Not all vessels of the divine choose their path. Rather, some find themselves chosen, raised to a life of power and responsibility by forces they themselves may not understand. These are the oracles, agents gifted by providence and serving not a single deity, but rather many sources, venerating and drawing magic from all those patron deities who support their ideals. Whether a curse or a gift, the strange powers and unsettling mysteries of the oracles make them forces to be reckoned with, both in the halls of power and on the fields of battle.
This section introduces new oracle mysteries. Following these mysteries are six new oracle archetypes. Each archetype includes a list of recommended mysteries that are particularly suitable for that archetype, though the archetypes are not limited only to oracles of those mysteries. An archetype's bonus spells replace the normal bonus spells for the oracle's chosen mystery.
Mysteries
The following are new mysteries for oracles. An oracle must pick one mystery upon taking her first level of oracle. Once made, this choice cannot be changed. Unless otherwise noted, the DC to save against these revelations is equal to 10 + 1/2 the oracle's class level + the oracle's Charisma modifier. Effects that duplicate spells use the oracle's class level as her caster level.
Ancestor
Deities
Class Skills
An oracle with the ancestor mystery adds Linguistics, and all Knowledge skills to her list of class skills.
Bonus Spells
unseen servant (2nd), spiritual weapon (4th), heroism (6th), spiritual ally (8th), telekinesis (10th), greater heroism (12th), ethereal jaunt (14th), vision (16th), astral projection (18th).
Revelations
An oracle with the ancestor mystery can choose from any of the following revelations.
You can summon a simple or martial weapon from your family's history that is appropriate for your current size. You are considered proficient with this weapon. At 3rd level, the weapon is considered masterwork. At 7th level, 15th level, and 19th level, the weapon gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus. At 11th level, the weapon gains the ghost touch weapon property. You can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to your oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be used in 1-minute increments. The weapon disappears after 1 round if it leaves your grasp.
As a move action, you can call upon your ancestors to grant you extra bravery in battle. You gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and Will saves against fear for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus. At 7th level, this bonus increases to +2, and at 14th level this bonus increases to +3. You can use this ability once per day, plus one additional time per day at 5th level, and every five levels thereafter.
As a standard action, you can perform a melee touch attack that causes a living creature to become shaken. This ability lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your oracle level (minimum 1 round). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
As a move action, you can call upon your ancestors to provide council. This advice grants you a +2 bonus on any one d20 roll. This effect lasts for 1 round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma bonus.
You can summon the spirit of a great warrior ancestor and allow it to possess you, becoming a mighty warrior yourself. You gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, and a +4 natural armor bonus to AC. Your base attack bonus while possessed equals your oracle level (which may give you additional attacks), and you gain the Improved Critical feat with a weapon of your choice. You can use this ability for 1 round for every 2 oracle levels you possess. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-round increments. You must be at least 11th level to select this revelation.
You can call upon the spirits of your ancestors to form a shield around you that blocks incoming attacks and grants you a +4 armor bonus. At 7th level, and every four levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +2. At 13th level, this shield causes arrows, rays, and other ranged attacks requiring an attack roll against you to have a 50% miss chance. You can use this shield for 1 hour per day per oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-hour increments.
You can become incorporeal and invisible. While in this form, you can move in any direction and pass through solid objects. You can take no action other than to move while in this form. You remain in this form for a number of rounds equal to your oracle level, but you can end this effect prematurely as a standard action. You can use this ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 15th level. You must be at least 11th level to select this revelation.
You can summon the spirits of your ancestors to attack in a ghostly barrage—their fury creates physical wounds on creatures in the area. The storm has a range of 100 feet and is a 20-foot-radius burst. Objects and creatures in the area take 1d8 hit points of damage for every two oracle levels you possess. Undead creatures in the area take 1d8 points of damage for every oracle level you possess. A successful Fortitude save reduces the damage to half. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation. You can use this ability once per day, plus one additional time per day at 11th level and every four levels thereafter.
You can speak with the dead, as per the spell, for a number of rounds per day equal to your oracle level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter, the dead creature you question takes a cumulative –2 penalty on its Will save to resist this effect.
