Will the Domain-oriented Cleric in Essentials...

[Zaphling]

outlive/outlast the Classic 4e Clerics?

One thing for sure, I really miss domain clerics from 3e to be honest.

The essentials clerics have more class features than the classic ones.
What say you?

 

[bargle0]

If all you want to do is heal, then the classic 4e cleric is more effective by far. The Essentials cleric fills a gap that the classic Strength Cleric and Runepriest did not do well.

 

[TerraDave]

Essentials is a potentially more flavourfull and certainly more straightforward way to make a melee oriented cleric then the PHB and DP.

That 4E inovation, the laser cleric, will retain its fans.

 

[Zaphling]

Yah. Assuming they will expand Runepriests, I think Str Clerics will be bye-bye. Plus, essentials clerics get heavy shields proficiency, unlike the str cleric.

When Strength domain goes out, is it still Wisdom-based?

 

[Neonchameleon]

I think Strength clerics are on the chopping block (as has been said before). I don't think Laser Clerics are. And the classic cleric is basically a ranged healing domain cleric (able to comfortably out heal even a Sun Priest). So no. I think they are here to stay (thank goodness). Classic strength clerics on the other hand are fighting with Warlords, Runepriests, and Essentials Clerics and fighting a losing battle.

 

[Ladislaus]

outlive/outlast the Classic 4e Clerics?

One thing for sure, I really miss domain clerics from 3e to be honest.

The essentials clerics have more class features than the classic ones.
What say you?

I certainly hope not. When you choose a domain for an Essentials-based domain cleric, your character gets locked into a rather specific set of domain-based powers. It's almost laughable as to the lack of customization a domain cleric has regarding their bread-n-butter powers: "Oh, you're a sun domain cleric too? Look, we have exactly the same powers." I'm not sure why anyone (or even, anyone else within the same gaming group) would ever want to play the same domain cleric again. But, that's just my opinion.

Power customization is one of the hallmarks of 4e, in that it allows for some interesting & unique character builds, and I would hate to see that go the way of the dodo.

 

[Oulak]

I really like the warpriest version of the cleric in essentials. I feel that it streamlines the MADness of the strength cleric, allowing the cleric to wade into melee, mace-a-flying, shield-a-blocking, and still have effective riders.

As it is now, strength clerics have less than half the published pre-essentials powers, and the riders for those powers are further subdivided into wisdom or charisma based. The great thing about the warpriest is that it is designed around Wisdom primary, Constitution secondary, which makes it so that any future articles can be sure to have content available to your warpriest. The same can't be said for a strength cleric. It can be disappointing to see on the release calander that in 3 weeks there is a cleric article, just to find that after waiting those 3 weeks your strength cleric can't use anything from it.

Granted, as of this post there are only 3 builds of the warpriest, coming in the Sun, Storm, and Earth flavors, but there may be more ahead. Even with these three, they are different enough from each other that they can be played at the same table and still have their own combat identity. I speak this with the backing of personal experience, playing a sun warpriest and another person playing a storm warpriest. I never felt like my toes were being stepped on, and never got the feeling that I ninja'd the other cleric's intended action.

We'll see how the new character builder handles swapping out domain granted(suggested?) powers for the classic ones, but even if it isn't allowed, I have no real beef with the class.

 

[cpendlet]

I had more fun with the Sun Cleric (only one session so far) than the Runepreist I was playing. And this is with me rolling poorly on attack rolls most of the night and only managing to hit something once (I used all my good rolls on saves and initatives). The effect line on most of the powers means you still do something (twice I prevented someone from taking damage from save ends dots by giving them a save before their turn came up) useful when you miss.

 

[Zaphling]

Divine Power gave us Arcana, Change, Civilization, Creation, Darkness, Death, Destruction, Earth, Fate, Freedom, Hope, Justice, Knowledge, Life, Love, Luck, Madness, Moon, Poison, Protection, Sea, Skill, Storm, Strength, Strife, Sun, Torment, Trickery, Tyranny, Undeath, Wengeance, War, Wilderness, Winter - in total a whooping 34 domains that any cleric can use

I can imagine the Warpriest having 34 different builds. But I also imagine that the 34 will be divided among the three types of clerics: melee strength, melee wisdom, and laser clerics.

I just can't imagine Strength domain to be wisdom melee. I strongly go with a strength melee Strength domain warpriest, also War domain and/or Destruction.

 

[Tony Vargas]

It's the 'new direction going forward.'

I just can't imagine Strength domain to be wisdom melee.

The Storm Warpriest on Red Box Game Day worshipped Kord.