Divinist Needed<3.5>

[WoodenSword]

My party lacks a Divine Caster. Here's the party:

Aquatic Half-Elf Sorcerer/Frost Mage
Nezumi Wizard/Warmage/Ultimate Magus
Whisper Gnome Ninja/Assassin
Dwarf Barbarian/Frenzied Beserker
Half-Elf Rogue/Master Thrower
Human Fighter/Weapon Master
Human Knight
Elf Ranger


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Here are the House Rules:
PrCs that advance caster levels advance them to full (ie: Void Disciple gives +13 CL)
One PrC
PHB, Races of, MM, or OA races
Any non-psionic divine classes (in my case)
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Here are my ideas:

Raptoran Swift Druid/Skypledged
Warforged Scout Shugenja (fire)/Void Disciple
Tallfellow Halfling Cleric of Lady Luck/that PrC that advances luck and magic

which one should I do, considering my party

[Greenish]

9 people party(!), so you'll probably want to focus on buffing since it gives you the best mileage.

Out of the options you gave, probably the cleric, though going out of the list: warforged archivist. Dark Knowledge offers great boosts, having access to all divine spells gives great buffage and other options to help your party.

[Raging Gene Ray]

Out of the options you gave, probably the cleric, though going out of the list: warforged archivist. Dark Knowledge offers great boosts, having access to all divine spells gives great buffage and other options to help your party.

Why Warforged? Why not human for the bonus feat and added skill points?

[Greenish]

Why Warforged? Why not human for the bonus feat and added skill points?

Because I like warforged.

[gallagher]

i would go druid and get wildshapes that give you flight, climb, burrowng, and swimming speeds. summon swarms to hit casters and give flanking bonuses (swarms are awesome) and then do crowd control. a little buff here and there never hurt anyone.

other than that and cleric, a divine bard is always fun.

[Raging Gene Ray]

i would go druid and get wildshapes that give you flight, climb, burrowng, and swimming speeds. summon swarms to hit casters and give flanking bonuses (swarms are awesome) and then do crowd control. a little buff here and there never hurt anyone.

If you can convince your DM, try to get some Homebrew version of the Planar Shepherd from Races of Eberron that works with your setting. Wild Shape into Outsiders/Magical Beasts from a specific plane and gain their Supernatural and Spell-Like Abilities. That's better than Shapechange.

Oh, and it advances spellcasting and your animal companion. Of course, with a 9 person party, a pet taking up another turn may be the last thing you need.

EDIT: Well, you said "Considering The Party," and with so many Warrior types, buffing would work best. And (assuming you're fighting the appropriate creatures), Archivist should work best.

Maybe your PrC could be Sacred Exorcist for the Turn Undead ability. It wouldn't matter that you'd be turning undead as a low level cleric, because you're only using that ability to fuel Divine Metamagic.

[Greenish]

If you can convince your DM, try to get some Homebrew version of the Planar Shepherd from Races of Eberron that works with your setting. Wild Shape into Outsiders/Magical Beasts from a specific plane and gain their Supernatural and Spell-Like Abilities. That's better than Shapechange.

Looking at their lineup, Planar Shepherd might be a bit too weak. I mean, they have a gnomish ninja assassin!

[Raging Gene Ray]

Looking at their lineup, Planar Shepherd might be a bit too weak. I mean, they have a gnomish ninja assassin!

Was that sarcasm? I've never actually played either of those character concepts or seen them in action, so I'm not fit to judge, but getting SLA abilities of Planetars and Devas or demons or devils or whatever plane you key yourself to sounds like Tier 1 to Tier 0 stuff to me.

[WoodenSword]

So none of my builds are good?

Considering how my DMs (either the Nezumi or the Fighter) said No Eberron

[Greenish]

Was that sarcasm?

I assumed your suggestion was a joke, and answered in kind.

I mean, look at that party. Druids already break the game without trying, and Planar Shepherd turns their abilities up to 11.

[Edit]: And Sword, just play the build that most tickles your fancy, it's not like you'll have to struggle to keep up with any full caster.

[WoodenSword]

I assumed your suggestion was a joke, and answered in kind.

I mean, look at that party. Druids already break the game without trying, and Planar Shepherd turns their abilities up to 11.

Well, if I did the Raptoran one, wildshaping becomes a moot point

[Raging Gene Ray]

So none of my builds are good?

Considering how my DMs (either the Nezumi or the Fighter) said No Eberron

Sorry . I sometimes can't help telling everyone MY ideas when they ask for advice before listening to theirs.

Raptoran Swift Druid/Skypledged
Warforged Scout Shugenja (fire)/Void Disciple
Tallfellow Halfling Cleric of Lady Luck/that PrC that advances luck and magic

Well, I still stand by my statement that you want to buff your allies. I don't know what PrC you're referring to with your halfling, but if you can share luck bonuses that stack with sacred/enhancement/morale/competence/insight bonuses, that's the one to go with.

[WoodenSword]

Sorry . I sometimes can't help telling everyone MY ideas when they ask for advice before listening to theirs.



