Dragon lance 3.5 ranger into cleric

[onestepfromlost]

So I have a character playing in a dragonlance campaign in the war of the lance. So my char is a ranger and has got to 3rd level. and in the course of the story it has come about that i have been chosen by the gods and as such my character is now going to multiclass into cleric.

ranger and cleric are both classes i have never really played before, which is part of the reason I went down this route. I went with the archer route with the ranger choice. the aim was going to be a mithril breastplate for armour to keep the ranger talents active. I was wondering as im a bit inexperienced i was wondering if anything knows of any cleric spells or feats or such that will have good synergy. I seem to remember seeing somewhere a feat or somehting that allows touch cleric spells to be cast with fired arrorws.

Any input would be appreciated.

[SilverLeaf167]

Are you really sure you want to multiclass into cleric? Was it your own choice, do you think being chosen means you have to become a cleric or was it the DM's decision?

Anyway, you'll definitely want the Zen Archery feat if you don't already have it (what's your Wisdom score anyway?). It allows you to use your Wisdom for ranged attacks instead of your Dexterity.
Most of the best archery spells are Ranger spells though, I think, so you might actually do better if you just keep taking Ranger levels.

[Joshinthemosh]

First I second taking Zen Archery. It's a great feat for this build.

Second go to Complete Divine and take a look Seeker of the Misty Isle. It's built for Ranger/Cleric. First level-Travel Domain. For FREE. Also note that the text says 10/10 spellcasting. Great class for what you want.

Also as a curiosity what are the stats on this character?

[Urpriest]

You're a third level ranger, so you can't cast divine spells yet. Next level you will gain the ability to cast divine spells. If you want some sort of mechanical change to back up the fact that your character has been chosen by the gods, why not just use that?

What's your Wis like?

[Manateee]

Clerics make really good archers.

The main strengths of archery are:
1-Lots of attacks easily, meaning that damage bonuses get multiple applications per round.
2-Cheap weapon enhancements.
2a-Specialized weaponry. Archers can stock tools to easily adapt to different enemies and resistances, Green Arrow-style.

The Cleric has a lot of ways to capitalize on 1:
Spells stacking damage effects. Things like Greater Magic Weapon, Divine Favor, Knowledge Devotion (CC), Holy Warrior (CC), Righteous Wrath of the Faithful (SpC), any strength increase with the inexpensive Bow of the Wintermoon (MIC) [or the stupid energy bow (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20061227a)] will directly add strength to damage (and Clerics have a lot of strength-boosters)

The Cleric can also make good use of 2. With Greater Magic Weapon, buying enhancement bonuses to attack and damage isn't necessary, allowing other enhancements to be added to a weapon. And with Craft Magic Weapons, the Cleric can get even higher enhancements, and afford to puff money into specialized circumstantial arrows, like Bane Arrows with specific special materials.

EDIT:
But if you're currently at Ranger 2/Cleric 1, you might have to pay a feat Tax for Practiced Spellcaster (CDiv) somewhere along the way.

[Diarmuid]

Im guessing your wisdom is probably not higher than your Dex as you started out as a Ranger and never intended to go Cleric, so Zen Archery is probably not going to be a great idea for you.

Depending on what feats you have and what race you are, the Elf domain will give you Point Blank Shot for free, and the War domain will give you free Weapon Focus.

Blessed Aim from the Spell Compendium is pretty snazzy in that it works like Bless, but only for ranged attacks and gives +2 to hit instead of just the normal +1. If you're Rapid Shot'ing, this basically offsets the penalty.

[Gavinfoxx]

You know what makes a pretty good 'cleric'?

Mystic Ranger. Lots of Castyness. See if you can switch over to be a Mystic Ranger.

[Urpriest]

Incidentally, having a single level of Cleric might actually be nice for a Ranger (I still advise not going with more because you'll be a much weaker Cleric than you otherwise would be since you delayed entry with your Ranger levels). Complete Champion introduced the option for Clerics to trade their domains for a specific type of bonus feats called Devotion feats. Travel Devotion, which you can get from trading in the Travel Domain, lets you move as a swift action for several rounds. Knowledge Devotion lets you make a Knowledge check at the beginning of combat to gain bonuses to attack and damage against your enemies. Travel Devotion is especially helpful if you want to also multiclass with Scout (Complete Adventurer), since Scouts want to move every round and still get a full attack. Complete Scoundrel introduced the feat Swift Hunter for multiclass Scout/Rangers that lets you keep getting Skirmish dice as you level up in Ranger, so with only three or so Scout levels and a dip in Cleric you can be a fairly competent archer and take the rest as Ranger.