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This build is designed as an "Anvil" as TarkXT has labeled such builds in his very well written post on such things.
The primary goal of this build is to exercise control using three main abilities:
1. Rerolls;
2. Battlefiled Control; and,
3. Debuffs.
Action Economy is better than average, thanks to readily available Swift, Immediate, Move, and Standard Actions. Better still, there is a Familiar with her own Swift, Immediate, and Standard Actions!
Rerolls are incredibly powerful. In some cases they are essential buffs, and in others, debuffs. See below. More importantly, this build can hand them out like crazy.
First, Misfortune allows you to force, as an immediate action, a re-roll of any d20 made by anyone (including yourself by RAW) within 30' of yourself.
Second, Ill Omen does not allow a save, but does have to overcome SR. This forces the enemy to roll 2 d20 and take the worst result on the next d20 roll.
Third, Fortune allows just you to re-roll any d20 you have just rolled.
Fourth, Divine Interference allows you to sacrifice a spell slot (level one or greater) to force a re-roll.
Battlefield Control is a little trickier, luckily, Black Tentacles, the amazing Wizard standard control spell is on the Dark Tapestry list. Additionally, all the standard Summon Monster spells are available to the Dark Tapestry Oracle (and all other Oracles).
Finally, the debuffs! First, lets be clear, rerolls are a form of debuff:
GM: Natural 20, BBEG threatens a critical.
Oracle: Shadowy black flame briefly engulfs the BBEG a profound feeling of dread permeates the air. . . Please re-roll that d20, Misfortune / Divine Interference.
Aditionally, this build focuses on the tried and true, good-old fashioned debuffs. The build even incorporates some relatively devastating to melee/ranged curses just for that purpose. Oracle's Burden places your curse(s) onto an enemy, without the bonuses. So Wrecker breaks their whatever the enemy is holding (sword and shield for example). (un)Fortunately, the Wrecker Curse is specific on held items, and you do not hold armor . . . Meh (After level 5, your armor is likely to be the Cloak of Darkness with some light weight thing enchanted up with other bonuses). At any rate, the condition imparts:
- If the item is a weapon, any attacks made with the item suffer a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. Such weapons only score a critical hit on a natural 20 and only deal ×2 damage on a confirmed critical hit.
- If the item is a suit of armor or a shield, the bonus it grants to AC is halved, rounding down. Broken armor doubles its armor check penalty on skills.
- If the item is a tool needed for a skill, any skill check made with the item takes a –2 penalty.
- If the item is a wand or staff, it uses up twice as many charges when used.
- If the item does not fit into any of these categories, the broken condition has no effect on its use.
in addition to Wrecker, Oracle's Burden also delivers Haunted: "Retrieving any stored item from your gear requires a standard action, unless it would normally take longer. Any item you drop lands 10 feet away from you in a random direction." Think of all the fun your allies will have disarming the enemies! Don't just leave it to the allies though. Burning Disarm allows you to force enemies to drop items as well.
Other wonderful debuffs include: Murderous Command and Burning Disarm (Level 1), Burst of Radiance (Level 2), Hold Person for Melee, Silece for Casters (Level 3), Fleshworm Infestation and for the ultimate in Caster elimination, Dark Tapestry grants Feeblemind and then there is Boneshatter for the Melee types. Keep an eye out for enemies without SR, and make sure your wand-wielding familiar is ready for them with a wand of Ill Omen!
A final word on re-rolls. Once you have 2 re-roll pools readily available, make sure the use the right ones for the right job. At level 3, you have 3 re-roll pools, Fortune, Misfortune, and Divine Interference. Use Divine Interference on ENEMIES, Misfortune on ALLIES, and Fortune on YOU.
Final thought, not word, on re-rolls: Only force re-rolls that matter! Ex: Boris the Strong and Fair has 207 Hit Points. The BBEG just swung and threatened on a natural 20. Boris is thus far unscathed, and the 19 the BBEG rolled last round missed. DO NOT WASTE MISFORTUNE. Unless this boss is packing 5d10+56 damage, Boris is likely to be fine. Likewise, if a party member is throwing SOS spells around, get a feel for the BBEG save before you throw in your Misfortune. Rolling twice for a SoS at DC 20 with a +18 save is still cake. The same thing with a +2 really, really sucks.
Last word before the crunchy part: Always speak to your GM (if possible) prior to introducing something like this. A little politeness goes a long way.
Finally on to the meat!
Race: Half-Elf - Why? Access to Paragon Surge, Free level 1 Skill Focus as a Bonus Feat.
Alternate Race Traits: NONE - Why? Most replace Skill Focus or replace the bonus to the most rolled skill in the game, perception.
Deity: Arshea - Why? If you can squeeze in Celestial Obedience, you can gain: "a +4 sacred bonus on Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks when interacting with an intelligent creature who could be sexually attracted to you."
