Cleric as the devoted caster of the party(D&D3.5)

[Coidzor]

I've got a beguiler and bard as backup (and the ranger probably has enough wisdom to cast some spells for himself), but I'm the only character devoted to it, as the bard is focusing on melee to PrC into Swiftblade and, well, the beguiler is learning the ropes of playing 3.5 and being a beguiler in addition to being a caster.

I've at least got a leg up that I've played with the system more and been a cleric more often, but this is my first cloistered cleric, I don't have DMM and Divine Power yet so I can't shrug and make myself a better fighter than the ranger and the bard combined, and I can't really shell out a bless and other buffs and then go be flanking buddies like I'm used to when I've played support and utility to a wizard battle-field controller/blaster.

It mostly hasn't come up aside from an introductory battle with werewolves who we were bogged down with dispatching due to not being able to penetrate their DR and when I ran out of turning (using Sun domain and Disciple of the Sun feat for 2 turnings into 1 greater turning) after dusting a lot of zombies.

But, still, pretty much all books are allowed casting-wise, and I have Knowledge, Inquisition, Oracle, Sun, and Glory domains due to PrCing into Church Inquisitor and Divine Oracle from a Cloistered Cleric of Pelor base.

Is probably going to be a fairly undead heavy campaign, so what to do about them when I run out of turnings would be good to know.

Right now I've got a net, a +1 Heavy Crossbow, a morningstar, and a longspear for armaments and +1 mithril breastplate for armor. Ranger is TWFing with axes with Flaming on one and Frost on the other. Bard is looking to be TWFing but isn't yet, going for swiftblade and beyond bladeweave for a 2nd level spell I'm not sure what he's gone with. The beguiler burned through all of his spells pretty quickly but didn't have much of an effect on things as far as I could tell, I think mostly because he's well, new to the game and new to the class and mostly new to the game.

as an aside, if a spell doesn't specify what kind of damage it does, does DR apply against it?

[Eldariel]

Unless a spell deals weapon damage, DR shouldn't apply. Often spells deal Divine or Positive/Negative Energy Damage, which isn't subject to DR. It should be obvious enough when a spell deals physical damage (that is, emulates a weapon attack or consists of actual weapon attack or tosses a rock or something); when not, DR doesn't work.

But what exactly are you asking? Some advice as to what spells to pick as a caster Cleric?

[Kaww]

as an aside, if a spell doesn't specify what kind of damage it does, does DR apply against it?

This is the only question I found. Answer: it deals force dmg.

Both beguiler and bard should eat anything that is not immune to mind spells. Your job is to heal them and fry the mind spell immune monsters. Especially in an undead heavy campaign.

P.S. Why does the bard want to go Swiftblade?

[Prodan]

Swiftblade's pretty cool.

[Kaww]

Swiftblade's pretty cool.

You can't use lvl 10 ability. You lose music. You lose 4 lvls of spellcasting. Not worth it if you ask me.

[Marnath]

Dr is only physical damage Coidz :smallsmile:

[Leon]

You can't use lvl 10 ability. You lose music. You lose 4 lvls of spellcasting. Not worth it if you ask me.

For what ever reason the player has chosen it for they are not worried about those things.

[Greenish]

This is the only question I found. Answer: it deals force dmg.Untyped damage isn't automatically force damage. Force is a damage type, untyped damage doesn't have a type.