Barbarian/Cleric Multiclass? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Barbarian/Cleric Multiclass? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Huffheinz
07-08-04, 11:41 AM I've just begun a new campaign at 1st level and because I have always played Arcane spellcasters in the past, I decided to create a barbarian tank for a little something different. When I got to the gaming session I found out that we have the following party members: Barbarian, Barbarian, Fighter, and Rogue. We played the first session and took some pretty good lumps in battle and it became quite obvious that we need a healer very soon.

Should I take a Cleric level or two as we advance through this campaign? Or should I hack and slash myself to death and bring in a straight Cleric at first level? I've searched the boards and have found no reference to a barbarian/cleric multiclass (although the search page usually fails for me). Is this a silly idea? Is there another divine spellcasting class (remember I need a healer) that would compliment the barbarian better?

I would be at an immediate disadvantage if I took the level because I did not create this barbarian with multiclassing in mind.

Any opinions, ideas, guidance, or whatever would be helpful.

(I hope I posted this on the right board.)
Blakk_Magemaster
07-08-04, 02:40 PM Well, first it would help to know your abilities. And second, i think it would benifit you well to multiclass as a Druid instead of a cleric. It would make a little more sense and you can mold those classes together very well for an explosive result(i.e rage+wild shape).
Gamis Pfaebinn
07-08-04, 02:49 PM Kord is an easy diety for a barbarian to start clericing as (if you're working with the Greyhawk D&D pantheon, that is). Luck and Strength and powerful domains for such a bbn/clr, and just looking at domain spells, slapping an enlarge person on yourself and then entering a rage promises to be potent. This is at the first cleric level, too.
Dunbar
07-08-04, 03:37 PM Well, a pure cleric is pretty much always going to be stronger than a cleric multiclassed with fighter/barbarian/ranger. More caster levels = more spells = more and stronger buffs for you and the party.

However, if you are looking mostly for healing power after battles, all you need is a wand of cure light wounds or two and levels in a class that will let you use them...like bard, ranger, clierc, druid, or paladin. Even one level of ranger of paladin will allow you to use wands of spells on their class lists.

With your party, I would consider going for a bard/barbarian. You'll get fewer hps, but you can use wands for curing wounds. And if you get your hands on a masterwork horn and take 3 ranks of perform, you can give yourself and your allies +2 to-hit and damage, not too shabby. Add in the feat lingering song and it lasts for 12 rounds or so.

You'll be hurting your offensive power a bit, but your party isn't lacking in that at all. And a few levels of bard can get you access to skills the party lacks...be it stealth, or knowledge, or languages. Then aim for a PrC that suits you...maybe warrior skald or warchanter, or a barbarian PrC.

Ranger is another option; you'll retain your BAB and also be able to use wands to cure your allies. In addition, if you are a typical barbarian using a 2-handed weapon, you can get rapid shot at 2nd level ranger. This dramatically increases your offensive power at range...and you don't need point blank or precise shot, seeing as when enemies get that close you'll pull out your greatsword, rage, and go to town.
ninjarabbit
07-08-04, 04:03 PM Cleric/barbarians work fine. I'd take 2 levels of barbarian and then go the rest of the way cleric, taking the extra rage feat once or twice.
Huffheinz
07-08-04, 04:04 PM Thanks for your responses. I guess I should have posted more info.

v3.5 Core Books
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting

STR 18
DEX 14
CON 15
INT 10
WIS 12
CHA 8

I had considered Cleric of Kord with Strength and Luck Domains, but wanted to look at the FR Campaign book for more deities first.

I had also considered Druid, but wondered if I should go with the cleric because of the extra healing. Although I muat admit that I am intrigued by the Druid. What animal companion would you recommend?

Any advice on the direction here would be helpful. I'm not looking to Min/Max this character. I am looking to benifit the party by providing healing and taking my character down a different path to avoid two barbarian clones in the same party.
Beamup
07-08-04, 04:48 PM Originally posted by Huffheinz
INT 10
WIS 12
CHA 8

Unfortunately, with those mental stats, you don't have the capability to be a credible spellcaster of any sort. At best you'll be able to cast level 2 spells - and not enough of them to do much good.

