Who else dosn't like clerics?

[Wraith-Hunter]

I love playing clerics; it is one of two of my favorite classes to play since 1e and the 3.x version makes it all the more fun. Unfortuanately they were in 1e days nothing more in most minds than a walking Red Cross station. Not anymore.

As Henry so rightly points out they can now lay down some real carnage. To play a cleric is to have a class that can employ defensive spells, offensive spells, healing spells, can wear the best of armor, and wield nasty weapons. Plus there is tremendous role playing potential. What's not to love!

That is what I don't like

But like I said it is impotent raving. I doubt that D&D will ever make healing universal to all spell casting classes. And as it is one of the sacred cows I bet it will always be in the game. I would rather have them be interesting optional characters like a bard or monk rather than central to the game like they are now. In some groups I have been in nobody wanted to play one, and in some they were better warriors than the warriors, and better at nearly everything else. I don't mind the devout character but just hate the way 3e gives them lots of easter eggs so that people will play them.

Some of the clerics I have seen played have been great. And like I said I'd love a Shepard Book type character.

I also hate how clerics can cast in armor and arcane casters can't even with the some of the same spells. AFC needs to go and Healing needs to be opened up to all casters. I don't want to see a wizard running around in plate mail any more than the next guy, but with all the metamagic and other feats low str scores etc there are ways to minimize it. If it was gone there would certainly be some characters who would abuse it, but I don't think you would see every wizard running around in it. I just always thought it was dumb that clerics could cast in armor and wizards could not.

 

[JVisgaitis]

I like the prospect of a character that can heal his companions via magic. I hate the prospect that only priests or clerics of a god can do this. Lame.

Edit: Now that I want back and actually read all of the OP comments, "Yeah, what he said."

 

[Grog]

Perhaps the problem isn't with clerics in specific, but with the mechanic of healing in general?

The fact is that (for most people) channeling positive energy to heal other people's wounds is not a particularly fun thing to do. It's necessary. Hell, it's essential. The entire adventure comes to a grinding halt after the first fight without it.

But it's not especially fun.

And so we all know that in 3.0 they beefed up clerics considerably to give people an incentive to play them, but the underlying problem is still there - being a walking band-aid isn't fun. So maybe the problem is with the fact that walking band-aids are needed in the first place.

 

[Numion]

Just a little rant. Clerics kind of bug me. I never had a problem with them in 2e. Someone always wanted to play them in the groups I was in, though I was never really interested. But in 3.x I just don't like them. They get to cast in armor (though I have always though AFC was dumb) Get all the armor feats, get a decent BaB, full caster progression. Good spells for anything other than pure blasting, special abilities, etc. All in an effort to get people to play them. So that the party can have a walking bandaid. This bugs me.

I just love the 3E clerics. Well, not like that, but they are my favorite class. Anyway, in our group a lot of people play them, and the group doesn't even get a walking bandaid, but rather 200 pound unit of Gods Vengeance. Who will fire your cure wand for you if you ask nicely, but most of the time will be two busy kicking ass to actually heal

I see your point why they made the cleric even too powerful, to get people to play them, but the end result is all good to me. If they were scholarly clerics, they would be too similar to wizards or sorcs. Martial clerics all the way.

In basic D&D translation there was a strange choice of word for the cleric - it was translated into "Temple Knight" or rather "Knight Templar". In some ways that is a better translation for how I see the clerics role. They are the martial arm of the church.

 

[Drowbane]

Just a little rant.

Yeah, about sums that up.

I love clerics.

The holy crusading knight, champion of thier God in mortal affairs... yea, thats *not* the Paladin. Its the Cleric.

 

[DeadlyUematsu]

Clerics are cool, but the character class doesn't really suit all religious orders. I'm thinking of using a slightly tweeked mystic to represent less martial orders for my Realms game.

 

[JohnSnow]

I'll vote.

I hate clerics - as a player, as a DM and as a fan of fantasy fiction. Clerics just bug me.

Fighting priest? Can we say fighter?

Fighting priest with healing spells? Fighter/spellcaster - MULTICLASS!

I'd rather have wizards who could heal. Much more in keeping with the fantasy archetypes.

 

[Yami no Hon]

I used to like clerics. I've been playing one intermitantly for the past three years. The problem is I play at college, and all our conflicting scheduals means that a campaign rarely lives longer than one semester, so I havn't been playing the same character all this time. I am in fact on my third in as many years (played a mage one semester freshmen year, took a semester off sophmore year). I still like clerics for the reasons other people have mentioned, and the added bonus that if you are the party's primary source of healing and resurection type magic, the other party members will not let you die. Ever. Because as long as you live through the encounter a near TPK is only a temporary setback.

What I hate about clerics? Levels one through seve, or as far as we ever get starting at first level and gaming for an entire semester. I've just done it so many times, in such a short amount of time, that I'm sick of it. Especially with level eight right there taunting me with new abilities that I can't quite use.

That has nothing to do with the class itself though. That all has to do with the group with which I play. [/rant]

 

[Agamon]

I don't like Clerics as a player because the frickin' spell sheet is too long. If they had a "prayer book" like a wizard has a spellbook, they'd be more managable. Otherwise, I don't dislike them.

 

[marune]

One of my players was a priest of Lathander (back when I was silly and played FR) who would freely heal other players... for a small "donation" to the church, of course. He was a fun guy.

Okay, is FR bashing a way to become "cool" here ?

I'm good for another ENWorld break...