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Aximili
2007-05-16, 08:05 PM
Ok, I'm working on a cleric right know, and I intend to make it the best damn specialist at surviving anything. (Alright, that's a lot to ask, but I'm trying to get as close to that as possible.)
Right now I'm set with travel domain (transportation spells + freedom of movement), and luck domain (usually for rerolling a saving throw). Obviously I'm going for a high AC, and I'm thinking of the heavy fortification to avoid SA and any other pesky precision damage, and the soulfire enhancement (Exalted deeds) (of course, its a +10 equivalent armor, so it'll take a while 'till I get there).

What I most need help with are the spells to choose and miscelaneous magic items to buy.

The thing is, I want him to be prepared for many diferent challenges, with no actual need to be of any use besides healing. Of course, DD and teleport will keep him alive 99% of the time, but I'm keeping those as a last resort (mostly RP reasons).

So, I'm just asking for spells and magic item that help keep you alive, be it a defensive buff, an alternate healing, or mostly anything that's not directly offensive.

Any book sources available (no dragon magazine), and Thanks in advance ;-)

Fax Celestis
2007-05-16, 08:10 PM
Let's see...Luck feats from Complete Scoundrel would help, as would a Luck Blade.

MeklorIlavator
2007-05-16, 08:17 PM
Spell Compenduim has a couple items that heal you when you go below a certain amount of health. And Divine Metamagic: Quicken will help with casting spells in reponse to enemy actions.

Aximili
2007-05-16, 08:31 PM
Let's see...Luck feats from Complete Scoundrel would help, as would a Luck Blade.
indeed, that is what I'm spending my feats on.

Spell Compenduim has a couple items that heal you when you go below a certain amount of health.
I think you miswrote one of those words.:smallbiggrin:

Jack_Simth
2007-05-16, 08:35 PM
Divine Metamagic(Persistent Spell) Mass Lesser Vigor?
Fast Healing 1 for the entire party (including you)!
A talk with your DM and the Fighter and Rogue become the stars of the show when you go on an endurance run!

Do note that the Travel Domain power only works against magical effects; if the monster actually grapples you, it doesn't help. If a Giant Spider spins a Web (Ex ability) and you walk into it, you're stuck; if a Wizard casts Web (the spell) you ignore it for however many rounds you have available on your domain power.

Still and Silent spell will be a must - you need to be able to cast Freedom of Movement in a grapple (which requires a lack of somatic components) and you want to be able to cast spells in the middle of a Silence effect. So prep a Silent Teleport and a Silent Dimension Door (no components) to get out of anything, a Silent Stilled Freedom of Movement to be unrestricted as you please.

Scribe Scroll and Craft Wand can be valuable for the spells you use only rarely and the spells you use all the time - although it's better if you can convince the party wizard to take the feats for you and collaberate.

Forge Ring and Craft Wondrous Item are also very useful to you (but with the same ideal as for Craft Wand and Scribe Scroll) - you have your entire spell list available, and so can make basically any item. Capes of the Mounteback for the entire party. Ring of Freedom of Movement as soon as possible.

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, of course - but again, convince the party Wizard to take it, then collaberate - you're feat starved.

If you plan on avoiding participation in combat, a Ring of Invisibility is an excellent choice; you never need to break invisibility, so you'll be a non-target for most opponents.

Sanctuary is a tasty spell; the save is basically nothing, but Heighten Spell fixes that right up. Oh, and the majority of Save or Suck/Lose spells are single target or multiple target (and thus subject to a Sanctuary check). Almost all the area spells that don't trigger the Sanctuare check are either combat control (Web, Evan's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion, and so on) which you can ignore thanks to the travel domain power, or direct damage (Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and so on) which is rather non-optimal of your opponents in most cases. A max DC Sanctuary and you're really hard to do anything about ... provided you're okay with sitting out the battle - at least directly (a wand of Summon Monster IV is your friend).

SurlySeraph
2007-05-16, 08:59 PM
Instead of wearing armor, take a few levels in Monk and get really high Wisdom and Dexterity. Your Wisdom will do double service, giving you spells and boosting your AC.

greenknight
2007-05-16, 09:07 PM
What level of Cleric do you have? For 20th level, the following makes a pretty decent build:

Cleric 11 / Contemplative (Complete Divine) 9.

Contemplative adds a lot of class benefits, including 2 extra Domains, immunity to diseases, poisons and negative aging effects, and spell resistance. Plus, it allows you to keep your full Cleric spellcasting progression.

For your initial Domains, take Time and Travel. Add Magic and Domination as you bonus Domains from Contemplative.

Get hold of a Rod of Cancellation as soon as possible - that will get rid of Force effects like Prismatic Wall and Forcecage.