Taking some cleric levels will reduce your combat power for little return. Druid would be even worse, since it will cripple your ability to use equipment and you don't get spontaneous healing.

If you can hold out till level 6, and one of the PCs has a decent Charisma, picking up Leadership and getting a clerical cohort would work much better than trying to multiclass. Barring that, retiring a character and replacing him with another is your best option.

In particular, since you have no arcane casters either, having only a marginally competent low-level cleric as your only spellcaster will leave the party totally crippled.

Simply put, a reorganization of the party from the ground up is the only way you'll have any hope whatsoever of taking on challenges appropriate to your level.
Huffheinz
07-08-04, 05:09 PM Barring that, retiring a character and replacing him with another is your best option.

I was afraid of that. Those are pretty lousy ability scores for any spellcaster. It's not that I mind creating another character...I was just hoping to salvage this one to maintain the integrity of the game.

Which leads me to another question...
Is retiring a character and bringing in another midgame an acceptable practice? It just doesn't seem right to me. (Well not really midgame...we've only had one session.)

After I retire, the party will consist of a Barbarian, Fighter, and a Rogue. What class would you recommend I tackle to round out this party?
Beamup
07-08-04, 05:15 PM Retiring characters for party balance is generally considered an acceptable practice. You would, of course, need to talk it over with your DM ahead of time.

As for a new character, I'd favor a Cleric. Better at healing and buffing the party than a Druid is, and you need that. Either can do a decent job of standing in for an arcane caster, too.

But a good bit of what makes Druids as good as they are is the (especially combat) uses of Wild Shape. This would be somewhat redundant with two tanks already in the party.

So yeah, I'd go Cleric. Focusing on healing and buffing the other PCs, primarily. Not the most glamorous job, but somebody's gotta do it - and you'll have reasonable blaster and combat capabilities anyway.
Dunbar
07-08-04, 05:26 PM Originally posted by Beamup
In particular, since you have no arcane casters either, having only a marginally competent low-level cleric as your only spellcaster will leave the party totally crippled.

Simply put, a reorganization of the party from the ground up is the only way you'll have any hope whatsoever of taking on challenges appropriate to your level.

I think this isn't necessary. Though the DM will need to be careful of the party's weakness in the magical department, as many opponents will be far more difficult for this party than their CR would indicate.

But as far as your choices go, this is how I see it:

1. Cleric. Levels of cleric will gain you clerical spellcasting. At 1st level, you'll have a couple of first level spells and a domain spell. You get the domain granted powers, which can be very nice, especially the luck domain. The strength domain seems to be a weak choice...the granted power won't stack with items that grant +strength, and the low-level spells (endurance and bull's strength) aren't that great. But you probably don't want to take too many levels, unless you want to divert resources into propping up your wisdom...in that case, starting a new character as a cleric is a better choice IMHO. So, in sum, you get a few low-level healing spells (easily replaced by wands of cure light wounds), access to the clerical spell list, and domain granted powers. Not to mention a boost to will saves, a traditional fighter weakness.

2. Druid. Frankly, I've never played a druid, so I'm not really qualified to judge this choice. In general, though, the low wisdom again really limits your spellcasting. Wildshape is great, but you already have great physical stats, which go to waste here.

3. Bard. Sure you lack charisma for bard spells, but that's not the end of the world. You still get access to the bard spell list, and can use wands to cure the party. Inspire courage is a powerful tool in a party made up entirely of fighting classes. Dump points into use magic device so you can use wands and scrolls (of spells from other spell lists no less) at higher levels...your charisma penalty hurts, but you are in the Realms. Buy a wonderous item that gives you a bonus to UMD later in your career. The rogue should go for UMD as well...that way at higher levels you can mitigate the problem of a lack of arcane or divine firepower with staffs, scrolls, and wands. So the advantages of going bard are: inspire courage (+2 to-hit and damage is a good thing), access to bard spell list (for wands mostly), and UMD, which at higher levels will give you access to all kinds of magical goodness. And this class also boosts your will and reflex saves, which is a good thing for a barbarian. You also get some other good skills and 6 skillpoints/level.

