Nature Based Cleric

[Cabooky]

Hello playground.
This is my first time posting and I need some help with a Cleric build that revolves around nature. I'm looking for great fluff and has great survivability. Also I'd like to keep him as a good melee combatant with the Wild Cohort feat.

Can't wait to hear some advice!

[eggynack]

Is there any particular reason that you don't want your nature themed cleric with beat-stick capability and animal companion to be a druid? Seems like that'd be the way to do it.

[holywhippet]

Take the animal and plant domains maybe? What else are you looking for, equipment advice?

[Cabooky]

Well, I like the fact that the cleric can wear full plate and I really like the thought of domains. I know the description is pretty much a druid, but I feel like its an interesting take on a worshipper of nature.

[Cabooky]

Feats, prc's and equipment would be helpful haha

[Extra Anchovies]

Seconding eggynack. If you're dead set on cleric, though, Obad-Hai would be a good patron deity. Wear darkwood/ironwood armor, have a Wild Cohort, and cast nature-themed spells. Not actually super challenging to fluff a cleric if you can figure out a patron and domain choices. As far as feats go, Extend Spell, Persistent Spell, Divine Metamagic: Persistent Spell, and Extra Turning (as many times as you want) is a solid chain; persisted Divine Power lets you leave fighters in the dust, not to mention Divine Favor or Righteous Might. Power Attack is always good if you want to be the beatstick. Also maybe a dip into Beastmaster if you want another animal companion. It would initially be as if you were a 4th level druid, but you could take Natural Bond once or twice to keep it fairly in pace with the wild cohort.

Edit to add: potential angles from which to approach the fluff:
-protector of nature, opposes those who despoil wild spaces
-master of nature, reshapes (but does not destroy) the natural world to better suit both humanoids and animals
-cleric of beasts, worships the power of animals rather than of the natural world as a whole

[eggynack]

Well, I like the fact that the cleric can wear full plate and I really like the thought of domains. I know the description is pretty much a druid, but I feel like its an interesting take on a worshipper of nature.
Well, getting actual full plate on a druid is probably more trouble than it's worth, but you can get pretty close with (greater) luminous armor from the book of exalted deeds. On the domain front, lots of prestige classes grant them at low cost. Holt warden (CC, 84) is the best way to pick up the domain slots, and the best way to fill those slots with good stuff is probably contemplative (CD, 30). Divine oracle (CD, 34), seeker of the misty isle (CD, 61), and singer of concordance (RotD, 91) are other reasonable options along those lines. What I'm saying is, you'd probably find it easier to fit the cleric things you want on a druid than to fit the druid things you want on a cleric.

[Extra Anchovies]

Domains are fun, aren't they? If you like them, and have access to the Eberron books, take a look at the Sovereign Speaker prestige class. Not only does it have one of the most badass names of any prestige class (it's up there with Ruby Knight Vindicator), but it grants you access to ten extra domains. Count 'em, ten. And also gives you one extra domain slot each for 3rd, 5th, and 7th level spells. The only limitation is all the domains must be chosen from among those offered by deities of the Sovereign Host (of which there are ten), and you have to worship the pantheon as a whole. And it has 7/9 casting. Grants some martial weapon proficiencies, too.

[Dalebert]

2nded that you worship Obad-Hai. He has great naturey domains. I recommend you look into Seekers of the Misty Isle. Great prestige class and fitting with a nature cleric. You can get the survival skill as a class skill with one of his domains. Weather maybe? I forget. You'll need to play an elf.

[Cabooky]

Domains are fun, aren't they? If you like them, and have access to the Eberron books, take a look at the Sovereign Speaker prestige class. Not only does it have one of the most badass names of any prestige class (it's up there with Ruby Knight Vindicator), but it grants you access to ten extra domains. Count 'em, ten. And also gives you one extra domain slot each for 3rd, 5th, and 7th level spells. The only limitation is all the domains must be chosen from among those offered by deities of the Sovereign Host (of which there are ten), and you have to worship the pantheon as a whole. And it has 7/9 casting. Grants some martial weapon proficiencies, too.
Whoa! Okay awesome. I'll have to keep that in mind.

[holywhippet]

Whoa! Okay awesome. I'll have to keep that in mind.

Make sure you run it by your DM before building a class using Eberron source material, unless the campaign is set in Eberron of course. It's kind of a high magic setting and some of the of the things it allows might be overpowered for other settings.

[Grayson01]

2nded that you worship Obad-Hai. He has great naturey domains. I recommend you look into Seekers of the Misty Isle. Great prestige class and fitting with a nature cleric. You can get the survival skill as a class skill with one of his domains. Weather maybe? I forget. You'll need to play an elf.

It's not Weather from CD
Deities:
Fharlanghn, Geshtai, Obad-Hai

Other deities:

Granted power
Inclement weather has less of an effect on you. Rain and snow don't penalize your Spot and Search checks. You can move through snow-covered and icy terrain at your normal movement. Wind effects, whether natural or magical, affect you as if you were one size category larger.

The Ebberon Weather Domain has it
Weather (ECS)
(Eberron Campaign Setting variant, p. 108)

Deities:
Arawai, The Devourer

Other deities:

Granted power
Your vision is unobstructed by nonmagical weather conditions. Add Survival to your list of cleric class skills. You gain a +2 bonus on all weather-related Survival checks.

It also has a different spell list. I personal like the ECS domain better

[sleepyphoenixx]

Well, getting actual full plate on a druid is probably more trouble than it's worth, but you can get pretty close with (greater) luminous armor from the book of exalted deeds. On the domain front, lots of prestige classes grant them at low cost. Holt warden (CC, 84) is the best way to pick up the domain slots, and the best way to fill those slots with good stuff is probably contemplative (CD, 30). Divine oracle (CD, 34), seeker of the misty isle (CD, 61), and singer of concordance (RotD, 91) are other reasonable options along those lines. What I'm saying is, you'd probably find it easier to fit the cleric things you want on a druid than to fit the druid things you want on a cleric.

You can get full plate on a druid easily enough. Darkleaf (ECS) Full Plate costs 4500gp and counts as non-metallic medium armor. Sentira (SoS) is basically non-metallic mithral, with the same costs and stats.

A Monk's Belt is just usually more effective for increasing your AC, at least at higher levels. You need 28 wisdom to draw even with Darkleaf Full Plate & Heavy Darkwood Shield, not counting touch AC of course. It's also a lot cheaper to get a Monk's Belt to apply in Wild Shape.

[eggynack]

You can get full plate on a druid easily enough. Darkleaf (ECS) Full Plate costs 4500gp and counts as non-metallic medium armor. Sentira (SoS) is basically non-metallic mithral, with the same costs and stats.

A Monk's Belt is just usually more effective for increasing your AC, at least at higher levels. You need 28 wisdom to draw even with Darkleaf Full Plate & Heavy Darkwood Shield, not counting touch AC of course. It's also a lot cheaper to get a Monk's Belt to apply in Wild Shape.
It's definitely doable. There's no real doubting that. It just seems worse than the alternatives in most measurable ways, as you noted. That diminishes somewhat if you're going non-good, and thus lack access to luminous armor, but it still seems accurate enough.