First off: Sorry this is so long, but it's important to me, and I'm unsure how to solve this crisis on my own.
Imagine the following: it takes you forever to come up with a longterm plan for your character, while the game (Jade Regent) is already going on (halfway through final dungeon, brink of level 4). You're starting to get comfortable with a plan, then the rules change and sources become limited to these: Core, APG, and with GM's OK ACG, ARG, UC, UM, UC, UE, and Unchained, Jade Regent Players Guide, and finally Player Companion: Varisia Birthplace of Legends.
While that's by no means a stingy list, some core pieces of the build fall out.
Here is the build as planned:
Halfling
Oracle (Psychic Searcher) + Paladin (Oath of Vengance)
Stat: Str 13, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 7, Cha 19 (increases to Cha, Str, Wis)
Traits: Rescued(koya), Fate's Favored; [via drawback: Helpful,(Two World Magic: Prestidigitation)]
Drawback: Fey Taken, (Naive)
1 Ora1: Mystery(life), curse(lame), revelation(Life Link), 1st Spells
Feat: Fey Foundling
2 Pal1: Detect/Smite Evil, Good Aura
3 Pal2: Grace (cha to saves), Lay on Hands
Feat: Extra Revelation(Channel)
4 Ora2: Inspiration (Ex)
5 Cav1: Challenge 1/day, mount, order(Dragon), In or Out of the Saddle (Ex)
Feat: Boon Companion
6 Pal 3: Aura of courage, divine health, mercy (fatigued)
7 Pal 4: smite evil 2/day, 1st Spell, Vengance
Feat: Ride-By Attack
8 Pal 5: mount
9 Ora 3: Psychic Talent (Su)
Feat: Spirited Charge
10 Or 4: 2nd Spells
11 Pal 6: mercy (diseased)
Feat: Flagbearer
12 Pal 7: smite 3/day
13 Pal 8: Aura of Resolve
Feat: Combat Reflexes
14 Pal 9: mercy (Poisoned)
15 Pal 10: Smite 4/day
Feat: Bodyguard
The following won't be available.
4x Traits & Drawbacks: Helpful (makes Bodyguard chain useless), and (important for rp reasons) Two World Magic: Prestidigitation, Fey Taken, Naive
3 x Feats: Fey Foundling (+2 hp / dice of healing received!), Boon Companion (+4 levels to animal companion), Flagbearer (+1 to hit and dmg)
2x Equipment: Meditation Crystals (recharge lay on hands using channels, time and little money); Armored kilt (with breast plate, good stand in until mithral fullplate becomes affordable).
Self-Healing is the of this build, so losing Fey Foundling is really hard. At lvl 15 Lay on Hands goes from 20-45 hp (includes halfling alt racial) to 10-35 hp, which is quite a drop, no? Further, not having meditation crystals severely reduces Lay on Hands/day.
Boon companion gives the animal companion a chance in hell to survive in hell... - My riding dog bit the dust during level 3 and had been getting a lot of attention from pond monsters to undead through out his short life time. So I figure the animal companion will need to be tough...
With armor my 15 base speed becomes 10, and with a loadstone that I've acquired it's temporarily at 5 ft. I really need a mount badly, that will live, not sure what will do.
How to go on?
With boon companion out, maybe I should consider taking the weapon bond instead of mount, dropping the cavalier level, and hoping for Leadership at level 7 for something intelligent that will let me ride it. I could replace the Outrider alt racial with Fleet of Foot for 15 ft base speed in armor. Intelligent beings need diplomacy not handle animal, right?
With Fey Foundling out, should I try and find other sources of boost for HP recovery, or de-emphasize the blood bank thing?
Help would be much appreciated!
First off, thanks for the fast reply. :)
Character is currently level 4 and I am very much enjoying the Skills from Oracle and Inspiration dice from Psychic searcher, but Smite evil, high saves and swift healing is amazing as well at 20 charisma...
After some thinking:
It seems like there are four options:
1. Give up Skillmonkey and Lifelink and go full Paladin.
If I want to keep the Animal Companion I should probably go straight Paladin, however the point of having a mount instead of walking (with fleet of foot) was to counter the Lame oracle curse. Originally I wanted Oracle 4 to get the Shield Other spell but we have a 1/d magic item that can do that for four hours, and later I will be able to learn it as a Paladin spell, so I guess I could live without any Oracle levels. At the cost of giving up being a knowledge Skill monkey and Diplomancer.
