Cleric of Shadow and Pestilence *Help*

[TheBrassDuke]

So over the course of just a couple months, and with the help of some really great Playgrounders, I've been building up my Cleric of Umbra--the Herald of Midnight and the Rider of Pestilence.

She began as a LG cleric with the domains (Creation, Purification and Inquisition--due to levels in C.I.), and after a drastic shift in-game, following a grisly death and resurrection--at the hands of a dark goddess who planned to make Her way onto the Prime--Eleisa, no longer a Saint but (credited by Red Fel, for his neat description on a Saint thread) a "Descendant", became a Cleric of Shadows. Her new domains are Shadow and Pestilence. I think she keeps Inquisition?

I've been thinking about dipping into Contemplative for another domain and will be going Divine Disciple next or Shadow Adept--not sure.

I'd like to know what equipment, from lv. 1 to 10, to give her. Let's say she went from good to evil around lv. 7.

That, and what sort of feats should I give her?

She has a rapier, as that is her Deity's chosen weapon (the goddesses are sort of two sides of the same coin, and so she's gotten to keep her proficiency). I'd thought about adding Wounding to it.

I want to say she wears full-plate or a breastplate. I'm not sure. She's a full caster, but can be pretty deadly with a rapier (strikes are weaker than a fighter with a greatsword, but she hits more than he ever will).

It's a jumbled mess, I know. But if you could help me, I'd appreciate it!

As a side note, any suggestions on a new domain would be appreciated. Our setting has very few gods, so the respective good and bad goddesses have most domains in their portfolis.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/CainePorter/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_2209_zpszxnszh27.jpg
Just a visual for ideas.

Edit: Also, is it worth going into Lich, at all?

[Venger]

good jumping off point for magic items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items)

mechanically, you keep the inquisition domain and sundry benefits, yes.

contemplative is solid for any character with domains, and is easy to qualify for.

what does a typical combat routine look like for your character? do you buff yourself and attack in melee? do you like to use offensive spells? do you use BFC against enemies, buff party members, or summon? you mentioned church inquisitor, are you a focused dispeller? all these will influence what feats are useful for you. they and other options are gone over in the cleric handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=420.0) not an exhaustive list but definitely covers the bases.

do you critfish? is there any reason you're using a rapier specifically? how did you get proficiency without the war domain? did you dip, or did your gm just handwave it and say everyone is proficient with their deity's weapons?

what kind of powers do you want your domain to give you? not just granted powers, but what holes are you looking to shore up in your spell list?

lich is terrible and not in any way worth the LA. don't go into it. you can enjoy undead immunities through many spells on the cleric lists or with items such as a skull talisman.

[TheBrassDuke]

mechanically, you keep the inquisition domain and sundry benefits, yes.

Hm, okay. That was something I wasn't too sure about.


contemplative is solid for any character with domains, and is easy to qualify for.

I'll most likely get to the point when i may select a second domain before dropping it.


what does a typical combat routine look like for your character? do you buff yourself and attack in melee? do you like to use offensive spells? do you use BFC against enemies, buff party members, or summon? you mentioned church inquisitor, are you a focused dispeller? all these will influence what feats are useful for you. [snip]

Before she turned, Eleisa was primarily a buffer to party members and an effective secondary physical fighter. For when she turns, I'd like to keep her a fighter, but really dig in with some offensive spells. I wasn't going for Necromancer with her, so I never looked into using minions. But maybe?

About her C.I. levels, yeah. Our enemies were many, and among them were members of an insidious group known as the Imperial Wizardry (not just "wizards", mind), and so it was an important power to have. And she was the head of her church's Inquisition before her death and change, so it fit.


do you critfish? is there any reason you're using a rapier specifically? how did you get proficiency without the war domain? did you dip, or did your gm just handwave it and say everyone is proficient with their deity's weapons?

I actually have no idea what critfish is, so I'm going to say no. And I'm guessing that it was a handwave, because I initially thought a cleric became proficient with her deity's chosen weapon?

And I like the rapier a lot--it fits the idea of a character who doesn't hit hard, but more often. Residual damage is even better.


what kind of powers do you want your domain to give you? not just granted powers, but what holes are you looking to shore up in your spell list?

I actually cannot answer this one too well, because I do not know.


lich is terrible and not in any way worth the LA. don't go into it. you can enjoy undead immunities through many spells on the cleric lists or with items such as a skull talisman.

Okay, I was just checking.

