Where are all the Priests?

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I think a lot of designing a priest class depends on what sort of clergy your local church tends to provide.

Though I do tend to think that in nearly all cases you'd be looking at a decrease in armor proficiencies, hit points, and saving throws and picking up increased skill points, list, and spell use/special abilities.

I once made up a very skill based priest class for a Swashbuckling Adventures campaign, and it seemed to work pretty well though I didn't have much room to test it in.

There was a priest class put out in a Three Musketeers supplement that some company did. Titled something like All for One. Seemed to be all right, was a little spell heavy for my purposes. But that would indicate that it allowed the class to cast 4 spells as opposed to none.

 

[Destil]

Mostly, I use experts in my game, and some commoners. Along with a quick feat:

Ordained [General]
Prerequisites: Wis 13+
Benefits: You can prepare and cast divine spells as a cleric. You can cast 3 daily orisons, at 1st caster level. This is otherwise identical to clerical spell casting.

 

[Storminator]

I invited a Rolemaster player into a one-shot D&D game. Being familiar with priests, but NOT a D&D cleric, he played a scholarly robed priest.

I gave him the equipment level of a 6th level character. He chose a robe, a walking stick (not a quartstaff, a walking stick), and book of star charts.

He had an AC 11. I don't know what his to hit was, because he never made an attack. When the water elemental was trashing the party and the archer screamed "hit the thing!" he replied, "no I'm good. I do nothing this round."

And he was a completely viable character. Clerics are powerful. Why would anyone want to play a wizard base with the cleric spell list when you could play a cleric? Better HD, better BAB, better saves, same skill points...

Just take off the armor and put down the mace.

PS

 

[Wraithdrit]

And he was a completely viable character. Clerics are powerful. Why would anyone want to play a wizard base with the cleric spell list when you could play a cleric? Better HD, better BAB, better saves, same skill points...

Just take off the armor and put down the mace.

PS

Thank you! I agree completely. I'm starting to get a little sick of PrCs, bent rules and so forth, when you could make ANY viable type of character out of the base classes.

Just because you are proficient in the Mace doesn't mean you have to use one.

I swear, my next character is going to be a pacifist cleric. A priest of someone like Lathander. Enough militant priests. Sheesh. I'll probably wear a chain shirt (staying in light armor to move well, but getting some defense) since I know to heal my companions sometimes I will have to be in harm's way.

Its like thinkin every fighter should be using a guisarme because it does lots of damage or some such. Heh.

- Wraith

 

[Storminator]

I also used an unarmed and unarmored cleric in my PBeM. He was the insane cleric in the tower, and he never bothered with such things.

He opened the fight with Darkness, Summon Fiendish Dire Bats, Unholy Blight, Curse, Curse, Inflict, Inflict, Inflict...

The party was terrified. He seemed so uncaring of their puny swords...

PS

 

[Bendris Noulg]

I use Experts...

Then again, I don't use Clerics.

 

[Ruined]

I still need to get my own copy, but isn't there a variant class in 'Book of the Righteous' that is more of the scholarly lay healer?

*writes note of what to get with next paycheck*