Hey All,
I'm currently creating a character for a 20th level campaign. I'm considering playing an occult oracle. The capstone for this class allows the oracle to rise as a ghost if it dies.
I'm planing on playing mostly as a ghost, and as such I would love suggestions on items/feats or other optimizations that would benefit this kind of character, as well as thoughts on pitfalls to avoid.
Additionally suggestions for how to pass as not being a ghost in public would be great.
Thanks in advance!
I would also be interested in suggestions anyone might have
Greater hat of disguise
Problem about being a ghost - how are you going to equip ANYTHING, since you don't have a body?
A ghost touch amulet of mighty fists might help you interact with the world (I.e so you can wear headbands of alluring charisma, use metamagic rods), but check with your GM, it is subjective. You may also lose the ability to pass through things if you gain the ability to interact with the world. Again, GM fiat.
The good news is that you're an oracle, so your GM won't bother about your spell component pouch(probably), however, there may be some spells that require components still (I.e fireball from flame mystery as it was not expected at that time that fireball would be on divine casters spell list), so I would take eschew materials to play safe.
I suggest eldritch heritage(arcane) for an imp familiar, so you can have a pair of mundane hands for things you need hands with. Imps can turn invisible so are less likely to get themselves killed once the fighting starts.
Your feat choices are dependent on whether your GM allows you, as a ghost to wield metamagic rods. If no, you'll need to take every metamagic feat you can't do without.
Well equipment that is on a ghost's physical body still continues to function normally for the ghost, so I would assume that's all you need to equip something. I would guess that items like the headband work normally, but I'm not sure about metamagic rods.
I get this from the line that says :
When a ghost is created, it retains incorporeal “copies” of any items that it particularly valued in life (provided the originals are not in another creature's possession). The equipment works normally for the ghost but passes harmlessly through material objects or creatures.
Yeah, because of the line Amrel quoted, you can still equip and use functioning gear in a completely normal way, just as long as using that gear does not require physical contact with the material world. So a greater hat of disguise (or a normal hat of disguise, for that matter) will work fine to appear as a living creature. Likewise, headbands can still increase your mental stats, rods can still be used to imitate metamagic, and material components can still be used to cast spells.
In terms of overall character building, you'll probably want to focus on pumping Charisma as high as possible and applying it to as many things as possible. Increasing it is easy with all the usual bonuses plus the bonuses from being your race, being a ghost, dumping Strength and Con, and being (hopefully) venerable. You already get your casting stat to AC, hp, and Fortitude saves just by virtue of being a ghost. Taking Noble Scion of War gets you Charisma to initiative, and taking Deific Obedience (Calistria) gets you Charisma to AC again. With ectoplasmic armor, magic vestment, and a +5 ghost touch tower shield thrown on top of that, your AC will absolutely skyrocket.
But the defenses you get as a ghost extend far beyond AC. You'll be immune to most of the dangerous Fortitude or Will save effects coming your way without even having to roll, and you'll have quite good saves to deal with the rest. As a ghost, though, you will have one very significant defensive weakness: susceptibility to effects that target undead. You wouldn't think that this is a weakness you can circumvent, but actually it is.
Just a Mort's idea of getting a companion creature is sound, but there's a huge reason to go for an animal companion rather than a familiar. You can get one in the standard Nature Soul/Animal Ally route or take a shortcut by grabbing Companion Figurine, and once you do you qualify for Animal Soul. The feat Animal Soul will protect you from any anti-undead effect that doesn't also work on animals - that is to say, all of them. Bane? Nope! Control undead? Maybe another time. Positive energy? Heh, that tickles.
Your capstone has a couple of other neat benefits. Make liberal use of your free true seeing and astral projection spell-like abilities; you can never be too prepared. But some of the most powerful things it has to offer come in the form of standard and variant ghostly abilities. Check with your GM to see what options are available, and whether you get to choose.
In terms of archetypes, I'd suggest either Double-Cursed or Spirit Guide. As for your curse(s) themselves, legalistic can be useful and fun if it fits your character, and it gives you another benefit from your high charisma. The blindsight from clouded vision would also be really nice for remaining aware of your surroundings while hiding incorporeally in walls and floors.
Speaking of which, there is one more fantastic tactic being a ghost opens up to you: incorporeal Flyby Attacks. You get a fly speed, that you can use to qualify for and take the feat, and the standard action it grants you can be used for anything you want - in this case, spellcasting. With the feat, you can start your turn floating just below the floor, fly above it to cast a spell and get your bearings, then fly back down to end your turn safe from harm below ground. Being dead: the ultimate bunker.
Provided they are not in another's possession. Better bury your body with its possessions in some place where no one is going to dig it up, then. And make sure you die with your favorite metamagic rod in hand, and buried with your armor (don't bother about shields).
Ask your GM how ACP and encumbrance works out for a ghost too - since a ghost has 0 str.
If its not an issue, get adamantine full plate for max DR lol.
Problem is that - do spell component pouches decay(unless you want to keep gentle repose on your body all the time)? Yeah, eschew materials to play safe.