Alignment: Neutral Good - Why? To match Arshea
Traits: Warrior of Old (+2 Initiative) and Seeker (+1 Perception; Perception becomes a Class Skill) - Why? Perception is most rolled skill in the game, and Initiative is a primary for Anvil types.
Class: Oracle
Archetype: Dual-Cursed - Why? Misfortune
Curses: Haunted improving, Wrecker non-improving - Why? Great spells from Haunted!
Mystery: Dark Tapestry - Why? Flight, Armor, great spell list, and crazy good debut abilities.
Stats: Str: 8 (-2); Dex: 12 (+2); Con: 13 (+3); Int: 12 (+2); Wis: 8 (-2); Cha 18 (+17)
parentheticals indicate point buy cost, 20 points total
+2 Racial to Charisma for a total of 20 Charisma.
Revelations:
Level 1: Misfortune - Most powerful revelation in Pathfinder, IMHO
Level 3: Many Forms - Alter Self that grows with you as a revelation.
Level 5: Gift of Madness - Confusion 3+ Cha Mod times/day additionally, duration goes up at level 7 to rounds/oracle level. Very nice.
Level 5: Cloak of Darkness - Armor and . . . well in theory Stealth, but that is not a skill we use, and it is not a skill belonging to a stat we have invested much in.
Level 7: Wings of Darkness - Flight is very, very, very handy More or less the only reason I didn't completely tank Dex.
Level 11: Fortune - Yet another preroll ability!
Feats:
Half-Elf: Skill Focus (Knowledge: Planes) - Pre-Req that happens to be thematically relevant.
Level 1: Noble Scion of War (Cha in place of Dex to Initiative) - Initiative is win.
Level 3: Eldrich Heritage* (Arcane) for Arcane Familiar - Arcane Familiar = Imroved Initiative for levels 3-7, thereafter it is wand user allowing you additional spells/day and actions/round. As a bonus, you get Alertness as a bonus feat when close to your familiar!
Level 5: Additional Revelation (Cloak of Darkness) - Strength is kinda tanked, so may as well wear shadows for some decent AC
Level 7: Improved Familiar (What is the best PFS Legal Wand User?)
Level 9: Improved Eldritch Heritage or Improved Initiative - Same as other thoughts on initiative, but Arcane Improved Eldritch Heritage gets you 2 Wizard/Sorcerer Spells! . . . of level 3 or less . . . Keep in mind, you can Paragon Surge into whichever of these two you don't take. . .
Level 11: Divine Interference -More re-rolls!
Since I said Paragon Surge aloud:
Paragon Surge has dozens of uses. First, you can use it for Expanded Arcana. This is the first and biggest game changing feat you might want to take with Paragon Surge. The requirements are 1st Caster Level and having a limited list of spells known. Note that despite having the word Arcana in the title it is available to all spontaneous casters. This basically grants you full use of the entire cleric spell list for the cost of a single level 3 spell slot. Not too shabby.
Eldritch Heritage (Improved) Arcane bloodline is just amazing. Check out the level 9 power: gain sorc/wiz spells known of any level you can cast! Between this and Expanded Arcana, he now has access to the entire sorc/wiz and cleric/oracle spell lists!
Wish you had taken a revelation already? Pick Extra Revelations with Paragon Surge and you are all set . . for a while.
Anyhow, sick spell.
Skills:
Perception: Every level - Going first after the surprise round could mean bleeding before everyone else. Pay attention.
Use Magic Device at every level. Your Familiar uses YOUR ranks for this skill.
Diplomacy/Fly: Alternate ranks between the two. You will need Fly, and Diplomacy gives you a lot to do outside of combat. Additionally, CHA is your primary stat, and it will be a high one. Don't fret overly about all ranks into diplomacy, the end result will be obsurd enough.
Survival/Spellcraft: So, the thing about spell craft is that you don't really use it to identify things like everyone thinks. You use it to identify things after you have identified them the first time with Knowledge: Arcana. First you need to learn auras, then you learn what it means. Anyway, point is you won't use this early on. Put the ranks into Survival first. Spell craft for this build is mostly so you know what is worth wasting a misfortune on.
Example:
GM: The BBEG Caster waves his arms about, and Boris the Strong and Fair. . well make a will save, please, Boris?
BSF: I rolled the number bigger than 4 by one . . . Many! No. . . Five!
You:What was that spell? I want to know if I should use Misfortune on BSF. I kind of REALLY need him to stay alive. .
GM: Roll spellcraft to identify the spell as it is cast?
Knowledge: Planes (Most thematic for Dark Tapestry.) to 6 ranks, thereafter Knowledge: Local. Knowledge: Local deals with Humanoids, probably the single most commonly encountered enemy in PFS. If you know what you are getting yourself into, switch these two to two skills that will have more relevance to your particular campaign.
Anyhow, that was the thought process that created:
Unfortunately for his daughter, this elation was noticed by Mr. Savet's superiors, and he was subjected to the Kuthite ritual of "The Joymaking". Horrified by her father's acquiescence to having his limbs and non-vital organs amputated in an effort to remain a helpless head and torso, destined to live as the subject of limitless torture, Eleanor fled.
