ORACLE CURSES
Each oracle is cursed, but this curse comes with a benefit as well as a hindrance. This choice is made at 1st level, and once made, it cannot be changed. The oracle's curse cannot be removed or dispelled without the aid of a deity. An oracle's curse is based on her oracle level plus one for every two levels or Hit Dice other than oracle. Each oracle must choose one of the following curses.
Blackened
Your hands and forearms are shriveled and blackened, as if you had plunged your arms into a blazing fire, and your thin, papery skin is sensitive to the touch. You take a –4 penalty on weapon attack rolls, but you gain the Destruction sphere with the Energy Focus (fire) drawback as a bonus magic talent. At 5th level, gain an additional fire-based Destruction talent. At 10th level, your penalty on weapon attack rolls is reduced to –2. At 15th level, gain an additional fire-based Destruction talent.
Clouded Vision
Your eyes are obscured, making it difficult for you to see. You cannot see anything beyond 30 feet, but you can see as if you had darkvision. At 5th level, this distance increases to 60 feet. At 10th level, you gain blindsense out to a range of 30 feet. At 15th level, you gain blindsight out to a range of 15 feet.
Covetous
You find yourself drawn to the luster of wealthy living. You must wear fine nonmagical clothing and jewelry worth at least 50 gp + 100 gp per character level you have beyond 1st. If you do not have sufficient wealth to purchase this additional equipment, you feel a strong desire (but are not compelled) to sell existing items or steal from others to obtain it. You are sickened whenever you do not meet this requirement; you are also sickened for 24 hours after anything worth 25 gp x your character level or more is taken from you against your will. Use Magic Device becomes a class skill for you. At 5th level, you gain a +4 insight bonus on Appraise checks, Spellcraft checks to identify magic items, and Use Magic Device checks. At 10th level, you gain the Creation sphere as a bonus magic talent. At 15th level, you add half your oracle level to your CMD against steal combat maneuvers and to the DC of Sleight of Hand checks to take items from you.
Deaf
You cannot hear and suffer all of the usual penalties for being deafened. You cast all of your spells as if they were modified by the Silent Spell feat. This does not increase their spell point cost or casting time. At 5th level, you receive a +3 competence bonus on Perception checks that do not rely upon hearing, and the initiative penalty for being deaf is reduced to –2. At 10th level, you gain scent and you do not suffer any penalty on initiative checks due to being deaf. At 15th level, you gain tremorsense out to a range of 30 feet.
Forsaken
You are beyond the salvation of others, but endure to give aid and warning. Others cannot use the aid another action to help you, you do not gain a bonus to hit from flanking, and you cannot benefit from feats, abilities, spells, or sphere effects that allow someone else to become a target of an attack or take damage in your place. However, you gain a +4 to saving throws vs all environmental conditions (including hunger and thirst) and always stabilize from dying. At 5th level, gain the Protection sphere as a bonus magic talent. At 10th level, you can return from the dead once per week as a supernatural ability, as though the spell raise dead were cast on you with a caster level equal to your curse level. This occurs 1d6 hours after you die. At 15th level, you return from the dead as though resurrection were cast on you instead of raise dead.
Haunted
Malevolent spirits follow you wherever you go, causing minor mishaps and strange occurrences (such as unexpected breezes, small objects moving on their own, and faint noises). Retrieving any stored item from your gear requires a standard action, unless it would normally take longer. Any item you drop lands 10 feet away from you in a random direction. Gain mage hand and ghost sound as spell-like abilities usable at-will. At 5th, 10th, and 15th level, gain the Telekinesis sphere (or a talent from that sphere) as a bonus magic talent.
Hunger
Ravenous hunger wracks your body in stressful situations. You gain none of the benefits from spells or magic items that provide nourishment, such as goodberry, heroes’ feast, or a ring of sustenance. You also gain a bite attack that deals an amount of piercing damage appropriate for your size (1d8 for a Large creature, 1d6 for Medium, 1d4 for Small) as a secondary natural attack. You begin each combat with the sickened condition until you deal damage with your bite attack. At 5th level, you gain the grab monster special ability on bite attacks against creatures smaller than yourself. At 10th level, your bite attack deals damage as if you were one size category larger. At 15th level, you gain the blood drain monster special ability with your bite, dealing 1d2 points of Constitution damage at the end of a turn if you grapple a foe.
Lame
One of your legs is permanently wounded, reducing your base land speed by 10 feet if your base speed is 30 feet or more. If your base speed is less than 30 feet, your speed is reduced by 5 feet. Your speed is never reduced due to encumbrance. At 5th level, you are immune to the fatigued condition (but not exhaustion). At 10th level, your speed is never reduced by armor. At 15th level, you are immune to the exhausted condition.
Lycanthropy
You suffer from a minor form of lycanthropy. The exact animal your body and mind are aligned with can vary, but you should choose an animal that matches your faith thematically. In times of stress or unease, you cannot speak — only growl and snarl like an animal. This ability works similarly to the tongues curse, but whenever you are in combat, you cannot speak at all. This does not interfere with spellcasting but does apply to spells that are language dependent. A character under the effects of speak with animals can understand you, and you can communicate with such characters normally. You can speak with animals when in this condition. Choose one type of animal commonly associated with lycanthropy (such as rats, wolves, or bears); you gain a +4 bonus on Handle Animal checks with these creatures. At 5th level, gain the Beastmastery sphere with the Handle Animal package as a bonus talent. At 10th level, gain Transformation as a bonus feat. At 15th level, you gain damage reduction 5/silver, and if you already have this type of damage reduction, it increases in value by 5 (to a maximum of DR 15/silver).
