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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 2675062" data-attributes="member: 3146">Actually, you can't accomplish the healing that clerics would otherwise do with cheap potions. Even potions of cure light wounds add up pretty quickly, but more to the point, by the levels we're talking about (basically level 7+), a characters don't get light wounds in threatening combats. If the advanced belker rips the paladin for 35 points of damage, a potion of cure light wounds won't get him back on his feet and into the fight. A cure critical wounds spell with augment healing (4d8+16) will. If the half-fiend two headed remorhaz bites the other cleric for 100 points of damage and is ready to swallow him whole, a potion of cure light wounds isn't worth the action it takes to drink it. He needs a heal spell. (And a dimension door or freedom of movement).For a while, you can get by on potions of cure serious wounds, but at 750gp each, they're definitely not cheap. Actually, a cleric pretty much has to pick one or the other. He can cast spells and hold his own with the fighters OR he can take out his enemies with slay living, etc. The problem is that to be an effective offensive spellcaster, you need at LEAST a 16 wisdom (17 or 18 starting wisdom is much better) AND to spend your feats and money on things to improve your spellcasting. Divine Spellpower, Spell Focus Necromancy, Spell Focus Enchantment, Empower Spell, Spell Penetration, domain substitution, etc are the feats that you'll take in place of Power Attack and Cleave. You'll spend your money on a better periapt of wisdom, cloak of charisma, and circlet of persuasion (for Divine Spellpower) instead of a holy weapon and fortification armor. A cleric can be a second shelf fighter or a second shelf offensive spellslinger without making such a focused investment in feats and spells, but if he wants to hang with the fighters or actually take out enemies with save or dies, then he needs to focus.You're going overboard here. Clerics aren't immune to "the most relevant magical attacks." (Nor is their AC appreciably better than a fighter's--it's similar to an offensively focussed fighter's) Even if they have enough warning of the combat to get freedom of movement active, the most relevant magical attacks for clerics are reflex save attacks and due to their typically poor dex (and inability to effectively multiclass with a strong ref save class like ranger), clerics tend to be worse at reflex saves than fighter types. So, clerics tend to take lots of damage from fireballs, flame strikes, etc and to be trapped behind spells like wall of stone and inside resilient spheres. Bad guys aren't dumb. They won't waste a hold person on the cleric any more than they'll chuck a flaming sphere at the rogue. But they do have plenty of options for smacking clerics around magically and since the cleric can't know in advance whether he's going to be facing acid orbs, fireballs, lightning bolts, or cones of cold, he can't generally be prepped with the right resist/protection from energy either.</blockquote>

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