Clerics, roles, and usin' scrolls

[buzz]

I'm currently playing a 3rd-level cleric of St. Cuthbert (law & protection domains) in my group's D&D3e game. The last time I played a cleric of any sort was probably when I was in high school... the days when Warrant still had a career.

I need help.

I find myself acting as party medic more than anything else, and as a "support fighter" the rest of the time. I also feel fairly clueless about being an effective divine spellcaster.

Part of this may be that I still don't have a clear picture in my head of who this character is; he was created by the DM before I joined the group and the party needed a cleric, so I took him.

So, here are my questions:

1. What are the "don't leave home wihtout them" cleric spells?

2. I'm taking Scribe Scroll as a feat. What's the hip way to use scrolls? For the kind of spells you want to have handy but don't want to spend a spell slot on? Or spells you think you'll need a lot of, like healing?

3. What can I do to make the character more than just the party medic?

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Sagan Darkside]

3. What can I do to make the character more than just the party medic?

The pc cleric in my last campeign had the whole party chip in to buy wands of healing (he refused to just use his share of the wealth)- with wands, he was able diversify the spells he was able to prepare.

You could also have your cleric refuse to use his beneficial magic on a non-follower of St.Cuthbert.

Good luck.
SD

 

[MerakSpielman]

Charge them 1gp per point of healing. Or more, if this isn't that much in your world.

Make use of buffing spells. 1d4+1 help more than it seems, especially if you take Maxamize spell and always give out 5 points.

Come to think of it, metamagiced spells work REALLY well in scrolls because you don't have to use up your few high-level slots on them. Also, make scrolls for rarely-used but useful spells.

 

[Victim]

Create utility belt scrolls. How likely is it that you'll need Lesser Restoration or Obscuring mist? Not very. On the other hand, those spells can be very useful in certain situations. Put a few on scrolls and you have the effects when necessary and don't have wasted spell slots when they aren't. Lesser Restoration, Obscuring Mist, Silence, Consecrate, Magic Weapon and Remove paralysis might be good scrolls.

Get some wands of cure light wounds. They are most cost effective healing possible at the moment, and will remain so for a long time.

I wouldn't make scrolls of spells that you'd want to cast most days.

 

[Zad]

1. What are the "don't leave home wihtout them" cleric spells?

That'll change as you go up in levels. At 3rd level, maybe you can't afford to waste a slot on a bless, but at later levels you'll get plenty of use out of it. At 3rd level you'll have so few spells that you'll have to stick to the key ones. Buffs will have a good impact at that level, but remember that you cast those early in the day, and then you won't have healing spells later.

2. I'm taking Scribe Scroll as a feat. What's the hip way to use scrolls? For the kind of spells you want to have handy but don't want to spend a spell slot on? Or spells you think you'll need a lot of, like healing?

There's a cost-point at which it becomes more efficient to use wands but I can't remember what it is. Use scrolls for spells you'll really want to have, but won't need all the time. Things like restoration, neutralize poison, and so on. For curing spells, go with wands.

3. What can I do to make the character more than just the party medic?

Well if you're the only healer in the party, then your primary job IS the party medic. That's something that you should keep in mind - at later levels when monsters are dishing out more damage, you will be all that stands between your group and death.

That said, you can still be more than that. The thing is that right now you're third level. You don't have enough spells to be much more than that right now. As you level, you will get more of course, and you can do things like

1. Buff - you get a wide assortment of stat boosters and they'll last a long time.

2. Undead - maybe you have a grudge against them. Take feats to supplement that

3. Melee - you'll have a hard time and always feel like a second class tank, but you can still get in there and pitch. Clerics get spells to help them here.

4. Summoning - combat not your thing? Get someone to do your dirty work for you via monster summoning spells.

5. Protection - one of your domains. Stop problems before they start with good wards. Especially around the level 3/4/5 spells.

 

[buzz]

Well if you're the only healer in the party, then your primary job IS the party medic. That's something that you should keep in mind - at later levels when monsters are dishing out more damage, you will be all that stands between your group and death.

FYI: There is a sorcerer/cleric of Boccob and a Paladin in the party as well. The Paladin and I are the ones who generally serve as "medic."

Thanks for all of the great ideas, everyone! One of the themes of the campaign is that some of the formerly major gods (such as Cuthbert) are "fading" and need their clerics to go an proselytize; add that to the "charge the party for healing services" leads me to think: Converts? Might as well start with the party.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

IMO, the spells you absolutely need on scrolls are the healing ones -- not the Cures, but things like Remove Paralysis, Remove Curse, the Restorations, et cetera... These are an important part of being the party medic, but still not spells you'll be casting every day... Make some scrolls so that you can have them around.