Once per day, you can enter a trance in which you commune with the spirits of your ancestors. This trance lasts for 10 minutes, which must be uninterrupted and during which you can take no other actions. When you come out of this trance, you have gained mystical insight into the future. At 1st level, this insight acts as an augury spell with 80% effectiveness. At 5th level, the insight takes the form of a divination with 90% effectiveness. At 8th level, the knowledge you gain is equivalent to a commune spell. None of these spell effects require material components.
Final Revelation
Upon reaching 20th level, you become one with the spirits of your ancestors. You gain a bonus on Will saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier, blindsense out to a range of 60 feet, and a +4 bonus on your caster level for all divination spells. You can cast astral projection as a spell-like ability once per day without requiring material components.
Dark Tapestry
Deities
Class Skills
An oracle with the dark tapestry mystery adds Disguise, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), and Stealth to her list of class skills.
Bonus Spells
entropic shield (2nd), dust of twilight (4th), tongues (6th), black tentacles (8th), feeblemind (10th), planar binding (12th), insanity (14th), reverse gravity (16th), interplanetary teleport (18th).
Revelations
An oracle with the dark tapestry mystery can choose from any of the following revelations.
You can take a standard action to violently probe the mind of a single intelligent enemy within 100 feet. The target receives a Will save to negate the effect and immediately knows the source of this harmful mental prying. Those who fail this save are wracked with pain, taking 1d4 points of damage for every oracle level you possess. After successfully attacking with this ability, you may use a full-round action to sort through the jumble of stolen thoughts and memories to make a single Knowledge check using the victim's skill bonus. The randomly stolen thoughts remain in your mind for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. Treat the knowledge gained as if you had used detect thoughts. This is a mind-affecting effect. You can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day at 5th level and for every five levels beyond 5th.
You conjure a cloak of shadowy darkness that grants you a +4 armor bonus and a +2 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks. At 7th level, and every four levels thereafter, these bonuses increase by +2. You can use this cloak for 1 hour per day per oracle level. The duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-hour increments.
Once per day, you cast your psyche into the void of space to attract the attention of a terrible otherworldly being. The dweller in darkness behaves in all ways as if you had cast phantasmal killer. At 17th level, the dweller in darkness can be perceived by more than one creature, as if you had cast weird. You must be at least 11th level to choose this revelation.
Gift of Madness
You tap into the unthinkable void between the stars and cause a single living creature within 30 feet to become confused for 1 round. A successful Will save negates the effect. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect. At 7th level, the confusion lasts for a number of rounds equal to your oracle level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
You call upon the frigid depths of outer space to bring a terrible chill to your enemies. As a standard action, one target within 30 feet is cloaked in the void and takes 1d6 points of cold damage for every oracle level you possess. A successful Fortitude save halves this damage. At 10th level, the interstellar void is so extreme that a creature that fails its save is fatigued. At 15th level, a creature that fail its save is exhausted and stunned for 1 round. You can use this ability once per day plus one additional time per day at 10th level.
Many Forms
As a standard action, you can assume the form of a Small or Medium humanoid, as the alter self spell. At 7th level, you can assume the form of a Small or Medium animal, as beast shape I. At 11th level, you can assume the form of a Small or Medium magical beast, as beast shape III. At 15th level, you can assume a variety of forms, as greater polymorph. You can use this ability for 1 minute per day per oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments. You must be at least 3rd level to select this revelation.
Your bond with the alien denizens of the Dark Tapestry allows you to see in even the deepest darkness. You gain darkvision 60 feet. At 11th level, you can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even in absolute darkness or the darkness created by a deeper darkness spell.
Read the Tapestry
Once per day, you can spend 10 minutes meditating on the mysteries of the Dark Tapestry to send your mind to another plane and communicate with the strange or alien beings there. This functions as the contact other plane spell. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.As a standard action, you can perform a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of cold damage + 1 point for every two oracle levels you possess. At 7th level, the touched creature must also make a Fortitude saving throw or be fatigued for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your oracle level. This has no effect on a creature that is already fatigued. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
:As a swift action, you can manifest a set of translucent, inky wings that grant you a fly speed of 60 feet with good maneuverability. You can use these wings for 1 minute per day per oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments. At 11th level, you can use these wings to fly as if with overland flight once per day. Used in this way, the ability lasts for up to 1 hour per level, and counts as your total use of this ability for the day. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.