4. Ranger. This also works well. You'll be able to use wands for healing. You can get a free feat; either TWFing or rapid shot, with rapid shot probably being more valuable. And it has a great skill list and lots of skillpoints; always a plus. You keep your full BAB, which is nice, as well as getting tracking, but it doesn't help your will save much.

So to sum up: if you want to go cleric or druid, start over. You need a better wisdom. If you want to keep your character, get wands and go for a few levels of bard or ranger. Or, heck, a few levels of both...2 barbarian/2 ranger/3 bard. More skillpoints to keep UMD up high and get other useful skills like listen and spot, inspire courage 3x per day, and rapid shot to stay deadly at range. And you'll have pretty good saves. Pick up extra rage as a feat and go for a PrC.

Edit: edited to be easier to read. Also, retiring characters for the party really smacks of metagaming. It can be more fun to try to get past a party's weaknesses. Although that depends a bit on the DM working with you, and not exploiting your weaknesses at every opportunity. It's pretty easy as a DM to really stick it to a party of non-spellcasters...flying invisible mages come to mind. But it is the Realms, where magic is more common and potions of many useful spells and buffs should be available. With some wands and UMD this party can succeed...it's certainly not an optimal or min-maxed party, but most parties aren't.
RaKhan
07-09-04, 12:22 AM Originally posted by Huffheinz
v3.5 Core Books
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting

STR 18
DEX 14
CON 15
INT 10
WIS 12
CHA 8

If you wish to play a spellcaster, then you'll need to scrap this character with its craptacular mental stats. Hopefully the rest of your party is still level 1 so that you won't be far behind them.

I had considered Cleric of Kord with Strength and Luck Domains, but wanted to look at the FR Campaign book for more deities first.

If you're actually playing in the Forgotten Realms, then you should actually choose to play a cleric of one of those deities. If you're not playing in the FRCS, then you'd better ask your DM to see if such an FRCS god(dess) will work in his campaign setting. You should always ask your DM which gods or goddesses are available to worship since he might have a customized world for you to play in.

I had also considered Druid, but wondered if I should go with the cleric because of the extra healing. Although I muat admit that I am intrigued by the Druid. What animal companion would you recommend?

I druid can be extremely helpful if you not only need a healer but also an expert tracker in your party. Granted, the other barbarian could probably track if he bothered to spend the skill points on Survival and spent a feat on Track. That would actually be the preferable to have the other barbarian be the tracker so that could allow you to be just a straight cleric. This would be a good idea considering the relatively small party of heroes (4 in your group, including yourself). You could use all the healing you could get at this moment.

Any advice on the direction here would be helpful. I'm not looking to Min/Max this character. I am looking to benifit the party by providing healing and taking my character down a different path to avoid two barbarian clones in the same party.

Just as a suggestion: you could take 1 level of monk at the beginning of your character's development before going all cleric levels afterwards (you could do this easily as a human). You'd get some access to some survivability skills that would be extremely helpful at any level (Balance, Swim, Tumble, etc.) along with having all your ability increases every 5th level obviously going into Wisdom that would not only fuel your spellcasting powers but also increase your AC at the same time! Eventually when your wisdom gets high enough, plate armor will be inferior (this is usually at epic levels). Keep in mind that because you would end up taking 1 level of monk, you should get first dibs on ANY Bracers of Armor that might drop off an NPC, which functions pretty much like armor, but weighs a hell of a lot less (meaning you won't drown in deep water where you'll need to swim to save your life).