Well, I still stand by my statement that you want to buff your allies. I don't know what PrC you're referring to with your halfling, but if you can share luck bonuses that stack with sacred/enhancement/morale/competence/insight bonuses, that's the one to go with.

1. It's ok Gene

2. The Warmage is planning on buffing the party (no, really)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Cleric 6/ Prestige Paladin (of Slaughter or Tyranny) would probably work well considering the house rules.

I'd probably make a (Cloistered?) Cleric of Tiamat 6/ Talon of Tiamat, which would be amazing with full spellcasting, I'd probably get Law and Trickery and maybe the spontaneous domain casting ACF for Law to be able to Calm Emotions the FB whenever he stubs his toe. If you use Cloistered Cleric you should swap the Knowledge domain for Knowledge Devotion, and you'll still get all armor and shields upon taking Talon. Grab Maximize Breath and Clinging Breath, you can make it cling for multiple rounds for a longer delay, so your acid breath would deal 60 then 30 then 15 then 7 damage if you maximize it and set it to cling for three rounds. Since you probably won't use more than one breath attack per encounter anyway it may as well obliterate anything it hits. Focus on Wisdom, Constitution, and Charisma and be the party face, plus a secondary nuker, plus a full spellcaster who can CoDzilla at the drop of a hat.

[Greenish]

I'd probably get Law and Trickery

Out of general interest, is there a god/goddess in any published settings that offers both?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Out of general interest, is there a god/goddess in any published settings that offers both?

Tiamat, printed in the Draconomicon, hence the Talon of Tiamat prestige class...

[Greenish]

Tiamat, printed in the Draconomicon, hence the Talon of Tiamat prestige class...

Oh, right, of course.

They just seemed a bit contradictory, I was hoping there'd be a more interesting god with them…

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If you opt to not use Cloistered Cleric with that Talon of Tiamat build, consider using a Dragonblood race such as Forestlord (Wild) Elf from Dragon Magic, and use the Dragonscale Husk ACF in Dragon Magic to replace your armor proficiency with a hide of scales which grant you an armor bonus that improves as you gain levels.

[imperialspectre]

For the record, Prestige Paladin dip makes you eligible for Battle Blessing (Complete Champion), which lets you auto-quicken spells, and Sword of the Arcane Order (Champions of Valor, one of the better FR books), which lets you prepare wizard spells in your spell slots. The latter also qualifies you for "casting arcane spells," which means that you can qualify for War Weaver.

The build would look like Cleric 5/Prestige Paladin 1/War Weaver 5/Nobody Cares Afterward, and is likely the best buffing build in the game that doesn't involve Incantatrix or something even more abusive.

[tyckspoon]

For the record, Prestige Paladin dip makes you eligible for Battle Blessing (Complete Champion), which lets you auto-quicken spells, and Sword of the Arcane Order (Champions of Valor, one of the better FR books), which lets you prepare wizard spells in your spell slots. The latter also qualifies you for "casting arcane spells," which means that you can qualify for War Weaver.

I swear this trick doesn't work, but nobody seems to believe me (to wit, I see no reason to believe that Prestige Paladin adds spells to your list as Paladin spells, which is what Battle Blessing requires. It adds them to the spell list of whatever class you used to enter Prestige Paladin, and it certainly doesn't transmute all of your entry class's spells into Paladin spells just because you entered it, no more than going into Mystic Theurge makes all your Wizard and Cleric spells into Mystic Theurge spells!) And Arcane Order requires Paladin or Ranger 4th, so at least 4 levels of Prestige Paladin to make use of that one (although, if I'm understanding the house rule regarding caster PrCs correctly, there's no really strong reason not to take those 4 levels.)

Anyway, @ original poster: Do you believe your group needs an actual divine caster, or just somebody to cast the healing and day-after recovery spells? If it's the latter, a Bard can do that just fine, with the Cure line in-class and UMD to use scrolls of things like Heal and Restoration. Just need to get the party to agree to chip in a fairly small amount of cash toward a few Healy Sticks (wands of Cure Light Wounds/Lesser Vigor) and emergency status-condition scrolls. And with that out of the way, a good Inspire Courage and/or Dragonfire Inspiration build would do wonderful things for a party that is at least 6/9 physical attackers.

[Keld Denar]

Cleric/Warlock/EldritchDisciple?

Neat combo here is Voracious Dispelling + Divine Defiance (Fiendish Codex II) to get an immediate action counterspell every round as long as you make the opposed CL check and have Turn Undead attempts left. Pick up a Dispeling Cord from the MIC to help with the CL check, and take the Inqusition domain with your CL levels for another +4 to the check.

You can also get healing lazerz, which is awesome with Eldrich Chain.

Its a fun twist on the standard cleric, doesn't lose much in potency, and can be rediculously fun to play. Give it a shot!

