Changing/Removing the Cleric

[Merlion]

I am thinking of starting a small campaign for myself and my roomates, and I want to do something with the cleric. Either replace it with a much less combat oriented variant, or remove it and possibly the Arcane/Divine magic division itself.
So am asking that people who have the time and inclination post their own variant clerics and/or means of tearing down the Arcane/Divine divde. Thanks in advance

 

[widderslainte]

I've got three untested feats here:
http://home.attbi.com/~widderslainte/games/3E/index.htm

Customize the Theurgy feat to meet your needs.

 

[Merlion]

Hmm thanks this is interesting...

 

[Merlion]

What are peoples thoughts on simply removing the cleric, increasing the druid's healing powers slightly, and putting some healing spells on the wizard/sorcerer spell list?

 

[Spatzimaus]

What are peoples thoughts on simply removing the cleric, increasing the druid's healing powers slightly, and putting some healing spells on the wizard/sorcerer spell list?

I'd do it the other way: remove both the Cleric and the Druid and create a class, the Priest, that's halfway between the two. Light armor (like the Druid), can't use any weapons other than Simple ones or the deity's favored weapon, a spell list that's a mix of the two, picks only one domain, and instead of swapping for heals he swaps for the spells in that domain. Toss wildshape (but make a domain full of spells like Alter Self, Polymorph Self, and Shapechange). For the other low-end Druid abilities (Nature Sense et al), make them the granted powers of the Nature domain or something.

I did the same thing for Sorcerers and Wizards IMC, combining them into one class with some of the features of each.

 

[Merlion]

Well I like the Druid the way it is. I am going to do one of two or three things. Leave everything the same accept replace the cleric with a less combat oriented priest. Remove the cleric entirly and the Arcane/Divine split beef up the Druid's cure spell list a bit and add the spells of the Healing domain onto the wizard/sorcerer list OR do away with the Arcane/Divine thing, unify the spell list and still have some sort of "priest" or "healing" class.
I am just wondering if thease are viable, especialy the remove the cleric, let mages heal choice, and I want to see other peoples variant cleric classes.

 

[Merlion]

Hmmm....I have come up with an idea for a class to "replace" the cleric...I'm calling it the Mystic. a mainly healing/defensive sort of magical class...I'll post it some time in the next few days once I get it sorted out

 

[RangerWickett]

Well, in my game I just put all the spells from every spell list on the sorcerer and wizard spell list (moved a few around in level, but all spells are at least available to them). This way, you have to pick to either have full spell options and weak combat (sorcerer, wizard), or fair spell options and fair combat (bard, cleric, druid), or meager spell options and good combat (paladin, ranger).

Or you could buy The Elements of Magic from E.N. Publishing, which just uses one single spellcasting class.

 

[Merlion]

Well my big root things are: I want to do away with the Divine/Arcane divide and the Cleric which I see as an...uncommon archtype.
So my plan at this second is to remove the divide, alter some spell lists a bit and create a new class with a little bit of a healing focus. I will probably start a new thread about it.

 

[Raesene Andu]

In my campaign I've removed the cleric as a class all together (because of a historical event that now prevent's gods granting spells to their followers).

I have a NPC priest, who has few powers, but can use Relics, which are generally objects containing the remains of an immortal being who served that priest's god, and can be used as objects of healing. But the priest has now other special abilities. In other words he is an Expert, much like any other NPC profession.

I've also removed the sorcerer and wizard class and replaced them with 5 prestige classes for the 5 elements (air, earth, fire, spirit, and water). Some of the spells previously cast only by clerics can now be cast by Elemental Mages (especially Spirit Mages, who have power over life and death).