I've seen a poll and a hatload of posts that display a lack of whelm at the new incarnation of the Cleric. Is this disappointment at the power downgrade from cleric 3.5 to 4, or is the new class genuinely subpar or unexciting?
I'm in the process of sketching out my first 4E character, an Elven Cleric, and I'm really looking forward to giving him a whirl. Certainly, he won't be a 3.5 monster or a 4E Striker-style mass of whirling blades, but he seems to me to offer a lot to the party-to-be.
What he looks like:
- Wis and Dex 18, Con and Cha 12, Str 10, Int 8.
- Warrior of the Wild at 1st, Toughness at 2nd, Novice Power (Ranger) at 4th. So yes, he's a Cleric/Ranger. I like the retro-ness of that
What he offers the party:
(1) Top-notch healing as-you-go (hardly needs to be said). Healing Lore and 18 Wisdom mean - I hope - that he can afford to take Cascade of Light as his 1st level daily: nice as the Bastion is, he can go for the damaging power because he has so much healing elsewhere in his suite
(2) A limited selection of minion-killing area effects, but (wonderfully), ones which distinguish between allies and foes (this all the better in a Wizardless group, as ours may be)
(3) Ritual Casting - again, the group is Wizardless, but note the Elven cleric's decent scores in all four relevant skills (he takes Religion, Arcana and Health, and has +6 to Nature untrained). Choosing one ritual at 1st is also a bonus - and of course it can be as arcane or natural as you like (Tenser's Floating Cleric/Ranger, if need be). I also read the class entry as giving a ritual book for free ('You possess' etc), and that extra 50gp is a nice fillip at startup. (Anyone disagree with this?)
(4) A good mix of direct damage and imposition of conditions. At 1st level he can kick off with Cascade of Light (+4 vs Will, 3d8+4 radiant, foe gets vulnerability 5 to own attacks [save ends]), action point, then follow up with a bit of Cleric/Rangering (Hunter's Quarry+ Channel Divinity [Divine Fortune]+ basic longbow attack +7 vs AC, for 1d10+1d6+9). He's still got Divine Glow for minions (close blast 3, which isn't bad and helps allies to boot), and decent at-will prayers and bow attacks (longbow +6 for 1d10+4, lance of faith +4 vs Ref for 1d8+4 and an ally boost)
(5) Strong scouting skills: speed 7, shifting over difficult terrain, +4 Initiative at 1st, passive Spot skills of +19/+16 (Insight/Perception) at the outset, and Stealth, from Warrior of the Wild, at +8 at 1st (including -1 for hide armour)
(6) Toughness at 2nd makes up for his slightly short starting hp (24, bloodied 12, surge 6 at 1st level: by 2nd he's got 34, bloodied 17, surge 8)
(7) He can use his longbow just fine, since - unlike any other magic class - he can wear rather than wield his implement.
...That's about it. He gets a bit more Rangerly at 4th, obviously, but he's very much a Cleric. And not a kind of Cleric I've ever played before. Mobile, stealthy, full of surprises and bounce.
Is that all so bad? Or what am I missing?
I'm in the process of sketching out my first 4E character, an Elven Cleric, and I'm really looking forward to giving him a whirl. Certainly, he won't be a 3.5 monster or a 4E Striker-style mass of whirling blades, but he seems to me to offer a lot to the party-to-be.
What he looks like:
- Wis and Dex 18, Con and Cha 12, Str 10, Int 8.
- Warrior of the Wild at 1st, Toughness at 2nd, Novice Power (Ranger) at 4th. So yes, he's a Cleric/Ranger. I like the retro-ness of that
What he offers the party:
(1) Top-notch healing as-you-go (hardly needs to be said). Healing Lore and 18 Wisdom mean - I hope - that he can afford to take Cascade of Light as his 1st level daily: nice as the Bastion is, he can go for the damaging power because he has so much healing elsewhere in his suite
(2) A limited selection of minion-killing area effects, but (wonderfully), ones which distinguish between allies and foes (this all the better in a Wizardless group, as ours may be)
(3) Ritual Casting - again, the group is Wizardless, but note the Elven cleric's decent scores in all four relevant skills (he takes Religion, Arcana and Health, and has +6 to Nature untrained). Choosing one ritual at 1st is also a bonus - and of course it can be as arcane or natural as you like (Tenser's Floating Cleric/Ranger, if need be). I also read the class entry as giving a ritual book for free ('You possess' etc), and that extra 50gp is a nice fillip at startup. (Anyone disagree with this?)
(4) A good mix of direct damage and imposition of conditions. At 1st level he can kick off with Cascade of Light (+4 vs Will, 3d8+4 radiant, foe gets vulnerability 5 to own attacks [save ends]), action point, then follow up with a bit of Cleric/Rangering (Hunter's Quarry+ Channel Divinity [Divine Fortune]+ basic longbow attack +7 vs AC, for 1d10+1d6+9). He's still got Divine Glow for minions (close blast 3, which isn't bad and helps allies to boot), and decent at-will prayers and bow attacks (longbow +6 for 1d10+4, lance of faith +4 vs Ref for 1d8+4 and an ally boost)
(5) Strong scouting skills: speed 7, shifting over difficult terrain, +4 Initiative at 1st, passive Spot skills of +19/+16 (Insight/Perception) at the outset, and Stealth, from Warrior of the Wild, at +8 at 1st (including -1 for hide armour)
(6) Toughness at 2nd makes up for his slightly short starting hp (24, bloodied 12, surge 6 at 1st level: by 2nd he's got 34, bloodied 17, surge 8)
(7) He can use his longbow just fine, since - unlike any other magic class - he can wear rather than wield his implement.
...That's about it. He gets a bit more Rangerly at 4th, obviously, but he's very much a Cleric. And not a kind of Cleric I've ever played before. Mobile, stealthy, full of surprises and bounce.
Is that all so bad? Or what am I missing?
Last edited:
