Figher/Cleric PrC or other build ideas...

[nittanytbone]

Don't multiclass your cleric. It will only weaken you. The fighter feats are not worth it.

You can make a perfectly serviceable dwarvish battle priest without any multiclassing at all.

Look at the Racial Substitution levels from Races of Stone: I think you'll like them, especially if you're dumping CHA and focusing on monster STR/CON. Wis can be 15 to start, just drop stat boosts into it regularly.

Feats are simple: EWP (Bastard Sword), Power Attack, Cleave, whatever you'd take as a melee character. If you end up NOT taking the Racial Substitution levels, use some Divine Metamagic (from Complete Divine), preferably with Persistent Spell or Quicken Spell. You may need to take Extra Turning if your CHA is that bad.

I would advise against the bastard sword, myself -- a war hammer (which you'll get with the Races of Stone levels) is just as good, or you can use the War Domain with Clangeddin to get a Battle Axe, but if its flavor you want to keep, feel free.

 

[maransreth]

My wife ran a dwarven fighter/cleric priest of Clangeddin for a number of years and she loved Grovette.
Only a few levels of fighter, most levels in cleric, 2 fighting style with dwarven waraxe and spiked shield and she had a blast

 

[Nifft]

Fighter/Cleric is gimped?! It's fantastic! One level of Fighter gets you martial weapons and a feat, and all the rest should be Cleric, or a Cleric progressing PrC (like Sanctified Mind from Lords of Madness).

Take Divine Might (and get magic items to enhance your Charisma) and prepare divine power regularly. Later, prepare Quickened divine power and Quickened divine favor.

Cheers, -- N

 

[nittanytbone]

Fighter/Cleric is gimped?! It's fantastic! One level of Fighter gets you martial weapons and a feat, and all the rest should be Cleric, or a Cleric progressing PrC (like Sanctified Mind from Lords of Madness)./i].

Cheers, -- N

There are only three ways to screw up a cleric, IMHO:

1. Select a race with level adjust.
2. Multiclass.
3. Start with WIS <15 (can't cast higher level spells on time).

A fighter dip hoses your spell progression. Maybe not a big deal if you start at level 20 and are ready to go epic, but it IS a big deal for everyone else. Would you prefer an extra feat, or access to Divine Power two levels sooner? That's what I thought. Moreover, it hurts your turn undead progression as well. Turn undead is weak enough as it is, so to gimp it yet further is bad news.

Important martial weapons can be gained easily enough in many ways that do not sacrifice casting progression: Ruathor (elf weapons), being an elf, Prestige Paladin, Radiant Servant of Pelor, the War domain, etc. Besides, other than the great sword and the longbow, your morningstar holds up pretty well.

 

[Legildur]

...your morningstar holds up pretty well.

I second that. I was thinking about making a Fighter that used a morningstar and took Melee Weapon Mastery (piercing) and Melee Weapon Mastery (bludgeoning) to make the most of both damage types of the weapon!

But finding a magical one might be a bit tough.......

 

[hong]

Play a crusader.

 

[bestone]

or a war/favoured soul

 

[brehobit]

Fighter/Cleric is gimped?! It's fantastic! One level of Fighter gets you martial weapons and a feat, and all the rest should be Cleric, or a Cleric progressing PrC (like Sanctified Mind from Lords of Madness).

Take Divine Might (and get magic items to enhance your Charisma) and prepare divine power regularly. Later, prepare Quickened divine power and Quickened divine favor.

Cheers, -- N

Yeah, but as noted, I want to be mainly a fighter, not mainly a caster. Cleric X/Fighter 1 is pretty good. Fighter N/Cleric M, where N>M is pretty weak.

Thanks all for the help!

Mark

 

[Nifft]

Yeah, but as noted, I want to be mainly a fighter, not mainly a caster.

There's this class you might like called "Paladin"...

Cheers, -- N

PS: Alternately, Warpriest might be good. Ruby Knight Vindicator is just insanely good.

 

[monboesen]

Fighter N/Cleric M, where N>M is pretty weak.

That is only true if you consider the fighter class weak by itself. PH2 helps out a lot in that regard.


Anyway I had a fighter 8/Cleric 1 in one of my games. He wasn't weak at all. He fought just as well as any other fighter. Could use small selfbuffs (bless, divine favor, shield of faith) and often saved himself or others from death with cure light wounds. It also boosted his will save and allowed him to use all sorts of divine spell completion items (like scrolls and wands) and granted some nice domain powers.


Try it out before you discount it. Sometimes are better in actual play than on paper.