Cleric build for expedition to castle ravenloft

[haplot]

Looking for a build for expedition to castle ravenloft, starting at level 6. using roll 4d6 discarding the lowest and arrange as needed (rolled 15,17,18,14,13,14). 13k gold starting wealth.

starting race was thinking human (not set in stone though) and cloistered cleric, then either divine oracle or radiant servant of pelor.

Books allowed, pretty much everything, except player created stuff.

Any suggestions?

[stack]

Well, saying that there are a lot of undead is probably not a spoiler. If you lean hard into turn undead (greater turning via radiant servant of pelor, various feats), you will trivialize some encounters. This may be good or bad, depends on your group and expectations. I found the early stretch a bit of a slog, so quickened greater turning got us through much more quickly.

[Anthrowhale]

What power level are you looking for?

Just plain Cleric is pretty good. Adding the Lightbringer Cleric ACF "Destroy Undead" is thematically appropriate and plausibly useful.

If you want something with a bit more, then a Cloistered Cleric [Destroy Undead] 3/Church Inquisitor 2/Divine Oracle 2/Sacred Exorcist 3/Contemplative 1/?? 9 with DMM[Persist] is good.

And if you want to really break things, a Cleric 5/Spelldancer 2/Hathran 5/Dweomerkeeper 8 with Initiate of Mystra can accommodate.

[stack]

Old turning thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?141266-3-5-Turn-Undead-Optimization)

[haplot]

many thanks folks. You guys and gals rock !

Now to work out what race etc to finalise :D

[haplot]

Just a quick thought, if i went cloistered cleric 6, then went into radiant servant, id have to survive 1 level before getting into the prc and thus get armor and weapon profs. without too many spoilers, how likely is that gonna happen?

[Anthrowhale]

I don't know the specifics of your campaign, but Ravenloft is a horror setting, so death can be common.

In terms of race, Lesser Aasimar is a natural. Human is also good for the extra feat.

[Khedrac]

If you want to be good against undead then the Glory domain is a must: +2 to the turn check and +1d6 to the hit dice turned.

I am not sure how it works when combined wiht the Lightbringer cleric option from EtCR though

[stack]

I think lightbringer is probably more for when you want to not focus on turning, letting you deal damage to all undead instead of turning a few weak undead. If you are going glory + sun domains, high CHA, +turning gear, and radiant servant, your greater turning will instantly destroy undead; you don't want to just deal some damage. Depends which path you want to take.

In a normal campaign, over-investing in turning undead will hurt you. In an undead-heavy campaign, it can make you obnoxiously powerful. I played a turning-focused cleric in EtCR and we walked through half the encounters. The other players all said they were okay with this and it remains the only PBP game I have been in that actually reached its story-based ending.

[bean illus]

Just a quick thought, if i went cloistered cleric 6, then went into radiant servant, id have to survive 1 level before getting into the prc and thus get armor and weapon profs. without too many spoilers, how likely is that gonna happen?

Cloistered is a great class. Starting at 6th, spend the appropriate gold on light armor, and you should be good. I think mithral is the easy solution.

Cloistered 4/ Church Inquisitor 2 has been suggested, and is an upgrade in most opinions. .

[Troacctid]

Improved Turning, Empower Turning, and Quicken Turning will all be good in this campaign. The Lightbringer variants for true daylight and destroying undead? Also good. You often are more interested in destroying the undead than making them run away. (The Disciple of the Sun feat is not bad either.) Spontaneous restoration from Dungeonscape is good as well. Invest in items that improve turning; one of the special holy symbols from Complete Champion gives a bonus to it for very cheap, and if you can get it made from flametouched iron, even better. The useful items spreadsheet in my signature has a preset filter view for turning, so check that out.


Cloistered is a great class. Starting at 6th, spend the appropriate gold on light armor, and you should be good. I think mithral is the easy solution.

Cloistered 4/ Church Inquisitor 2 has been suggested, and is an upgrade in most opinions. .
Paragnostic apostle is better in this case because it not only advances turning, it gives you +2 to your effective turning level. (Church inquisitor's immunity to vampiric domination is nothing to sneeze at, but you already have good Will saves and high Wisdom.)

[thorr-kan]

Fun with holy symbols:
NOTE: While the list below details holy symbols, unholy symbols follow exactly the same rules, simply switching: turn undead for rebuke undead, sacred bonus for profane bonus, and holy symbol for unholy symbol.

True Holy Symbol - Planar Handbook
Appearing in all other ways to be merely a holy symbol, this item in fact comes from the home plane of the deity the symbol represents - and carries with it a modicum of the deity's power. Attempts to turn undead using the true holy symbol provide a +2 sacred bonus on the character's turning check (1d20 + the character's Cha modifier). True holy symbol: 500gp, 1 lb.

