Melee Cleric Dwarf

[Shadowolf73]

Hello all,

I'm working on a Gold Dwarf/Cleric lvl 4. I want to stick to the domains Moradin offers for role play reasons. Could you suggest a build for melee cleric?

Thank you in advanced

[Darrin]

Could you suggest a build for melee cleric?


What part of Clericzilla 20 isn't working for you?

Or rather, I should ask... what sourcebooks are available? Do you want to go the DMM/Persist route, or would you prefer more melee-oriented feats? Your preferred weapons layout?

[Shadowolf73]

I'm using a dwarven waraxe/shield , and all 3.5 books. Maybe a mix spell/melee feats

[Red Fel]

Darrin's fairly spot on, a DMM Persist Cleric 20 is pretty solid. Everything after that is more or less icing.

That said, if you're interested in going a bit afield, and your campaign has some downtime for crafting, look at the handbook in my sig. There's a PrC that's so Dwarven it hurts - the Ironsoul Forgemaster. Note that going the IF route would mean emphasizing the "melee" over the "Cleric," but it would be a fun trip. Does that sort of thing interest you?

[Shadowolf73]

Ironsoul Forgemaster sounds cool. I'll check it out, much appreciated

[Red Fel]

Ironsoul Forgemaster sounds cool. I'll check it out, much appreciated

Be aware that IF requires two things: Magic of Incarnum. It uses the Incarnum subsystem, so you'll have to be willing to familiarize yourself with that. Crafting. Part of what makes the IF awesome is that you gain substantial bonuses when you use equipment you've crafted yourself. This also makes you valuable to the party, because you can craft their weapons and armor. What that means, however, is that your campaign has to have the downtime necessary to craft. If you're constantly in dungeons or jungles or outer planes, you can't craft your gear, which means you miss a lot of the functionality of the class.
Note also that, according to the class description, Ironsoul Forgemasters are the most popular dudes at the Cleric of Moradin parties. Dwarven Clerics love these guys. Being a Cleric of Moradin and an IF? You might as well be David Bowie showing up at those parties in person. You will get social standing out the wazoo.

[Shadowolf73]

I dont think that prestige class is gonna work for this group. But it seems real cool

[Rebel7284]

As people pointed out, just a normal cleric 20 works well enough. However, since cleric is so front-loaded, it's often beneficial to enter some prestige classes for added utility.

Something like:
Cleric 3/Church Inquisitor 2/Divine Oracle 2/Sacred Exorcist 1/X2/Contemplative 1/Y10

Take Rebuke Dragons from Dragon Magic instead of Cleric's normal Turn Undead. Then when you enter Sacred Exorcist, you end up with two turning pools.

Take Extend Spell, Persistent Spell, and Divine Metamagic[Persistent Spell] and get all the buff spells all day.

[Red Fel]

If you're willing to refluff, a Ruby Knight Vindicator from Tome of Battle (switched from Wee Jas to Moradin) is an awesome choice. It's a 10-level PrC that gives 10/10 spellcasting advancement, and some great maneuvers. It's one of the go-to PrCs for combining ToB maneuvers with spellcasting (the other being Jade Phoenix Mage), and its reputation is well-deserved.

That said, it does require you to develop some understanding of the Maneuver subsystem.

[(Un)Inspired]

Be aware that IF requires two things: Magic of Incarnum. It uses the Incarnum subsystem, so you'll have to be willing to familiarize yourself with that. Crafting. Part of what makes the IF awesome is that you gain substantial bonuses when you use equipment you've crafted yourself. This also makes you valuable to the party, because you can craft their weapons and armor. What that means, however, is that your campaign has to have the downtime necessary to craft. If you're constantly in dungeons or jungles or outer planes, you can't craft your gear, which means you miss a lot of the functionality of the class.
Note also that, according to the class description, Ironsoul Forgemasters are the most popular dudes at the Cleric of Moradin parties. Dwarven Clerics love these guys. Being a Cleric of Moradin and an IF? You might as well be David Bowie showing up at those parties in person. You will get social standing out the wazoo.

I'm not sure that dwarves would get behind Ziggy Stardust. Seems kinda like he would do very well in the elf community though.

EDIT: Whoa, wait a minute!!! Eldarin are such a Ziggy Stardust ripoff!!!

[Extra Anchovies]

If you're willing to refluff, a Ruby Knight Vindicator from Tome of Battle (switched from Wee Jas to Moradin) is an awesome choice. It's a 10-level PrC that gives 10/10 spellcasting advancement, and some great maneuvers. It's one of the go-to PrCs for combining ToB maneuvers with spellcasting (the other being Jade Phoenix Mage), and its reputation is well-deserved.

That said, it does require you to develop some understanding of the Maneuver subsystem.

8/10, actually. If it were 10/10, you'd see it a lot more in Clericzilla builds.

[Red Fel]

8/10, actually. If it were 10/10, you'd see it a lot more in Clericzilla builds.

Guh, that's right, 8/10. That's what I get for not going off of the book.

Still, if your focus is on melee over casting, losing 2 CL won't be as big of a pain.

[atemu1234]

War Domain not good enough for you :smallwink:?