Final Revelation
Upon reaching 20th level, you become a truly alien and unnatural creature. You gain damage reduction 5/— and immunity to acid, critical hits, and sneak attacks. Once per day, you can cast shapechange as a spell-like ability without requiring a material component.
Metal
Deities
Class Skills
An oracle with the metal mystery adds Appraise, Bluff, Disable Device, and Intimidate to her list of class skills.
Bonus Spells
lead blades (2nd), heat metal (4th), keen edge (6th), versatile weapon (8th), major creation (metal items only) (10th), wall of iron (12th), statue (metal statue instead of iron) (14th), repel metal or stone (16th), iron body (18th).
Revelations
An oracle with the Metal mystery can choose from any of the following revelations.
You become more maneuverable while wearing armor. You can move at your normal speed in medium armor that is made of metal. This does not grant proficiency in armor. At 5th level, whenever you are wearing metal armor, you reduce the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increase the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by your armor by 1. At 10th level, and again at 15th level, these bonuses increase by 1.
Your base speed increases by 10 feet. At 7th level, you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls with a metal weapon in any round in which you move at least 10 feet. This bonus increases by +1 at 11th level, and every four levels thereafter. At 11th level, as a move action, you can maneuver your weapon to create a shield of whirling steel around yourself until the start of your next turn; non-incorporeal melee and ranged attacks against you have a 20% miss chance while the shield is active. You must be wielding a metal weapon to use this ability.
Iron Constitution
You gain a +1 bonus on Fortitude saves. At 7th level, and again at 14th level, this bonus increases by +1.
Iron Skin
Once per day, your skin hardens and takes on the appearance of iron, granting you DR 10/adamantine. This ability functions as stoneskin, using your oracle level as the caster level, except it only affects you. At 15th level, you can use this ability twice per day. You must be at least 11th level to select this revelation.
Iron Weapon
You can create a melee simple or martial weapon that lasts for 1 minute for every oracle level you possess. This weapon is appropriate for your size and entirely made of metal (even if it would normally include non-metal parts, such as a spear's shaft) but functions as if it were a normal weapon of its type. You are considered proficient with this weapon. The weapon disappears after 1 round if it leaves your grasp. At 3rd level, the blade is made of cold iron. At 7th level, 15th level, and 19th level, the blade gains a +1 enhancement bonus. At 11th level, the blade is made of adamantine. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Your sacred bond with metal gives you insight into its form and function. Once per day, you may spend 10 minutes meditating on the structure of a piece of unworked metal or ore to gain a +5 insight bonus on your next Craft check to make something using that metal.
Once per day as a standard action, you can perform a melee touch attack that rusts iron, as the rusting grasp spell. At 11th level, and every four levels thereafter, you can use this ability an additional time per day. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.
You gain proficiency in all martial weapons and heavy armor.
As a swift action, you can harden a scarf, sleeve, cloak, or other piece of your clothing into something as hard as steel that stretches out to be up to 30 feet long. You can then strike outward with it as if it were a weapon making a melee attack. For the purpose of this ability, you are proficient with this weapon. You can use the weapon to perform combat maneuvers. Make a melee attack roll against a creature within 30 feet; you may use Weapon Finesse with this attack. If you hit, the weapon deals 1d8 points of slashing damage + 1 point for every two oracle levels you possess. After this attack, the clothing returns to its normal length and hardness. You do not threaten an area with this weapon and cannot use it to make attacks of opportunity. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
You can use any piece of polished metal at least the size of a dagger as a scrying device, as if using the spell scrying. At 15th level, this functions like greater scrying. You can scry for a number of rounds per day equal to your oracle level; these rounds do not need to be consecutive. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.
Final Revelation
Upon reaching 20th level, you become a master of iron and steel. You gain the benefits of Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Focus, and Improved Critical with any one metal weapon that you are proficient with. Your armor is like a second skin to you—while wearing metal armor you are proficient with, the armor's maximum Dexterity bonus increases by +5 and you take no armor check penalty. In addition, any metal you create with your magic (such as wall of iron) has its hardness increased by +10.
Time
Oracle Archetypes