RANT - Obsession with Clerics

[derelictjay]

I have never put in a tag-along NPC cleric, shoot I almost never put in a tag-along anykind of NPC. I however am more liberal in handing out healing items.

Here's an obersvation I have noticed that when a player decides to use a cleric in a party, party-deaths and near-deaths occur more often. And when its a group that previously didn't have a cleric, a TPK is not far away. Case in point, my last game, we had a new player join the group a couple of weeks ago, and was talked into by the rest of the players to play a cleric, all of a sudden, the players are soaking up more damage, more reluctant to retreat, and finally, last gaming night a TPK. Now the group looks like their gonna play a non-cleric group again, with a scout (from Complete Adventurer), a monk, a wizards, and the fourth character unkown (she's a relatively new to the game), looks to be fun with my jungle oriented campaign I plan to run.

 

[cmanos]

I am playing a cleric, but it is definitely not your stereotypical cleric. He worships the god of strength. He heals those he sees as strong IF he's got healinmg spells left. He's more likely to buff himself up for combat. I'm seriously considering him taking the Bew Potion feat, but doing potions in an alternative way. He would imbue a wooden rod with the spell and only bt breaking the rod (with a Strength check) could the spell be released.

"Kord rewards the strong."

 

[Patman21967]

I agree...people believe that it is their right to have magical healing. It makes you work differently when you know that if you make a mistake it may cost you.

Who was Conan's Cleric, or the Fellowship, as a matter of fact, almost all fantasy has Clerica as stay at home types. Adventuring groups do not have healers with them.

Now, that being said, I had a lot of fun with a Gold Dwarf WarPriest. He was kick ass. But he never used healing during fights, he was always front line. After the fight, if he had spells left, he would heal, but mainly people who took part in the combat. He was loathe to use the power of Cleggedin on archers or mages.

 

[Furry]

Requiring a Cleric does depend on the campaign and play style of the group. In my first game we would've died over and over again without having a smart cleric. In the game I'm playing now, we don't have one. I have Druid levels (going to AH) and the Spontaneous Healer feat. Even so my more useful abilities have been restoration and a few battle control spells (Entangle's, and the wonderfully effective Numbing Sphere). We haven't taken enough damage that I'm ever really worried about healing someone. Usually either we don't need the healing or the person gets killed in one round.

 

[Doug McCrae]

He heals those he sees as strong IF he's got healinmg spells left.

You're aware clerics can spontaneously cast healing spells, right?

 

[Doug McCrae]

Who was Conan's Cleric, or the Fellowship, as a matter of fact, almost all fantasy has Clerica as stay at home types.

What's that got to do with anything?

 

[satori01]

Frankly I do not think comparing a game with signifigant random elements to tightly scripted stories.

As a reader you know Conan was not going to die, despite whatever wound the grey ape would give to him in the dark dungeons of despair, he would always survive either due to his "tigerlike reflexes" or the incredible strength he had that would let him live through wounds that would "kill a lesser man".

In D&D Crits happen, saving throws are blown and people get disentergrated. With that said I have DM'd a group with the healing role being primarly performed by the Druid, and limited front line healings by the Paladin.

As long as someone has the cure spells on their list, wands and potions can take you a long way to working fine, and adds drama,(sometimes the Paladin or Druid have to stop whatever nefarious deeds they are doing to heal one of thier companions in the nick of time).

What I find hurts you without a cleric is lack of access to such spells as restoration or greater restoration, negative energy protection, death ward etc. These are the type of spells that I find are essential at the higher levels, were abillity damage is replaced with being turned to stone or outright death.

 

[Driddle]

A good GM and creative players will adapt their adventures, goals, tactics, etc. to match the resources they do have. They won't feel the need to "lease" a cleric.

I've seen players decide that someone needs to play a cleric, and politely take up the role for what they believe is the party's own good. And I've seen DMs inject the appropriate NPC healer as well.

Not me.

Hey, you don't got a source of healing spells on hand? DON'T GET HURT. Likewise with other classes -- if you don't have a mage with fireballs to throw, don't expect to blast through the front door; if you don't have a ranger, don't plan on an easy trip through the forest. ... Find another way around.

So personally, I don't see a problem. And if someone else wants to worry about clerics for me, let 'm.

 

[RuminDange]

I've added Clerics and / or Wizards to a group to round them out. Heck I've even had to add a rogue before. Sometimes players don't want to play a spellcaster or a trapfinder, other times they do. But I don't always have intention of adding an NPC to fill the role, I have players who seek what they need out and get one to join.

Does it make the game less fun? I don't think so. Also by having a NPC with the group it gives another way to filter information to the group about the game world or other stuff in game that I need or want them to know. Plus an NPC that they have hired or convinced to join them is a hook just waiting to happen. They have family, friends, loved ones and themselves all just waiting for something bad to happen to drag the party toward if I need a quick adventure.

RD

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

If a party doesn't have a cleric (or healer, for that matter), I'd consider using alternative hp rules to lessen the need for one. I think Unearthed Arcana has rules for vitality points and wounds, which might be suitable. I also agree that sometimes relying on magic items is not possible. A lot of people run low magic campaigns where potions and wands of healing don't grow on trees. And even potions get to be expensive, unless the PCs are rolling in cash (which, again, might be a problem in a low-treasure campaign). While I wouldn't recommend forcing players to change their class selections to provide a cleric/healer, I equally don't think it's fair for a DM to have to change the campaign world just b/c the players didn't choose a healer.