We have a moderate to large party (depending on who can make it), but almost no blasters/AoE and weak healing.
I'm looking to find a way to fill both roles with one character, and to be good, but not broken.
Ideas welcome!
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Hehehehehehehehehehehe.
Cleric. Archetype: Theologian. Worship any deity that likes Fire. Fire Domain.
If you wanted to break this, you could break this REALLY badly. I mean, it's possible to make a level 8 cleric chucking 13d6+26 damage fireballs around. It's really easy, in fact. Picking the right race (gnome or Ifrit IIRC), the right traits and the right feats is all you need. Dipping into Sorc for a level makes it disgusting.
However, since you don't want to break this, follow these instructions: don't dip into Sorc and you should be fine. You'll have a 3d4 Burning Hands at level 1, but that's the only level you'll feel "broken" at. Elsewise... You get the blastiness of the Fire domain via Burning Hands and Fireball and Wall of Fire, but you can still spontaneously cast Cure spells or at least Channel Positive Energy. You also have access to all the normal Cleric buffs.
Fire Theologians are really fun.
Rough starting setup:
Cleric (Theologian)
Fire Domain
To avoid breaking, DO NOT use Gnome with Pyromaniac or the Ifrit
10 or 12 DEX is fine for you; wear the heaviest armor you can afford
Memorize Burning Hands in your spell slots for blasting, but DO NOT use all the slots for Burning Hands because you CANNOT convert Burning Hands into Cure spells
And again, DO NOT dip into Sorc
Follow these guidelines and you should be effective without being gamebreaking.
Adding to the above, if you /really/ want to be a cleric blaster, you could pretty much just go to the ONE TRUE GOD OF THE SUN - Theologian (Fire) Cleric of Ra, picking up the alternate channeling for Rulership. If you channel negative, it gives you AoE daze + damage. Plus, you'll be really good at burning stuff, and you'll be able to heal w/e regardless.
Shaman. It does everything. Take the Life Spirit (but don't be a Witch Doctor) and choose AoE spells with your Wandering Hex - Arcane Enlightenment. Or just steal the couple good ones on the Cleric/Oracle list by using the Human/Half-Elf/Half-Orc favored class bonus.
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All good suggestions. Fire domain cleric or Flame Oracle sounds like just what the OP requested. Since you must fill multiple roles, definitely do not dip any other classes. You'll be a strong support caster and a darn good blaster. Note that a Theologian cleric can be better at blasting even than a Wizard, and you can cast in armor.
Don't neglect to do damage mitigation, when you can. The most effective way to heal your allies is to prevent incoming damage. A big blast will often be sufficient damage mitigation, but don't neglect your other tools, as well.
Burn burn burn+ goblin healer alchemist with a launching crossbow.
Its grittier than cleric, and if using the right extracts you can be a good healer
Rapidshot, twf, blahblah you can have a siege-support gunner. A dip in fighter can get you heavy armor..
The syringe spear can be thrown at an ally if loaded with a healing potion or extract at your fullest bab, two vestigial arms and low str will allow you to make a bunch of these and deal low damage, and it fits easilyinto the build
Don't neglect to do damage mitigation, when you can. The most effective way to heal your allies is to prevent incoming damage. A big blast will often be sufficient damage mitigation, but don't neglect your other tools, as well.
This.
Whichever of this you pick, you're going to blow a room up. However, you can use other spells to bolster your party members before a fight, or use spells that manipulate the battlefield or disable your enemies without you having to blow them up. Always keep your options open; don't memorize all one spell.
Anything that protects your allies for HOURS is good. Protection From Evil is a great example: if the enemy uses evil spellcasters, they'll be hard pressed to disable the people you bolster with this. At level 1, a single hour may not seem like much, but at later levels you'll be putting multiple hours of protection on people with low will saves and such. It's good stuff.
If you run out of options in a fight and don't want to toss up another spell, you should definitely consider the good ol' smash-and-thrash. Y'know, take that mace of yours and swing it with two hands at someone's face. If you're charging when you do it, you'll be that much more helpful.
I definitely advise cleric in any event. You'll not only be a blaster, healer and buffer, but you can join the melee in a pinch thanks to self-buffs, medium BAB, heavy armor and whatever tactical bonuses you can get (flanking, charging, high ground).
Protection from Evil is Minutes per Level.
Brain thoughts. Using.
Processing.
...Well, crap. You're right. And Circle is 10/level. I probably mixed it up with Mage Armor's duration again.
Wait, no, I probably got the duration on it mixed up thanks to Neverwinter Nights / Neverwinter Nights 2. Darn those games. I used to have all the actual spell durations memorized before I played them.
There are multiple Oracle builds that would settle this - I would look there first.
You dip a level as crossblooded (orc/draconic) sorcerer for +2 damage/die. Be a pyromaniac gnome for +1 caster level with fire spells, get the Varisian Tattoo feat for another +1 caster level with evocation, traits for -2 metamagic cost on fireball, Empower Spell to use that ... A cleric 7 / sorcerer 1 could then rock 1.5*(9d6+18) or (1.5*9d6)+18 damage, depending on how you read it. Fire domain theologian lets you prepare fireballs in your normal cleric spell slots.
