn't call himself an oracle.

And, again, I see no reason for that absurd forced flavor that perhaps only one other class is saddled with.


Happler wrote:

The oracle is cursed due to the raw, unfiltered touch of the divine.

That is flavor text that may or may not be applicable to a particular character. The player is free to define his abilities as coming from whatever source he desires.


Mythic Adventures wrote:

Overcome Curse (Su)

You are immune to curse effects.

For example, bestow curse has no effect on you, and you can handle, carry, or discard a cursed magic item without harm. If a cursed item has useful functions and a cursed effect (such as armor of arrow attraction) or drawback (such as a mace of blood), you are immune to the cursed effect and drawback, and can still use its other abilities. If a cursed item works normally for a period of time before its curse triggers (such as gauntlets of fumbling), the item stops working for you when the curse would normally trigger. If you're an oracle, you can ignore the negative effects of your oracle's curse.

Emphasis mine. It can be inferred from the passage above that an Oracle's curse is, in fact, a Curse effect.

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