Help w/ my cleric character? Please?

[Voodoo]

Fortunate Fate (Magic of Faerun) is great as is a Contingent Spell (Comp Arcane feat) of Revivify (Mini handbook). Energy Immunty (Comp Arc) makes you immune to one type of energy, using the Extend Spell Feat 2x 7th level slots and 1x 6th makes you immune to all energy attacks.

Are the gloves off as far as min-maxing? and can you select your own magic kit?

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Thank you Estlor, all good advice. Part of my problem is that I don't own CD, I'm waiting til next session to get to see it. I'm hoping that when I get there I'll have a fair idea what precisely I want so I can build this guy quick and be in the game. I think I've got lots to work with, but of course I invite anyone who has anything else to say- say it. Please. Oh yeah, in response to the undead thing- I don't think I could turn any of the undead in this campaign without fully maxed CHA and maybe a potion of Go Away Please.

Depends on what your charisma score is..... I had a cleric go through most of the campaign with a 12 CHA.... she couldn't turn undead but she'd sure make a mess of them in a fight. And being able to walk up to a powerful undead and smack them with a Heal? Priceless! I had built mine to be more of a "combat machine" than a spellcaster for the first half of her "career". Later, I took the Spell Penetration and subsequent feats, (mostly to combat her 4 level loss due to taking the Divine Champion PrC as "Practiced Spellcaster" wasn't available at the time to take as a feat...), then a couple of metamagic feats to lob more powerful Flame Strikes.... which I stuck in the mostly useless, for combat anyways, 9th level slots. By that time, we were in epic levels, so I had the slots to spare....

Feat selection depends on how you want to play your character.... if you want a more melee cleric, then go for the fighter-style feats. A spellcaster primarily? Then go for the Spell Penetration, Spell Focus (granted it aims at one school of magic per selection), and various metamagic feats.

Granted, the DM didn't target the cleric like he did the rest of the party..... ::shrug:: He had stuff smack around the sorceress (who thought she was well out of the way) and the fighter (but then he was reckless).

And remember, you can heal yourself, even in combat with casting defensively. So, if you see the points get too low, then cast a good Cure spell on yourself. There's no shame in that for the rest of the group might be in deep poodoo if the cleric goes down if there's noone else who can, even a little bit, heal.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Here are some thoughts:

Being hit a lot is a problem: go for items that give you DR, Deflection and/or Invulnerability.
Going up against powerful spellchuckers: maybe go for stuff to give you a good SR and buffed saves and take Spell Penetration feats.

My general advice would be not to focus on PrCs, unless you find one that rocks your world, or on a high AC (which is pretty inconsequential at high levels). Also, because I am not up to date with the plethora of PrCs out there.

Concentrate on making your character harder to kill, rather than harder to hit or with a more powerful attack.

True. Most prestige classes take a hit on some of your cleric's abilities. Some hack down the caster level on your spells but most whock off advancing on your turn undead ability. But there's a nifty one that doesn't do that if your cleric is going to worship a sun deity: Pelor, Ra, Lathander, called "Radiant Servant of Pelor (but you can change it to any other sun deity) that allows your turn undead ability to still advance as well as your spellcasting levels. The other side of the coin on that one is that you'd need the Healing domain for some of its other powers: hightened healing abilities. Your main requirement is having the Sun domain which has some nifty powers. If you're worried about undead, then this one is for you.....

This one is in Complete Divine.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

The Book of Exalted Deeds could be worth a look for a tougher cleric. It uses 'exalted' status, which can be awkward to deal with - entirely up to the GM.

The Fist of Raziel is a very 'strong' class - you'd lose 1 level of spell progression, but gain a permenant supernatural Magic Circle vs Evil, more HP and other abilities. Is slightly fighter biased, but you could just use the abilities to stay alive...

I find that book a little too much, but it really works for some people!


Out of the normal books, I think the Radient Servant of Pelor a very strong class. Can make for a very potent healer and/or turning cleric.


Having a really high constitution might help you live longer. Higher the better. More HP should make you die less/


I think the big kicker for your character might be in selecting what magic items you start with. Find they can make a big difference.
If you're party has survivability issues I'd steer clear of +LA templates and races. I think they're cool, but IMO they make you 'weaker' than a 'normal' character, especially for spellcasters.

 

[Jdvn1]

Warpriest is good (especially if you get to the finishing level), but you end up giving five caster levels over a 10-level PrC. You get a d10 HD and the best BAB, though. Depends on your style. Radiant Servant of Pelor is better from the casting side. Zero lost caster levels, improved healing spells (if you have the Healing domain).

I took both of those classes with my Cleric, though.

Anyway, spells you want to look at: Anything that ends in "Pact."

Stalwart Pact has saved many of my party members many times. When you get to half hit points, you gain a number of temporary hp equal to (caster level x 5), bonuses to saves, DR... it's a great spell. The catch is that it costs a little xp. At high levels, though, 250 xp isn't a huge deal at all. Awesome, awesome spell. From the Complete Divine. Look it up.

Death Pact is Life 3 from Final Fantasy. If you die, you come back. The problem is that it's like Raise Dead, not True Ressurection. So there's a level loss. Handy back-up spell, but Stalwart Pact is better IMO.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Get the Book of Exalted Deeds. Look at the Prestige Class Risen Martyr. Arrange your charater so that s/he qualifies for this class. When s/he dies, beg the DM to allow your character to rise again as a Risen Martyr (assuming you meet all the criteria).

Of course, with a DM that you describe as "not overly nice" this may not be allowed.

 

[scout989]

Well I'm glad I started this thread because there are some awesome (not to mention pretty amusing) things coming out of it. I think I might have found my way, I'm probably in trouble if I run into a fighter (make that definitely) with this build, but the dweomerkeeper from the web enhancement to CD fits my original character concept so completely that I'm just going to use it, die, and then try again with some of the ideas I read about here. On the upside, my guy oughtta be a very respectable divine spellcaster when I'm done with him, and that class has enough tricks to maybe let me survive the first couple of encounters. Not really the asskicker I could have, but still the character I started out imagining. But please, again, don't let this stop you, cuz I plan to read everything posted on here for my next time around! Thanks everyone for all the help.

 

[Jdvn1]

Tell us how it goes!

 

[JoeBlank]

There is a domain in Forgotten Realms (renewal?) that give a cleric an instant Heal or something when he goes to negative hit points. This was 3.0, so I'm not sure the effect is the same in 3.5, but I think so. Anyone remmeber the specifics a little better than I?

 

[Joker]

I don't know if this is too powergamery (it's a word, look it up), but I have a few ideas I have always wanted to try out.

Persistant Spell (If you use 3.0) or Persistant Spell + Divine Metamagic + Extra Turning (if you use 3.5)

Since I am using 3.0 I'll just assume everyone else in the world is aswel .

If you are willing to "give up" a 5th, two 7th and two 8th level slots you can have Divine Favor (+5 to hit and damage), Prayer (+1 on a lot of things), Vigor, mass lesser (Fast Healing 1), Recitation (+2/3 on attacks and saves) and of course gawdly Divine Power on all day. As long as you cast Magic Vestment once or twice (Armor + Shield (if any)) and Greater Magic Weapon you can depend on your melee skills without giving up a lot of high level spells.

Enjoy.