(D&D 3.5) Buff Cleric help

[Jace Glaekon]

Players in my campaign have taken in a Cleric NPC for a healstick. Instead I have been looking into making a Cleric to throw buffs around and heal as needed.

I've isolated out the worthwhile feats I found: Protection Devotion, Healing Devotion, Divine Metamagic, Persistent Spell, Extend Spell, Augment Healing, Sacred Healing, Imbued Healing.

I'm thinking Protection Devotion and the Metamagic feats to eventually having 24 hour buffs with maybe 1 or 2 of the healing feats to round it out. What do you guys think for a support build?

[Eldariel]

Players in my campaign have taken in a Cleric NPC for a healstick. Instead I have been looking into making a Cleric to throw buffs around and heal as needed.

I've isolated out the worthwhile feats I found: Protection Devotion, Healing Devotion, Divine Metamagic, Persistent Spell, Extend Spell, Augment Healing, Sacred Healing, Imbued Healing.

I'm thinking Protection Devotion and the Metamagic feats to eventually having 24 hour buffs with maybe 1 or 2 of the healing feats to round it out. What do you guys think for a support build?

The crucial question is, what level would the character start at and how strong do you want for them to be? Divine Metamagic: Persistent Spell takes basically all your feats unless you use Nightsticks or Reliquary Holy Symbols or some such; you need to take a lot of Extra Turnings to get numerous Persistent Spells. Domain abilities can complement this, of course; Undeath has Extra Turning, Planning has Extend Spell, and alternative turning pools for elementals, Dragons and such exist, which can also fuel the feat. Either way, prestige classes can complement such a character nicely but the most important part is picking your buffs. To that end, knowing the level is crucial.

Are you interested in fighting also? Clerics can do that with the best of them.

[Jace Glaekon]

The crucial question is, what level would the character start at and how strong do you want for them to be? Divine Metamagic: Persistent Spell takes basically all your feats unless you use Nightsticks or Reliquary Holy Symbols or some such; you need to take a lot of Extra Turnings to get numerous Persistent Spells. Domain abilities can complement this, of course; Undeath has Extra Turning, Planning has Extend Spell, and alternative turning pools for elementals, Dragons and such exist, which can also fuel the feat. Either way, prestige classes can complement such a character nicely but the most important part is picking your buffs. To that end, knowing the level is crucial.

Are you interested in fighting also? Clerics can do that with the best of them.

I'm trying not to step on the existing party Cleric's toes who is going the battle Cleric route (I offered a UMD character with a wand but no, it apparently had to be a healer) while offering a good pool of party buffs. So, fighting probably not so much.

Group is starting at Lvl 1 and the campaign will end at 20 or whenever folks get bored with it, whichever happens first but they might even go separate ways once they finish current dungeon. I just like flushing LV20 build in case.

I think in retrospect I was supplementing turning with nightsticks. Might be better to just plan to get a Metamagic rod of extend spell and look into some other feats. 24 hours might just sound cooler in my head.

[Eldariel]

I'm trying not to step on the existing party Cleric's toes who is going the battle Cleric route (I offered a UMD character with a wand but no, it apparently had to be a healer) while offering a good pool of party buffs. So, fighting probably not so much.

Group is starting at Lvl 1 and the campaign will end at 20 or whenever folks get bored with it, whichever happens first but they might even go separate ways once they finish current dungeon. I just like flushing LV20 build in case.

I think in retrospect I was supplementing turning with nightsticks. Might be better to just plan to get a Metamagic rod of extend spell and look into some other feats. 24 hours might just sound cooler in my head.

Persist is stronger, no doubt. There are many key buffs such as Mass Lesser Vigor/Vigorous Circle, Recitation, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, etc. that are all limited by their 1 round/level duration and they become absolutely amazing party buffs with all day duration. Note though, most of these buffs are a bit higher level. There are no good team buffs on level 1 (Bless is about the only one and it's not all that), but a lot of single target buffs and support effects (Ray of Resurgence [Spell Compendium], Ray of Hope [Book of Exalted Deeds], Protection from Evil [Core], Conviction [Spell Compendium], Shield of Faith [Core], Blessed Aim [Spell Compendium], Ebon Eyes [Spell Compendium], Guiding Light [Spell Compendium], etc.) and level 2 spells bring Tyche's Touch [Lost Empires of Faerun], Close Wounds [Spell Compendium], Frost Weapon [Spell Compendium], etc.

You could just go like Radiant Servant of Pelor and use feats for Metamagic shenanigans (and perhaps Imbued Healing) and get the other cool stuff from the class. If the character is to be support, you could also go Cloistered Cleric (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#cloisteredCleric) and have him provide skill support with monster identification.

You could also have him dabble in disabling/blocking spells like Ice Slick [Frostburn], Conjure Ice Beast [Frostburn], Dark Way [Spell Compendium], Obscuring Snow [Frostburn] and company to have him provide other kinds of casting support as well; preventing damage is often superior to healing it after all. And debuffs complement buffs nicely to tip things way in your team's favour.


Of course, domains are big game. Out of Core, Trickery is obviously awesome for Invisibility, Polymorph Any Object and their like; Spell has Anyspell to access Polymorph and its ilk. Strength offers Enlarge Person and overall, there are lots of good domain spells to this purpose. Depends on whom in particular you'd prefer to get new buffs for. Substitute Domain [Complete Champion] allows domain switcheroo between your deity's domains too as desired.

[Troacctid]

For an NPC, I would avoid persistomancy. If you want the at-will healing of persistent mass lesser vigor, you'll get better gameplay out of Touch of Healing or Draconic Aura (Vigor). And if you want buff spells, that's what your combat actions are for—not like you're gonna be casting offensive spells on a buffbot, or casting healing spells on the first round of combat.

A couple more good healing feats you might want to consider (besides the aforementioned ones): Invigorating Spellcaster from Dragon #311, which gives a +2 bonus on Heal checks and allows all of your healing spells to also cure the dazed, stunned, fatigued, exhausted, and sickened conditions at no extra cost; and Mastery of Day and Night, which auto-maximizes any cure or inflict spell you cast.