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Halaster
2009-01-30, 04:27 AM
Hi there.

I'm currently playing a cleric of Pelor in a campaign, and, although we're playing 3.0 rules, the DM has offered me the chance to take the abovementioned Prestige Class from the Complete Divine. Compatiblity-wise I see no troubles here, but I have a few questions.

First, for the "Empower Healing" and "Maximize Healing" abilities, the spell must be prepared as a domain spell, right? I'm asking for two reasons: on the one hand, I don't have the Healing domain and would have to take it as my bonus domain, on the other that means that nice spells like "Bull's Strength" from the Strength Domain, which I have instead, will see a lot less use (once I reach RSoP level 5, that is).

Second question, partly in light of this: is it worth it? I'll gain more power against undead and more light (yeah!), and, later on, better healing, plus martial weapon proficiency. But I lose my d8 hit points. Now that sounds like a workable trade-off to me, after all, statistically that's 1hp per level.
What do you recommend? Should I talk to my DM about switching my domain to Healing, then pick up Strength again in 5 levels? I guess he wouldn't make too much of a fuss, and I could use empowered healing right away. Or should I simply forget about it, be a Cleric and enjoy it?

CU,
Halaster

lord_khaine
2009-01-30, 04:34 AM
no, the spells doesnt have to be prepared as domain spells, those abilities affect all the healing spells that you cast.

as for taking the prestice class or not, deside with yourself, do you want to be a medic or a cleric?
taking RSoP will allow your healing spells to hit like a hospital full of bored doctors, but staying as a cleric will let you go CoDzilla.

BobVosh
2009-01-30, 04:39 AM
no, the spells doesnt have to be prepared as domain spells, those abilities affect all the healing spells that you cast.

as for taking the prestice class or not, deside with yourself, do you want to be a medic or a cleric?
taking RSoP will allow your healing spells to hit like a hospital full of bored doctors, but staying as a cleric will let you go CoDzilla.

Wha? Clerics get no benefit from staying clerics. Obeserve a lack of class features. Why can't he Clericzilla as a RSoP? He gets to stack RSoP with clerics for turn attempts (although, does 3.0 have Divine Metamagic?), and gets full spell levels.

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2009-01-30, 04:48 AM
When a radiant servant of Pelor of at least 2nd level casts a domain spell from the Healing domain, that spell is affected as though by the Empower Spell feat.
Yes, it has to be from your Domain spell slot. Allowing it to affect all spells on the Healing domain list would be nice, and probalby not overpowered. Healing during combat is very sub-optimal, and most characters will use a Wand of Cure Light Wounds to top everyone off between encounters, so this would just get more mileage out of spending spell slots on healing. Most RSoPs will take the Healing and Sun domains starting out, and use the PHB2 variant to spontaneously convert prepared spells into Healing domain spells, rather than spontaneously casting Cure spells, which as-written will allow Empower/Maximize Healing to apply to them.

Remember that Bull's Strength is on the general Cleric 2 spell list, so preparing a Cure Moderate Wounds in your domain slot won't stop you from also preparing Bull's Strength as one of your other 2nd level spells.

As for this particular character, RSoP is definitely an improvement over going single-classed Cleric. You get proficiency in all martial weapons, while losing absolutely nothing other than maybe Domain powers dependent on Cleric levels. Get a Phylactery of Undead Turning and with Extra Greater Turning you should be able to destroy every undead encounter in one or two rounds. Simply put, there is no drawback to taking this class, it is nothing but an improvement for any Cleric of Pelor.

warmachine
2009-01-30, 06:04 AM
I regard Radiant Servant of Pelor as evidence that the author and the editor of Complete Divine can't do maths. The improvements are: Cleric class features (spellcasting and undead turning) continue level progression; better healing; better turning; martial weapons proficiency. The drawbacks are: d6 hitdice instead of d8; fewer class skills in a role that doesn't depend on skills; buying a feat that may never be used except, of course, to power the divine feats found in the same book.

Let us consider the roles and techniques your cleric might fulfill: healer - improved; buffer - unchanged; debuffer - unchanged; tank - fewer HP but better weapons; blaster - unchanged; striker - improved against undead; sage - marginal loss.

Ignore the picture that accompanies the class. Pelor has no problem with their followers being well armed, wearing full plate armour and wearing shoes.