Like a great many runaways, Eleanor somehow ended up in Absalom. Searching for her calling, Eleanor quickly developed a deep love of the Empyreal Lord, Arshea. Her new devotee seemed to stand against all that had destroyed her father, while clinging to the need for some deep physical connection that she so longed for. Realizing there was a potential for some greatness in the young woman, her new pastor directed her to a large lodge in the Foreign Quarter.
Approaching the door, the shy elf knocked. . .
Female half-elf (Half Drow) oracle (dual-cursed oracle) 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 42, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 58)
NG Medium humanoid (elf, human)
Deity: Arshea
Init +7; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
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Defense
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AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10 (+1 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Oracle (Dual-Cursed Oracle) Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +6)
. . 1st (5/day)—burning disarm (DC 16), cure light wounds, murderous command[UM] (DC 16)
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, ghost sound (DC 15), guidance, mage hand, read magic
. . Mystery Dark tapestry
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Statistics
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Str 8, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 20
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 10
Feats Noble Scion Of War[ISWG], Skill Focus (Knowledge [planes])
Traits seeker, warrior of old
Skills Diplomacy +9, Knowledge (planes) +8, Perception +6, Sense Motive +3, Use Magic Device +6; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
Languages Aquan, Common, Elven
SQ disable by touch, elf blood, oracle's curses (haunted, wrecker), revelation (misfortune)
Other Gear 150 gp
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Special Abilities
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Disable By Touch Disable Device becomes a class skill for you and you can make Disable Device checks to destroy nonmagical traps as a move action without the need to use tools or take any action beyond simply touching it.
Elf Blood Half-elves count as both elves and humans for any effect related to race.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Haunted Retrieving stored gear is a Standard action or worse, dropped items land 10' away.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Misfortune (Ex) At 1st level, as an immediate action, you can force a creature within 30 feet to reroll any one d20 roll that it has just made before the results of the roll are revealed. The creature must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the o
Wrecker The destructive power of the Abyss and its teeming hordes of demons seeps from your very pores and into your belongings and surroundings. Held objects gain the broken condition when you use or equip them but regain their actual condition if employed
Levels 1-3: Use Murderous Command on groups. Misfortune as needed.
Level 4: Much the same, with the addition of Oracle's Burden + Burning Disarm against weapon wielders.
Level 5-6: Again, much the same, with the addition of throwing around Gift of Madness in addition to the above.
Level 7-10: Still the same, but now a familiar is using a Wand of Misfortune immediately prior to the various debuffs mentioned above, or those on the Dark Tapestry spell list (such as Black Tentacles). Should the BBEG fail, throw on Misfortune (I think this means they would end up rolling twice, and taking the worse, then potentially rolling twice and taking the worse result again. . . )
Level 11+ Throw on top Divine Interference to force truly sickening numbers of rerolls. Save Divine Interference for when an ally is hit with a critical threat.
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Arcane IEH was nerfed a while back - unless the sorc/wiz spells you choose are also on the cleric/oracle list you can't cast them. Improved Initiative is still good.
What are the survival skill ranks for?
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All of what andreww said (though I don't allow divine protection 99% of the time).
I think cloak of darkness is alright, especially since you aren't going to be frontlining, but it shouldn't be up there for your revelations.
The idea that you're going to spend two rounds and 2 second level spells to inconvenience your weapon wielding enemies shouldn't sound great to you =P
I second the value of Spirit Guide, though you could considering asking your GM to let you take both Dual Cursed and Spirit Guide as they don't actually share features (one changes class skills (w/o really improving or weakening them most of the time) while the other removes them). I would allow this personally, but ymmv.
For dark tapestry specific - look into Dreamed Secrets - technically you must 'worship' the great old ones, but it's *SO* thematically perfect that I would never not allow this (in fact, I *LOVE* the idea of a dark tapestry oracle slowly going mad as they fight against the elder ones).
Many Forms is a very solid revelation as it is extremely flexible and there is almost always a useful shape. Something to consider is that the deaf curse lets you [i]silent[/s] spells for free - if you pick up still spell, in addition to being useful in general, that would let you cast silent/stilled spells while shapechanged at low spell level cost, which is, in addition to be awesome, extremely useful.
I built a Spirit Guide (usually Lore for more wizard spells hex) Dark Tapestry Oracle w/ Eldritch heritage (Arcane) and had a lot of fun.
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Dual cursed is decent but Wrecker is pretty awful. It certainly isnt worth taking just to try casting Oracles Burden on weapon users.
Wrecker also gives pseudo-trapfinding and when combined with Seeker archetype makes you a spellcasting rogue. It's a skill tax to be sure but worse things have happened.
You can no longer gain extra spells from Improved Eldritch heritage as they are not added to your spell list following the recent FAQ.
I just looked at the FAQ for Core and UM, can you link this change?
EDIT: Found it. http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fm#v5748eaic9s54