If you roll again and happen to roll high on many stats, this would make the Monk 1 / Cleric X character that much more appealing. If you could put points into any stats, then Wis, Cha, Dex, and Int (in that order). Wisdom needs to be your highest stat for obvious reasons. You'll need Charisma to power your turning attempts against undead. Dex is for Weapon Finesse (unarmed) and ranged touch attacks for spells. Int is for your skills. You'll want a bare mininum of Int 12 as a human cleric so that you can keep Concentration, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), and Spellcraft maxed at each level progression. You'll need Int 14 or more if you are going to start off as a monk and then go full out cleric so you can catch up being behind in those other skills that you couldn't max as a monk (mainly Spellcraft being the only one that would fall behind since Knowledge (religion) is listed as a class skill in Oriental Adventures and not overpowering to allow in a core D&D game).
Sildatorak
07-09-04, 12:47 AM I think ranger may be your best bet for a touch of spell-casting ability. You a boost to two saves, can use wands of cure xxxx wounds, and barbarian/ranger makes sense as a sort of rugged mountain-man character.

If you want a chaotic battle god in the realms you wouldn't go wrong with Tempus. Heck, in 2e his priests had a rage ability. If your char dies off and you want a cleric that can blend in with the group you might want to make a Cleric of Tempus and take a couple levels of Barbarian if you want a little bit of blood-boiling anger thrown in.
Votan
07-09-04, 01:16 AM Originally posted by Huffheinz

Should I take a Cleric level or two as we advance through this campaign? Or should I hack and slash myself to death and bring in a straight Cleric at first level? I've searched the boards and have found no reference to a barbarian/cleric multiclass (although the search page usually fails for me). Is this a silly idea? Is there another divine spellcasting class (remember I need a healer) that would compliment the barbarian better?

Basically, one or two cleric levels is okay if you are prepared to trade the domain powers for the high level barbarian powers. This works especially well if you are planning on a prestige class.

For example, Barbarian 8/cleric 2/Bear Warrior 10 would be fun to play.

Druid fits a theme better but the ideal domains are better. in particular, luck is a nice choice as is the ability to get a better will save with the cleric classes good will save.

