Clerics not needing to rest?

[RigaMortus2]

If a Cleric prays in the woods, and there's no god around to hear it, does he get his spells?

 

[rhammer2]

I think this is up to the DM. As long as the cleric does his 1 hour prayers at the required time I allow the cleric to use the fill the unprepared slot rule to fill up slots that he couldn't prepare when he prayed. He still does not fill up any particular slot more than once a day, and any slot used will remain unavailable for 8 hours.

Ding ding ding!

Vinyafod's post hits the critical issue. Our Clerics pray at sunrise for their spells, but that means that any spells they use during the night (while on guard duty) are burned for the next day as well.

It essentially implies something about when your Cleric operates best - a LG Cleric who prays at dawn should not be adventuring in the middle of the night. A CE Cleric who prays at midnight should not be adventuring during the day. This is subtle, but it actually adds a nice bit of flavor.

 

[bret]

If a Cleric prays in the woods, and there's no god around to hear it, does he get his spells?

I can just see the commercials now....

"Can you hear me now? Good."

Verizon godless service. Fully digital quality prayers and miracles. For the modern cleric who believes in technology and service.

 

[Gizzard]

I think this is up to the DM. As long as the cleric does his 1 hour prayers at the required time I allow the cleric to use the fill the unprepared slot rule to fill up slots that he couldn't prepare when he prayed. He still does not fill up any particular slot more than once a day, and any slot used will remain unavailable for 8 hours.

Well, I thought the rules were pretty clear about this.

As I see it, the 8 hour limit is a good thing - it prevents the Cleric from unloading his entire spell list seconds before prayer time. Ie, "Hey guys, I'm about to pray for new spells. So if anyone needs a leftover Heal or D-Magic, now's the time. Waste not want not." This isn't a grotesque abuse of the Cleric, but I personally never liked it. Theres absolutely no drawback to this strategy, and it somehow seems disrespectful of you god to pass out spells like they're a loaf of bread that's going to go stale if someone doesn't eat it. ;-)

Anyway, with the 8 hour limit, Clerics have to weigh the desire to optimize their spell use against the chance of getting caught needing a spell that they burned to dodge the limit. Seems fair to me.

 

[Murrdox]

I agree with you... for Clerics that need to pray in the morning after 8 hours rest (not that they need the rest for their spells... but they need to sleep like anyone else (except elves)).

But what about a Cleric who prays for his spells in the evening? If he casts any spells during the afternoon at all those count against him? Even EVIL clerics, unless they're vampires, aren't going to be active primarily during the day.