Please Help Me With Cleric Spell Choice

[Vanye]

My PC just hit 16th level (14th-level clerical power) and my experience has been that if you're resorting to 1st and 2nd level spells for damage dealing, you're already in a heck of a lot of trouble and should be fleeing for your life.

At high levels, 1st and 2nd level spells are best used for buff and utility spells, preferably those you can cast outside of combat (like Resist Energy). For direct damage dealing, you should be using your high-end spell repertoire.

And that's why I suggested the Light spells, since they have a utility (Light) as well as the damage capability.

IME playing a 17th level wizard, there are are times where you don't want to do nothing in combat, but wasting a 5th or 6th level spell on what is essentially a mook is not worth the effort, and having a hanging effect that you can discharge without using untapped resources is nice.

 

[MadJax]

This is a cleric build which I have found very effective

Human Clr 17
Domains: War, Good

Feats: Extra Turning, Quicken Spell, Chain Spell (CA), Divine Spell Power (CD), Divine Vigor, Divine Metamagic (Quicken), Reach Spell

Every morning cast a DSP'd Chained Greater Magic Weapon on every weapon in the party

always keep a Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, Heroes Feast, Holy Word prepared.

DSP Holy Word to cast it at CL 21 (17 + 1 (good domain) +4 DSP)
possible at CL 25 if you use bead of karma the round before.
(this is a very cheesy tactic and don't be surpised if the DM uses it on you with a blasphemy)

 

[Amazing Triangle]

So...he's removed the spell Miracle from the game? Or has he just said: "no mimicing other spells for no XP cost"?

The spells
[sblock]
Teleport (5th)
Overland Flight (5th)
Tree Stride (5th)
Shadow walk (Brd 5th, Wiz 6th)
Find the Path (6th)
Transport Via Plants (6th)
Wind Walk (6th)
Word of Recall (6th)
Refuge (Clr 7th, Wiz 9th)
Teleport, Greater (7th)
Teleport Object (7th)
Limited Wish (7th)
Maze (8th)
Miracle (9th)
Teleportation Circle (9th)
Wish (9th)[/sblock]
Mostly spells that are instant travel were removed from the SRD list of spells. Any spells from other sources that are instant travel (excluding Knight's Move because it is such a short distance). I know it is not standard but it is a DM quirk so I need to work around it.

I have set it up so my character could maximize with Divine Metamagic. Comes in handy when you have to summon things. I guess I could go with the Spell or Force or even Good or Sun as my 4th domain. The first 2 give me access to spells I can't normally cast, the last 2 give me some connection to my diety (Pelor).

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Cheesy isn't the right word. Try fun destroying either way. Seriously. Once you start using this tactic, there's no point in playing the game at all.

DM: OK, the phasm casts blasphemy. You're all dead. No save.

Players: This sucks.

DM: Them's the rules. I advanced by hit dice and applied the half-fiend template. It's not my fault you can't take a clvl 40 blasphemy.


or

Player: OK, I walk into the room and break my spellstaff. That's a clvl 28 holy word. They're all dead or paralyzed no save.

Other players: oh nifty. my fighter cleans the rust off his sword; it's been a month since a fight lasted longer than the friggin rogue's initiative since he's carrying that d#$% spellstaff.

DM: Gee, wasn't this fun; maybe we should play monotony or some other board game.

This is a cleric build which I have found very effective

Human Clr 17
Domains: War, Good

Feats: Extra Turning, Quicken Spell, Chain Spell (CA), Divine Spell Power (CD), Divine Vigor, Divine Metamagic (Quicken), Reach Spell

Every morning cast a DSP'd Chained Greater Magic Weapon on every weapon in the party

always keep a Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, Heroes Feast, Holy Word prepared.

DSP Holy Word to cast it at CL 21 (17 + 1 (good domain) +4 DSP)
possible at CL 25 if you use bead of karma the round before.
(this is a very cheesy tactic and don't be surpised if the DM uses it on you with a blasphemy)

 

[Urbanmech]

Don't take Combat Casting unless it is required for a PrC. Skill Focus: Concentration gets you a +3 bonus to ALL Concentration checks instead of just checks to cast defensively. Combat Casting is a waste of a feat.

 

[Nail]

Cheesy isn't the right word. Try fun destroying either way. Seriously. Once you start using this tactic, there's no point in playing the game at all.

DM: OK, the phasm casts blasphemy. You're all dead. No save.

Wait.

Is the problem increasing your caster level, or the spell Blasphemy?



The problem is Blasphemy (and Holy Word, etc). Plain and simple.


Lemme fix that for you:

Cheesy isn't the right word. Try fun destroying either way. Seriously. Once you start using Blasphemy, there's no point in playing the game at all.

 

[Amazing Triangle]

Now that I look at it, Travel per the domain is now worthless to me. Since the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th level domain spells are excluded from being cast. This sure makes playing a cleric tough/boring taking away all the firepower a none firepower class has. The cleric is slightly overpowered because it is mostly a healing class. Taking away most of the good domains really hurts the cleric on a whole. So War (though I only have a +10 bab), Time (for the free Improved Initaitive), and Planning (for the free Extend Spell). I need one more to complete this character I think I have all the spells choosen already. Thanks mostly to this board.

So please 1 more domain...other than Luck and Travel.