|
So, it was nearly one year ago to the day that I originally asked you all for advice on making a time themed character, and after letting the idea stew for a while, I've finally decided to make a Time Oracle!
....then I wondered what the heck to do with him. After toying with some ideas and borrowing more than a little from one of my favorite games, I've strongly considered using Dervish Dance in order to cut down on MADness and still have something to do when I'm not supporting with the very buff-focused Cleric spell list.
Rough outline as follows:
FCB: Extra Skill Point through level 3, then Extra Spell Known
Curse: Tongues (Aklo)
Mystery: Time
Gear Goals: Adamantine Scimitar, Mithril Breastplate, usual Big 6 stuff
Str 13 Dex 15+2 Con 14 Int 12 Cha 14 Wis 8
Traits: Reactionary, Fate's Favored
1) Weapon Finesse, (Bonus) Weapon Proficiency: Scimitar, Revelation: Knowledge of the Ages
2)
3) Dervish Dance, Revelation: Temporal Celerity
4) Dex +1
5) Power Attack
6)
7) Extra Revelation: Time Hop, Revelation: Speed or Slow Time
8+) Unsure...
Does this look like the solid foundation of a functional build? What might be a good way to round out the later levels? Or is blowing early feats not worth the fighting style? If I do go this way, any suggestions for Cleric spells besides the obvious ones (Divine Favor, etc) that combo with Fate's Favored?
EDIT: Messed up the point buy. Should be up to snuff, now.
|
Eshshah is a PFS Ifrit with 4 levels in Time Oracle and 2 levels in Fighter (lore warden). Click the profile for more info.
Link to the build skeleton.
If you've got any questions about mine I'm happy to help, hopefully it gives you some ideas though.
Should work fine; Power Attack and Divine Favor make Dervish Dance pretty fierce. If you're using 20pt. buy, you're short by a couple points.
An Elven Lorekeeper Oracle would be able to trade in the rather uninspired bonus spells for wizard spells - either time-themed or just useful, like Mirror Image and Heroism. Stats-wise it could go pretty much the same (minus one point of CON), except that it would make more sense to use the free Elf rapier training for Fencing Grace (which sets you back one feat, but that feat is Weapon Focus); with Fencing Grace you're also able to use a shield.
If you're using Fencing Grace or Dervish Dance you can always grab Amateur Swashbuckler: Dodging Panache and then use the panache pool to fuel a Swashbuckler's Flair: Blue Scarf. Turning your weapon into a reach weapon and having the ability to move with an immediate action when first attacked has pretty great tactical benefits.
For now. With the Ultimate Intrigue reprint of Fencing Grace, You'll likely be stuck with a buckler once additional resources is updated.with Fencing Grace you're also able to use a shield.
Well 'shield' generally anyhow. For this purpose buckler is the same thing.
|
|
@Eshshah
Oh, interesting build. Crit shenanigans and a dip in my favotive Fighter archetype. I was wonderi g where the damage came from until I saw Butterfly Sting. But based on your experience, how much does the Clouded Vision curse bite you in the ass?
@Badbird
Whoops, miscounted pointbuy. Should be fine now. And when it comes to the EElven Lorekeeper archetype, I could see myself doing that with Half Elf to get the free proficiency. I'll have to look over my options, but that looks like a great way to replace some of the lame spells. I was also considering Dual Cursed, but I really like the bonus skills you get from Time.
Great call on the Swashbuckler feat. Really fits the fighting style of what I'm after! The only problem I forsee is the Dodging trick only working in light armor, while a mithril breastplate seems to be my best armor item.
@Imbicatus
Bluh. I knew I was right to trust my gut feeling that Fencing Grace was a dead man walking.
Quick question about making this work: would it be possible to go buckler in one hand and aeapon in the other, pass my sword to the buckler hand to cast, pass it back, and still keep the buckler's AC going all the while?
|
Hey Rosc, one of my favorite PFS Buddies!
Okay, I have to say this. You want to do Aklo, with tongues curse, in PFS? You want no one to understand you, and understand no one while in combat? If the answer to this is still 'yes', I'll move on.
My thoughts on Elven Lorekeeper: I know other people love it, but in PFS it's limited to elves. Also, I'm not that excited by getting those wizard spells at one level lower than my clerical spells.
I don't see a problem with going Dervish Dance for a dexy oracle. Oracles have a bit more feat freedom than other classes. If you want to play with that fighting style, go for it.
Hmm
You will want to check how useful power attack will really be for you. With 3/4 BAB, it means every fight you are buffing in order to be able to use the feat. You may do better with weapon focus.
I would take improved initiative to complement temporal celerity. If you are spending a revelation on Init, make sure you can get a good roll.
Time Flicker seems like it would be more useful than Speed or Slow time mostly because many groups already have someone to haste them at that level.
Might want to GM baby this to third before you play it.
Whoops, miscounted pointbuy. Should be fine now. And when it comes to the EElven Lorekeeper archetype, I could see myself doing that with Half Elf to get the free proficiency. I'll have to look over my options, but that looks like a great way to replace some of the lame spells. I was also considering Dual Cursed, but I really like the bonus skills you get from Time.
Great call on the Swashbuckler feat. Really fits the fighting style of what I'm after! The only problem I forsee is the Dodging trick only working in light armor, while a mithril breastplate seems to be my best armor item.
As was said, PFS Half-Elves can't take Elf archetypes - but Elves get free rapier proficiency anyways, so that's not an issue. It's true that Elven Lorekeeper gets spells at a higher level, but if those spells are incredibly useful...
According to FAQ, mithral medium armor counts as light for pretty much everything except magic properties, so dodging panache works fine in a mithral breastplate.
I'd say Power Attack is very much worth it assuming that you've got Divine Favor running. If you grab Heroism, it completely cancels out the later Power Attack penalty anyhow.
Passing a weapon to your buckler-hand to cast is totally legit rules-wise, and makes perfect sense if any Cleric or Paladin with a light shield does it every time they want to cast a spell.
|
|
Yeah, I like the curse. It's a holdover for another concept. Remember that Lore Oracle who wanted to invent a Spellcraft based sigh language? :-)
I find Temporal Celerity's ability to weed out crappy initiative rolls to be more han effective. However, I am still considering a more caster focused build. In that case, Noble Scion and Improved Initiative... sexy.
Power Attack on Dervish seems more and more legit the more I look at it. Especially with Divine Shenanigans keeping me up to snuff.
I like the idea of Elf Intensifes, but that Con penalty fills me with am existential dread. I will strongly consider it if I end up going Caster.
After looking it over, Psychic Searcher is my currwnt frontrunner. If I can find an Investgator talent to cover for an early Revalation, chances are I'll play that.
Counts as light armor? One more reason to love mithril beastplate.
The character is already a level 2 GM baby. Unless "Six Seconds to Midnight" or that one time travel focused Special come up sometime soon, I'll be boosting him to level 3 at least.
|
|
Bobbi was a GM Baby.
Noble Scion, Prophetic Armor, Psychic Searcher.
All of this covers for that 7 dex. I did actually consider getting her the ioun stone that grants exotic weapon proficiency at the cost of -2 dex, and then decided that I might be getting too absurd with the dex dump...
There is no good investigator talent to make up for the revelation loss. You just eat it, or take extra revelation.
I like the idea of Elf Intensifes, but that Con penalty fills me with am existential dread.
Well, if you're taking FCB HP on an Elf instead of spells known then HP ends up in the same place anyhow.