You really want an imp porter(tm) to hold out all your stuff(scrolls etc), in a handy haversack.
You can't use any goodly familiar, since you're undead, and therefore now evil by pathfinder rules.
The good side is you're immune to almost all mind affecting stuff, anything that requires a fort save that doesnt affect objects, and can't be harmed except by a magic weapon. Reflex saves are the things that will get you, I suggest a ring of evasion, and lightning reflexes line.
And animal soul idea is fun, but potentially game breaking. Though an animal ally at level 20 wouldn't be very helpful.
I will argue against ghost touch tower shields, since if 1 hand you're holding a rod, the other the shield, which hand were you using for the somantic components of spells?
Tell me how it works out!
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Just a Mort wrote: If its not an issue, get adamantine full plate for max DR lol. Between your Dex bonus, magic vestment, and Deific Obedience (Calistria), you're still probably better off with your ectoplasmic armor.
Just a Mort wrote: You can't use any goodly familiar, since you're undead, and therefore now evil by pathfinder rules. Ghost wrote: Although ghosts can be any alignment, the majority cling to the living world out of a powerful sense of rage and hatred, and as a result are chaotic evil—even the ghost of a good or lawful creature can become hateful and cruel in its afterlife. Although many types of undeath force characters to become evil, ghosts are an exception. Though not the rule, ghosts of non-evil alignments certainly exist, and they show up in multiple Paizo adventure paths. It would be pretty awful if your class's capstone forced you to change alignments, and in this case it's in your best mechanical interest to stay on the side of good (as anti-undead abilities and anti-evil abilities often mesh together a little too well for comfort).
Just a Mort wrote: And animal soul idea is fun, but potentially game breaking. I have a feeling that if the GM was going to draw a line for "gamebreaking," they would have done it at the transformation into a ghost, not at the protection from anti-undead abilities. Animal Soul only helps against attacks that the rest of your party is safe from anyway, and it's not much out of line with other high-level options. But for undead... yeah, it is a very powerful combination.
Just a Mort wrote: I will argue against ghost touch tower shields, since if 1 hand you're holding a rod, the other the shield, which hand were you using for the somantic components of spells? That's a valid point. Holding a rod is pretty much a necessity, but I hate to just throw away a +9 AC bonus on a character like this. Can anyone think of a way around this? All that's coming to mind is an Animated Shield, which would solve the problem pretty well but start to get quite expensive quite fast.
Deific obedience to Callistra does not grant bonus AC. Though a "ghost lover" certainly has interesting meaning. What does ectoplasmic property do?
Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
PFSRD wrote: Drawn from energies of the Ethereal Plane, ectoplasm is a vile substance resembling thick tangles of slimy linen or dripping goo. Sounds pretty much like the green goo from Ghostbusters.
Just a Mort wrote: Deific obedience to Callistra does not grant bonus AC. Though a "ghost lover" certainly has interesting meaning. I believe deific obedience does grant that. The feat states:
Quote: If you have no levels in one of these prestige classes, you gain the boons marked as exalted boons. and the third exalted boon for Callistra :
Quote: Protective Grace (Ex) You may add your Charisma bonus to your AC while wearing light or no armor. This bonus applies against touch attacks. Any condition that would cause you to lose your Dexterity bonus to AC also causes you to lose your Charisma bonus to AC. Just a Mort wrote: What does ectoplasmic property do? In this case Ectoplasmic armor is referring an occult oracle mystery that grants you an ectoplasmic suit of armor for a certain period of time per day.
Additionally, thanks for all of the suggestions! Keep them coming!
There was a ruling that you can't get an attribute to the same thing twice so charisma to ac twice doesn't work.
You could try throwing In some form of eldritch heritage.
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fearcypher wrote: There was a ruling that you can't get an attribute to the same thing twice so charisma to ac twice doesn't work.
You could try throwing In some form of eldritch heritage.
The ruling was that you cant get an untyped bonus from the same stat more than once.
Link to FAQ Here
The FAQ specifically calls out this case:
Quote: However, you can still add, for instance “a deflection bonus equal to your Charisma modifier” and your Charisma modifier. In this case I believe you would be getting an untyped bonus from your service to Calistra and a deflection bonus from being a ghost.
Ah found it. Now you can carry all the things you want. You dont need eldritch heritage familiar any longer, you can carry and use anything you want.
Amulet of grasping souls
Contrary to normal advice you want to have as little Constitution as possible as when you become a ghost you are undead and have no Constitution score, If this is point buy get you self some points by having as low a Con as possible. (Assuming you want to die and play a ghost)
Also Charisma will be very important as it will determine your Hp as a ghost. As a ghost you gain a deflection bonus equal to your Charisma. All the saves of your ghost powers are Charisma based.
Lastly and this should not be a problem make sure your will saves are good because that is the only thing stopping command undead and control undead from working on you.
Feats to consider
Flyby Attack - for delivering those touch attacks etc.
Ability Focus - If there is one ability you think you will use a lot.
Those are my thoughts off hand, good luck and have fun.
Death From Above- +5 to hit is nice, but it would not stack with Flyby attack.
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