In general a couple of cleric levels will not hurt much and can occasionally help.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Huffheinz 07-08-04, 11:41 AM	I've just begun a new campaign at 1st level and because I have always played Arcane spellcasters in the past, I decided to create a barbarian tank for a little something different. When I got to the gaming session I found out that we have the following party members: Barbarian, Barbarian, Fighter, and Rogue. We played the first session and took some pretty good lumps in battle and it became quite obvious that we need a healer very soon. Should I take a Cleric level or two as we advance through this campaign? Or should I hack and slash myself to death and bring in a straight Cleric at first level? I've searched the boards and have found no reference to a barbarian/cleric multiclass (although the search page usually fails for me). Is this a silly idea? Is there another divine spellcasting class (remember I need a healer) that would compliment the barbarian better? I would be at an immediate disadvantage if I took the level because I did not create this barbarian with multiclassing in mind. Any opinions, ideas, guidance, or whatever would be helpful. (I hope I posted this on the right board.)
Blakk_Magemaster 07-08-04, 02:40 PM	Well, first it would help to know your abilities. And second, i think it would benifit you well to multiclass as a Druid instead of a cleric. It would make a little more sense and you can mold those classes together very well for an explosive result(i.e rage+wild shape).
Gamis Pfaebinn 07-08-04, 02:49 PM	Kord is an easy diety for a barbarian to start clericing as (if you're working with the Greyhawk D&D pantheon, that is). Luck and Strength and powerful domains for such a bbn/clr, and just looking at domain spells, slapping an enlarge person on yourself and then entering a rage promises to be potent. This is at the first cleric level, too.
Dunbar 07-08-04, 03:37 PM	Well, a pure cleric is pretty much always going to be stronger than a cleric multiclassed with fighter/barbarian/ranger. More caster levels = more spells = more and stronger buffs for you and the party. However, if you are looking mostly for healing power after battles, all you need is a wand of cure light wounds or two and levels in a class that will let you use them...like bard, ranger, clierc, druid, or paladin. Even one level of ranger of paladin will allow you to use wands of spells on their class lists. With your party, I would consider going for a bard/barbarian. You'll get fewer hps, but you can use wands for curing wounds. And if you get your hands on a masterwork horn and take 3 ranks of perform, you can give yourself and your allies +2 to-hit and damage, not too shabby. Add in the feat lingering song and it lasts for 12 rounds or so. You'll be hurting your offensive power a bit, but your party isn't lacking in that at all. And a few levels of bard can get you access to skills the party lacks...be it stealth, or knowledge, or languages. Then aim for a PrC that suits you...maybe warrior skald or warchanter, or a barbarian PrC. Ranger is another option; you'll retain your BAB and also be able to use wands to cure your allies. In addition, if you are a typical barbarian using a 2-handed weapon, you can get rapid shot at 2nd level ranger. This dramatically increases your offensive power at range...and you don't need point blank or precise shot, seeing as when enemies get that close you'll pull out your greatsword, rage, and go to town.
ninjarabbit 07-08-04, 04:03 PM	Cleric/barbarians work fine. I'd take 2 levels of barbarian and then go the rest of the way cleric, taking the extra rage feat once or twice.
Huffheinz 07-08-04, 04:04 PM	Thanks for your responses. I guess I should have posted more info. v3.5 Core Books Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting STR 18 DEX 14 CON 15 INT 10 WIS 12 CHA 8 I had considered Cleric of Kord with Strength and Luck Domains, but wanted to look at the FR Campaign book for more deities first. I had also considered Druid, but wondered if I should go with the cleric because of the extra healing. Although I muat admit that I am intrigued by the Druid. What animal companion would you recommend? Any advice on the direction here would be helpful. I'm not looking to Min/Max this character. I am looking to benifit the party by providing healing and taking my character down a different path to avoid two barbarian clones in the same party.
Beamup 07-08-04, 04:48 PM	Originally posted by Huffheinz INT 10 WIS 12 CHA 8 Unfortunately, with those mental stats, you don't have the capability to be a credible spellcaster of any sort. At best you'll be able to cast level 2 spells - and not enough of them to do much good. Taking some cleric levels will reduce your combat power for little return. Druid would be even worse, since it will cripple your ability to use equipment and you don't get spontaneous healing. If you can hold out till level 6, and one of the PCs has a decent Charisma, picking up Leadership and getting a clerical cohort would work much better than trying to multiclass. Barring that, retiring a character and replacing him with another is your best option. In particular, since you have no arcane casters either, having only a marginally competent low-level cleric as your only spellcaster will leave the party totally crippled. Simply put, a reorganization of the party from the ground up is the only way you'll have any hope whatsoever of taking on challenges appropriate to your level.
