What about the non-melee clerics?

[jasin]

Something has been bothering me about the cleric in the fight against the dragon. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, and I've defended the ability when some people criticized it as vampiric. But something was off... which was weird because I like the crusader's healing strikes.

And now I've got it. I don't like the idea of this as the cleric's central schtick because it will push clerics even stronger into being front line melee warriors.

Clerics of travel or trickery or love often plate up and bash heads with maces in D&D. Because, hey, they've got the proficiencies anyway... If all 4E clerics get "heal on hit", they'll have even more incentive to do so, and I wouldn't like it. I'm fine with a cleric of Heironeus or Thor healing allies by beating the stuffing out of people, but a cleric of Boccob or Pelor? Shouldn't they be zapping enemies with spells and protecting allies, respectively?

Of course, just because this is the one cleric ability showcased in the article, it doesn't mean it's as iconic for the 3E cleric as spontaneous cures were for the 3E cleric.

I'm hoping that the 4E team was savvy enough to make it just one possible way of making a fun cleric.

 

[marune]

Cleric was always defined as kind of crusader. Of course they could come up with a new divine spellcaster that would be a kind of "priest".

 

[Doug McCrae]

The cleric has never really worked, from 1e-3e. He always has the fighting prowess and plate armour of a knight hospitaller, together with spells derived from Christianity, but he's supposed to be this warrior-priest of Freya, or Danu, or the god of peace or whatever. Makes no sense.

Will take some fixing. Imo they should do away with the class altogether but I think it's too deeply ingrained in D&D now.

 

[Klaus]

Cloistered Cleric FTW!

 

[Abisashi]

I'll bet a $20 donation to ENWorld that clerics will have viable options besides melee combat.

 

[F4NBOY]

I hope they give us an option to play a cleric exactly like the priest from WoW.

 

[WhatGravitas]

I hope they give us an option to play a cleric exactly like the priest from WoW.

Care to expand that, for the non-WoW-savvy gamers here?

Cheers, LT.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Care to expand that, for the non-WoW-savvy gamers here?

Cheers, LT.

No armour or weapon skills, primarily a healer but also capable of dealing ranged damage with magic. Similar to the cloistered cleric.

 

[TerraDave]

The cleric has never really worked, from 1e-3e. He always has the fighting prowess and plate armour of a knight hospitaller, together with spells derived from Christianity,

One PC (actually Templar)

Cloistered Cleric FTW!

That PCs cohort

I'll bet a $20 donation to ENWorld that clerics will have viable options besides melee combat.

I will make the same bet. They will be the "leadership" after all.

 

[Klaus]

One PC (actually Templar)



That PCs cohort



I will make the same bet. They will be the "leadership" after all.

Actually, Cloistered Claric (or, as I'd rather call it, "Priest") is superior cleric without the crusader baggage.