7th level decision

Lopke_Quasath · Sep 20, 2005

I have a halfling rogue 4 / fighter 2. I am working towards Thief-Acrobat PrC. The way our campaign has been going, I am thinking about taking a level in cleric (of Dallah Thaun, from Races of the Wild, pg. 52) for role-playing purposes (and it could be cool).

However, I am balancing that between another level of rogue, just to stick with the levels I have.

The skill points are a minor factor. I have dedicated skill points to become a thief-acrobat for the past few levels. So becoming a cleric and only getting 4 skill points (Int 15, so +2 points) will work for short-term progression.

Reasons to take a level of cleric:
1) No multi-classing penalty (rogue favored class, and fighter is within one level)
2) Spells, my character is a 2-weapon combat build and the buff spells could help. Also, Detect Magic is wanted by my character since the bard in our party seems to be lying about the magic items we find. My rogue is a curious bugger and wants to know what is what. Detect Poison for traps. Cure for that last-minute life-saver.
3) DM is allowing Dallah Thaun the Celerity Domain as well, since other thief gods have it. I would take Celerity and Luck as my domains. Extra speed and a luck re-roll are great benefits, especially for a halfling.
4) Wisdom 13, so get one extra 1st level spell and I wouldn't take many more levels in cleric, anyway.
5) He likes to use disguise (think alter ego) and play pranks on other deities temples. This has drawn the attention of the Dallah Thaun clergy (he tells other halflings his exploits). Makes good role-playing.

Reasons not to take level of cleric:
1) BAB will be put back a few levels, so my +6 BAB and iterative attack will be delayed (7th character level= cleric 1 +0 BAB, 8th character level= rogue 5 +0 BAB, 9th character level= Thief-Acrobat PrC 1 +0 BAB) .

Reason to take another level of rogue:
1) +1d6 sneak attack
2) 6 more skill points to have fun with

What are your opinions?
Stick with the levels of rogue and then PrC because multi-classing is evil and spreads you too thin?
Go with the level of cleric because it's cool, fits the character, and the BAB will come in time.

Thanks for your opinions in advance.

frankthedm · Sep 20, 2005

Depends, how long will the campaign last? if a long while, then the level of cleric will help. if not get your "thing" going while you can.

Will this DM sick that god's foes on you? You might go from "outsider" to "fresh fish" in the divine magic circles. if so, do not meddle in divine matters more than you have.

Finding a lot of cleric stuff recent? if so, take the hint.

Lopke_Quasath · Sep 20, 2005

The campaign will go for at least another 6 levels. So, yeah, I have some leeway to go cleric for a bit and still pursue my PrC dream.

I doubt the other clergy will go after me, it's only been pranks. Mind you, that could make a good plot hook for the DM. For the most part they have been pranks on good-aligned deities... for the most part. If they do come after me, that's where the Celerity domain comes in

"It's da priests, hoof it!"

There have been no "hint, hint, go cleric" by the DM that I have noticed. This is purely a decision by me, for flavor, and...well flavor. I think it works well with his other abilities and makes a good story.

Maybe gets told off by Dallah Thaun to make his tricks more subtle, hmmm.

Cheers!

boolean · Sep 20, 2005

How often do you fight undead? Access to Grave Strike from Complete Adventurer is another advantage to taking a level of cleric.

Lopke_Quasath · Sep 20, 2005

Ooh, hadn't thought of that! Now that is even more reason to get cleric.
A swift action away from +2d6 sneak attack on the neighborhood ghoul.

Undead crop up now and then, although there are rumours they are growing in numbers in the north.
(Frankthe DM, I didn't take that as a hint to get cleric. The DM likes to plant rumours around to let us choose our direction in the campaign. Might swing north now!)

Ah, Grave Strike. I like it.

Cheers

Magesmiley · Sep 20, 2005

One other thing you might consider if you are taking a level of cleric is the divine feats. Your turning attempts are all front-loaded for the cleric, so you should have a number of them. If you aren't going to progress any further as a cleric, odds are your turning won't be very effective against many of the undead you encounter, so put them to use to power a divine feat or two.

dutorn · Sep 20, 2005

I would honestly think about taking 3 or 4 levels of Cleric, with a minimum of 2. Main reason being the BAB, after you take the +0 for 1st, the next three levels of Cleric you pick up would all have another +1 BAB which of course would put back your PrC choice, but would give you better WILL, BAB, and 2nd lvl spells along with more spells to amplify your sneakiness/fighting or even healing. A Wis boost at 8th level would also give you that extra 2nd level spell from a 14 Wis.

Lopke_Quasath · Sep 21, 2005

Magesmiley: I was looking at the divine feats, but since my Charisma is only 10, most are not ideal. Some are cool I admit, but since my focus won't be on cleric for the long run, I would rather put my feats elsewhere.

My next feat choice is going to be Arterial Strike (Complete Warrior, pg 96). Not much good against undead, but here comes Grave Strike again!

dutorn: I'm simply not looking at higher levels of cleric. I know the advantages, but I was looking for flavor and not becoming the back-up healer.

My 8th level stat boost is going to Int. Just in case I also decide to go Assassin PrC (I have the pre-reqs already and it's house ruled as no alignment needed, or the random killing. There is a role-playing pre-req involved though, have to somehow contact an existing assassin). The Int boost is for skills, and potential higher DC for assassin spells and abilities.

Thanks for your thought!

Rkhet · Sep 21, 2005

Arterial Strike isn't really worth it. Break it down this way:

1d6 of SA gives an average of 3.5 damage. So in order to have an advantage, AS would require the enemy to bleed for four rounds. Many combats are shorter than this. Not to mention that in order to be worth a feat, it would need to deal +2 or so at least, over the conventional damage (a la Weapon Focus). That means 5.5 rounds of bleeding.

Even in long combats, it would only be worth it in the first couple of rounds.

And there is something to be said about the present value of damage being higher than the future value, but how much better I'm not sure.

I suppose it might have an advantage in hunting down wounded, escaping enemies, but for straight combat it's not worth your while.

moritheil · Sep 21, 2005

Rkhet said:
Arterial Strike isn't really worth it. Break it down this way:

Well, no, it's not worth it in straight combat. It's totally worth it if you hit and fade, and the enemy does not have magical healing. Absent a group that would get left behind, that is exactly what you should do if you have AS.