Creepy Victorian Cleric idea needed...

[Thurbane]

Consider an Archivist as an alternative to cleric (available on WotC website (was a preview, or Heroes of Horror). More skills, knowledge, and group boosting abilities... and of course, the ability to heal. I think the occult/outsider/undead orientation of Archivist, as written, would lend well to your Victorian style campaign as well.

I second that - I think an Archivist would lend itself extremely well to that role.

Other than that, the Cloistered Cleric would be good, perhaps with the Loremaster PrC.

 

[Phlebas]

......

Can he originate from of the more oriental British colonies? India, Singapore or Hong Kong perhaps? I'm thinking incense, meditation, I Ching and tea-leaf reading sort of style for most of his divinations, and odd tinctures and home-made herbal remedies made from truly exotic ingredients for his healing........

Indian fakir/sadhu would seem to work quite well - (think bed of nails, rope trick, snake charmer) but with some more reliable / useful talents. I'd also go with a cloistered / archivist rather than a straight cleric as more skill points are always useful. Remember that Victoria herself had an Sikh mystic adviser in her later years so it was fashionable / acceptable in society to have some strange individuals from india wandering around in polite society

If you want a slightly less silly / more RP intensive, go for a half-caste (eg son of a the army major and the maharajahs daughter) who'd be more of a misfit and maybe have a few interesting issues...

 

[Thanael]

Not quite the cleric the OP mentioned but in a Victorian era I feel I have to mention Bartitsu.

As for the cleric, going native is probably the way to go: shaman, witch doctor, shugenja. Idian, African, Chinse, Nepalese, ...pick the region your PC has been to and model the sidekick on their kinds of cleric.

 

[Merkuri]

Two words: Pet leeches. (Think of the disgusting possibilities when the owner knows he can heal up after feeding time...)

You do know that leeches were actually used for healing at one time. I wouldn't put it past Victorian doctors to carry leeches for medicinal purposes. Suck all those bad impurities out of the blood.

 

[Kesh]

Check out the book, or the film coming out this week, The Golden Compass. Nicole Kidman's villainess is a very creepy lady with powerful influence in an organization resembling the Anglican Church gone horribly wrong. The entire setting is pseudo-Victorian with magic, so it might suit your needs.

 

[Sir Brennen]

You do know that leeches were actually used for healing at one time. I wouldn't put it past Victorian doctors to carry leeches for medicinal purposes. Suck all those bad impurities out of the blood.

Oh, most certainly I'm aware of their uses in medicine. Leeches even have practical applications in medicine today.

Still... creepy.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

A pocketwatch chain dangles visibly inside his coat, but rather than the expected watch, the good Dr. will occasionally pull out the attached shrunken head, which he gazes at in a Hamlet-esque manner, contemplating the meaning of mortality. (Possibly his divination focus: "Ah, my diminutive friend says the outcome would be woeful." )

I like this... Maybe I can give him a name...

Consider an Archivist as an alternative to cleric (available on WotC website (was a preview, or Heroes of Horror). More skills, knowledge, and group boosting abilities... and of course, the ability to heal. I think the occult/outsider/undead orientation of Archivist, as written, would lend well to your Victorian style campaign as well.

Ooooo... I hadn't given any thought to the archivist. That would fit very nicely into the world, though I'm not sure I want to have another INT-based character. I'll look at it and see what I think.