Lightly Armored Cleric

[Gilladian]

What sort of build/feats would folks recommend for a cleric who intends to remain lightly armored? We're playing "Curse of the Crimson Throne" AP, which is mostly, as I understand it, a city-based storyline. Since it is also a warm climate, heavy armor seems doubly inappropriate.

I was planning to take Combat Expertise, but then remembered that clerics have a +0 Attack bonus at 1st level, so it wouldn't do her any good at that point.

What other options do I have? We are using core rules, some Pathfinder bits and pieces, and I have the PH II, but none of the other splatbooks.

 

[phindar]

For one, I'd stay out of melee for the most part. Sanctuary is a good spell for the cleric who wants to walk around combat with relative impunity and heal her comrades. (It's a Will Save, so most Fort-based monsters will have to roll really good to break it.) Likewise, Shield Other is a good way to buff the melee fighter; you can stand back and heal yourself instead of moving up and healing him, so you're effectively doubling his hit points. (Until he gets critted and you get dropped, but there's risk in any plan.) If you can get access to Spectral Hand, your touch spells become ranged. Another great boon for a healer that doesn't want to get up close and personal.

 

[Folly]

There are two spells from Heroes of Battle that allow you to go without armor, but are also widely considered a tad too powerful. The spells are 2nd and 4th level and provide a +5 armor and +8 armor for hours per level. In addition, they have the affect of the daylight spell centered on you, and all foes trying to strike you in melee have a -4 penalty. By the rules in HoB for this type of spell a cleric can cast it spontaneously. All at the low low cost of abit of str damage (1d2 for the 2nd and 1d3 for the 4th). Since both are less than the 1d4 of healing from lesser restoration, the spell just requires an extra 2nd level to cast.

For times that you want to be sneaky, you can use deeper darkness to suppress the effect. Since deeper darkness is an emanation, it can be cast on a pebble that goes into a sack when you want the daylight effect.

Given the effect of the spell and the costs of the spell, it is fairly apparent exactly why it is considered too good.

 

[Humanaut]

I don't have books in front of me, but a player of mine has a cleric of fharlagnan (sp?) and with his domains, Travel and Celerity, he gets +10 spd in light armor, and then casts Longstrider for another +10 for hours/day. He stays mobile.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I think te spells Folly's talking about are also in te Book of exalted Deeds. And why too powerful? It doesn't stack with armor, and seems on par level-wise with Mage Armor.

Now, if you're going low/no armor anyway, you'll likely have a good dex. Maybe try an Elf archer Clerc with the Elf domain? Spell Compendium has this awesome level 1 spell, Blessed Aim, gives a +2 morale (?) bonus to ranged attacks for you and all allies within a large area.

Another idea: One of the Dragon-centered books has some special class option, Dragonscale Husk, I think it's called. Lets you gain a scaly hide that provides an armor bonus of its own (and eventually elemental resistances). It requires having a cass that grants heavy armor, and you basically trade in the class feature, the armor improving as you level in any class that would have granted you heavy armor. That's all I know, from breifly seeing someone in my party use it in a game, I always found it a tad overpowered, given that you're saving a fortune on magical armor in the long run.

 

[Folly]

Stream is correct, the source is 'Book of Exalted Deeds'. The reason it is considered too powerful is not the armor but the -4 penalty it causes against melee attacks. It effectively has +9 Armor bonus against melee for a second level spell, and +12 for a 4th.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Really? -4? Must be more powerful than I remembered. Ok, maybe it needs DM tweaking. Still not as bad as many other splat book spells.

Now then, it sounds like your sources are limited, not sure where else Elf domain is besides Spell Compendium. I know PH 2 has the awesome cleric class feature to swap spont. cure spells for spontaneous domain casting from one domain (and you can in turn use the domain slots on cure spells). That's worth considering, at least.

 

[Darklone]

Go elf archer with high dex. No need for heavy armor, aim for a celestial chainshirt.

 

[Folly]

Really? -4? Must be more powerful than I remembered. Ok, maybe it needs DM tweaking. Still not as bad as many other splat book spells.

For the campaign that I use it in, we used some DM tweaking on it. No -4 to hit, but no str damage either.

 

[Gilladian]

Well, there are certainly some great ideas here; I do have the SC, but not BOED available to me. She's gonna be a half-elf, so the elf options are out. She's a cleric of Iomede, with the Good and War domains (campaign goddess and best options for other reasons).

I'm playing her as the twin sister of a sorceress, and since the characters may once in a while like to fool people with the "no, I'm the one" routine, the dragonscale idea is out, as well.

I'll talk to the DM about the armor spells, though; I'm sure we could write up a version of them that we'd like/wouldn't be overpowered. Maybe he'd be amenable to me just adding Mage Armor to my class list... possibly for giving up the ability to wear/be proficient with heavy armor at all.

Anyway, I'm still open to other ideas. Being a ranged combatant sounds like a really good idea. I think I'll take Point Blank Shot as my first feat!