Alright, technically a 2nd level Paladin (Divine Hunter) / 4th level Oracle (Ancient Lore Keeper), but the question remains the same.
In a party with two very tanky martials and an enchantment-focused Sorcerer. I'm the group's sole source of healing and have solid melee and ranged ability as well, just to fill in as needed. I started looking at the list of potentials and I just couldn't seem narrow it down between useful and combat-oriented spells...
Alarm
Color Spray
Enlarge Person
Feather Fall
Floating Disk
Gravity Bow
Grease
Ray of Enfeeblement
Ray of Sickening
Shield
Silent Image
Truestrike
Unseen Servant
Vanish
(already have Protection vs. Evil)
I tend to lean away from spells that require saving throws, simply because the build isn't designed to produce high DC's... though the spell will technically count as a 2nd level spell.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Enlarge person is always useful, feather fall can be a life saver is certain specific situations, the rest isn't very useful for a character like yours imo.
What spells do you already have from your oracle class? Don't take anything that you can already do.
Enlarge person is a great spell to support tanks -- mostly because Large creatures have greater reach, the actual damage increase is usually marginal.
I love silent image as it's a really handy utility spell -- cover for ambushes, decoration for parties, illusionary doubles to make the enemy waste attacks, send an illusion down a trapped corridor and see if the enemy follows, etc., etc., etc.
Gravity bow isn't a bad spell for a ranged support character, and vanish can be a useful short-term help-the-party, conceal-the-scout, or protect-a-friend spell. I agree that none of the others sound really useful to you unless there's something I'm missing.
What spells do you already have from your oracle class? Don't take anything that you can already do.
Enlarge person is a great spell to support tanks -- mostly because Large creatures have greater reach, the actual damage increase is usually marginal.
I love silent image as it's a really handy utility spell -- cover for ambushes, decoration for parties, illusionary doubles to make the enemy waste attacks, send an illusion down a trapped corridor and see if the enemy follows, etc., etc., etc.
Gravity bow isn't a bad spell for a ranged support character, and vanish can be a useful short-term help-the-party, conceal-the-scout, or protect-a-friend spell. I agree that none of the others sound really useful to you unless there's something I'm missing.
At this point, these are the spells I know (keep in mind that the Wizard spell will also be spontaneously cast):
0 level - Detect Magic, Enhanced Diplomacy, Guidance, Light, Mending, Resistance
1st - Cure Light Wounds, Divine Favor, Know the Enemy, Remove Sickness, Read Magic*
2nd - Cure Moderate Wounds, Lesser Restoration, (1st level Wizard spell)*
The character uses both a reach weapon (Fauchard) and a Composite Bow. I was looking at the other more utilitarian spells to provide some out-of-combat versatility as it seems we usually have combat locked down pretty tight. I like Silent Image too but our Sorcerer already has it... FWIW, next level I'll be taking Communal Protection vs. Evil.
Often times I look at combat spells as if they were being cast on the 1st round of combat rather than in preparation ahead of time, and ask myself 'does this give me a better advantage' than what else I might normally do with a standard action?
Since the character is a Battle Oracle with the Powerless Prophecy curse (Staggered first round of combat), I'm thinking Gravity Bow might be the way to go.
A good out-of-combat first level wizard spell? Perhaps unseen servant or disguise self. I assume an enchantment-focused sorceror already has charm person available with better save DCs than you are likely to.
Gravity bow is good if you mostly stand back and plink at the enemy.
A good out-of-combat first level wizard spell? Perhaps unseen servant or disguise self. I assume an enchantment-focused sorceror already has charm person available with better save DCs than you are likely to.
Gravity bow is good if you mostly stand back and plink at the enemy.
Generally speaking, I expect to open combat with a buff spell, attack at range and then help heal up afterwards. Generally, though the character was deliberately built to be pretty versatile.
Given that, I think Gravity Bow might be the way I go, though up til now that 'opener' as been reserved for Divine Favor (Fate's Favored trait to go along with being a Cayden Cailean worshipper).
Shield or vanish. Shield if you're concerned about AC, vanish for utility (since it can target other characters as well).
|
Alright, technically a 2nd level Paladin (Divine Hunter) / 4th level Oracle (Ancient Lore Keeper), but the question remains the same.
In a party with two very tanky martials and an enchantment-focused Sorcerer. I'm the group's sole source of healing and have solid melee and ranged ability as well, just to fill in as needed. I started looking at the list of potentials and I just couldn't seem narrow it down between useful and combat-oriented spells...
Alarm
Color Spray
Enlarge Person
Feather Fall
Floating Disk
Gravity Bow
Grease
Ray of Enfeeblement
Ray of Sickening
Shield
Silent Image
Truestrike
Unseen Servant
Vanish
(already have Protection vs. Evil)I tend to lean away from spells that require saving throws, simply because the build isn't designed to produce high DC's... though the spell will technically count as a 2nd level spell.
Any advice would be appreciated.
If your Reach based. Shield is a great AC spell.
Grease is a nice multi use spell...very good choice.
Mount is a great spell. Can be used in place of floating disk or aunt haul, Can trigger traps, can be used as cover, Can be rode long distances. Very useful spell.
Enlarge person- Depends on group make up and Targets. Long Arm is another good choice.
|
Everyone keep in mind that Ancient Lorekeeper casts these Wizard spells one level higher than normal. So we're talking about something that would use a 2nd level slot to cast. Taking anything that is already on the Oracle list (like Comprehend Languages) doesn't make sense. A 25gp scroll, a 750gp Wand, or a 1,000gp Page of Spell Knowledge would be much better ways to get access to it.
Shield or Gravity Bow look like the frontrunners to me. Neither are on the Oracle list, and both offer a good benefit in combat. Both would also open up access to using a Wand of those spells, which in a lot of cases will be sufficient. Divine Favor is an excellent first round buff, though, especially with Fate's Favored. Actually casting either Shield or Gravity bow from a spell slot when you're anticipating combat can also work. Get a Rod of Extend Spell, and you only have to guess within 16 minutes (assuming you have Magical Knack for CL8 as an Oracle) of when you're going to get into a fight. That frees up round 1 for casting the much shorter duration Divine Favor.
I have a melee Ancient Lorekeeper 6/Warpriest 3. My Wizard Spells Are:
1st - Ghost Sound
2nd - Shield
3rd - Mirror Images
I can precast Shield when I'm anticipating a fight. It lasts for 8 minutes (or 16 with the Rod). If I guess wrong, it's just a 2nd level slot and not a big loss. On the first round of combat, I can swift cast using Fervor to get Divine Favor, then Standard cast Mirror Images, then move up.
Shield is an amazing buff spell for anyone that doesn't use a shield. +4 AC that works against incorporeal creatures and stacks with all of your other AC bonuses is tough to come by. But Gravity Bow is equally good for archers, as it's a larger than normal average damage jump for the Longbow. 1d8 to 2d6 goes from a 4.5 average to 7 average.
Floating disc
Ray of enfeeblement
Grease
Unseen servant
Shield
Several choices are useful. Much depends on the type of campaign being played and what your wizard already casts.
I am playing a Life Oracle myself, so I have no arcane spells - and usually no time to cast them if I had :)