[WoodenSword]

How's this one, actually:

Spoiler

Show

Name: Pale Mask Isawa Koga, Descendant of Akuma (I realize its a long name)
Race: Bamboo Spiritfolk
Class: Earth Shugenja 7/Void Disciple 13
Feats: Void Use, Depths of the Void, Multi-Element Shugenja, Empower Spell, Still Mind, Calm Soul, Force of Personality, Medium, Quicken Spell
Bonus Feat: Legendary [Ability Score points every 3 instead of 4, Feats every 2 instead of 3] (DM gave it to us all for free.
Ancestral Feat: Oni's Bane (not a lot of good ancestral Phoenix Clan Feats)
Background Feats: Noble, Otherworldly
Flaws: Murky-Eyed, Dispassionate [-2 for social checks]
Orders: Passion's Flame, Ineffable Void (Transfers to the void after he becomes 7th level)
School: Isawa School
Weapons: Juitte (Simple in Exotic Arms Guide), Wakizashi, lHeavy Crossbow

[Greenish]

How's this one, actually:

Spoiler

Show

Name: Pale Mask Isawa Koga, Descendant of Akuma (I realize its a long name)
Race: Bamboo Spiritfolk
Class: Earth Shugenja 7/Void Disciple 13
Feats: Void Use, Depths of the Void, Multi-Element Shugenja, Empower Spell, Still Mind, Calm Soul, Force of Personality, Medium, Quicken Spell
Bonus Feat: Legendary [Ability Score points every 3 instead of 4, Feats every 2 instead of 3] (DM gave it to us all for free.
Ancestral Feat: Oni's Bane (not a lot of good ancestral Phoenix Clan Feats)
Background Feats: Noble, Otherworldly
Flaws: Murky-Eyed, Dispassionate [-2 for social checks]
Orders: Passion's Flame, Ineffable Void (Transfers to the void after he becomes 7th level)
School: Isawa School
Weapons: Juitte (Simple in Exotic Arms Guide), Wakizashi, lHeavy Crossbow

I don't know too much about OA, but the flaws are supposed to hurt your character.

[Edit]:

Similarly, a flaw that penalizes a character's Charisma based skill checks only has a significant impact on the party spokesperson-the quiet fighter or barbarian likely won't feel any impact from the penalties.

The "Dispassionate" flaw is exactly the kind of flaw they advise against.

[WoodenSword]

I don't know too much about OA, but the flaws are supposed to hurt your character.

[Edit]: The "Dispassionate" flaw is exactly the kind of flaw they advise against.

It's a BIG problem for a CHA-Based caster... besides, he's a NOBLE. It looks bad.

[Azernak0]

I would suggest someone with lots and lots of Resurrections prepared for when Mr. Frenzied Berserker runs out of enemies

Cleric, Chain Spell, Persist Spell, lots and lots of turn attempts, and Divine Metamagic. Chain Spell + GMW will save the party tens of thousands of gold and because of the huge number of people in the party, making everyone better will go a lot further than just going Clericzilla.

A Warblade/Bard with that feat that makes the two stack could be pretty cool. Make everyone add a more pluses to their attacks means that more of the Rogue's Thrown Attacks hit (more Sneak Attack goodies), the Barbarian can Power Attack easier when he can't Shock Trooper, and everyone is generally being able to hit and deal more damage. Silverbrow Human would let you go with Dragonfire Inspiration for +d6's instead of +hit and damage.

If you are already starting at level 10 and just need healing, then go with a Binder. The Summon vestige will let you summon 1d4+1 vivacious celestial monkeys to give everyone next to them fast healing 1. It also gives you the ability to cause enemies to explode from taking positive energy overload, which is always fun.

[Greenish]

It's a BIG problem for a CHA-Based caster

Not really, since having high Cha negates it anyway.

... besides, he's a NOBLE. It looks bad.

Flaws with only RP implications are also specifically advised against.

[WoodenSword]

I would suggest someone with lots and lots of Resurrections prepared for when Mr. Frenzied Berserker runs out of enemies

Cleric, Chain Spell, Persist Spell, lots and lots of turn attempts, and Divine Metamagic. Chain Spell + GMW will save the party tens of thousands of gold and because of the huge number of people in the party, making everyone better will go a lot further than just going Clericzilla.

A Warblade/Bard with that feat that makes the two stack could be pretty cool. Make everyone add a more pluses to their attacks means that more of the Rogue's Thrown Attacks hit (more Sneak Attack goodies), the Barbarian can Power Attack easier when he can't Shock Trooper, and everyone is generally being able to hit and deal more damage. Silverbrow Human would let you go with Dragonfire Inspiration for +d6's instead of +hit and damage.

If you are already starting at level 10 and just need healing, then go with a Binder. The Summon vestige will let you summon 1d4+1 vivacious celestial monkeys to give everyone next to them fast healing 1. It also gives you the ability to cause enemies to explode from taking positive energy overload, which is always fun.

To Azernak: NO! Bad Azernak! I'm not a band-aid despenser...

To greenish: DM allowed it. And other than the flaw, is this a good combo?

[WoodenSword]

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