What is a Clericzilla and how does it work?

[Zergrusheddie]

I've heard a lot of people say things about the Clericzilla, about how it can out melee the Fighter, out buff the Bard, and in even one instance: "I leveled a Frost Giant in 2 hits."

Ok, how the heck is such a thing possible? I failz at using the Google, so if anyone could either post a suggested build (and perhaps explain a little bit) or throw me a link to the build, that would be awesome.

Best of luck folks
-Eddie

[Stupendous_Man]

Cleric 20 with Natural Spell

Druid 20 with Divine Metamagic.

[Whiplord]

Cleric 20, basically. You could take Divine Metamagic if you wanted, but just a plain old cleric is already hugely good.

[Mando Knight]

Use Divine Metamagic to Persist buff spells: Divine Power especially, as it gives the Cleric full BAB and a +6 Strength bonus. Bull's Strength is a weaker, optional boost, just in case...

That, and I think Enlarge Person (Strength Domain) is also used...

[Enlong]

Cleric 20 with Natural Spell

Because he's so awesome that he doesn't even need to use feats that affect Clerics anymore?

Also: Cleric with Trickery Domain and Divine Metamagic. Persisted Time Stop. Theoretically, that Cleric can "stop time" for as long as he lives. Bonus: Elan Cleric with Trickery Domain and Divine Metamagic.

[MeklorIlavator]

Actually, that has been debunked, as timestops duration is one rounds, with the bonus rounds being special.

[Yukitsu]

Actually, that has been debunked, as timestops duration is one rounds, with the bonus rounds being special.

So extend it. Then it's two rounds.

[Eldariel]

The idea of a Clericzilla is to simply stamp enough buffs on yourself to go Hulk Smash. Small list of the common ones:

Divine Favor
Divine Power
Righteous Might
Giant Size (or Enlarge or Polymorph or such depending on the level of the game and the sources available; I still strongly suggest against the Polymorph-line, although that way you'd get stylepoints for looking like Godzilla too)
Visage of the Deity-line
Righteous Wrath of the Faithful
Holy Star

and a dozen others. Basically, just have insane numbers across the board and break things. Oh yeah, and with all your attack roll boosting things, Power Attack for full.

[Waspinator]

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Clericzilla, Druidzilla, CoDzilla (Cleric or Druid zilla) all refer to the same thing:

Character A excels in a particular area of the game. His class was designed to excel in that area and he has built his character to focus on being as good at doing that as he can be.

Character B is a Cleric, he too has been built to excel in that same area even though it is not a typical role for a Cleric to fill.

Character B the Cleric is better at that role than Character A, whose class is designed to be "the best" at that role. The Cleric is also still just as good at being a Cleric as he otherwise would be.

The same can be done with a Druid. That's what a CoDzilla is, a Cleric or Druid who outdoes another class at their own game, without being any worse at filling their own role.

[Draco Dracul]

Cleric 20 with Natural Spell

Druid 20 with Divine Metamagic.

I think you have that backwards.

[Shosuro Ishii]

I think you have that backwards.

No....cleric 20 and Druid 20 are so awesome, they don't even need to take the correct feats.

My Cleric 20 had skill focus (Knowledge: Nobility) 6 times and it didn't matter .

[leperkhaun]

I think you have that backwards.

Im pretty sure thats the point.

[monty]

Or if you really want to break it, gestalt Cleric 20 // Druid 20 with Natural Spell and DMM.

[BobVosh]

Or if you really want to break it, gestalt Cleric 20 // Druid 20 with Natural Spell and DMM.

Pfft...Wizard 20//Druid 20 with Natural Spell.

CoDzilla works with the PHB + Spell Compendium. Every book extra just adds more love.

Popular favorites for Cleric is Divine Metamagic from Complete Divine for Persist spell to have spells last 24 hours. Using nightsticks from libris mortis so they have enough turns.

Outbuffing bards is easy. They do it far easier, since they don't spend the feats for it. All it is spells. Now they can't give as high of a +hit and +damage, but they also buff other things. Also they don't spend any feats on it and aren't wiped out by silence. Or darkness. (depending on how the bard inspires)

Divine Power + Righteous might=Better than a fighter. (and monk, lulz)

They are considered better than wizards until around ~11, and better than druids ~11. Druids are considered better than both until ~11.

[Akisa]

Pfft...Wizard 20//Druid 20 with Natural Spell.

CoDzilla works with the PHB + Spell Compendium. Every book extra just adds more love.

Popular favorites for Cleric is Divine Metamagic from Complete Divine for Persist spell to have spells last 24 hours. Using nightsticks from libris mortis so they have enough turns.

Outbuffing bards is easy. They do it far easier, since they don't spend the feats for it. All it is spells. Now they can't give as high of a +hit and +damage, but they also buff other things. Also they don't spend any feats on it and aren't wiped out by silence. Or darkness. (depending on how the bard inspires)

Divine Power + Righteous might=Better than a fighter. (and monk, lulz)

They are considered better than wizards until around ~11, and better than druids ~11. Druids are considered better than both until ~11.

I disagree Druid is about equal at level 8 when they get access to Large Wildshape.

[The Glyphstone]

So extend it. Then it's two rounds.

Actually, the erratta changed it to an instantaneous duration that gave bonus rounds, if I remember right.

