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Hi, I am quite new to 2e having played mostly 1e and I am going to build a character for the Extinction Curse AP.
I am well versed with rpgs having played every D&D edition, pathfinder 1e and many others but generally I take a couple of sessions to get in touch with a system.
As such I want to avoid building something "wrong" or failing to notice good character options at character creation.
Mind you, I don't need to be super min/maxed, just viable, not having redundant or incompatible feats, not getting things early that would have been a better choice later. For example I see many Oracle feats that give you an extra focus point but knowing your maximum number of points is 3 clearly you want to pick no more than two.
My idea was to have an oracle of lore but I am not adamant about it, the main thing is that I want a caster focused build, so probably not battle.
Is there any pointer you could give me, if not a full build, on building a Changeling(human) Oracle?
More in the specific, if nobody has directions or a full build to suggest, there are specific issues I want to have clarified.
1) what is the most effective use of "1 free recall knowledge roll per turn"? not having played with the system I can't tell if it can be really impactful or just a quirk.
2) Should I build an extensive array of lores or should I go the opposite way, almost ignoring lores and relying on effects that give me lores on command?
3) what feats that increase my focus pool should I aim for? Getting a second point at level 2 seems great, but the level 4 and 6 feats that give focus points sounds better and I get the impression that getting 3 focus point giving feats is a total waste.
4) any consideration or pitfall I should look out for?
The value of Recall Knowledge depends quite a bit on your GM and the info you get, it can range from being very impactful to being redundant or useless. Therefor when making a character that is focused on RK I would suggest having a chat with your GM about how they'll handle it in general.
Having plenty of Lores is actually a really good way to squeeze the most out of a build like this, lores get a large decrease to the DC of RK checks and can be really potent for succeeding at those.
Oracles start with 2 points and automatically gets the feat that lets them recharge focus points faster, however an oracle should not be concerned at all with increasing the focus pool as your curse will be the largest limiter anyways. Though the feats that increase your focus pool have less value because they increase your focus pool and more value because they give you another option to use your focus spells. Some focus spells like Debilitating Dichotomy are very powerful.
In general as a caster, I tip I can give you is try to cover most of your general basis. If you plan on casting offensive spells make sure you have one that have a good effect on success if you meet bosses, if you are using a lot of effects like Demoralize or Fear make sure you have something for when mindless undead show up and such just so you are not completely left in the dust when that happens.
For a divine caster like an Oracle, you are not required to have a deity at all but many spells do, it may be worth having a deity on your character sheet so you can cast spells that require them. If your character does not want to be a worshipper, perhaps you could negotiate to make that deity the source of your powers?
As such I want to avoid building something "wrong" or failing to notice good character options at character creation.
I'll focus on the differences with the previous edition.
First, PF2 is well balanced. You'll have hard time having a weak or strong character. So you can make a bit of what you want how you want and it should be fine. There's a lot of freedom.Second, casters have changed a lot, even if they haven't much. They are no more reigning like they were in the past, most spells have been nerfed. It's especially no more possible to end an encounter with a single spell (most crippling spells have the Incapacitation tag that prevent them from working much against higher level foes).
Overall, the Oracle is not one of the strongest class in the game, and some mysteries are considered better than others. Lore is considered quite weak, I prefer to tell you.
Also, I encourage you to increase Intimidation and take the proper skill feats: In PF2, Demoralize is extremely strong. And as a Charisma-based class you'll get the most out of it.
About your questions:
1) Recall Knowledge is sometimes important, but for most fights it's not mandatory. I wouldn't specialize myself on it, even if it's nice to have it when it's needed.
2) The issue is that there are a near infinite number of Lores, so you will have hard time getting them all. The ones that can be useful are the ones linked to creature types (Undead Lore, Dragon Lore). See with your GM how they want to handle them. But besides that, I'll certainly grab a way to get them on demand, as it's extremely strong.