Huffheinz 07-08-04, 05:09 PM	Barring that, retiring a character and replacing him with another is your best option. I was afraid of that. Those are pretty lousy ability scores for any spellcaster. It's not that I mind creating another character...I was just hoping to salvage this one to maintain the integrity of the game. Which leads me to another question... Is retiring a character and bringing in another midgame an acceptable practice? It just doesn't seem right to me. (Well not really midgame...we've only had one session.) After I retire, the party will consist of a Barbarian, Fighter, and a Rogue. What class would you recommend I tackle to round out this party?
Beamup 07-08-04, 05:15 PM	Retiring characters for party balance is generally considered an acceptable practice. You would, of course, need to talk it over with your DM ahead of time. As for a new character, I'd favor a Cleric. Better at healing and buffing the party than a Druid is, and you need that. Either can do a decent job of standing in for an arcane caster, too. But a good bit of what makes Druids as good as they are is the (especially combat) uses of Wild Shape. This would be somewhat redundant with two tanks already in the party. So yeah, I'd go Cleric. Focusing on healing and buffing the other PCs, primarily. Not the most glamorous job, but somebody's gotta do it - and you'll have reasonable blaster and combat capabilities anyway.
Dunbar 07-08-04, 05:26 PM	Originally posted by Beamup In particular, since you have no arcane casters either, having only a marginally competent low-level cleric as your only spellcaster will leave the party totally crippled. Simply put, a reorganization of the party from the ground up is the only way you'll have any hope whatsoever of taking on challenges appropriate to your level. I think this isn't necessary. Though the DM will need to be careful of the party's weakness in the magical department, as many opponents will be far more difficult for this party than their CR would indicate. But as far as your choices go, this is how I see it: 1. Cleric. Levels of cleric will gain you clerical spellcasting. At 1st level, you'll have a couple of first level spells and a domain spell. You get the domain granted powers, which can be very nice, especially the luck domain. The strength domain seems to be a weak choice...the granted power won't stack with items that grant +strength, and the low-level spells (endurance and bull's strength) aren't that great. But you probably don't want to take too many levels, unless you want to divert resources into propping up your wisdom...in that case, starting a new character as a cleric is a better choice IMHO. So, in sum, you get a few low-level healing spells (easily replaced by wands of cure light wounds), access to the clerical spell list, and domain granted powers. Not to mention a boost to will saves, a traditional fighter weakness. 2. Druid. Frankly, I've never played a druid, so I'm not really qualified to judge this choice. In general, though, the low wisdom again really limits your spellcasting. Wildshape is great, but you already have great physical stats, which go to waste here. 3. Bard. Sure you lack charisma for bard spells, but that's not the end of the world. You still get access to the bard spell list, and can use wands to cure the party. Inspire courage is a powerful tool in a party made up entirely of fighting classes. Dump points into use magic device so you can use wands and scrolls (of spells from other spell lists no less) at higher levels...your charisma penalty hurts, but you are in the Realms. Buy a wonderous item that gives you a bonus to UMD later in your career. The rogue should go for UMD as well...that way at higher levels you can mitigate the problem of a lack of arcane or divine firepower with staffs, scrolls, and wands. So the advantages of going bard are: inspire courage (+2 to-hit and damage is a good thing), access to bard spell list (for wands mostly), and UMD, which at higher levels will give you access to all kinds of magical goodness. And this class also boosts your will and reflex saves, which is a good thing for a barbarian. You also get some other good skills and 6 skillpoints/level. 4. Ranger. This also works well. You'll be able to use wands for healing. You can get a free feat; either TWFing or rapid shot, with rapid shot probably being more valuable. And it has a great skill list and lots of skillpoints; always a plus. You keep your full BAB, which is nice, as well as getting tracking, but it doesn't help your will save much. So to sum up: if you want to go cleric or druid, start over. You need a better wisdom. If you want to keep your character, get wands and go for a few levels of bard or ranger. Or, heck, a few levels of both...2 barbarian/2 ranger/3 bard. More skillpoints to keep UMD up high and get other useful skills like listen and spot, inspire courage 3x per day, and rapid shot to stay deadly at range. And you'll have pretty good saves. Pick up extra rage as a feat and go for a PrC. Edit: edited to be easier to read. Also, retiring characters for the party really smacks of metagaming. It can be more fun to try to get past a party's weaknesses. Although that depends a bit on the DM working with you, and not exploiting your weaknesses at every opportunity. It's pretty easy as a DM to really stick it to a party of non-spellcasters...flying invisible mages come to mind. But it is the Realms, where magic is more common and potions of many useful spells and buffs should be available. With some wands and UMD this party can succeed...it's certainly not an optimal or min-maxed party, but most parties aren't.