It's possible to scavenge more caster level boosts too.
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You dip a level as crossblooded (orc/draconic) sorcerer for +2 damage/die. Be a pyromaniac gnome for +1 caster level with fire spells, get the Varisian Tattoo feat for another +1 caster level with evocation, traits for -2 metamagic cost on fireball, Empower Spell to use that ... A cleric 7 / sorcerer 1 could then rock 1.5*(9d6+18) or (1.5*9d6)+18 damage, depending on how you read it. Fire domain theologian lets you prepare fireballs in your normal cleric spell slots.
It's possible to scavenge more caster level boosts too.
Don't forget spontaneous metafocus for fireball. If you are going to be using metamagic on a spontaneous caster, you need to overcome the cast time increase.
You dip a level as crossblooded (orc/draconic) sorcerer for +2 damage/die. Be a pyromaniac gnome for +1 caster level with fire spells, get the Varisian Tattoo feat for another +1 caster level with evocation, traits for -2 metamagic cost on fireball, Empower Spell to use that ... A cleric 7 / sorcerer 1 could then rock 1.5*(9d6+18) or (1.5*9d6)+18 damage, depending on how you read it. Fire domain theologian lets you prepare fireballs in your normal cleric spell slots.
It's possible to scavenge more caster level boosts too.
Don't forget you're using your Theologian special ability to make your Fireballs Intensified which allows them to exceed the normal 10d6 damage limit.
Spell Specialization gets you to CL 11 for that Fireball. There's the Gifted Adept trait which gives you another +1 CL with a specific spell (Fireball). That gets you 12 CL, or 12d6+24 damage.
There are several ways items and allies can boost your caster level too. If you have even one of those on your side, you can get 13d6+26 damage pretty easily (I've done it) by level 8.
At level 9 you can also get Bloatmage Initiate if you don't care about your land movement speed. You're stomping around in Full Plate anyway, so you're slowed already. Add another +1 Caster Level.
So, by level 9 (Cleric 8 / Sorc 1) you can cast Fireballs from your main spell slots that deal 14d6+28 damage without the assistance of others. With the assistance of others you can increase it to 15d6+30. That, however, is your cap... until you get to the higher levels and are Maximizing, Echoing, Sickening, Thundering, or some other Metamagicking that Fireball. Obviously you can't have all of those at once, but you'll be able to develop your very favorite version of the spell with spell slots over 3.
I'd probably grab Selective Spell instead of Bloatmage Initiate myself.
Oh, assuming you took the traits to reduce the metamagic cost instead of adding more caster levels, you can theoretically hurl Maximized Empowered Intensified Fireballs from a 6th level spell slot for a whopping 22d6+45 damage - which, when maximized, equates to 132+45 or 177 damage to everything in an area.
The Metamagic traits, btw, as far as I can tell: Metamagic Master and Magical Lineage.
Don't forget spontaneous metafocus for fireball. If you are going to be using metamagic on a spontaneous caster, you need to overcome the cast time increase.You dip a level as crossblooded (orc/draconic) sorcerer for +2 damage/die. Be a pyromaniac gnome for +1 caster level with fire spells, get the Varisian Tattoo feat for another +1 caster level with evocation, traits for -2 metamagic cost on fireball, Empower Spell to use that ... A cleric 7 / sorcerer 1 could then rock 1.5*(9d6+18) or (1.5*9d6)+18 damage, depending on how you read it. Fire domain theologian lets you prepare fireballs in your normal cleric spell slots.
It's possible to scavenge more caster level boosts too.
Clerics are prepared rather than spont casters (at least for fireballs), that's one feat tax you don't have to pay here.
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Edited my post. Should be clear as to how destructive this can get.
Which is why I advised NOT building it for maximum cheese because its maximum cheese is cheesier than New York's cheesiest pizza.
I think this maximum potential is reached by level... 13? Since you need the feats.
*Intensified Spell comes for free from Theologian
1: Spell Focus (Evocation)
3: Varisian Tattoo
5: Spell Spec (Evocation)
7: Boatmage Initiate
9: Empower Spell
11: Maximized Spell
Nevermind, level 11 should do it. You can skip Bloatmage to get the Metamagics earlier, or remove it entirely and get Selective at 11.
EDIT: Level 12. You get 6th level Cleric spells at level 11, and you lost 1 to dipping. Level 12 is when you reach maximum destructive potential.
DOUBLE EDIT: ...12 levels is just enough to fit into PFS normal play. Hmmmmm...
Thanks for the advice all. I'm liking shaman and ecclesitheurge.
I did look over Theologian, and I'm thinking you're misreading it. The power says that your granted domain powers are as two levels higher. It says nothing about your spells themselves being cast as if at a higher caster level.
I may still use some of those other tricks to increase caster level with my shaman/saranrae priest.
Oh, and a bonus: both holy word and holy smite are evocation!