Being considered a Cleric

[weckar]

Is there any way (for the purpose of qualifications etc.) to count as a cleric without being a cleric, or to count as more of a cleric (a greater part of your total level)?

[Seclora]

There are a few types of outsider that get casting as a cleric, Solars for instance. Lilitu out of Fiendish Codex 1 is a particularly dedicated not quite a cleric.

Use Magic Device, however, will let you make a check to fake qualifying as most things for the purposes of magic items. I believe the DC is 20, but am not certain.

Suddenly have this weird image of a rogue who has the whole town convinced he's a paladin because he found his father's Holy Avenger and figured out how to make it work.

[weckar]

That's a fair enough start. Is there a way to consistently be considered as having cleric levels though? Like, making levels of one class count as another or something?

[Seclora]

That's a fair enough start. Is there a way to consistently be considered as having cleric levels though? Like, making levels of one class count as another or something?

I know of feats that work for Ninja, Fighter, Swashbuckler, Monk, Rogue, Sorcerer, Skirmisher, and Ranger. But I'm afraid I know of no way to make a level in any other class count for levels in Cleric.
What do you need the cleric levels for exactly?

[weckar]

A Bard/Cleric thing that should not be too clericky....

[mvpmack]

Use Magic Device: when you can't make it, fake it!

Only works for items though.

[Thurbane]

It might help if you tell us the reason you want to count as a Cleric, so we can get a better idea of what might count.

Is it for an Initiate feat?

[Seclora]

Ooh, that does sound fun!

I can think of two ideas.
The first is to devise a highly convoluted way to build a Fochlucan Lyrist(Complete Adventurer) that uses Cleric Casting instead of Druid casting. You'll probably need a rogue dip, and it is a late entry PRC. Upsides is that it progresses your Bardic Music as if you were still a full class bard for those levels. No real class features though, mostly a theurge class.
The second is to ask your DM if you can change the Arcane casting requirements on Prestige bard(Unearthed Arcana) to Divine casting and build a Prestige Bard with Cleric casting instead of Sor/Wiz casting. You'll lose a few caster levels, but you'll also only have one class worth of casting to worry about. Plus, accelerated Bard progression.

[weckar]

Simply: I really like the Divine Inspiration and Sacred Performer feats (together you are effectively everything a bard is without being a bard for more than a level) but I don't like that, of all things, it is a cleric that had to be tacked on...

[Curmudgeon]

Use Magic Device, however, will let you make a check to fake qualifying as most things for the purposes of magic items. I believe the DC is 20, but am not certain.
Minimum would be 21, to emulate one particular class feature of a level 1 Cleric, such as their Aura. If you're trying to activate something that's specific to being a Cleric, that would require making successful Emulate a Class Feature checks until you've covered the combination(s) of characteristics which match what the designer of the magic item decided designated a user as a Cleric. Since the rules don't go into those details, basically it's going to be your DM's call.

[Troacctid]

Those feats only work for actual Cleric levels. I don't think there's a way to get around that.

There are definitely ways to accomplish what you want with a class other than Cleric, though. Quite a few prestige classes advance bardic music while letting you choose any spellcasting class to add levels to. Off the top of my head, Virtuoso, Stormsinger, and Prestige Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/prestigiousCharacterClasses.htm#prestigeBard) will all let you make just about any class into a Bard hybrid.

[atemu1234]

A Bard/Cleric thing that should not be too clericky....

Evangelist. One of my favourite PrCs.

[goto124]

One possible reason to be able to mimic a cleric without cleric levels: in the DM's setting, clerics must obtain power from a preexisting god and ascribe to a deity, but you want to play a character concept that doesn't allow that.

Or the entire idea was to play a not-cleric :smallbiggrin:

Related: How would you build a not-paladin? Refluffed Swordsage or something? Is Swordsage a thing here? I mix editions up rather a lot.

[Hiro Quester]

Heartfire Fanner in dragon 314. Perform and diplomacy 10 ranks each prerequisites (plus negotiator and skill focus: perform feats).

Advances any spellcasting class (including divine), and lets you count as a fifth level bard for bardic music purposes. Even if you have no levels of bard.

Plus adds bardic music that gives allies temp use of fighter bonus feats, and free metamagic.

But Doesn't divine inspiration require you to be a deity?

[goto124]

But Doesn't divine inspiration require you to be a deity?

You mean worship a deity :smalltongue:

I heard it's a bardic feat?

[weckar]

They are both Dragon feats.


Divine Inspiration

Type: General
Source: Dragon #333

Your piety grants you the ability to aid your friends to a level beyond your natural skills.
Prerequisite: Bardic music ability, ability to turn undead.
Benefit: Your bard and cleric levels stack for the purpose of determining your bardic music ability. For example, a human 5th-level bard/1st-level cleric with 9 ranks in a Perform skill could use the suggestion bardic music ability.
In addition, Perform is always a class skill for you.


Sacred Performer

Type: General
Source: Dragon #357

You invest a little bit of your piety into your every performance.
Prerequisite: Bardic music ability, ability to turn or rebuke undead.
Benefit: Your bard and cleric levels stack for the purpose of determining your turning check and turning damage. For example, a 4th-level bard/1st-level cleric turns or rebukes undead as a 5th-level cleric.
Your bard and cleric levels also stack for the purpose of determining the number of times per day you can use your bardic music (although this does not affect which bardic music abilities you can use). For example, a 5th-level bard/4th-level cleric receives a bonus equal to 9 (the sum of his bard and cleric levels) + Intelligence bonus (if any) on his bardic knowledge checks, and he can use bardic music 9 times per day.
Special: Deities most likely to accept Sacred Performer: Lliira, Milil, Oghma, Sharess, and Sune

Combined, these seem to cover the whole bard-but-not-bard chassis pretty well. Considering the prereqs, would it be too crazy to open these up to any class that gives turning/rebuking?

[Hiro Quester]

Ah. I was thinking of this kind of divine inspiration.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#divineInspiration

If you mean being a bard/paladin, it seems reasonable to talk to your DM about there feats working for a paladin. Perhaps paladin levels -3, since Paladins turn like a cleric of three levels lower.

In a sense sacred performer is like song of the white raven feat, but for Paladins, instead of crusader or Warblade. I'd allow that.