I've heard many times that oracles can do just about anything. And the concept of a Rogue-Ish divine caster has always interested me. So when I discovered the Intrigue Oracle Mystery, I had to check it out.
Now I definitely want to play one at some point, any idea for a build? Feats, Traits, Curse (or Curses) Archetypes? Because I really want this character to be viable. Right now, I see it functioning as a "Save or Suck" Enchanter, but are any other ideas viable?
What are you trying to do when you say rogue? There is a seeker for trapfinding
What are you trying to do when you say rogue? There is a seeker for trapfinding
I mean more of the sneaky scoudrel character who's a master of socializing, gathering information and thieving.
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Seems like the Intrigue Mystery is right up your back alley -- it helps you sneak, socialize, gather information, and steal stuff. I wouldn't recommend the Seeker archetype, because it eats 2 Revelations and your bonus class skills (and the Intrigue Mystery gives you 4 that you really want for your type of character, so they will be hard to get back through traits), so you are better off trying to get Trapfinding some other way, or at least to give you Disable Device in class.
The following only do give you Disable Device in class (except as noted), and you are going to have to use spells to disable magical traps:
- Nimble Fingers, Keen Mind (religion trait of Brigh)
- Skill Unlock (Disable Device) with 10 ranks (gives you Trapfinding at -10, but you need to get Disable Device in class another way, and you have to wait until 10th level for this to kick in)
- Vagabond Child (urban regional trait)
- Wisdom in the Flesh (religion trait of Irori)
The following give you actual trapfinding, but without the +1/2 bonus per level except as noted:
- Dip in a class (Investigator, Unchained Rogue, or Trapfinding-enabled archetype of something else, such as Trapper Ranger) that has Trapfinding (gives effectively a flat +1 bonus unless you dip LONG) -- Investigator isn't going to be great unless you invest substantially in Intelligence, while Unchained Rogue at least gives you free Weapon Finesse and even more starting skill ranks, so Unchained Rogue is probably your best bet, although if you aren't going Finesse, consider Trapper Ranger, which will also give you better weapon proficiencies and some other useful perks)
- Trap Finder (campaign trait of Mummy's Mask, which gives you Trapfinding but without the bonus -- but you have to be playing in Mummy's Mask)
- VMC Rogue (costs your 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th level feats, but at 3rd level gives you the full version of Trapfinding; the other levels aren't so great for you, though, so it may not be worth it unless you actually want the Sneak Attack, which appears at 7th level and then scales at half speed)
With respect to the Intrigue Mystery itself, the Revelations generally look pretty good (except as noted):
- Assumed Form (Disguise Self and eventually no-disbelief Transmutation Disguise Self, and no limit on uses per day -- sign me up)
- Desire Sight (find out what others want -- sounds pretty good, except that the limitation on uses per day hurts at low levels, so you might want to get it later)
- Forgotten Presence (definitely useful if you are willing to do the evil of messing with people's minds to obfuscate records of your presence; however, the limitation on uses per day really hurts on this one, even at later levels, so you might want to get Abundant Revelations for it if you are going to get it, but keep in mind that the bonus spell False Belief that you get at 4th level partially overlaps with this)
- Gossip Guru (sounds useful although flaky, but the limitation on uses per day hurts at low levels, so you might want to get it later, and you can't even get it at all before 7th level)
- Hidden Magic (bonus Conceal Spell, and it gets better with level -- the use of this is self-explanatory)
- Mirrored Retreat (fleeing Mirror Images for when you want to get away, but the uses per day are limited, and since you and the Mirror Images move in 8 different directions, while the available directions to move are likely to be considerably less, this isn't so great; also, by the time the number of uses per day gets to be decent, a lot of opponents will probably have True Seeing or something equivalent, and even before that, a common dog is unlikely to be fooled, so this REALLY isn't so great)
- Poetic Vengeance (making enemies eat their own attack sounds good, but it is half of damage -- you still get the other half -- and 50% chance to apply for non-damaging effects -- you still get 50% chance to suffer the effects -- and the uses per day are very limited -- pass)
- Tracer Touch (putting a tracer on people you want to spy on is very useful, but you can't get this until 11th level, and then the uses per day are extremely limited, even at high levels -- you will likely want Abundant Revelations with this if you want to use it)
- Veiled Venom (at-will ability to disguise a Potion of Gaseous Form that you need to sneak in to jail to break out an accomplice? -- sign me up; just be careful that even though it is at-will, you can only use it on 1 thing at a time)
- Whispered Glimpses (use your Charisma modifier instead of your Wisdom modifier on Perception and Sense Motive? -- sign me up; just make sure to nab Perception as a class skill with a trait, if you can, maybe even if you have to use the Additional Traits feat to make it fit in)
Overall, the Intrigue Mystery bonus spells are a mixed bag:
- Level 2: Charm Person (the utility is obvious, and if you don't mind messing with people's minds, here you go)
- Level 4: False Belief (see Forgotten Presence Revelation above, except that this has a temporary but more widely applicable effect, and eventually a lower DC unless you use Heighten Spell and/or Persistent Spell with it)
- Level 6: Suggestion (these aren't the Druids you're looking for . . . move along . . . move along)
- Level 8: Sending (already on your spell list, but being able to text your friends and enable them to answer immediately even at great distances is useful, although a 4th level spell is expensive for this)
- Level 10: True Seeing (already on your spell list, but being able to see things as they really are is obviously useful)
- Level 12: Symbol of Persuasion (on your spell list, and horrifically expensive in terms of Material Components -- better make sure you're REALLY going to get your money's worth since you have to spend 5000 gp of diamond dust on it)
- Level 14: Greater Scrying (on your spell list, but the uses for a spy are obvious)
- Level 16: Mind Blank (not on your spell list, and only the paranoid survive, so you want this)
- Level 18: Overwhelming Presence (rather an odd choice for this Mystery; on your spell list, but useful, although you will be causing brain damage in some of the targets)
To answer your actual question of what you could do other than an enchanter.
They can also do buff/control spells, its not as easy as doing it as a wizard but the spell list does have options. Just looking at the level 1 spells, because I think as you get access to more levels of spells it becomes easier to do you could get spells like barbed chains, obscuring mist, shadow trap. Of course the Summon monster line helps.
If you can take Samsaran then you can grab some very powerful control spells from the druid list.
That isn't to say the enchanter guy won't work(and honestly I think thematically fits an intrigue game nicely), its just another thing you could potentially do.
As for your query about the Rogueish divine casters in general, Inquisitors also work for that niche. Although I think this oracle idea looks fun.
Tough part will be deciding on an Oracle Curse. Sanguine or Frenetic maybe?
Intrigue does seem like a good fit. You could also consider Wind and Shadow mysteries, as both lend themselves to stealthy, rogue-like characters.
Makes sense, but I don't want this character to be the sneaky, in the shadows type. I want them to be the Charismatic Manipulator type.
Aboleth (Curse of Corruption) is quite a face friendly curse, so is legalistic, Haunted is helpful for the spells it adds, Wrecker makes you good at disable devices.
^The Aboleth Curse removes Diplomacy from your class skills (in exchange for Bluff or Intimidate), so not as face-friendly as you might think (although if you can squeeze in a trait to get back Diplomacy but not Bluff, it could still work).
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For being the Charismatic Manipulator type, the Intrigue Mystery looks like the way to go.
Note that the Frenetic and Sanguine Curses are both 3rd party (for some reason www.d20pfsrd.com scrambled everything together in the Oracle's Curse page, as on the CHangeling page).
Destined Diplomat isn't a bad one.
+ Aboleth also gives you some handy spells known.