Help me Min/Max a FR Cleric

[RogueJK]

I'm creating a 15th level character for a Forgotten Realms campaign, and I need your help. He needs to be a good melee fighter, but not lacking in spellcasting.

Stats:
16 14 14 12 12 9
I've got 10 attribute points to use in order to bump some of these up (3 from levels and 7 from a special type of stat-rolling method)

As of now, I'm able to use anything (race, class, prestige class, feat, etc) from any WotC book.

I'm going for a heavily armored Cleric, probably with 4 levels of Fighter for Weapon Specialization. He'll mainly be fighting in melee, buffing, and healing. I'm considering taking 1 level of Contemplative in order to get a Prestige Domain (probably Celerity to get Haste as a Divine spell). He'll also need other AC-boosting spells. He won't really have the time for Item Creation, and we don't tend to run into many undead that need to be turned.

The rest of the group consists of a Monk/Rogue, a Fighter/Arcane Archer, a Bard/Wizard/Lasher, and a Sorceror/Elemental Savant(Air)

Any suggestions for feats, domains, magic items, prestige classes, race, or class combos?

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I was thinking...
LN, TN, or LG Human Fighter4/Cleric10/Contemplative1 of The Red Knight
STR 19
DEX 12
CON 14
INT 12
WIS 20
CHA 10

Feats: Spellcasting Prodigy, Weapon Specialization (Longsword), Improved Critical (Longsword), Persistent Spell, Improved Initiative, Combat Casting **4 feats left**

Skills: Max out Concentration, 13 ranks in Knowledge(Religion)

Domains: War (MWP & Weapon Focus: Longsword), Planning (free Extend Spell), and Celerity (mostly for Haste)

Full Plate Armor, Large Shield, Longsword

 

[Victim]

Don't get fighter levels for specialization. The extra cleric levels will boost your GMW, and Magic vestment spells, along with divine favor. Also, the fact that you have so many unspent feat slots means you don't need fighter levels so much.

Spell Penetration is very useful, I wish my cleric had it. Sribe scroll is very useful, giving you easy access to utility spells. My cleric like to make scrolls of Restoration, lesser restore, etc. You can probably scribe most of the scrolls you want in less than a day, so time isn't as much a factor.

You might want a higher Con. It's easy to raise strength with spells - can you say Persistant Divine Power? Also, I'd divert a point from leveling into Wisdom, so you can increase it again next level. I'd probably go to 16 STR, 16 Con and 21 Wis.

The Divine Disciple from FR is pretty good. The requirements are easy, and it's been errata'd to a cleric base attack progression.

Getting Death ward or Negative plane protection on your armor and shield would be nice. These enchantments are from MaoF.

Scry is a useful skill, as I doubt the sorcerer will ahve many divinations.

 

[Gaiden]

Don't waste your time with the figher levels. The extra 2 dmg you get from the one feat is not worth it. Stick with straight cleric/hospitaler if you want melee cleric. That way you don't slow down your spell progression and you get Fighters BAB for Hospitaler levels while maintaining your turn undead ability. A few spells will more than take care of the lack of fighter levels - bull's str, divine power, divine shield, etc. You'll have to do the work for selecting domains, but I would recommend against celerity for your character. If he is going to be heavily armored you don't get the speed increase and the dex bonus won't much matter as there will be a cap to max dex. The total init bonus of +3 is nice, but might as well go with a domain that gives you improved initiative. If you are selecting celerity for its spells, there are other domains that have timestop and haste.

If you really want celerity, go with a nonmelee combatant who wears light or medium armor.

You might want to see if you can play a mighty contendor of Kord - with Kord substituted for some FR God who is focused on the same domains.

 

[RogueJK]

If you are selecting celerity for its spells, there are other domains that have timestop and haste.

There is one other domain which has Haste, and that's Time from the FRCS. Unfortunately, only 2 deities have access to it, and neither of them appeal to me very much.