Cast Heroes Feast (Extended, preferably) once each day. That will take care of fear effects.

Get someone to cast Clone on you, and then use Gentle Repose on the body so that it's available if you're ever killed.

At 15th level, get someone to Polymorph Any Object you (again, preferably Extended) into a War Troll (MM3). This gives you natural armor, better reach/movement speed and Dazing Strike. The Extended version lasts for 2 weeks.

Once you're able to, cast Contingency (from the Time Domain) to Word Of Recall you to safety if you're badly injured. You can also have Contingent Energy Resistance running at the same time, so I recommend you do that (Fire's a good choice of energy resistance, unless you know you're going to come up against some other sort).

Tor the Fallen
2007-05-16, 09:10 PM
To avoid precision based damage, become an undead. Necropolitan would work nicely. LA 0, applied to any humanoid.



Instead of wearing armor, take a few levels in Monk and get really high Wisdom and Dexterity. Your Wisdom will do double service, giving you spells and boosting your AC.

Just buy a monk's belt, instead of losing caster levels.

Jack_Simth
2007-05-16, 09:21 PM
Just buy a monk's belt, instead of losing caster levels.It actually takes very high Dex and Wis for the Monk's Belt to reach Mithral Fullplate + Tower Shield - and they're incompatible. Sure, you can tack Bracers of Armor on to your Monk's Belt build... but Bracers of Armor increase AC at the same cost that enchantment on the fullplate does. And you can use Magic Vestments on both plate and shield for the cost of some spell slots, rather than cash.

Mithral Fullplate costs 10,500 gp; a Masterwork (doesn't really need it, mind) Tower Shield costs 180 gp. With both, you have +8 Armor and +4 Shield, with a Max Dex of +2. That's +14 AC right there. If your Wisdom bonus plus your Dexterity bonus equals or exceeds that +14, the Monk's belt is a better choice vs. Weapons... unless you have Magic Vestments available (in which case, you need to recalculate, as you're double-dipping on Magic Vestments - both Fullplate and Shield, remember). If you're not particularly worried about making an attack roll, you don't need Tower Shield proficiency. If you're worried about it and can't spare the feat, a Large shield is only 2 less AC. The big advantage of the Monk's Belt is that it applies to touch AC.

Which reminds me - you want to pick up a Bead of Karma to increase your caster level for Magic Vestments and Greater Magic Weapon (mostly Magic Vestments) - increases the duration by four hours, but more importantly, increases the AC bonus by 1 (each).

Tor the Fallen
2007-05-16, 09:26 PM
It actually takes very high Dex and Wis for the Monk's Belt to reach Mithral Fullplate + Tower Shield - and they're incompatible. Sure, you can tack Bracers of Armor on to your Monk's Belt build... but Bracers of Armor increase AC at the same cost that enchantment on the fullplate does. And you can use Magic Vestments on both plate and shield for the cost of some spell slots, rather than cash.

Yeah, I know. I was just saying that IF you want to go unarmored, a monk's belt was just as good as a dip in the class, but you get more benefits.

If you want to stay out of the way of harmful explosions, a ring of evasion and a mithral breastplate may be more desirable.

Jacob Orlove
2007-05-16, 09:36 PM
Divine Oracle might be a good PrC choice, granting a form of Evasion that works in heavy armor, Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge, some other stuff, and at level 10, immunity to surprise.

crazedloon
2007-05-16, 09:36 PM
You all are missing the most important aspect surviving.

Just max your survival skill when you run into anything just make a check to see if you survive :smallwink:

But really it does depend on what level you are and what your starting stuff is.

for example you can go runecaster (feruen campaign setting) and make a perminant rune that on touch (normaly a free action) casts heal on you. No need to worry about pesky health after that :smallwink:

Aximili
2007-05-16, 09:39 PM
Yes, he'll be using armor, his belt slot will probably be used up by some other item. And his Dex won't be high enough to make the monk's belt worth it.

greenknight,
actually, contemplative is first in my list of PrC, since it doesn't require feats. And thanks for reminding me of contingency and rod of cancelation.

Jack_Simth,
Suggestions read and notted.:smallcool:

EDIT::
I knew I had forgotten something. We're starting at first level, and It's a cloistered cleric. Actually, we have already started playing, but small chages can be made with no problem.

greenknight
2007-05-17, 02:39 AM
Yes, he'll be using armor, his belt slot will probably be used up by some other item. And his Dex won't be high enough to make the monk's belt worth it.