3) You don't have to care about your Focus Pool. You start with 2 Focus Point and you'll certainly take at least one Focus Power that will fill your Focus Pool definitely. Also, you'll only really need a 3rd focus point at level 17, when you'll be able to refocus 3 points at a time. Before that, it's mostly useless.
4) I encourage you to grab the cantrip Electric Arc one way or another. It will greatly help you at low level. There are Ancestry feats to get it.
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Changelings can get Electric Arc at level 1 with an ancestry feat. Getting that will help most Oracle Builds.
Divine Access is a great feat that will improve considerably the quality of your spell list. It requires a bit of investigation, though. With it I would mostly look for are debuffs (like Slow) and AoE effects (like Fireball).
My personal favourite mystery is Flames, but it can be a lot to deal with. If you want what I think is the best mystery, go for Cosmos Oracle. The focus spell you can get at leve 6 is nuts and your curse benefit is really strong. Lore Oracle is in the weak side IMO, but it is definitely playable. A free RK is useful the first or second turn of combat, the more turns they pass, the worse it is.
Innate spells have the same exact DC as your Oracle spells due to being a CHA caster. Make use of that too.
Heal is your friend. Signature it. Roaring Applause is also a perfect pick when you get level 3 spells.
Hi, I am quite new to 2e having played mostly 1e and I am going to build a character for the Extinction Curse AP.
I am well versed with rpgs having played every D&D edition, pathfinder 1e and many others but generally I take a couple of sessions to get in touch with a system.
Welcome to the party.
As such I want to avoid building something "wrong" or failing to notice good character options at character creation.
Mind you, I don't need to be super min/maxed, just viable, not having redundant or incompatible feats, not getting things early that would have been a better choice later.
That is pretty much what you get by default. There are some general guidelines - that the system steers you towards. Such as getting 16 to 18 at level 1 for your key class stat (CHA for an Oracle). Get armor that suits your DEX bonus.
Other than that, if viable is what you are after it won't be hard to get that.
For example I see many Oracle feats that give you an extra focus point but knowing your maximum number of points is 3 clearly you want to pick no more than two.
3) what feats that increase my focus pool should I aim for? Getting a second point at level 2 seems great, but the level 4 and 6 feats that give focus points sounds better and I get the impression that getting 3 focus point giving feats is a total waste.
You start with 2 focus points at level 1. You will literally have more focus points than you are able to spend. You are more limited by your curse progression than you are the actual number of points that you have.
The benefit of getting additional focus spells from feats is the flexibility. You will have more spells to choose from when casting them.
My idea was to have an oracle of lore but I am not adamant about it, the main thing is that I want a caster focused build, so probably not battle.
Is there any pointer you could give me, if not a full build, on building a Changeling(human) Oracle?
I like lore mystery. The major benefit that I see is that the curse for it is fairly easy to handle. It doesn't give a lot of benefit, but there aren't a lot of drawbacks either. So it would be a good choice for a first character. Some of the other curses have better benefits, but also require a lot better system mastery in order to use effectively and not feel that the curse drawbacks are getting in the way.
1) what is the most effective use of "1 free recall knowledge roll per turn"? not having played with the system I can't tell if it can be really impactful or just a quirk.
It depends on the GM. But assuming that the GM is willing to give out useful and meaningful information - such as which saves are weak, or special attacks or abilities that it has - then it can be really useful.
2) Should I build an extensive array of lores or should I go the opposite way, almost ignoring lores and relying on effects that give me lores on command?
Almost certainly the second one. There are a bajillion lore categories. Trying to know a significant number of them is going to take too many skill boosts.
You need 1 lore in order to Earn Income - though even that can be replaced with some skills or skill feats (crafting, performance, diplomacy, or society typically). And you need to be proficient in it permanently since you are using it during downtime. And usually you are given that for free with your background choice.
Other than that, lore lets you recall knowledge with a lower DC. Not something that you need permanently since recall knowledge is 1 action. And if you have the wrong lore, it will do you no benefit at all. So an ability to grab a lore of choice on demand for 1 minute is a really nice option.