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Thread: Optimizing the cleric
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2009-08-23, 07:00 PM (ISO 8601)
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Optimizing the cleric
I haven't done much with clerics before other than making heal-bots, so I was wondering how to optimize a cleric so that they'd be good at pretty much everything. Assume that there's a ridiculously high point-buy so all of his ability scores are amazing.
Basically, I want to know what spells and feats are the best to take to make a cleric who can kick some serious butt, cast some awesome spells, and patch himself up after battle. If it matters, this would be an evil cleric.
Edit: His level would be pretty high up there, somewhere from 15-20. I don't know much about higher levels, since the highest level character I've played is level 10.
Edit 2: I'm only familiar with core, so if you're gonna toss something non-core at me explain it please. And if possible I'd like to stick to core + complete series.Last edited by rezplz; 2009-08-23 at 07:03 PM.
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2009-08-23, 07:01 PM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-23, 07:02 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
The standard way to do it is to take a bunch of Extra Turning feats to gain the ability to do a lot of Divine Metamagic. Then you persist your buffs and buff yourself into the stratosphere with stuff like Divine Power, Shield of Faith and the like.
Edit: CoDzilla's make pretty awesome bosses for the PC's. Is that what you are thinking of?Last edited by Myshlaevsky; 2009-08-23 at 07:09 PM.
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2009-08-23, 07:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
Mongoose: The only thing in your post that I recognized is Divine power, which is a very good spell if I recall correctly. Not sure what all the other stuff is, or what books they're from.
Myshlaevsky: Don't most buffs not work with permanency? And yeah, BBEG is what I'm going for.
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2009-08-23, 07:10 PM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-23, 07:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-23, 07:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-23, 07:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-23, 07:25 PM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-23, 07:27 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
Cloistered Cleric. Max out Spellcraft, Constitution, and four (or more) knowledges of your choice, get magic items to boost knowledge rolls, and boom, you're good.
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2009-08-23, 07:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
The spell lore of the gods (also in Complete Champion) gives you a +10 insight bonus to Knowledge checks if you worship a god that offers Knowledge as a domain (though you don't have to select it as a domain). Otherwise it only gives +5. 10 minutes/level and extendable with a lesser metamagic rod.
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2009-08-23, 07:44 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
Important Feats:
Persistent Spell: Complete Arcane (or was it Complete Mage? No matter, it's in The SRD) - makes a spell (of "personal or fixed" range) have a duration of 1 day, rather than whatever duration it had before. +6 metamagic adjustment, requires Extend Spell.
Divine Metamagic: From Complete Divine. Pick a metamagic feat you know. You can exchange turning attempts (1+metamagic level adjustment) to apply that metamagic on the fly to a spell, for no spell level adjustment.
Nightstick: An item from Libris Mortis. Grants 4 extra turning attempts, costs 9k. Pick up as many as you can. You also want a Strand of Prayer Beads (Core, for the Karma), and a Ring of Enduring Arcana (Magic Item Compendium, I think, but it might also be Complete Mage - +4 to your caster level for purposes of resisting Dispels), and a Ring of Spell Battle (Magic Item Compendium) to re-direct any spells coming at you.
Summon Elemental (Complete Mage Reserve Feat - trapspringer; bsically, summon a small, medium, or large elemental at-will as a supernatural standard action)
Fiery Burst (or one of the other ranged direct damage feats from Complete Mage - ranged offense, usable at will)
For scouting, pick up the Third Eye Sense from the XPH - standard-action command-thought - put your perspective anywhere "familiar or obvious"
The Trickery domain gives you access to the Hide skill.
For melee, DMM Persist Divine Favor, Divine Power, and Righteous Might. Go to town. Unholy Aura, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, and Elation are not out of place here, either.
For trapfinding, DMM Persist Detect Magic, and watch while you send free elementals to their doom. When you find out what's causing the doom (by watching it) zap the doom until the doom is dead.
For social stuff, invest skill points in Diplomacy.
For healing, use DMM Persist on Mass Lesser Vigor (spell compendium) or Vigorous Circle (also Spell Compendium). Grants fast healing. DMM Persistent Spell makes them last all day.Of course, by the time I finish this post, it will already be obsolete. C'est la vie.
