Pelor! Pelor! Pelor!

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I agree that Clerics shouldn't have a divine at-will ranged attack. They wear heavy armors, they carry big weapons... their at-will attack should be applying their deity's favored weapon forcefully to the skull of the infidel.

If they're combining the Cleric and the Paladin, which they might as well now-- since there's no more BAB-- just give them some sort of Wisdom-based or Charisma-based smite power to enhance their melee attacks.

 

[Falling Icicle]

I don't see the problem. It is no more powerful than a bow and arrow (actually it's at a big disadvantage when it comes to range). Besides, this version of the cleric is supposed to be the scholarly, caster type. Seems perfectly appropriate to me, especially for a cleric of the sun god.

Clerics have always had sunlight type attack spells as long as I can remember. Granted, they never had one as a basic, at-will spell, but then, clerics were always assumed before to be half knights in shining armor that go up and bludgeon people with their mace. I'm glad that I can play a caster type cleric now. Finally, there's a cleric type I might actually want to play! I just hope that WotC doesn't get rid of it because some people think it's "badwrongfun."

 

[Pickles JG]

Finally, there's a cleric type I might actually want to play! I just hope that WotC doesn't get rid of it because some people think it's "badwrongfun."

They can always make it a "Priest" & get the same effect.

I can see the issue with first level characters getting to embody their god already. I guess it raises the question of what do you see first level characters as being?

I like the 4e style pretty damn good at their jobs rather than fresh off the farm types but I can see you might prefer otherwise.
This is obviously easy to remedy without even a module (!) as I can start my games at 3-5 th level & miss out the tedious/gritty part. I hear this is hardly a novel solution

 

[Falling Icicle]

I can see the issue with first level characters getting to embody their god already. I guess it raises the question of what do you see first level characters as being?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "embody their god already." Surely a 1st level cleric needs to have some divine powers, otherwise, what separates it from a fighter?

I like the 4e style pretty damn good at their jobs rather than fresh off the farm types but I can see you might prefer otherwise.
This is obviously easy to remedy without even a module (!) as I can start my games at 3-5 th level & miss out the tedious/gritty part. I hear this is hardly a novel solution

I don't see how radiant lance makes a cleric any more powerful than any other 1st level character armed with a longbow. I guess the cleric doesn't have to worry about arrows, but the bow also has alot longer range, and it's not like arrows are expensive.

 

[YRUSirius]

Hodor!

-YRUSirius

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

It's a fair point that the Pelorite isn't a heavy armor templar, and thus could be excused for being a spellslinger instead of a headbreaker in combat.

 

[BobTheNob]

Im with the OP on this one. Mearls did state subtlety as an objective of the magical design of the cleric and they give them lasers? Mixed messages there.

I dont mind lceric being able to blam at range, but you have to walk a careful line lest you end up making the mage redundant. Once the cleric can blamo at range, you have to compare the two and say "Well, the cleric has armor and shields, hit points, better weapon choices...why take a mage?"

Im of a mind to say that you have clerics and clerics. Frankly, if they trained up in ranged spells, why would they have trained up in armor? Or in a more game balance sense, its armor or range dcapability...i.e. have your pie or eat your pie, not both.

I dunno, I just like the boom boom you dead spells in the mages book of tricks, not the clerics.

 

[Wepwawet]

I agree that Clerics shouldn't have a divine at-will ranged attack. They wear heavy armors, they carry big weapons... their at-will attack should be applying their deity's favored weapon forcefully to the skull of the infidel.

If they're combining the Cleric and the Paladin, which they might as well now-- since there's no more BAB-- just give them some sort of Wisdom-based or Charisma-based smite power to enhance their melee attacks.

Says who??? The thing I like the most about this playtest cleric of Pelor is that it isn't a typical normalized cleric that looks more like a crusader paladin than a proper cleric.
Cleric of war with heavy armor and big weapons? Fine
Sun god cleric, or nature cleric with heavy metal armor and big weapons? NOT fine

 

[Steely_Dan]

So, we play-tested last Saturday, we preferred the cleric of Pelor, actually, after our first foray into the CoC, we came back to town, dumped the cleric of Moradin (poor guy felt a little dejected...), and went back in with human-boy and had a much better time for it.

Oh, where does the extra +1 to hit for the Fighter come from?

 

[jadrax]

So, we play-tested last Saturday, we preferred the cleric of Pelor, actually, after our first foray into the CoC, we came back to town, dumped the cleric of Moradin (poor guy felt a little dejected...), and went back in with human-boy and had a much better time for it.

Oh, where does the extra +1 to hit for the Fighter come from?

From being a Fighter. They get an intrinsic +1 to hit and +2 to damage above everything on the sheet.