Help for a new cleric

[ocato]

Alright, I'm trying my first cleric, and I was hoping for some good suggestions for feats.

Here are the books allowed.
-all the completes
-Heroes of Horror/Battle
-Races of Stone/Wild
-Book of Vile Darkness
-PHII
-All core books
-EPH
-Miniatures Handbook
-Draconimicon

The cleric progress I have now is a Sun/Strength cleric of Pelor, Lawful Good. I'm hoping to be a little like Durkon. Healer, caster, and capable of some serious melee when necessary. I've heard some mutterings about divine metamagic, but I don't really know anything about it. I appreciate the help!

[Matthew]

Could you provide an Attribute Spread and Starting Level? Are you going to play a Dwarf or are other Race options open?

I take it you are not looking for "Divine Meta Magic Persistant Spell, blah, blah, blah..."? If you are are, it's all powered by Turning and you get to do it somewhere around Level Nine.

[ocato]

Sorry, L5 Dwarf, so 2 feats.
STR 14
DEX 10
CON 16
INT 10
WIS 19
CHA 12

Used my L4 stat bump on Wisdom, using a +2 wisdom item.

I don't want to be crazy super cheese cleric, but I'd like to be potent. The campaign doesn't seem too deeply undead, so my turnings can be used for other stuff theoretically.

[Lemur]

In my opinion, you should take a Divine feat, since it's a good way to utilize turning attempts that would likely go unused most of the time (unless you're fighting undead every day, which isn't likely except in a few certain kinds campaigns). Most (that I know of) are found in Complete Divine and PHB II.

Divine Metamagic is from CD and is probably one of the more potent divine feats, since it lets you burn turning attempts to add a chosen metamagic effect for free to a spell. It's something to consider, especially if you have a high charisma.

Edit: ^taking Div Meta for quicken or persistant probably isn't a good option with that charisma (unless you also spring for extra turning, etc.) but Extend Spell might make a decent combination, particularly if you've got the Vigor line of spells on your list.

If it doesn't seem like that's your thing, Divine Ward, from PHB II is a good divine feat for providing support to your party members. It will allow you to burn turning attempts at the beginning of the day to extend the range of your touch spells on chosen party members, which means you have more flexibility for support.

Like I said, I would definitely take one divine feat to better utilize your turning ability, but not more than one. Throwing in Power Attack will aid your melee abilities.

Also, I like how you included the Book of Vile Darkness in the allowed books for your Lawful Good cleric of Pelor

[ocato]

Hahah, sorry, I copy+pasted the allowed books from the list I was given.

I assume to use divine metamagic I also have to have the proper metamagic feat. Hmm.

Divine Ward sounds really interesting... thanks a lot! Let's keep the suggestions flowing.

[Matthew]

Actually, Extra Turning is not a bad idea at all, given your Character's relatively low Charisma Modifier. Extend Spell is also potentially handy if you are going to be making use of duration Spells such as Bull's Strength (it's also a prerequisite for Persistant Spell, but that doesn't affect it's innate usefulness...). If you are going to be using a Heavy Shield, Still Spell might also be worth taking.

[vanyell]

the only prerequisite for divine metamagic is the ability to turn or rebuke undead... I'm suddenly feeling a strong urge to play a cleric in a game

[ocato]

I'm thinking Extra Turning and Extend for now, Divine Ward at 6 and Divine metamagic at 9th. Then maybe pick up some other metamagic feats as needed as I advance.

Edit: Whoa, persistant spell is really good. What is the +spell level for persistent?

[Suzaku]

the only prerequisite for divine metamagic is the ability to turn or rebuke undead... I'm suddenly feeling a strong urge to play a cleric in a game

One word errata

[vanyell]

or just get divine metamagic for 2 or three different metamagics? that has some serious advantages

[vanyell]

where and when did they errata it? link please...

ok, according to complete divine, no errata, what I said was true


edit: excuse the double post, I got simu replied

[Suzaku]

where and when did they errata it? link please...

ok, according to complete divine, no errata, what I said was true


edit: excuse the double post, I got simu replied

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20040125a

[Matthew]

Um, yeah. Divine Meta Magic errata means it only applies to one Meta Magic Feat that you have to have before taking it, so be careful.

[Edit]Oop, Ninja'd.

