Tips for playing an evil cleric?

[Sound of Azure]

Hey all!

I'm playing an evil-type cleric in a friend's game this week. I decided to go for the Cloistered Cleric from Unearthed Arcana, as I wanted to play the manipulator type. As I have the Trickery and Knowledge Domains, this has expanded my skill options considerably.
I talked to my DM about it, and he allowed me to also take Sense Motive and Gather Information as class skills too. So, I'm something of a skill-based caster with the battle ability of a wizard.

This means I'll be relying mostly on my skills and spells to get by. I've got skill bit covered, so I was looking for some tips on spell selection.

Since I'm playing an evil cleric, healing will be harder to come by except for through items. What else might I have to look out for, spell-wise?

Does anyone have any good useful suggestions or anecdotes in regard to evil cleric-ness?

 

[mikebr99]

Want your caster level through the roof??
Go on a killing spree, with DeathKnell!


Mike

 

[Tiberius]

There is a feat from Libris Mortis called something along the lines of "Touched by the Grave", IIRC. Whatever it's called, it causes the possessor to be treated as an undead for purposes of spells. So, Inflict spells heal you, Enervation gives you temporary hit points rather than negative levels, and so forth. On the down side, Cure spells harm you and you take more damage from Searing Light and other such spells. Since you will be channeling negative energy, you would do well to have this feat so that you can benefit from your own spontaneous healing.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Want your caster level through the roof??
Go on a killing spree, with DeathKnell!

Or, don't.

Spells that provide bonuses or penalties on attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and other attributes usually do not stack with themselves.

 

[Magesmiley]

I'm not recalling the details of the cloistered cleric offhand, but here are my observations from playing an evil necromancer-type standard cleric in the past:

1. Keep an eye out for undead. Assuming that your level is high enough to control the undead (as opposed to simply rebuking them), control them. If they're mindless undead and there are too many of them to control, grab a few and beat a hasty retreat (closing and blocking doors if necessary). If you lose the ones you control, return to the spot in the dungeon you left the extras at and get more.
2. Use the undead as clay pigeons and cannon fodder. Sending a couple of skeletons around so the rogue can flank or to draw off AoOs is often worthwhile.
3. Whenever you kill something big and nasty, consider trying to salvage the creature's remains for animation as a skeleton. Have a desecrated area prepared somewhere that you can use to animate the creature (and others). Whenever possible, control existing undead rather than making your own - its cheaper.
4. My general philosophy on controlled undead is to have a single creature that is the biggest and nastiest I can get my hands on, and then use the rest of my control ability (if any) to keep some low 1HD skeletons around that I can use for sweeping for traps, doing stupid things, and drawing hits in combat.
5. Healing is a bit of a touchy subject. What I have done in the past is to stock up on some wands (my party used wands of lesser vigor). Prepare a few more powerful cure spells for use in combat, but not very many. Rely on the wands to fully restore HP between combats. Make sure everyone knows that healing isn't your primary focus.

 

[Fenes]

I will expand less on mechanics, but on tactics.

As an evil cleric,

- Always keep the long-term goal in mind. Too many people think evil equals backstabbing at the earliest opportunity. In a non-evil party, remaining loyal to the party (or appearing to be loyal) benefits you best most of the time. Don't throw your life away, but a bit of courage shown or risks taken to save a party member usually has a great payoff.

- Unless you hide your faith, present it in a way that looks most appealing to your party members and NPCs - converting others is a goal for every cleric. Look for common ground, or common goals, don't try to force it on others, show by example.

- Try to take over a number of crucial jobs in the party, both to expand your influence as well as to make sure the others will protect you when needed. As a cleric, that's covered by healing already. This is especially important in an evil party.

- Spell-wise, prepare more than enough healing spells (or keep wands ready), and appear to be generous with their use - you'd prefer an almost monopoly on healing. You can exert the resulting power in more subtle ways. If someone angered you, don't refuse to heal him, but use lesser healing for him, citing the need to conserve the bigger healing spells for possible emergencies. That way, people who oppose you end up less healed, and will not shine as bright in combat, lessening their influence. Further, most NPCs will reward healing with friendship and affection, especially if offered without obvious preaching.

- Always appear to act for the greater good of the party, the realm, society. Play peacemaker if needed, and try to collect favors and discover secrets you can use to influence NPCs. If doing something slightly evil, like blackmailing some NPC, for the greater good, appear to struggle with the decision, asking your comrades in the party for advice, and let them come to the conclusion that sometimes the end justifies the means. That way, you can slowly lead an entire party down the path to evil, and convert them to your god.

- Keep a few combat and utility spells in reserve for emergencies, but concentrate on healing, maybe buffing your party fighters. That way, they take the major risks (charging, melee, getting considered prime targets).

 

[RonYon]

Lovely advice.
I always think of my compainions as my Meat Sheilds.
I would bot hesitate to buff my skeletal thralls if if it made sense tacticly.
Simularly, I alway keep Prayer, Bless and other buffs handy.
In fact I have even contributed to the equiping of my minions/party members.
That CLW potion might save my life, especially if I am the main source of healing.

In one of my favorit combats, we faced a homebrew waterdragon and his "seaserpent" minions.
I buffed, handed out water breathing, and healing, and by dint of my boots of striding and leaping and my excelent acrobatic skills(one level rougue,racial bonuses) passed the wand of truestrike to the half giant sorceror gish , just in time to let him make the killing blow aginst the waterdragon.

My party loved me, and after the fight, I finished off one of the dying seamonsters with a Deathknell, and had my skeletons drag the dragon off into the woods.
There, I cast the (3.0)Create Greater Undead spell and brought forth my new minion -
a Ghost Dragon. I took it as my Cohort, and before long the DM had it offer my character its hidden treasure in return for its freedom. Treasure which consisted of and entire Dragons hoard...

Fun, fun , fun!!! Too bad the campain ended there...

So the point is, act like a buffing/healing wizard, treat your party as your minions,just dont let them realize that, always have a plan on how to kill your fellow party members,and ,enjoy your evil life.
BTW, I was only Neutral!

Some recomendations, which may be too late, are
-play human, get the Adaptive Learner feat at first level,and take any skill you want,
-Use a scroll of Animate Dead ASAP, so you can have minions from early on.
-Get the Mother Cyst feat, and use Necrotic Cyst,Necrotic Domination and Necrotic Tumor o much as possible, and on your party members if you can do it in secrete.

 

[moritheil]

I would not recommend necrotic cysting your teammates, as it can easily spell death for them in certain circumstances. The ability to scry on them is handy, but as a cleric you have other options for that.

While the classic approach to evil clerics is to use tons of undead, that need not be your only approach. You already have a nice skillset, so look into cleric spells that boost skill checks.

Tiberius, IIRC that's Tomb-Tainted Soul.

 

[FrostedMini1337]

Theres a feat that lets you burn a rebuke attempt to do 1d6 to everyone in a 60ft burst, and get half that back as HP.

take it.

 

[moritheil]

Profane Lifeleech. While nice for BBEGs who don't care about their living minions, you might anger the rest of your party if they're within range when you cut loose.