Other than maybe considering Divine feats to make use of your Extra Turning, you can keep your original character concept, gain some goodies and lose very little. Yeah, I recommend it.

Keld Denar
2009-01-30, 12:30 PM
I'd recommend jumping out of RSoP at 5th level. Past 6th, you don't gain anything really relevant until you get to 10th level. Get the bonus domain and jump out. Empowered Healing is WAY better than Maximized Healing for most healing spells, especially when you hit Mass Cure Light. Lets look at Mass Cure Light from a 12th level caster, one with RSoP5, one with RSoP6.

1d8 + 13 = average 17.5
Max 8 + 13 = 21 gain of 3.5 hp
Emp (1d8 + 13) x1.5 = 26.25 gain of 8.75

And this split gets bigger as you level up. Thats because Empower catches the static +CL part and multiplies it too. If you don't believe this, go look up the Empower Spell feat. The example given is Magic Missile, which is (1d4 + 1) x1.5, multiplying the static portion of the spell as well as the variable part.

So...what class to take after RSoP5? I'd recommend Sacred Exorcist. I'm not sure if it was printed in 3.0 or not, but it would be good place to go, otherwise head back in to more cleric. RSoP really just doesn't get much good after 5.

TFalcon
2009-02-05, 09:05 PM
1d8 + 13 = average 17.5
Max 8 + 13 = 21 gain of 3.5 hp
Emp (1d8 + 13) x1.5 = 26.25 gain of 8.75



Atleast looking in my 3.5 phb Empower Spell only works on variable numeric effects meaning the dice role. So that would look more like

1d8 + 13 = average 17.5
Max 8 + 13 = 21
Emp 1d8 * 1.5 +13 = 19

Meaning max is 2 points better on average only 4 points worse on max role and 7 points better on a role of a one.

Ted_Stryker
2009-02-05, 10:01 PM
Atleast looking in my 3.5 phb Empower Spell only works on variable numeric effects meaning the dice role. So that would look more like

1d8 + 13 = average 17.5
Max 8 + 13 = 21
Emp 1d8 * 1.5 +13 = 19

Meaning max is 2 points better on average only 4 points worse on max role and 7 points better on a role of a one.
This is true in 3.0 as well. RSoP 6 is probably worth it, because in addition to Maximize spell for domain (Healing) spells, BAB and all save go up by 1.

After that, Sacred Exorcist and Divine Oracle might both be worth a look, if they're available to you, although I'm going off how they're written in 3.5.

ShneekeyTheLost
2009-02-05, 10:04 PM
A way to cheeze the Empowered Healing Domain (although you loose the Strength domain until you hit RSoP 5) is to take Healing and Sun domains from the beginning, then take the PhB II variant Spontaneous Domain, which lets you spontaneously cast from a domain rather than spontaneous cure spells. Take the Healing domain. Now all your heal spells are from the Healing domain.

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2009-02-06, 05:01 AM
Keld Denar is correct. Empower increases any variable numeric effects of the spell by 50%. The gain is not limited to the variable portion of the numeric effect, the entire effect which is both variable and numeric is increased.

Keld Denar
2009-02-06, 05:31 AM
Like I said, check out the text for Empower Spell, specifically the Magic Missile example.



<snip> For example, an Empowered Magic Missile deals 1-1/2 times its normal damage (roll 1d4+1 and multiply the results by 1-1/2 for each missile) </snip>

If it had said "roll 1d4, then multiply by 1-1/2, THEN add 1, I'd agree with you. But this is the way to shows, and that's the way it goes.

Eldariel
2009-02-06, 05:32 AM
Contemplative is also a solid continuation to RSoP; extra domains never hurt and it's free to enter. 1-6 levels is fine for the Domains. The other abilities are amusing, but not musts. Of course, it doesn't progress Turning so if you intend on that, take Sacred Exorcist instead.

Dweomerkeeper is another awesome class, although it has quite a bit of broken written into it, but if you just don't use Supernatural Spell to circumvent XP/material costs, things should be ok.

Jimbob
2009-02-06, 08:15 AM
Not sure if this has been mentioned but dont you need the sun domanin to qualfy for the RSP?

Ted_Stryker
2009-02-06, 11:39 PM
Man, I could've sworn Empower Spell only affected the die roll, but that must have been a house rule. In that case, RSoP 5 probably is the place to stop from an efficiency point of view.