Min/max me a cleric

[Timotheos]

I am starting a new campain this on friday, and i am going to play a cleric, so if someone could give me examples of a min/maxed cleric capable of both fighting, casting spells and healing. it would be really great. Nothing is decided yet, except that we rolled the stats on saturdays session.

i got 18 17 16 16 14 10

this is the first time i am playing a cleric, so some tactics could be useful to

the party is going to consist of a cleric(me), a dwarwen fighter, a paladin and a rouge

 

[Jairami]

A dwarwen fighter and a paladin in makeup? Interesting...

If you want to be able to fight and hurl spells then extend spell is going to be your friend. Buffs such as bull's strength, endurance, magic vestment, spikes, blindsight, and greater magic weapon will go all day with that bump (and eventually without it!). Other buffs such as divine favor, shield of faith, divine power, divine agility, righteous might, monstrous regeneration, and prayer are also extremely helpful, some of them you can make persistent and again, have with you all day long.

Your BAB will never lag that far behind the fighter's but your strength might, then again, with bull's strength it may not. And with spikes (the spell, not the mundane property) on a wooden weapon you'll never lack for damage.

Max out your ranks in concentration and don't forget that endurance spell so you can cast defensively when you need it. Early on, the dice say whether you hit or not anyways, so save them spells to recuperate during or after the battle(s).

But later on you can intersperse your laying down your righteous justice with a few hold persons. Don't forget to work in tandem with the paladin to interrogate some foes, I don't know what dwarwen fighters are like, but the dwarven fighters I've fought alongside tend to sort things out with their axes.

Good luck!

 

[SpikeyFreak]

Don't overlook Divine Favor.

If your DM is allowing it, the persistant spell feat in Tome and Blood is VERY powerful in the hands of a mid to high level cleric.

What domains are you planning on taking?

The Animal Domain can be cool if you are going to be in the wilderness a lot. Kinda makes you a druid without the wildshape ability.

The Travel Domain gives you some utility spells that you may want since you don't have an arcane caster in the party.

Don't forget that you can take some craft skills and item creation feats to make magic items for the party. It'll hit you in the XP, but it will also help you in your pocket-book.

--Holy Spikey

 

[Metheus]

Cleric

This is a continuation of the thread on RPG Discussion, so I'm actually replying to something on there.
The pluses for having a 18 WIS as opposed to STR at lower levels dont seem to have much effect before 4th level. Most of what an adventuring cleric will end up casting at those levels is going to be healing or party-effect spells where the +1 DC wont make too much of a difference. The cleric shouldnt be the one actively trying to spot or hear, so the difference between +3 and +4 are neglegible.
Only you know the type of campaign you'll end up being a part of, however, just remember that at low levels you'll need to hit harder and more often in order to survive. Plus, as a cleric who'll need to be versatile, you'll need to carry lots of stuff, and the carry difference between 17 and 18 is pretty good.
You shouldnt be getting hit while casting, so Concentration shouldnt be that big a deal, and if it is, take the Combat Casting feat. As I said earlier, your spells should be for healing, or if you happen to have extra spells, they should be equallizing the fighting field. Bane/Bless combos will help you in the larger fights, and domain spells can help too, like Magic Weapon, Sanctuary, or Expeditious Retreat. By 4th level, you'll have a good selection of spells and be able to fight also.

 

[Xahn'Tyr]

Where do you people get these stat rolls? Yeesh, I remember I rolled an 18 and a 17 for the same character once, back in the late 80's sometime. Are you rolling 10d6 and keeping the best 3, or did you just go with a 52 Point Buy?

Freakin munchkins...

 

[Jairami]

Where do you people get these stat rolls? Yeesh, I remember I rolled an 18 and a 17 for the same character once, back in the late 80's sometime. Are you rolling 10d6 and keeping the best 3, or did you just go with a 52 Point Buy?

Freakin munchkins...

Thank you. We're all better now for your disdain and scorn. Anything else to add?

 

[StealthyMark]

If you want to min/max, remember Rule 1:
You are a team. Optimize your team first, then optimize yourself for your team.