Monk's Belt works off Wisdom (it provides your Wisdom Modifier + 1 to AC). Personally, I consider it to be a great investment for a Cleric or Druid, especially if you don't have a great Dexterity and aren't proficient with heavy armor. But until your Wisdom is high enough to make that pay off, a Mithral Breastplate is a great option, along with an Animated Mithral Large Shield. I know Cloisered Clerics aren't proficient with shields, but making it out of Mithral means you don't need to be, and having it Animated means you can still use a two handed weapon.

Jack_Simth
2007-05-17, 06:02 AM
I knew I had forgotten something. We're starting at first level, and It's a cloistered cleric. Actually, we have already started playing, but small chages can be made with no problem.
Cloistered Cleric? Do note that the 100 gp pearl on Identify is very explicitly an ARCANE material component - technically, you don't need it with the rules as written (although your DM may decide otherwise due to a perception of balance, which is fine).

Ikkitosen
2007-05-17, 06:17 AM
Yes, he'll be using armor, his belt slot will probably be used up by some other item. And his Dex won't be high enough to make the monk's belt worth it.

Unless you Persist the spell from the Compendium that adds 10 to your dex, assuming it is Persistible. Then get bracers of armour and a +1 silk shirt of heavy fortification (with +4 of other enchantments too).

taion
2007-05-17, 06:43 AM
If you want to abuse DMM and Nightsticks (depending on what your GM allows, of course), the Reach Spell and Ocular Spell metamagic feats let you use Persistent Spell on just about anything, so you could conceivably be buffed to a ridiculous level all day long. There's actually a build floating around called the "Twice-Betrayer of Shar" that does something like this on the Wizards D&D Character Optimization forums, but it's cheesy beyond the point of playability. It still has a bunch of cool ideas, though. If you have access to Forgotten Realms stuff and don't mind being a cleric of Mystra, the Cheater of Mystra build (also from CharOp forums) is a less silly and somewhat more playable build that does roughly the same thing. The Initiate of Mystra feat lets you cast in an anti-magic field (which you can persist using DMM, and cast at minimum caster level), while the Supernatural Spell ability on the Dweomerkeeper prestige class lets you cast spells as supernatural abilities. Specifically, this lets you cast bunches of Miracles and Limited Wishes without paying the XP cost. You don't have access to the Travel domain, but Greater Anyspell lets you cast Teleport just fine. Granted, all this only comes together at high levels, but it's pretty nice to sit in an AMF so other people's magical stuff can't affect you and be buffed to truly enormous levels, with the ability to throw around Miracles and Limited Wishes like they're going out of style.

It's questionable how much of this any sane GM will let you use, but AMF + Initiate of Mystra is just nice, and protects you from a lot of stuff.

Aximili
2007-05-17, 11:33 PM
Monk's Belt works off Wisdom (it provides your Wisdom Modifier + 1 to AC). I know, but one of it's advantages is the fact that it has no maximum DEX modifier. When your DEX and WIS are high enough, it's surely worth it. But, in my case, the belt will not give me a higher AC than Fullplate+mithral shield. (at least not soon.)


Cloistered Cleric? Do note that the 100 gp pearl on Identify is very explicitly an ARCANE material component - technically, you don't need it with the rules as written (although your DM may decide otherwise due to a perception of balance, which is fine).
Thats's good to know.:smallcool:


Unless you Persist the spell from the Compendium that adds 10 to your dex, assuming it is Persistible. Then get bracers of armour and a +1 silk shirt of heavy fortification (with +4 of other enchantments too).
I'd certainly like that. But I don't think I'm gonna be alowed DMM+Persistant Spell:smallfrown:

ClericofPhwarrr
2007-05-18, 01:04 AM
I'd certainly like that. But I don't think I'm gonna be alowed DMM+Persistant Spell:smallfrown:

Don't be sad! That's a good thing. Really.

It means your fellow players won't contrive an underhanded way to kill the cleric shortly before prayertime.

ShneekeyTheLost
2007-05-18, 03:31 AM
Consider a Pal2 dip for Cha bonus to saves if you have a high Cha for turn attempts.

Monk2 does more than just Wis bonus to AC... it also gives you Evasion, although I believe Contemplative gets that at a later level, I don't have my Complete Divine on me at the moment.

However, like with the Wizard, loosing spell levels is a BAD thing. Balance things carefully.

Telonius
2007-05-18, 12:35 PM
Steal some tricks from the Wizard's book. Items of Blink or Greater Mirror Image are great. The Travel domain gets you some of the nicer Wizard "Run away!" sorts of spells: Dimension Door, Fly, and Teleport. Trickery for Time Stop.

Or, become a Lich. Don't know if that counts as "surviving," but those buggers can be really hard to kill.

