Hello everyone. My local group is a few sessions into a campagin, and I'm currently playing a Life Shaman. I've gone with the Speaker of the Past Archetype, which is fun to role play considering she is a Samsaran. I've accumulated enough gold with her that I can start considering serious gear purchases, but I'm having a lot of trouble deciding on what would be good for her. Let me give you some specifics to help this along.
Shaman lvl 2 (almost 3)
Str 12
Dex 12
Con 15
Int 16
Wis 20
Cha 14
I know some of her stats are pretty good. Our group prefers using dice rolling rather than point buy. It typically makes early game encounters for us easier, but it tends to balance out later on.
Other abilities:
Life Spirit
Speaker Mysteries- Ancestor, Time
Hex- Evil Eye
Feats: Selective Channel
In regards to gear, she mainly utilizes a short spear and a sling. She's not really a fighter, so I keep her off the front lines. Because of a previous drug addiction, however, she remembers some of her more prominent past lives very clearly, which makes her very chaotic both inside and outside of combat. She's a good healer thus far, but I'd like to explore other things with her, so she can do more than simply heal other people.
By third level, I'll be able to purchase either a +1 weapon or armor, or some other smaller magical item. The problem is I'm not sure what would be good for her. I'm also having trouble deciding on a third level feat to take for her as well. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.
I'd look at possibly picking up a magic longspear, actually - having reach means you can contribute in combat without having to be directly on the front line. If you pick up a buckler as well, you can have the AC from it on rounds you don't attack, but you can still use both hands with the spear on rounds you want to attack (although at a -1 penalty).
Also, keep in mind that aid another can be used in combat - you can make an attack roll against AC 10 to give an ally either +2 to their attack or +2 to AC, your choice. It's a good way for non-melee-powerhouse characters to do something productive with their turn when you don't need/can't use available spells or hexes.
Extra Hex is often a valid choice feat-wise, as there's lots of decent ones to choose from. Life Link, with the ACG errata, now works the same as the oracle version, so if you can get items that give you fast healing (see Boots of the Earth), it's a nice substitute for Cure Light Wounds wands in between combats, though it does take a bit more time and the boots are 6000 gold or so. The usual suspects for hexes are always good, too: Misfortune, Fortune, Healing, Flight or Slumber through Witch Hex, etc.
Also, you might consider picking up Craft Wondrous Items (or using Extra Hex to pick up the Fetish hex, since it's strictly better) if your group is into that sort of thing. Even if you have a crafter already, we've found that another doesn't usually hurt.
I consider Improved Initiative, Combat Casting, Toughness or a melee feat useful. The last only if you plan on actually doing it (I usually never find the time).
As above posted, there are also interesting extra hexes, which will come in handy all the time.
One of the items I like, since it works all the time, is the phylactery that enhances Channeling by 2d6. If you want to hit things, a magical weapon is a priority.
I don't know what your group is like, but in mine I need not compete with the martial types, they outshine my melee damage by far. I did the math beforehand and found that by level 6 the martial types would start to be significantly better, and by level 11 they would outclass a cleric type - we are talking melee damage here. One of the reasons is that there is often no time to buff yourself, and if you do, the fight is already as good as done. Another is movement, as I am the slowest and reach the enemy latest. And of course, being the divine caster, I usually have other stuff to do, keeping me from close combat.
To be useful in combat also requires physical stats (my STR sucks) and some dedication to combat feats (which I rather spend on metamagic). Given the other considerations I left melee to the ones built for it, instead trying to be a wannabe fighter.
So if you are interested in melee keep those considerations in mind, so you have no regrets later.
Our group has two archers, an arcanist caster, a tanking (warpriest maybe), and another melee fighting class, plus me on heals.I'm not going to try to compete on melee. I see little point in it. I was thinking more support, so Extra Hex would work well there, as would combat casting.
I've not seen the phylactery. Do you know what it's called and what book it's in?
Phylactery of Positive Channeling
Price 11,000 gp; Aura moderate necromancy; CL 10th; Weight —
This item allows channelers of positive energy to increase the amount of damage dealt to undead creatures by +2d6. This also increases the amount of damage healed by living creatures.
Construction Requirements
Cost 5,500 gp
Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be a 10th-level cleric
Located in Ultimate Equipment
The important thing to remember is that this item uses the "Headband" slot so you will not be able to pick up one of the INT/WIS/CHA headbands, so there is a bit of a tradeoff.
My son picked up this item as early as he could on his Cleric and we are now seeing at higher levels how it might be better to have the WIS/CHA boost. He is now level 11.
I took selective channel so I can heal if I need to, but the group is pretty self sufficient, so there hasn't been much healing needed thus far. I like the idea of being able to debuff. I saw a combo in Eldritch Heritage- Dreamborn and the Slumber Hex that I might consider trying by fourth level.
At 4rd, however, I'll gain access to Ancestor or Time revelations, which gives me a lot of options to play around with. Ancestral Weapon could be good for damage, spirit shield for defense or give myself more out of combat ability. With Time I could reroll checks or iniative or phase a tougher enemy out of combat briefly if need be.