Mute
You cannot speak, use verbal spell components, or use racial or class abilities depending on speaking or singing. All your oracle spells are cast as if using the Silent Spell metamagic feat, without modifying their actual level. At 5th level, you can speak telepathically with any creature you are in physical contact with. This is a one-way communication. You can also maintain a telepathic bond with one specific creature at a time by taking a full-round action to link your mind to that creature during telepathic communication. At 10th level, your telepathy radius extends to 30 ft. and it becomes a two-way communication. At 15th level, your telepathy radius extends to 60 ft.
Paralytic
One of your arms is partially paralyzed. You take a -2 penalty to Athletics checks and combat maneuvers to grapple. You can hold items with this arm, but not wield or use items to make attack rolls or skill checks. Additionally, you cannot use two-handed weapons, such as bows or greatswords. You may cast all of your oracle spells as if they were modified by the Still Spell feat. This does not increase their level or casting time. At 5th level, you no longer suffer a penalty to Athletics checks and combat maneuvers to grapple. At 10th level, you may choose to wield a two-handed melee weapon in one hand with a –2 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. The weapon must be appropriately sized for you, and it is treated as one-handed when determining the effect of Power Attack, Strength bonus to damage, and the like. At 15th level, you no longer suffer a penalty for wielding a two-handed melee weapon in one hand.
Pranked
Capricious fey constantly bedevil you, playing pranks on you such as tying your shoelaces together, hiding your gear, making inappropriate noises or smells at formal events, and mimicking your voice to tell embarrassing lies. In addition to any social consequences of such mischief, you take a –4 penalty on initiative checks. Furthermore, whenever you attempt to retrieve a stored item from your gear, there’s a 25% chance that you fail to find it with that action. Gain the Illusion sphere as a bonus magic talent. At 5th, 10th, and 15th level, gain an additional talent from the Illusion sphere.
Reclusive
You are reclusive and paranoid to the point that your allies cannot easily help you in times of stress or unease. Whenever you are in combat, your allies must succeed at a melee touch attack to affect you with touch spells, and you must attempt saving throws to resist all spells cast by anyone other than yourself, even those cast by allies. Instantaneous spells you cast only on yourself affect you as though your caster level were 1 higher. At 5th level, any spells you cast only on yourself affect you as if they were modified by the Extend Spell feat. This does not increase their level or casting time. At 10th level, you are immune to charm spells and spell-like abilities. At 15th level, you gain spell resistance equal to 10 + your oracle level.
Shadowbound
Your pigmentation is oddly colorless, and your eyes are highly sensitive to light. You are blinded for 1 round when exposed to normal or bright light and dazzled while in such a lit area. You gain darkvision to a range of 30 feet. At 5th level, the range of your darkvision increases by 30 feet. At 10th level, gain the Dark sphere as a bonus magic talent. At 15th level, gain an additional talent from the Dark sphere.
Shattered Psyche
Your mind is crowded with dozens of voices, fragmented snippets of your past lives. You take a –2 penalty on all Intelligence-based skill checks, Wisdom-based skill checks, and concentration checks. You gain a +4 competence bonus on saving throws made against mind-affecting effects. At 5th level, you’re immune to charm effects. At 10th level, you’re immune to compulsion effects. At 15th level, you’re immune to all mind-affecting effects.
Tongues
In times of stress or unease, you speak in tongues. Pick one of the following languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Ignan, Infernal, or Terran. Whenever you are in combat, you can only speak and understand the selected language. This does not interfere with spellcasting, but it does apply to spells that are language dependent. You gain the selected language as a bonus language. At 5th level, pick an additional language to speak in combat and add it to your list of known languages. At 10th level, you can understand any spoken language, as if under the effects of tongues, even during combat. At 15th level, you can speak and understand any language, but your speech is still restricted during combat.
Wasting
Your body is slowly rotting away. You take a –4 penalty on Charisma-based skill checks. You gain a +4 competence bonus on saves made against disease. At 5th level, you are immune to the sickened condition (but not nauseated). At 10th level, you gain immunity to disease. At 15th level, you are immune to the nauseated condition.
Wizened
Your body is prematurely aged and you appear two age categories older than you actually are (maximum Venerable). You take a -1 penalty to all Strength- and Dexterity-based checks, and your lifespan is reduced by 25%. With this loss of mundane longevity comes a boost to your magical longevity. You can cast all of your oracle spells as if they were modified by the Extend Spell feat. This does not increase their level or casting time. At 5th level, with age comes wisdom. If your Charisma score is ever reduced to lower than your Wisdom score, you can use your Wisdom score in place of your Charisma score to continue to cast your oracle spells, but not any other class ability that is based on Charisma. At 10th level, you gain a +1 bonus to all Intelligence-based and Wisdom-based checks. At 15th level, this bonus increases to +2.
Wrecker
The destructive power of the Abyss and its teeming hordes of demons seeps from your very pores and into your belongings and surroundings. Held objects gain the broken condition when you use or equip them but regain their actual condition if employed by anyone else. If a held item is restored to unbroken condition, it becomes broken again the following round. Disable Device becomes a class skill for you and you can make Disable Device checks to destroy nonmagical traps as a move action without the need to use tools or take any action beyond simply touching it. At 5th level, whenever you attempt to damage an object with a melee attack, reduce its hardness by an amount equal to your oracle level before determining the damage you deal with that attack. At 10th level, any attacks you make against objects and constructs automatically bypass any damage reduction they may possess except epic. At 15th level, whenever you are dealt damage by an attack with a manufactured weapon, you can require the weapon’s wielder to make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 your oracle level + your Charisma modifier) to avoid having the weapon collapse into dust immediately after striking you (magical weapons receive an additional saving throw against this effect).