Help me plan my character progression!

[Aramalian]

Hiya! My most active current character is Onyn Meonka, an ECL 12 HalfOrc (Ftr3/Clr4/RSP5).

I've got my plan worked out up to a point - take my 4th level of fighter and then complete my RSP progression. That's where I'm stuck in my head - at level 18.

We play in a pretty decent-sized party, fluctuating from 6 to 10 players.

Fighter (tank) - inconsistent attendance
Paladin 1 - Consistent attendance, main melee
Paladin 2 - Inconsistent, optimized for mounted combat, inexperienced player
Wizard 1 - Consistent, polymorph specialist
Wizard 2 - Consistent, inexperienced player
Ranger - Consistent, smart player
Rogue
Cleric 1 - Me
Cleric 2 - inconsistent, young player

The wizards are just starting to learn the importance of battlefield control and the power of buffing spells like Haste. When Onyn began, he was the primary melee character, but as the party has grown, he's the 3rd or 4th melee option now, and I'm trying to figure out where to go.

Here are my current feats:
1. Two-Weapon Fighting
1F. Two-Weapon Defense
2F. Quick Draw
3. Extra Turning
6. Divine Metamagic (Retrained Dodge)
9. Augment Healing
12. Reach Spell

As you can see, I'm starting to move towards Healer/Buffer/Melee priorities and away from Melee/Healer/Buffer.

This has gone on a LONG time! Sorry!

So what do you think I should do at level 18?
Fighter?
Cleric?
Half-Orc Paragon?
Any other PrC ideas?

 

[Alexander123]

Here is my critique of your build:

You have lost three caster levels from taking levels in fighter which works to the detriment of your caster levels.

Your have taken a number of crappy feats:

Two-Weapon Fighting
Two-Weapon Defense
Quick Draw
Divine Metamagic (Retrained Dodge) <---Note: Divine Metamagic is not a crappy feat, Retrained Dodge is. (I've never even heard of it.)
Augment Healing

1 level in contemplative will net you a bonus domain so I would recommend that.

A few tips:

Playing a healbot is not the most efficient use of a clerics abilities, that is simply a waste of the cleric's potential.

A cleric does not need fighter levels to be good at fighting. A cleric has spells like Divine Power and Righteous Wrath of the Faithful which combined with Divine Metamagic Persist will make him a better fighter than an actual fighter.

Also, instead of taking Divine Metamagic Retrained dodge, (Is retrained dodge even a metamagic feat?) try Divine Metamagic Persist or Quicken.

Here is a cleric build I made: http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-discussion/302696-critique-my-cleric-build-3-5-a.html.

This is a link to a cleric handbook, it'll help you the next time you're building a cleric: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook.

 

[Rhun]

I have to agree with Alexander123. Your build is very sub-optimal. A straight cleric or cleric/RSoP would have been a far better choice than having the fighter levels. The last high level straight cleric PC I played was far superior to fighters and paladins in combat.

I would suggest not taking the 4th level of fighter, and just continuing on with the RSoP build. If you take that level of fighter, you will never gain access to 8th level spells, and you've already lost access to 9th level spells because of the other 3 levels of Fighter.

 

[Aramalian]

Oh, I know it is a sub-par build. When this all started, it was me and two wizards - thus the fighter beginning. As the role-playing progressed, the half-orc got tired of being treated... well... like a half-orc and decided to do something about it - so he became a priest of Pelor. That, and there weren't wands of cure light laying around everywhere. So he was never intended as a optimal build (who takes a half-orc for a Radiant Servant if they want to optimize??? LOL). I didn't really start thinking deeply about the character's future till around level 7 or 8, when he became a Radiant Servant.

Also, when I wrote Divine Metamagic (Retrained Dodge) I was explaining that I HAD taken dodge with my 6th level feat, but now that we've got fighters for me to support, I'm moving off the front lines a bit, and our DM let me retrain my 6th level feat. So the DMM is actually for Reach Spell.

And I'm not going to become a healbot - but I *am* the only consistently attending player with significant healing abilities, and our DM doesn't hand out a lot of gold for us to buy healing items.

I like the idea of taking a dip into contemplative - that gets me to 19th level. But I still don't have a real trajectory. Where does a two-hand wielding half-orc who might want to become Pelor's Emissary go in the meantime?

 

[Alexander123]

And I'm not going to become a healbot - but I *am* the only consistently attending player with significant healing abilities, and our DM doesn't hand out a lot of gold for us to buy healing items.

Wands of CLW or Wands of Vigor can cover all your out of battle needs.

When making builds you might want to think about the long-term and how this build will do in the future.

My suggestion would be not to weaken your build for RP reasons.

 

[Aramalian]

Wands of CLW or Wands of Vigor can cover all your out of battle needs.

When making builds you might want to think about the long-term and how this build will do in the future.

My suggestion would be not to weaken your build for RP reasons.

I know they CAN do so - but unless you come DM our campaign, we won't have access to very many of them Our DM hates wands and potions.

And we will have to disagree about RP - since it is a role playing game, I consistently recommend that group RP rather than optimization be the primary priority. Builds are fun, and I do it all the time, but I feel like active PC optimization needs to be done within the constraints of the campaign world. This character got started long before I knew any of the intricacies of D&D. But that's one of the many joys of the game - different styles of play!

My question, though, is still: given this build, what class suggestions (besides Contemplative - that's a GREAT 1-level dip) would you recommend after I complete Radiant Servant?

Or should I ask my DM if we can just extend RSoP? I've been considering that, as well.

 

[TanisFrey]

My current Character is a Cleric with a high CHA and is the heal bot of the three cleric in my game. I do this by not casting a spell at all. I the Sacred Healing feat. It grants everyone, whit in a 60ft burst, fast heal 3 for a duration equal to 1+(CHA mod) rounds when I use a turn check to power it. When my cleric uses it that 30 hit points without using a spell or my charm or lust domain powers.

It is possible to be a heal bot while retaining you spells for other things.

 

[Alexander123]

I know they CAN do so - but unless you come DM our campaign, we won't have access to very many of them Our DM hates wands and potions.

And we will have to disagree about RP - since it is a role playing game, I consistently recommend that group RP rather than optimization be the primary priority. Builds are fun, and I do it all the time, but I feel like active PC optimization needs to be done within the constraints of the campaign world. This character got started long before I knew any of the intricacies of D&D. But that's one of the many joys of the game - different styles of play!

My question, though, is still: given this build, what class suggestions (besides Contemplative - that's a GREAT 1-level dip) would you recommend after I complete Radiant Servant?

I only play with DMs who meet certain criteria so I can't help you there.

Stormwind fallacy.

If the character got started before you knew the intricacies of D&D that is a different issue entirely.

No other 1 level dip comes to mind so my recommendation would be to take another level of cleric.

 

[Dandu]

My question, though, is still: given this build, what class suggestions (besides Contemplative - that's a GREAT 1-level dip) would you recommend after I complete Radiant Servant?

Warpriest. Hospitaler. Sanctified One. Hierophant.

 

[kitcik]

My suggestion would be not to weaken your build for RP reasons.

I think this statement was made with the best intentions - so that you both feel useful and the other party members appreciate you.

That said, I strongly disagree with the statement as written. Unless you are a total optimizer / power-gamer playing with a group of others of like mind (and there's nothing wrong with that), you should ALWAYS "weaken" your build for RP reasons. Not for the sake of weakening it, but for the sake of RP. If people did not do this, there would be like 10 builds that everyone would copy and it would be boring as all heck. Too many Cheez Wiz's don't make a good buffet.