Aximili
2007-05-18, 02:29 PM
Yeah, I'm already thinking that lich is the best way to go.:smallbiggrin: My character is good, but I believe the DM will allow the Good lich from monsters of faerun. Plus, the lich's immunities will save me a whole lot of trouble (such as a +9 equivalent armor enhancement and several levels in the inquistor PrC).

EDIT: I just realized cloistered clerics are only proficient with light armors:smallannoyed: Shame on me for forgetting...
Well, looks like I'll have to reconsider the monk's belt.

Daemon
2007-05-19, 04:21 PM
The cleric in my DM is going to have an AC of around 40ish by level 8... not sure how she's going to afford the items now that i know of her plan but.....

Also, if the DM is crafty, how will all that survivalist stuff prevent a wizard from casting a SMALL gate inside you next to your heart, or heck, in your brain? you move you die!

But as to surviving... being able to wear more than light armor would help, but you can always make the item out of mithril!

Quietus
2007-05-19, 11:21 PM
Also, if the DM is crafty, how will all that survivalist stuff prevent a wizard from casting a SMALL gate inside you next to your heart, or heck, in your brain? you move you die!

No line of effect, and you aren't able to create thing inside of other things?

Aximili
2007-05-22, 04:51 PM
The cleric in my DM is going to have an AC of around 40ish by level 8... not sure how she's going to afford the items now that i know of her plan but.....

Also, if the DM is crafty, how will all that survivalist stuff prevent a wizard from casting a SMALL gate inside you next to your heart, or heck, in your brain? you move you die!

Maybe the fact that he is sane.:smallconfused:

Anyway, AC is not the worse problem. Atacks can be avoided in many ways, and by a plentitude of spells. I'm more worried aboiut alternative ways of killing. Thatīs why I need things such as silenced DD, a variety of immunities (go!go! lich! o/), and so on.

Emperor Tippy
2007-05-22, 05:16 PM
Remember, its cheaper to get a buckler of heavy fortification and a shirt of soulfire than it is to get them both on the same item. It saves you quite a lot of money.

PinkysBrain
2007-05-22, 07:17 PM
In forgotten realms play a shield dwarf with the strong soul regional feat (requires some background story to justify a shield dwarf being born in that region). In Eberron play a warforged. In Greyhawk play a deep dwarf. If you can mix and match be a deep dwarf with the strong soul regional feat.

ShneekeyTheLost
2007-05-22, 09:10 PM
If you read the fine print on the Lich (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lich.htm) template, please notice this cute little bit:


An integral part of becoming a lich is creating a magic phylactery in which the character stores its life force. As a rule, the only way to get rid of a lich for sure is to destroy its phylactery. Unless its phylactery is located and destroyed, a lich reappears 1d10 days after its apparent death.

Each lich must make its own phylactery, which requires the Craft Wondrous Item feat. The character must be able to cast spells and have a caster level of 11th or higher. The phylactery costs 120,000 gp and 4,800 XP to create and has a caster level equal to that of its creator at the time of creation.

Also note the +4 CL. And the 120,000 price tag.

My suggestion:

The following are good buffs to have:

* Death Ward. Just say no to Save or Die and Negative Levels.

* Protection from Alignment (your opponent's alignment). Neener neener, you can't touch me

* Divine Power. DMM Persist this

* Righteous Strength. DMM Persist this too. Persist both of these and fight better than a fighter

* Freedom of Movement. Just say no to everything from Solid Fog to Hold Person

Habeed
2007-05-22, 10:07 PM
My comment here is : seriously, being DEAD (or rather, un-dead) is favored? Most of the posters here seem to think that being a creepy reanimated rotting corpse is somehow going to improve "survival". Maybe it does according to the game rules, but first of all, there's quality of un-life to consider. What can you even enjoy as an undead being?

Second, what is likelier to receive greater protection by the fellow party members : a creepy "good" undead lich in the party that happens to cast healing, or a high charisma half human half elf chick/slut?

Not to mention, I would imagine that most good NPCs encountered would be hostile to a lich or undead, regardless of alignment.

Still, it seems that a TPK would be DRAMATICALLY easier to survive. Even if everyone is killed, the lich gets to come back from phylactory and resurrect everyone after the big baddie has buried the bodies and left. Or the party is killed by a trap or cave in or explosion or something. Even if the alternate character, that half elf healer survived, she is far more likely to be kidnapped (better hope the bad guys don't try to then use her as a sacrificial virgin, hehehe). Plus she needs food, ect. A lich can just "play dead" and come back after the enemies have left. Even centuries later.

Aximili
2007-05-26, 10:56 AM
I see people talking about shirts with armor enhancements, and I had no idea that could be done. Is that specifically allowed in the DMG, or is it somewhere else? I wanna make use of them, but I'm gonna have to show to my DM that I can.