Persuade the player of the Fighter or the Player of the Paladin to play a Wizard or Sorcerer instead.

 

[Larcen]

If you want to min/max, remember Rule 1:
You are a team. Optimize your team first, then optimize yourself for your team.

Persuade the player of the Fighter or the Player of the Paladin to play a Wizard or Sorcerer instead.

I respectably disagree. While creating all the characters around what the party needs makes a lot of tactical sense, it's not too realistic that a band of strangers who just met are all going to meet people who are perfectly compatible with each other. (Unless of course the campaign or background is built around the fact that this is a well-rounded team created for some purpose.)

Also, I would think that the most important criteria for creating a character is what YOU want to roleplay, not what the party needs. An unbalanced party may even be FUN (since it requires more creative thinking) if they get themselves into situations they can't handle.

I think it's harsh to try and persuade someone in the group who wants to play a fighter to take a wizard instead simply because the group needs a wizard. No one wants to to be stuck with a class they don't want. Especially for a long running ongoing campaign.

...cleric capable of both fighting, casting spells and healing...

You're in luck. ANY cleric can do all that quite well. That's what they are designed to do.
Seriously, if that's all you want from the character, he already has it. So don't worry about min/maxing, just create someone that you think will be fun to play.

i got 18 17 16 16 14 10

Holy smokes! I won't be as harsh as Xahn'Tyr, but those ARE fantastic stats. Looks like your character is already well on his way to being min/maxed here. What method does your group use to roll stats??

 

[Little_Buddha]

Originally posted by Larcen:
I respectably disagree.

<lol>

 

[Xarlen]

Ok, you want a min/max?

First, let's think about Race. Seeing as you've only asked for one thing, and not made any speculations, I'll just make some suggestions: Human. That's the best thing you can go for. Human.

Elves have a +2 to dex, but a cleric doesn't Need dex (they can wear full plate armor, and not be effected by spell failure!). You want to put on the armor, and the only bad thing about a small dex is bad Init (Improved Init'll clear that up right fast). Dwarves, although get a +2 to con, get a -2 to Charisma, and that's bad for your turning. Halflings get a +2 to dex (See Elves) but a -2 to STr, and as a Cleric, Strenght will help you smack down foes easily. So, human is your best bet.

Put the 18 to Wisdom. Just, right out, put it there. Even if you're starting low level, it'll help out, once you hit 3rd or 5th, and can grab some good spells with save DCs. Put a high stat (16, or atleast 14) to Int. That way, you can get some Good skillpoints (Yummy). If you take Trickery as a Domain, you get Bluff and Disguise (And hide, but if you're wearing armor, not good). Charisma is useful for turning, and Charisma based skills. Dex, we've covered that. Con? Very important, since Con represents your Concentration checks. Also your Hitpionts (A high hitpoipnt cleric is almost as good as a fighter, not to mention their spells make them awesome tanks).

Feats: Combat casting. Just, good, in case. Best suggestion for it. Empower feat seems what most people say, but I'd only get this if you're going for higher levels. Weapon Focus for your Deity's weapon is a suggestion, if you are going to be a melee man (but, considering your party, I don't think it may be needed). Improved Initative (I'd grab this, if I were you, with your human feat). Extra Turning, incase you think that you'll come up against some undead (You likely will), this will help out. If your Charisma isn't that good, well, this will give you more chances (trying from a distance might help, but better to hit them harder, as aposed to several lesser times). Lightning Reflexes, if you want to fix your crappy Ref save, and this is the only thing a good dex is for.

Domains: Depends on the character. Want one that can double as a wizard? Grab Magic domain. You can use Arcane stuff, *and* get the spells. Identify, for *free*. You can sell that. Want to be a big master combat guy? Avoid Strenght (you'll have a high strenght, and it just duplicates an 18 str). War, now that's useful for combat clerics. Trickery, for the spells and the skills (Invisibility is cructial, if you don't have a mage). Healing, if you REALLY wanna be a healer, but I'd stick with another domain, seeing as you can Spontaniously heal anyways. Luck is good, all around (getting a reroll can be very important).

Equipment: Go for the best armor you can get your hands on. \

Anything else, I'll need more info.