Oracle Mysteries and Deities

[Scorpina]

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but I'm going to throw it out anyway. Oracles are divine casters, drawing on the power of the gods. In Classical Myth, oracles are strongly associated with specific deities - the Oracle at Delphi with Apollo, for example.

So, in Pathfinder, do (or should) oracles draw their power from a specific deity?

If so, should each deity have certain mysteries available to their oracles, in the same way that they have domains available to their clerics?

[Blyte]

there are no rules concerning this, but a higher power (not necessarily a diety) is supposedly fueling the oracle's power.

a player *should* therefore, choose their mystery and revelations, to thematically suit this being who favors them with power.

but there are no rules, preventing someone from cherry picking a list for power, rather than theme.

[Kurald Galain]

Well, by RAW they technically don't, but it would surely increase engagement in the campaign world if they did.

[grarrrg]

So, in Pathfinder, do (or should) oracles draw their power from a specific deity?

If so, should each deity have certain mysteries available to their oracles, in the same way that they have domains available to their clerics?

Read the 'flavor' of the Oracle (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advanced/baseClasses/oracle.html) (you know, that bit that everybody skims...):

Unlike a cleric, who draws her magic through devotion to a deity, oracles garner strength and power from many sources, namely those patron deities who support their ideals. Instead of worshiping a single source, oracles tend to venerate all of the gods that share their beliefs.

So while it may not be a 'specific' deity, it is at most a small group.

As for matching Mysteries to deities like Domains, while there is nothing 'technically' against it, the bit about "sharing beliefs" should stay important.
If you worship Pharasma, then no Bones Mystery for you.
If you primarily worship someone with the Fire Domain, then don't take the Waves Mystery.
If you worship Groetus or Rovagug, you should probably stay the hell away from the Life Mystery.
That sort of thing.

[MrNobody]

As for matching Mysteries to deities like Domains, while there is nothing 'technically' against it, the bit about "sharing beliefs" should stay important.
If you worship Pharasma, then no Bones Mystery for you.
If you primarily worship someone with the Fire Domain, then don't take the Waves Mystery.
If you worship Groetus or Rovagug, you should probably stay the hell away from the Life Mystery.
That sort of thing.

I'd say, why not? There are a lot ways one could have taken to obtain oracle mysteries (worshipping, god touch, other important beings will, curse, "destiny"...) and more or less all of this are not dipendent from the pc's will and could clash with what he really wants and believes in.


These divine vessels are granted power without their choice, selected by providence to wield powers that even they do not fully understand. [...] While some see the powers of the oracle as a gift, others view them as a curse, changing the life of the chosen in unforeseen ways.

I also think that having a mystery opposed to the deity the oracle worship could instead make the character more dramatic.
Take a Good dwarf oracle, devoted to Pharasma and to the spirit of his revered ancestors but "blessed" by the necromantic power instilled in his family (in the form of the Bone mystery, thinking like if this mystery wasn't linked to Pharasma) by a brother of his grand-grandfather that hit lichdom: he will never become a cleric of Pharasma, but this "taint" can't stop him from worshipping her. Instead, he could become more zealous trying to gain Pharasma's mercy thus be freed by something he sees as a curse.

For Scorpina's question, if you look at Advanced player guide, at the beginning of the description of each mystery there is the "deities" entry. These are, like others just said, suggestions, but from these you can draw a list of mysteries that every god could grant, in the "ancient greek way".
Pharasma is connected, for example, to Bones (!), Heaves, Life and Waves, so she could grant one of these mystries to one of his chosen ones.

[Anlashok]

As for matching Mysteries to deities like Domains, while there is nothing 'technically' against it, the bit about "sharing beliefs" should stay important.
If you worship Pharasma, then no Bones Mystery for you.
If you primarily worship someone with the Fire Domain, then don't take the Waves Mystery.
If you worship Groetus or Rovagug, you should probably stay the hell away from the Life Mystery.
The default fluff for an oracle has them granted their powers innately and regardless of their own choices. What god they choose to worship doesn't matter because that god isn't necessarily the one granting them powers and the character doesn't really get to pick his path.

[Spore]

I play my oracles very pious but some are also played like Prometheus. They steal the fire from the gods (here: divine spells) and gets punished for it (here: cursed). I find that part to be very fitting. They take spells from their gods - willing or not - but get afflicted by divine curses. If they do it with a evil grin on their face or with full support of their deity. This is up to the player (and DM) to decide.

So a Bones Oracle could steal the miracle of giving unlife from Pharasma. It doesn't matter if he has her blessing or not. He just does have the spells. Also a Flame Oracle and worshipper of Sarenae could still pervert her divine power into giving a weapon the unholy property.

[grarrrg]

I'd say, why not? There are a lot ways one could have taken to obtain oracle mysteries (worshipping, god touch, other important beings will, curse, "destiny"...) and more or less all of this are not dipendent from the pc's will and could clash with what he really wants and believes in.

Incorrect.
Mystery feature:

This mystery can represent a devotion to one ideal, prayers to deities that support the concept, or a natural calling to champion a cause. For example, an oracle with the waves mystery might have been born at sea and found a natural calling to worship the gods of the oceans, rivers, and lakes, be they benign or malevolent.

It is VERY unlikely that you would be given a Mystery that clashes with what you really believe in.

While I admit it is possible for any Oracle to have any Mystery, there are some combinations that require, nay, demand significant flavor justification.
Yes, mechanically there is nothing 'technically' stopping you, but if you go by the official flavor then there are limits to what can happen.

[Gabe the Bard]

I think oracles are more like the philosopher clerics of old who didn't worship a single deity but venerated an ideal that was related to their chosen domains. The limitations of a pious cleric are based on the ethos of their church, not unlike the paladin's code, so going against the will of their patron deity can strip them of their powers. On the other hand, the limitations of an oracle come directly from the drawbacks of their curse, which are mitigated by increasing levels but can never be fully removed.

Also, not all divine casters draw their power from the gods. Consider druids and rangers, who also cast divine spells. Their power comes from their veneration and respect for nature itself, not a deity of nature. Druids might worship a deity as well, but they would only lose their powers if they start chopping down trees, change their alignment, or teach their secret language to an outsider.