Cleric of the Lord of Blades

[torrasque666]

Alright Playground, I'm here honestly looking for advice this time. I want to build a holy warrior/cleric of the Lord of Blades(LE, Law, Evil, Artifice, Warforged, War, FW: Greatsword, FE p111). Obviously it needs to be a warforged, preferably lawful evil. My only restrictions on books are Eberron books, Non-setting books, and No Dragon(easier to keep track of). Current party level is 12, but can be built higher than that, provided that there's an explanation of when to take what. Otherwise I'd take things in the wrong order, I know I would. Wealth by level.

TL;DR:


Race
Warforged


Level
12+


Gold
WBL(88k)


Books
All Eberron
All Non-setting
No Dragon



Who can help me out?

[Gildedragon]

Cleric + Warforged Fighter + Prestige Warforged Paladin of Tyrany

[torrasque666]

Looks nice, but I was kinda hoping to get more in on the spellcasting side. Our game has two wizards in it right now so most martials are going to be on the underpowered side.

[Averis Vol]

Looks nice, but I was kinda hoping to get more in on the spellcasting side. Our game has two wizards in it right now so most martials are going to be on the underpowered side.

Cleric 12 and out melee the rest of the party. Seriously, it's that easy if you're in that confrontational of a party where melee are useless.

[Gildedragon]

Looks nice, but I was kinda hoping to get more in on the spellcasting side. Our game has two wizards in it right now so most martials are going to be on the underpowered side.

Kay kay
so
Cleric 3, Fighter 1, Pally 3, Cleric +5

You lose 2 caster levels
you get to take battle blassing
and a pony! (or something else if you feel like trading that too)

You could also replace Fighter with Warblade
and the cleric+5 with RKV

Get a nobiliary title

Then youre a Lord Warforged Warblade of the Lord of Blades

[JeminiZero]

One of the Clerics best trick is DMM Persist on various spells (such as Consumptive Field for evil clerics). To this end, check whether your DM will let you stack nightsticks from Libris Mortis (i.e. whether he will let you buy multiple nightsticks, and each one gives you +4 turn attempts), as it greatly affects your wealth spending. With nightstick stacking, you will want to buy a whole bunch of them.

Evil clerics have the benefit of going Army of Undead (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/animateDead.htm) route, so you can get a bunch of meat (or bone) shields. Don't forget to desecrate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/desecrate.htm) for extra HP/more HD.

Are flaws allowed? Without flaws, I foresee your feat progression will be rather tight (you don't have planning or undeath as domains):

1-Adamantium Body
3-Extend spell
6-Persist Spell
9-DMM Persist Spell
12-???

[torrasque666]

Flaws are allowed, my only issue with your advice is that I have NO idea what half of it means. Still pretty new to spellcasters. At all. Hence coming to you guys for total help.

[Graypairofsocks]

To this end, check whether your DM will let you stack nightsticks from Libris Mortis (i.e. whether he will let you buy multiple nightsticks, and each one gives you +4 turn attempts), as it greatly affects your wealth spending. With nightstick stacking, you will want to buy a whole bunch of them.

Note that even if he allows you to get more than 1 nightstick, only 1 is usable at a time.


Flaws are allowed, my only issue with your advice is that I have NO idea what half of it means. Still pretty new to spellcasters. At all. Hence coming to you guys for total help.

Here is a basic explanation of some of those things:

DMM stands for Divine Metamagic, the feat allows you to use turn/rebuke undead(not turn/rebuke other creatures) attempts to pay for 1 metamagic feat that you choose(and already have) when you take DMM(you can take DMM multiple times).

Nightsticks are a rod from "Libris Mortis: The Book of Bad Latin" "Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead", they grant you 4 bonus turn/rebuke undead attempts.

Clerics get the Spell Animate Dead (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/animateDead.htm) earlier than other classes.
They also get the Spell Desecrate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/desecrate.htm), which among other things allows you to raise more undead per Animate Dead casting and undead created in a desecrated zone gain more hp per Hit dice.

Adamantine Body is a Warforged feat which gives something like built in Adamantine Full-plate.

Extend spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#extendSpell) doubles the duration of a spell(with some exceptions), a spell modified by Extend Spell uses a slot 1 level higher than normal.

Persistent Spell increases the duration of a spell with a fixed range or a personal range to 24 hours(with some exceptions), you need to take Extend Spell to take this feat.

[torrasque666]

I understood the Adamantine Body, just not the rest of it. Any advise for feats on how to turn him into a bit more of a combat cleric? I'm figuring things like Persist Bull's Strength and other buffs. What would make for good buffs for a Warforged, either to itself or to a greatsword? Touch is a fixed range right? So it'd be able to be persisted?

[Gildedragon]

An alternative is also to be an artificer, but a priest at heart. Or is there an artificer-cleric Theurge class?

[torrasque666]

I'm really set on being a religious class and in a way that isn't just "flavor". I'm looking for things that define my character mechanically. After all, if the solution is to just fluff it everyone should be a wizard.

[Gildedragon]

Mmmm. Fair enough.
Domains that let you craft stuff are prolly the most crunch for flavor.
Get armor blades...
Sanctify your armor plating (50gp)

[Rebel7284]

Here is a short guide I wrote for the first 10 levels of a dwarf cleric. You should be able to figure stuff out from there.