Greater Holy Symbol - Defenders of the Faith
Manufactured from precious metals and gems, this item is imbued with divine power by a servant of the deity it is associated with. A greater holy symbol grants the bearer the Empower Turning feat, usable at will.
Caster Level: 4th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, ability to turn or rebuke undead as 4th-level cleric, participation of a celestial, fiend, or other outsider servant of a deity; Market Price: 5,040 gp; Weight: 1 lb.

Reliquary Holy Symbol - Magic Item Compendium
As the repository of a tiny fragment of a long-dead high priest of a particular deity, a reliquary holy symbol functions just like any other holy symbol. In addition, for each of the following prerequisites that you meet, the holy symbol grants you one additional daily use of your turn or rebuke undead ability.
• At least 5 ranks in Knowledge (religion)
• Improved Turning feat
• At least one divine feat
Each reliquary holy symbol is crafted for a specific deity and is only useful to characters dedicated to that deity (or in the case of a character who isn’t devoted to a specific deity, whose alignment matches that of the deity). For example, a reliquary holy symbol of Heironeous can be used by any cleric of Heironeous, or by any lawful good character. Price (Item Level): 1,000 gp (4th), Body Slot: Throat, Activation: —, Weight: —


Flametouched Holy Symbol - Eberron Campaign Setting
Mined only in Thrane, flametouched iron is rare and considered sacred by the Church of the Silver Flame. When mined, this iron variety has a speckled dark red color, resembling rust, but when it is refined, it takes on a shimmering, silvery hue. Adherents of the Church of the Silver Flame believe that flametouched iron carries the particular blessing of their deity, and they use it to make holy symbols.
Flametouched iron has the same weight and other physical characteristics of iron (hardness 10, 30 hit points per inch of thickness). It possesses magical quantities, however, that manifest in different ways depending on the item it is crafted into. A flametouched iron holy symbol allows a character who can turn undead or censure fiends to do so as if his class level were one higher than it actually is. Flametouched iron holy symbol: 750gp, 1 lb.

[Thurbane]

If you heavily invest in turning/destroying undead, be aware that it will significantly change the play of the module.

When I DM'd EtCR, I had one moderately specialized Cloistered Cleric, run by a relatively novice player, and it made sections of the module a relative cake walk.

That's not to say you shouldn't do it, just be aware of the possible consequences.

[haplot]

thanks for all the replies everyone.

Will definitely look into the holy symbols.

finalising the character as a cloistered cleric 6 / radiant servant, wearing studded leather. Got a shield too for later. Almost went for medium armor but obviously got talked out of that :D

I dont really want to outshine everyone else in party, my dice rolls tend to be a bit on crap side when it matters (like rolling crit failures four times in a row when it really really counted). i just hope that i survive long enough to get the heavier armor for when i level.

magic item wise, went for +1 studded leather, and heavy steel shield (not going to use the shield probably until i gain prof with it), +1 morningstar, mw light crossbow, cloak of resist +1; amulet of retributive healing, and a healing belt, along with a whole bunch of mundane crap called adventuring gear !! :P

Feats: true believer (gm has merged feats together, i cant remember why, but i aint complaining - 1/day bonus to one save, and use relics) extra turning (must have coz of prc); empower turning, and healing devotion, coz who doesnt want fast healing !!

Domains: Sun and healing. Sun coz i have to, healing coz i wanted the healing devotion feat, and gm said that i gotta have the healing domain first :D ooo almost forgot to add in knowledge, for being cloistered !

[Troacctid]

If you're a follower of Pelor, I would recommend staying away from his relics, because they are kinda trash.

Pelor: I'm a sun deity who abhors the undead! My followers must destroy these abominable creatures wherever they lurk! To this end, I grant them my relic weapon. Use it wisely!
Clerics of Pelor: Wow, thanks Pelor! What does it do?
Pelor: It passes harmlessly through nonliving matter, dealing no damage to undead!
Clerics: 🤔🤔🤔

[Anthrowhale]

You can avoid the need for luck at level 9 via Surge of Fortune + Sense Weakness.

[haplot]

was just thinking of changing true believer for either craft wand, craft wonderous or brew potion. and then maybe pick up the other 2 as i level.

Thoughts as to which one would probably be the best?

[haplot]

Ive changed my mind on feats, going for the faith feats instead of craft wand and empower turning.

Now, any suggestions for Pelorian sayings?

I also need a good name for a warhorse, so I turn round and say something like, I'm riding on Sunshine for instance, something faith based

[thorr-kan]

Let us know what you end up with, and how it works!

A paladin's warhorse must be used for trampling attacks and thus named "Sundancer." Even better if you can con your DM into allowing you to smite through your mount's hooves and fluff smite as bursts of light.