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2009-08-23, 07:53 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boa...hp?topic=420.0
this should help you out
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2009-08-24, 04:26 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
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2009-08-24, 06:22 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
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2009-08-24, 06:34 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
Divine Insight (level 2 spell) will give you up to +15 on any skill check which helps you to max out your Knowledge Devotion
With CC, Divine Power, +3 from Divine Favor and a half decent strength score, you're swinging at full BAB, with a strength score that makes the Barbarian blush, and a +5 on attack and damage rolls from Knowledge Devotion.. Well, if you ain't hitting it, it cain't be hit.
Even without Cloistered Cleric, you can do ok if you play a dwarf with the Ancestral Knowledge feat and/or use the Knowledge domain.
It's goody-covered goodness with a goody filling.
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2009-08-24, 06:35 AM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-24, 06:51 AM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-24, 06:52 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
Why wouldn't they stack?
Do you think having, say, two eternal wands of Cure Light Wounds wouldn't be useable separately either? Two Healing Belts? What about two weapons with once-per-day abilities?
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2009-08-24, 07:41 AM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-24, 08:02 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
"Sage also ruled against it", is the con-argument i hear the most.
...Even if you should normally take Sage with a grain of salt, but YMMW.If a tree falls in a forest, the Druid will make sure you hear about it.
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2009-08-24, 08:08 AM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-24, 08:33 AM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-24, 08:49 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
It's bad enough with extra turnings alone...
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2009-08-24, 09:38 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
Speaking of optimizing the Cleric.. Are there any decent ranged direct damage area of effect (yes, I know) spells available for the Cleric at the low end of the spell level spectra?
I mean, sometimes a Fireball *IS* the right answer. ;)
Is there any similar spells available for a Cleric before Flame Strike on spell level 5?
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2009-08-24, 10:46 AM (ISO 8601)
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2009-08-24, 03:01 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
Yeah, that's the impression I've got too. In our last session, the Cleric started to buff the party, while the Sorcerer blew 3 out of 4 rapidly approaching attackers out of the sky. (the fourth slipped on a patch of Grease that your friendly, neighborhood Arcane Rogue cast infront of the running enemies, and he fell into a sewer pit. That was amusing)
Well, my point was, kinda, that the Cleric didn't get to do much fun and the ranged spells she's got kinda sucks unless the target is undead.
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2009-08-24, 03:44 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
Few exist, but they have additional effects which make them worthwhile. Level 2 Tyche's Darkbolt [LoM] is a good example - 5d8 (IIRC) damage and a save vs. daze or something. Cometfall (level something, Spell Compendium) is also nice, dealing damage and knocking people prone. Spells like these exist.
Other than that, you can either pimp out your Blasphemy-CL or forget about offensive casting outside SoDs like Destruction, Finger of Death, etc.Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
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2009-08-24, 04:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Optimizing the cleric
Aside from what has already been mentioned, such as playing a CC, (Cloistered Cleric), pick up the 2nd level conjuration spell: Healing Lorecall from CAdv. Persist that bad boy before you do anything else each day. It has three effects:
1. Uses your ranks in Heal as your caster level when casting healing spells.
2. If you have 5+ ranks in heal, you may remove one of the following conditions (in addition to the typical effects of the spell) from the spell's target(s): dazed, dazzled, fatigued
3. If you have 10+ ranks in heal, you may remove one of the following conditions (in addition to the typical effects of the spell) from the spell's target(s): dazed, dazzled, fatigued, exhausted, nauseated, sickened
Also, on top of your default Knowledge domain from CC, at least pick up the Kobold domain so as to gain Disable Device and Search as class skills in addition to a Rogue's Trapfinding class feature. I'm also a big fan of the Travel (SRD) domain so as to gain the (class level)/day SLA: Freedom of Movement. Although... Healing (SRD) is nice for the +1 to caster level on heal spells, Magic (SRD) to use items as a Wizard of 1/2 your Cleric level, Dream (CDiv) to gain immunity to fear, Pestilence (CDiv) to gain immunity to non-magical disease, and Pleasure (BoED) to gain immunity to Cha damage/drain.
If your DM is reasonable, and lets you trade out Lore (Bardic Knowledge for CCs) for the "Bardic Knack" variant class ability (using your cleric levels rather than Bard levels, of course), you'd gain the ability to attempt any and all skill checks (if only moderately well) upon taking the Jack of All Trades feat at level 6.Last edited by Hadrian_Emrys; 2009-08-24 at 04:21 PM.
Homebrew:The Reaper-The Wild MageAvatar by Zarah
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2009-08-24, 04:36 PM (ISO 8601)
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