He is currently cursed (by Pazuzu in addition to Oracle curse), so ingame explanation: When the curse is dispelled, for some reason the oracle spell is too and without the access to all those voices he has nothing in terms of Knowledges etc.
2. Keep some Smite/Lay on Hand/Saves and Keep Lifelink and Inspiration
Option A - Keep some Smite/Lay on Hand/Saves and go mostly Oracle
As mostly Oracle I could mix Warsighted with Psychic searcher for some fun, but Smite has been the sole reason I hit anything for any damage. 1/d has been almost sufficient because our Sorceress kept running out of spells fast, but that stopped being the case at level 4. Pal 4 gets me Channel Wrath (Su) for up to 4 smite / day. If I give up the Animal Companion I would not need Pal 5 or above. Still Pal 4 / Ora X is quite a heavy dip. Pal 2 / Ora X gets only 1 smite per day but more Ora spells, so as long as Ora spells buffs work well, this too might be an option.
Lifting the curse of Pazuzu with *Remove Curse* also lifts a curse by a Fey creature that he suffers from, but also breaks the tie to the First World, thus taking out Fey Foundling, Fey Taken.
Option B - Keep Inspiration and go mostly Paladin
Ora 4 or less. - This is basically the original, minus a cavalier level and boon companion.
Limiting Ora to 2 makes Aura of Justice come in earlier. Is an Animal Companion at char lvl-2 still viable?
3. Give up Smite/LoH/Grace and go Straight Oracle
Suddenly back to being a full caster. Have not looked at this option closely, but with 20 Cha I really should have, as my DC would be rather awesome, meaning I could even cast things that affect enemies (i.e. debuffs etc).
The lawful force that gives him his paladin powers is unhappy about the characters chaotic ways and being so attached to Desna, while Desna is very happy and cleanses him of the fey influence and grants him more spell powers.
4. Die an epic death (and build a new character that does not depend on sources outside of those that are allowed). (Religion / Jade Regent spoiler)
[Spoiler]Cursed by Pazuzu but knows how to summon him. Has heavy guilt issues of having failed friends in the past who are now dead. Asks Pazuzu to lift his curse and burden and resurrect his friends, but failes the will check and becomes a follower of Pazuzu himself, replacing all levels with Anti-Paladin for a sooner-or-later showdown with his Friends that they hopefully survive and he does not...
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Option 4 would be fun for a dream scene, but I do not have a new character I am itching to play, so this is out.
Option 3 is one that I have not looked into a lot yet. What is it like to play a full caster? Our Battle Oracle recently buffed himself from 16 to 22 str (and large size) in two spells, capable of doing silly amounts of damage. I could take Reduce Person and become a flying Archer type? Slight change of stats with less STR and more DEX... Sounds doable, but I would need some pointers as for how to build that. -- Devine Favor gets bigger... Prayer is nice... This is a real option with some more advice!
Option 1 is probably out, because Knowledge checks are awesome, and 3 skills / level just will not cut it... Although without an Animal Companion I could skip Ride and Handle Animal, so I would still be able to do Diplomacy, Perception and one other...
One of Option 2 variants seems to be what I want. This means I will not have to change class levels around right now, as either is fine with 2 levels of the other. However, the decision between Pal 2(or 4) / Ora X and Ora 2-4 / Pal X should happen soon unless there are feats that either will benefit from. However, either will benefit from Magical Knack trait; Pride drawback can pay for it.
Just words... So many words. I should probably just build all the options and see how they compare.
I have decided that I will look at straight Pal X, Ora X, Ora 2/Pal X, Ora 3/Pal X, Ora 4/Pal X, Pal 2/Ora X, and Pal 4/Ora X as options and build them all and see what I get or miss out on.
I do not have any experience with full casters, so any advice for Ora X would be much appreciated.
Update: I misunderstood Psychic Searcher, turns out I can't take Eidetic Recollection until level 11, knowledge monster is out.
Straight paladin lancer works really well (power attack, spirited charge). - One level cavalier for mounted combat also works, bringing it all together at level 5 (rather than 7), then Furious Focus, rest undecided, probably Extra Lay on Hands (for more smiting). One level of Oracle delays Power-Attack Damage gains a little bit, but it's not too bad. Wand of Cure Light for out of combat healing.
Still haven't seen enough things on the oracle list that I loved to feel that's what I'd want, but straight Paladin lancer is just so one-sided...
You don't need Paladin levels to be a good Life Oracle, and you don't need Oracle levels to be a good support Paladin.