[Venger]

Before she turned, Eleisa was primarily a buffer to party members and an effective secondary physical fighter. For when she turns, I'd like to keep her a fighter, but really dig in with some offensive spells. I wasn't going for Necromancer with her, so I never looked into using minions. But maybe?

ok. if you want to think about necromancing, there are a variety of good prcs for it in the cleric handbook, or it's possible to dabble with create undead and the summon undead line from spell compendium.


I actually have no idea what critfish is, so I'm going to say no. And I'm guessing that it was a handwave, because I initially thought a cleric became proficient with her deity's chosen weapon?
critfish means focusing on critical hits with your build, and the stuff that goes along with that, such as additional effects on crits, expanding your range, etc. rapiers are common weapons associated with this because of their range and I'd mentioned it because on the face of it there was no clear reason for your character to have one.

if it's not already on your list, they actually only become proficient with it if they pick the war domain, alongside weapon focus. it's a common houserule and something your gm doesn't exactly need to rush to take away from you. I just thought if you'd taken EWP rapier that you were investing in it somehow.



I actually cannot answer this one too well, because I do not know.
ok. well, when you do, that'll definitely help us steer you toward the domains that're the best fit for you.

[TheBrassDuke]

ok. if you want to think about necromancing, there are a variety of good prcs for it in the cleric handbook, or it's possible to dabble with create undead and the summon undead line from spell compendium.

Is Shadow Adept not good for that? I know it won't help, but would it be a bad idea?


critfish means focusing on critical hits with your build, and the stuff that goes along with that, such as additional effects on crits, expanding your range, etc. rapiers are common weapons associated with this because of their range and I'd mentioned it because on the face of it there was no clear reason for your character to have one.

if it's not already on your list, they actually only become proficient with it if they pick the war domain, alongside weapon focus. it's a common houserule and something your gm doesn't exactly need to rush to take away from you. I just thought if you'd taken EWP rapier that you were investing in it somehow.

Hm. I'd initially thought she would use her rapier to weaken enemies over time, poking holes in them, probably with Wounding ability or poison, etc. while buffing allies and (maybe) calling for some undeadly backup. Huh. Critfish, you say.


ok. well, when you do, that'll definitely help us steer you toward the domains that're the best fit for you.

Okay, well I never looked at the Darkness domain before, because I think I may have equated it to the Shadow domain...so, I'm thinking about that.

Death is a good choice, and according to the DM the goddess (Midnight) Eleisa serves now has Chaos and Trickery, too.

Just some domains in Middy's portfolio include: Shadow, Darkness Evil, Chaos, Death, Pestilence, War, Trickery, Entropy and Luck

[Rebel7284]

Consider the Shadowcraft Mage. Amazing class that allows you to always be cloaked in Shadows (at least outside of direct sunlight) while greatly expanding your spell list by being able to emulate most Conjuration and all evocation spells from the wizard list. As per the adaptation section, this class is open to non-gnomes who are part of a shadow cabal. If your current organization doesn't qualify, you can always start your own cabal.

[DrMotives]

You know what would make more sense thematically than lich? Shade, which was in Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, and never updated to 3.5, sadly. The main thing it's missing is LA, although for +2 CR it shouldn't be any worse than lich. The concept is a person who gain immortality not by undeath, but by mixing the Shadowstuff, the material the Plane of Shadow is made from, into their soul. Type changes to outsider, all other abilities gained only apply when you're in darkness.

[TheBrassDuke]

Funny thing is, DM assigns no LA to 3.0 material that has no LA. :) so I'm gonna have to look into that.

[TheBrassDuke]

Shadowcraft Mage, Shadowcrafter and Shadow Adept...they're all really neat.

However, is it even a viable option if Eleisa's gone Cleric/Church Inquisitor/Contemplative (dipping)/(possibly Divine Disciple)?

As a cleric currently serving a shadow goddess, who in her scheming resurrected Eleisa as her first Herald (Pestilence), what would you do for the build?

Nothing too crazy, not excessively powerful--but enough so that she may become a tough enemy for a party of four (Elven Necromancer/Shadow Adept, Elven Rogue/X, Human Paladin, and a Pixie Druid).

Say she's a villain at lv. 11, which would be about the time she's confronted for the first time.

[TheBrassDuke]

Update: I've decided to use the Trickery domain for her first selection with the Contemplative PrC.

So in addition to Pestilence, Shadow, and Inquisition, she's going to have Trickery and then either Luck or Darkness, I don't know.