[Yechezkiel]

I don't think it's a popular choice, but I like picking up Endurance and Diehard as a healer (especially if lvl 1 Human).

This doesn't matter as much if there are multiple healers but I always like knowing I can bring myself back up. Druids can shift for some healing love if they're low on spells too, and the sleeping in Light or Medium armor without penalty from Endurance does not suck.

[ocato]

I am pretty much thinking Augment Healing as one feat. I like Divine Ward, so it's a toss up between taking extend then divine ward or extra turning and then divine ward. Divine ward requires me to expend 1 turning attempt per person I want to link to, so I don't think I really need extra turning (I currently have 4 turn attempts a day) for just that. I'm iffy on extend spell panning out as really worth the effort, especially since I have to prepare spells as extended... hm, maybe something else would work better, such as power attack.

EDIT: Actually, it seems I have to expend a turn for each spell I cast at close range instead of touch on 1 person, then I have to expend an extra turn in order to gain the ability to spend a turn to cast a touch spell at range. Seems needlessly excessive. I think augment healing and power attack are plenty accurate for the flavor of the character.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Possible PrC if you're taking Pelor... Radiant Servant of Pelor (although you typically get both healing and sun domains to pull it off properly). Other than that, Warpriest seems like it's right up your alley, although the 1/2 casting progression really hurts.

For feats... various divine feats sounds like good ideas. More things to do with your turn attempts when you aren't using them to actually turn undead. There was one in Complete Divine which let you blow two turn attempts to auto-max a heal spell, as I recall, which might be handy since you're going to need to double as a heal-bot, even if your primary focus is for a rather offensive-minded cleric.

[Alveanerle]

Divine Vigor is also a feat of some potency.
Spend turn attempt to gain land speed boost and temporary hit points equal to that of raging barbarian, only for tremendously longer duration?

Another interesting option is Sacred Healing - everything (allies and enemies alike) in a radius gain healing benefits. Although it might have higher requirements.

[ocato]

I was considering changing my mind and looking into Radiant Servant of Pelor, what book is it in and how much can you tell me?

[Matthew]

It's in the Complete Divine. Look unto Crystal Keep for more information... (oh yeah, you have to be a Cleric 6 to get into this Prestige Class, more or less)

[Telonius]

Radiant Servant is probably one of the most powerful PrC's for Clerics out there. There are very few reasons not to take it. The only real drawback is a lower hit die. If you have Healing and Sun domains, you generally meet the prerequisites as a matter of course. I'd strongly recommend it.

[Tyger]

I don't think it's a popular choice, but I like picking up Endurance and Diehard as a healer (especially if lvl 1 Human).

This doesn't matter as much if there are multiple healers but I always like knowing I can bring myself back up. Druids can shift for some healing love if they're low on spells too, and the sleeping in Light or Medium armor without penalty from Endurance does not suck.

Or you can spend 500 GP to buy an armor augment crystal (darned if I can remember which one) that lets you do the same. There's also a new ring, again, away from my books, so I can't recall its name) that stores all weapons and armor for you, and re-dons / equips them as a standard action... both are in the new, and snazzy MIC. Between the two, the Endurance feat just got a swift kick in the pants.

[ocato]

Well, in his defense, I think Endurance was a necessary feat solely to get Diehard, which I considered. Endurance isn't terrible, but I can see how a full powered uberhealer would want Diehard.

[Gavin Sage]

Depending on how fond of your Domain's you are, a nice feat is Divine Spontaneity. You sack a turning and spell (= or > level) to cast a Domain spell. Which for the Strength Domain for example would be some extra Enlarge Persons potentially. And is essentially as effective at level 1 as level 10.

[ocato]

Especially worth it once I hit Radiant Servant of Pelor L5 and pick up a spare domain. Glory domain has some neat spells that might be worth casting spontaineously. Like Gate.

[Gavin Sage]

Its tied to one domain but can be taken multiple times.

[ocato]

Honestly, I'd probably wait on it for Glory Domain, since healing domain is slightly redundant and sun domain is neat but not that great. The real attraction of Spontaineous Domain is that Healing, Sun, and Glory all have wonderful spells that are domain only that I'd really want to cast. I am pretty sure if a spell is only on your domain list and not the cleric base list, you can only cast it via a domain slot. I can see using domain slots mostly for Glory or Sun spells and just preparing healing spells since none of them are domain-only.