Cleric Build

[ImSAMazing]

So I am going to play a lvl 1 Cleric in an upcoming campaign, but I don't really have the time to check all the possible useful races out or read all the spells. Can you help me with a basic lvl 1 cleric build?

[GilesTheCleric]

What would you like to do? What's your character concept? Any book or alignment restrictions?

[nedz]

Here's (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1238) a handbook — it's just one of several.

[LudicSavant]

So I am going to play a lvl 1 Cleric in an upcoming campaign, but I don't really have the time to check all the possible useful races out or read all the spells. Can you help me with a basic lvl 1 cleric build?

Cleric is an incredibly versatile class with an immense number of good, flavorfully distinct builds... even at level 1. It would allow people to give you much better feedback if you offered any indication whatsoever as to what your character concept was.

[Elder_Basilisk]

First thing you should do is tell us what setting. The options for clerics in the Forgotten Realms are different from Greyhawk, Arcanis, or Golarion.

Second, you should look at what levels the campaign is likely to get to. A campaign that is likely to progress slowly and maybe stop at level 6 or 8 is different from an Age of Worms campaign that will progress relatively quickly and go well past level 20. Some builds don't come into their own until high levels. Other builds are very effective at low levels but don't scale quite as well.

Third, you should let us know what kind of optimization level your campaign is built for and what resources you can use. A lot of people will recommend Divine Metamagic and persistent spell with nightsticks if your DM will let you get away with it. However, I've never played in a campaign that would allow any of those items (and for good reason). If you are in a core only campaign, or are playing with a group of moderate/reasonable optimization players or with low optimization players, the answers will be very different than if you're in a "anything short of PunPun campaign."

Finally, let us know what kind of things you enjoy doing. Cleric is a versatile class and you can be a very good healbot if that's your thing, or you can be a buff and bash specialist trying to outfight the fighter. You can be a less armored priest who gets by casting spells, an archer, or even a pseudo-wizard who uses feats and domain spells to do summoning, blasting, or controlling as your primary contribution to the party. You can be good at healing too or really not give it much thought. You can be any of those things and able to hit things with a longspear too or you can make a deliberate choice to be no good with weapons and focus on being slightly better at spells or skills. So, what do you want to get out of it?

There are "good" ways to build a cleric that accomplish any combination of those desires.

[Nifft]

I've had a good time with a Cloistered Cleric (Knowledge, Trickery, Travel).

He was Dex/Wis lightly-armored skirmisher who fired a crossbow or used Winter's Blast in combat at low levels.