[Kizara]

Previous character of mine:

Spoiler

Show

Rogue 2/paladin of tyranny 3/hex blade 4/marshal 1/fighter 2/hexblade 1/heirophant 5/???? 2

Cleric 10/contemplative 2/cleric 8

Feats (current) Power attack, Quicken spell, DMM (quicken spell), Extra Turning.

Feats (new): Leadership (9th-level), cleave (ftr 1), Improved Sunder (ftr 2), spell penetration (hex), Combat Brute (12th-level), *Leap Attack (15th-level), *Zen Archery 18th-level.

I have my 15th and 18th level feats to account for, in addition to 3 more metamagic feats from heirophant levels. Finally, I need my last 2 levels on side 1.

Note that the above is a gestalt build. Ignore the first block of levels for what it would be non-gestalt.

Old threads discussing things related to this character:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54675

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63271



Hope I helped.

[Talic]

Druid 20 // Warblade 5 / Master of many Forms 7 / Warshaper 4 / Warblade 6-9

[Yukitsu]

Actually, the erratta changed it to an instantaneous duration that gave bonus rounds, if I remember right.

Can I get a link? That would be handy to know.

[DementedFellow]

If you're going to get Divine Metamagic, you might as well buy some Nightsticks to increase the amount of buffs you can have.

[AslanCross]

I believe at higher levels it also included the use of Miracle to copy the effect of the Wu Jen spell Giant Size. That made you literally a Clericzilla.

[RS14]

The idea of a Clericzilla is to simply stamp enough buffs on yourself to go Hulk Smash. Small list of the common ones:

Divine Favor
Divine Power
Righteous Might
Giant Size (or Enlarge or Polymorph or such depending on the level of the game and the sources available; I still strongly suggest against the Polymorph-line, although that way you'd get stylepoints for looking like Godzilla too)
Visage of the Deity-line
Righteous Wrath of the Faithful
Holy Star

and a dozen others. Basically, just have insane numbers across the board and break things. Oh yeah, and with all your attack roll boosting things, Power Attack for full.

Without using DMM cheese, how reasonable is that in practice, though? Are the durations so great that they stay up virtually all day, or do you need to wait and cast all of those before entering combat?

[Eldariel]

Without using DMM cheese, how reasonable is that in practice, though? Are the durations so great that they stay up virtually all day, or do you need to wait and cast all of those before entering combat?

Not all of them can be kept up all day without Persistent Spell (well, depends on level of course). Generally, around level 9 or so, you spend the first round of combat going Divine Power > Quickened Divine Favor and the second round, Quicken another buff while smashing face. Of course, hour/level stuff will be constantly active regardless. But yes, without DMM, Cleric falls far second to the Druid in longterm efficiency (almost solely due to Wildshape, which can be maintained all day).

[RS14]

It still doesn't seem all that great an option, at least not until higher levels.

At level 9, the cleric can pull that trick once, or three times if he drops the second quickened spell from his buffing routine. Neither Divine Power nor Divine Favor will last until the next encounter, and he's burned two of his three 5th level spells and one of four 4th level spells just with the full routine.
Yes, it looks like the Cleric is starting to become powerful, and I've got no doubt that it's an effective combo against a BBEG, but until level 10, it seems to burn him out quickly, or else be contingent on knowing that he will have time to buff himself before the big fight and can forgo Quicken for the day.
In practice, do people use rope-trick to recover spells between fights?
Disclaimer: I've not played a cleric yet, so I don't know how well my thoughts correspond with reality.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

It still doesn't seem all that great an option, at least not until higher levels.

At level 9, the cleric can pull that trick once, or three times if he drops the second quickened spell from his buffing routine. Neither Divine Power nor Divine Favor will last until the next encounter, and he's burned two of his three 5th level spells and one of four 4th level spells just with the full routine.
Yes, it looks like the Cleric is starting to become powerful, and I've got no doubt that it's an effective combo against a BBEG, but until level 10, it seems to burn him out quickly, or else be contingent on knowing that he will have time to buff himself before the big fight and can forgo Quicken for the day.
In practice, do people use rope-trick to recover spells between fights?
Disclaimer: I've not played a cleric yet, so I don't know how well my thoughts correspond with reality.

Yeah, this is a high-level tactic. Generally Clerics are thought to come into their own in melee at around 11th level. Before that, buffing is more overall effective. Keep in mind, though, that at low levels a Cleric can still be close to a Fighter in melee as well as being able to cast, but it's at high levels that Zilla starts. There's a reason I think Druids are the best class.

[Blood_Lord]

The Original Clericzilla was the Cleric Archer, who had pretty much every hour per day buff for a while, and then, with polymorph or PAO, turned into an Arrow Demon, then buffed.

The conventional Clericzilla of melee only came into existence later in Complete Divine.

But either way, here's something for you:

Level 9 Cleric casts Spiked whatever and nothing else. He has a natural Str of 16.

Fighter took WF and spec, also some other stuff that doesn't add directly to his damage. Has a Base Str of 20 at this level.

Cleric has -3 to hit against fighter, and does 2d6+12 damage per hit.

Fighter does 2d6+9 damage.

Obviously these stats are poor representations, but that's with a single level 3 spell. Spend all the rest on hour/level spells, or on Divine Power and Quickened Divine Favor, and you can break those out if you need to.

Cleric has no shortage of options to zilla.