RaKhan 07-09-04, 12:22 AM	Originally posted by Huffheinz v3.5 Core Books Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting STR 18 DEX 14 CON 15 INT 10 WIS 12 CHA 8 If you wish to play a spellcaster, then you'll need to scrap this character with its craptacular mental stats. Hopefully the rest of your party is still level 1 so that you won't be far behind them. I had considered Cleric of Kord with Strength and Luck Domains, but wanted to look at the FR Campaign book for more deities first. If you're actually playing in the Forgotten Realms, then you should actually choose to play a cleric of one of those deities. If you're not playing in the FRCS, then you'd better ask your DM to see if such an FRCS god(dess) will work in his campaign setting. You should always ask your DM which gods or goddesses are available to worship since he might have a customized world for you to play in. I had also considered Druid, but wondered if I should go with the cleric because of the extra healing. Although I muat admit that I am intrigued by the Druid. What animal companion would you recommend? I druid can be extremely helpful if you not only need a healer but also an expert tracker in your party. Granted, the other barbarian could probably track if he bothered to spend the skill points on Survival and spent a feat on Track. That would actually be the preferable to have the other barbarian be the tracker so that could allow you to be just a straight cleric. This would be a good idea considering the relatively small party of heroes (4 in your group, including yourself). You could use all the healing you could get at this moment. Any advice on the direction here would be helpful. I'm not looking to Min/Max this character. I am looking to benifit the party by providing healing and taking my character down a different path to avoid two barbarian clones in the same party. Just as a suggestion: you could take 1 level of monk at the beginning of your character's development before going all cleric levels afterwards (you could do this easily as a human). You'd get some access to some survivability skills that would be extremely helpful at any level (Balance, Swim, Tumble, etc.) along with having all your ability increases every 5th level obviously going into Wisdom that would not only fuel your spellcasting powers but also increase your AC at the same time! Eventually when your wisdom gets high enough, plate armor will be inferior (this is usually at epic levels). Keep in mind that because you would end up taking 1 level of monk, you should get first dibs on ANY Bracers of Armor that might drop off an NPC, which functions pretty much like armor, but weighs a hell of a lot less (meaning you won't drown in deep water where you'll need to swim to save your life). If you roll again and happen to roll high on many stats, this would make the Monk 1 / Cleric X character that much more appealing. If you could put points into any stats, then Wis, Cha, Dex, and Int (in that order). Wisdom needs to be your highest stat for obvious reasons. You'll need Charisma to power your turning attempts against undead. Dex is for Weapon Finesse (unarmed) and ranged touch attacks for spells. Int is for your skills. You'll want a bare mininum of Int 12 as a human cleric so that you can keep Concentration, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), and Spellcraft maxed at each level progression. You'll need Int 14 or more if you are going to start off as a monk and then go full out cleric so you can catch up being behind in those other skills that you couldn't max as a monk (mainly Spellcraft being the only one that would fall behind since Knowledge (religion) is listed as a class skill in Oriental Adventures and not overpowering to allow in a core D&D game).
Sildatorak 07-09-04, 12:47 AM	I think ranger may be your best bet for a touch of spell-casting ability. You a boost to two saves, can use wands of cure xxxx wounds, and barbarian/ranger makes sense as a sort of rugged mountain-man character. If you want a chaotic battle god in the realms you wouldn't go wrong with Tempus. Heck, in 2e his priests had a rage ability. If your char dies off and you want a cleric that can blend in with the group you might want to make a Cleric of Tempus and take a couple levels of Barbarian if you want a little bit of blood-boiling anger thrown in.
Votan 07-09-04, 01:16 AM	Originally posted by Huffheinz Should I take a Cleric level or two as we advance through this campaign? Or should I hack and slash myself to death and bring in a straight Cleric at first level? I've searched the boards and have found no reference to a barbarian/cleric multiclass (although the search page usually fails for me). Is this a silly idea? Is there another divine spellcasting class (remember I need a healer) that would compliment the barbarian better? Basically, one or two cleric levels is okay if you are prepared to trade the domain powers for the high level barbarian powers. This works especially well if you are planning on a prestige class. For example, Barbarian 8/cleric 2/Bear Warrior 10 would be fun to play. Druid fits a theme better but the ideal domains are better. in particular, luck is a nice choice as is the ability to get a better will save with the cleric classes good will save. In general a couple of cleric levels will not hurt much and can occasionally help.