Also, I doubt that my DM will allow me to take the Hospitaler PrC, since he himself has had experience with just how powerful (and broken) it is.

 

[RogueJK]

Since it seems the Fighter levels would be a waste of my time, what do you think of a Cleric13/Contemplative1/Templar1?

The level of Templar nets me a boost to my Fort. and Will saves, Weapon Specialization, Martial Weapon Proficiencies, a +1 to my BAB, 2 more 1st level spells, and Mettle. My Fortitude and Will saves will both be high, so Mettle seems really useful, especially for a combat cleric.

Also, if I get rid of the Fighter levels, I won't have to worry about multiclass penalties. What other race (besides Half-Orc) would you recommend? Or should I just stick with Human?

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Human(?) Cleric13/Contemplative1/Templar1(?) of The Red Knight
STR 16
DEX 12 (14 from Celerity)
CON 16
INT 12
WIS 21
CHA 10

Feats: Spellcasting Prodigy, Improved Critical (Longsword), Persistent Spell, Improved Initiative, Combat Casting, Endurance, Reach Spell (?)

Skills: Max out Concentration and Scry, 13 ranks in Knowledge(Religion)

Domains: War (MWP & Weapon Focus: Longsword), Planning (free Extend Spell), and Celerity (mostly for Haste, and the bonus to Dex will help with Ranged Touch Attacks)

Full Plate Armor, Large Shield, Longsword

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

I tend to like the Luck and Travel domains for thier abilities. Nice to be able to ignore any type of Hold magic long enough to get a counter-spell off, or to just kill the caster. And it's very nice indeed to be able to re-roll that critical roll that you just failed by one.

Of course this is a matter of preference, and your milage will vary based on campain and personal taste.

If you have feats left-over, and especially if you took a Human character, you could simple burn a Feat on Martial Weapon Proficency and whatever else you think you need to have the right weapon to use.

Hatchling Dragon

 

[RogueJK]

If you have feats left-over, and especially if you took a Human character, you could simply burn a Feat on Martial Weapon Proficency and whatever else you think you need to have the right weapon to use.

I'm getting Martial Weapon Proficiency (Longsword) from the War domain, and I plan on focusing on it. I'll probably have Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and Improved Critical with the Longsword.

Right now I'm looking at a character who has +15/+10 1d8+6 17-20/x2 with the Longsword at 15th level, before adding in spells and weapon enchantment.

 

[green slime]

If you really are planning on getting into melee, make sure that armour has Heavy Fortification.

You ignore criticals. Which means that you cannot be sneak attacked, death attacked by assassins, or suffer from the ignoble coup-de-grace if you should be rendered helpless.

It simply is the best thing in armour. Ad while you're at it, make sure that your amour/shield and weaponry is made of adamantine. That way you can enter anti-magic fields and still have a better than normal AC and attack bonuses.

Edit: Oh yes, make sure that your armour is of "Calling" (PsiHB), so that you can don it in an instant

 

[RogueJK]

(Bump)

 

[reapersaurus]

You might want to see if you can play a mighty contendor of Kord - with Kord substituted for some FR God who is focused on the same domains.

LOL!
Ya, my Ubaar character is certainly a combat-monster and a buffer and healer.
At 15th level, he'd be absolutely DOMINANT with STR bonuses.
Brb1/Cleric5/Mighty Contender9 (Casts spells as 9th level cleric)
If you can place those attribute bonuses anywhere, don't look the gift horse in the mouth.
Put 'em in STR, as many as you can.

Let's say you put only 5 into STR (the minimum - just to start at 18 and the 3 level-ups) and played a half-orc.
STR would be 20 from half-orc, 25 with level-ups and MCoK class level-ups, 29 when raging, and 21 more from MCoK Strength domain power.

That's a STR of 50!
That's +20 damage just from STR.
Throw in the Rage spell from DotF and a few inherent bonuses and maybe an Arm of Nyr from DotF and you're unstoppable.