What prestige classes you take honestly matter less than what spells you persist via divine metamagic especially as the game goes on.

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=9592.msg155590#msg155590

[torrasque666]

The Lord of Blades includes the artifice domain, does that count? Otherwise, how would I go about getting domains not of my god?

[Gildedragon]

Domain draughts
Runestaves
Planar Touchstone: Catalogues of Enlightenment

[torrasque666]

I thought Runestaves only applied to arcane casters? And apparently the Catalogs are one of the few books I don't have, so I probably woulnd't use anything from there.

[Rebel7284]

I thought Runestaves only applied to arcane casters? And apparently the Catalogs are one of the few books I don't have, so I probably woulnd't use anything from there.

Planar Touchstone is a feat and Catalogs of Enlightment a magical location that you can access via said feat. They are located in the Planar Handbook. While Planning domain and Undeath domain are useful, they are not required. You can simply take the extend spell feat.

[torrasque666]

I decided on taking the Warforged and Artifice domains. Or should I swap one of those for War instead?

[Gildedragon]

Warforged seems... dunno, cooler than the war domain. More utility. And artifice seems like a handy thing to have in general.

[torrasque666]

True, but then I can't wield a greatsword to slice people in half like a good worshiper of the Lord of Blades.

[Gildedragon]

Mmm. Dip in warforged fighter 1, get a +3 to init, and greatsword proficiency.
get the armblade component.

[torrasque666]

Scrap that, remembered that the Touchstone for the Catalogues includes an extra domain. Got War. And an Armblade is specifically a bastard sword, not a greatsword, thereby requiring EWP(Bastard Sword)

[Averis Vol]

True, but then I can't wield a greatsword to slice people in half like a good worshiper of the Lord of Blades.

I'd replace the war forged domain with war. That way you get your great sword and can pick up those gauntlets from Cchamp for like 2 or 3k that give a flat +3 to damage. Pretty good deal for a melee priest.

[torrasque666]

Mmmm. Fair enough.
Domains that let you craft stuff are prolly the most crunch for flavor.
Get armor blades...
Sanctify your armor plating (50gp)

By the way, what are armor blades, or rather, where are they from? Unless you mean armor spikes?


I'd replace the war forged domain with war. That way you get your great sword and can pick up those gauntlets from Cchamp for like 2 or 3k that give a flat +3 to damage. Pretty good deal for a melee priest.

I can already use them, I just have to have a deity who grants access to War(which mine does), not have it as a domain.

[Gildedragon]

By the way, what are armor blades, or rather, where are they from? Unless you mean armor spikes?



I can already use them, I just have to have a deity who grants access to War(which mine does), not have it as a domain.


Razored Armor: Underdark. Pretty much identical to Spiked Armor but it does slashing

[Averis Vol]

By the way, what are armor blades, or rather, where are they from? Unless you mean armor spikes?



I can already use them, I just have to have a deity who grants access to War(which mine does), not have it as a domain.


Right, brain fart on my part.

[torrasque666]

I'm not seeing it. Unless Underdark is different from Drow of the Underdark?

[Gildedragon]

I'm not seeing it. Unless Underdark is different from Drow of the Underdark?

Different book. Faerun book, but really the idea of razors rather than spikes isn't that... ya know, out there

[torrasque666]

Again, i'm trying to avoid using books other than what is listed up top. Though if I already deal slashing with the sword, wouldn't it be better to have spikes for a different type of damage?

[Gildedragon]

Perhaps. But then you don't look that much like your god...
Maybe that is a good thing. You go around Khorvaire, people notice a warforged with blades sticking out of him...
next thing you know ALL the Peoples are trying to capture or kill you.
Silver flamers try to smelt you, H. Cannith wants to see you, the Becoming Goders wanna see how you became god...

[torrasque666]

Besides, from the description I saw, razored armor seems more like armor with a bunch of embedded razor blades, nothing like the Lord of Blades variant spikes.

[Thealtruistorc]

an alternative is also to be an artificer, but a priest at heart. Or is there an artificer-cleric theurge class?

homebrew time!

[torrasque666]

Just... no. Homebrew I'd have to get approved and all that and... I really don't want to.

[Endarire]

What about this (http://eberronunlimited.wikidot.com/lord-of-blades)? (I think that's from Faiths of Eberron.)

[torrasque666]

Would it be appropriate to take the feat that adds domain spells to the spell list for the warforged domain?

[Gildedragon]

Some of the cool warforged spells are not available to the cleric list
Whereas the war domain spells that interest you the most (magic weapon/vestment and divine favor) are cleric available.
Go warforged domain and then take MWP if you want to remain cleric to-and-through

[torrasque666]

I was thinking of seeing if the DM would let me disregard the religion requirement to use Ordained Champion, and if so, take a few levels in that. I'll lose two caster levels but that shouldn't effect me too much. And Ordained Champion does give me a third domain so I can use that for Arcane Disciple. We should also be leveling soon, so I'd still have 11 levels of Cleric if I took all 5 levels of OC.

UPDATE: My DM approved waiving the OC god requirement so I plan on taking all 5 levels of it. Now I need to know... what are good 6th and lower spells? I'm not used to much more than melee damage dealer in my experience and thus have no idea what makes for good spells for a cleric. Last time I was a cleric I ended up being a healstick due to lack of knowledge.
Sidenote: would it be worth it to exchange my Cleric for Cloistered Cleric instead?