Best spells for the cleric [Archive] - Wizards Community

Best spells for the cleric [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
realbombchu
01-21-06, 10:55 PM Last month or so, Dragon printed an article with the best spells for the wizard and sorcerer, and after trying them out, I found they were mostly right, and it made my life easier. Unfortunately, I have no such article for divine spells, so I was wondering what you all thought the best cleric spells are. If it comes from a source that's not a core rulebook, please tell me where you got it, and if the reason it's so great isn't really obvious, please tell me at least a little. Thanks!
mvincent
01-22-06, 11:36 AM My favorites:
1st: Hide from Undead
2nd: Resist Energy
3rd: Animate Dead or magic vestments
4th: greater magic weapon
5th: greater command
LiamDeclan
01-22-06, 12:10 PM With the new Spell Compendium I really like the Vigor spells, Faith Healing and Close Wounds.

With the awesomeness of Faith Healing at 1st level spell choice, all of my clerics are going to go out of their way to convert the party to my religion.
asikfreebird
02-03-06, 09:52 PM airwalk,airwalk,airwalk and mabey heroes feast. any buffer spells for your party.
:D
KAVU2002
02-03-06, 10:59 PM There are alot of things I don't know. But I DO know how to play a cleric. I have played one almost every week for three years. Here are my favorite spells. These are all from the PH, Complete Divine, and Complete Arcane.

FIRST LEVEL:

When you are low level, it does not really matter WHAT you pick, because it all gets converted to CLW.

Divine favor gives you a great bonus that stacks with almost anything. However, it works best at very high levels, when you can cast a quickened divine favor.

Bless gives a useful bonus to your whole party that stacks with most buffs.

SECOND LEVEL:

Bulls Strength is the best second level spell when you are low level. At third level I often stand right beside the fighter. I cast it on him when combat starts. At high levels it is superflous, because it is an enhancement bonus.

Aid is an underused spell. It confers some good bonuses. Plus it is a good buff for a warforged juggernaut. Warforged get full benefit from spells that give temporary hp.

Quickened consecrate is AWESOME at high levels when fighting undead. But it is almost useless until you can quicken it.

Shield Other is good at very high levels. If you play a high-level cleric that is pretty passive then you can easily handle a double shield other. But at lower levels the range is too short...the fighter breaks the spell when he charges. Oh, and remember that warforged benefit from Shield Other.

THIRD LEVEL:

Spikes is wonderful but it can make other players mad. Initially, it is tough to convince the fighter to wield a wooden weapon. And once the other players finally understand it...well then the DM bans it.

Dispel magic is great at middle levels. Buffed enemies hate it...put it on a mace with spell storing. At high levels the cap is cumbersome.

At very high levels 3rd level spells are throwaways. A good use for them is putting magic vestments on retainers' armour. Remember that you can even put it on ordinary clothing.

Prot energy is another good buff.

FOURTH LEVEL:

This is a HUGE level for clerics.

Air Walk is a useful buff spell.

Divine power makes you a fighter with no feats.

Tongues goes well with all those ranks of diplomacy.

Freedom of movement is good underwater.

FIFTH LEVEL:

Commune is wonderful IF you plan the questions beforehand. You can use it to learn any proper name using a binary search algorithm. First determine the length of the word. Then first letter, second, etc. Write out the alphabet BEFORE you cast it. Then it is easy to say "Is the third letter a letter that comes before L..." I have burned alot of xp asking questions like that. Don't let the other players bully you into asking irrelevant questions...this is your xp.

Don't cast plane shift at ninth level. You are too small to cope with another plane then.

Righteous might is amazing for martial clerics. Grapple-oriented feats are great for high-level martial clerics because they can cast righteous might.

True Seeing is well, one of the best spells in the book. It works well with telepathic stuff so that you can communicate your insights to the other players clandestinely.

Spell Resistance is awesome at high levels. Put it on the fighter to compensate for his saves. It is okay on a cleric too.

The mass cure spells work well with sudden maximize. Remember that in 3.5 you can spont them.

SIXTH LEVEL

Greater dispel magic is good because it has a higher cap. Too bad you cannot put it on a spell storing weapon.

Heal is rather fine. Remember that it does alot more than just give HP.

The Energy Immunity is great. That may be the best sixth level spell.

SEVENTH LEVEL

The PH does not have much at this level. Perhaps others can suggest seventh level spells. I often put sixth level spells in my seventh level slots.

EIGTH LEVEL

Antimagic field may be one of the most broken spells. Let's say you have a normal str of 15. Then you read a +5 manual. So now you have str 20, even in an anti-magic zone. And you have grapple-oriented feats. Now you can EASILY take out an epic-level wizard. Oh, and throw in large size (due to being a half-ogre or jotenbrud)...it is smackdown time.

Holy aura is rather fine.

Earthquake has a LONG range. Its effects are also quite localized. So it is a good way to collapse tunnels. You certainly do not have to be standing in the quake area...that is a popular misconception.

NINETH LEVEL

Energy drain is really good because it has no save. So your bad DCs are not a concern. Sudden maximize works well with it :)

Gate is great but complicated. I could write a whole post just on that.

Mass heal is great.

Miracle may be the best spell in the player's handbook. Use to emulate wizard spells. Permanency is a great spell to emulate...use it to give yourself permanent tongues. Some other great spells to emulate are forcecage, greater heroism, and mords mag mansion.

Notice that I did not list anything that is offensive and has a save. Clerics usually start with 15 wis. And they usually never take spell focus. So their DCs are very poor. You can build a cleric with high DCs but I do not think that that is optimal. In fact my current cleric started with a wis of just 14.

PS: I did not write about resurrection, because DMs usually have house rules on that.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
realbombchu 01-21-06, 10:55 PM	Last month or so, Dragon printed an article with the best spells for the wizard and sorcerer, and after trying them out, I found they were mostly right, and it made my life easier. Unfortunately, I have no such article for divine spells, so I was wondering what you all thought the best cleric spells are. If it comes from a source that's not a core rulebook, please tell me where you got it, and if the reason it's so great isn't really obvious, please tell me at least a little. Thanks!
mvincent 01-22-06, 11:36 AM	My favorites: 1st: Hide from Undead 2nd: Resist Energy 3rd: Animate Dead or magic vestments 4th: greater magic weapon 5th: greater command
LiamDeclan 01-22-06, 12:10 PM	With the new Spell Compendium I really like the Vigor spells, Faith Healing and Close Wounds. With the awesomeness of Faith Healing at 1st level spell choice, all of my clerics are going to go out of their way to convert the party to my religion.
asikfreebird 02-03-06, 09:52 PM	airwalk,airwalk,airwalk and mabey heroes feast. any buffer spells for your party. :D
KAVU2002 02-03-06, 10:59 PM	There are alot of things I don't know. But I DO know how to play a cleric. I have played one almost every week for three years. Here are my favorite spells. These are all from the PH, Complete Divine, and Complete Arcane. FIRST LEVEL: When you are low level, it does not really matter WHAT you pick, because it all gets converted to CLW. Divine favor gives you a great bonus that stacks with almost anything. However, it works best at very high levels, when you can cast a quickened divine favor. Bless gives a useful bonus to your whole party that stacks with most buffs. SECOND LEVEL: Bulls Strength is the best second level spell when you are low level. At third level I often stand right beside the fighter. I cast it on him when combat starts. At high levels it is superflous, because it is an enhancement bonus. Aid is an underused spell. It confers some good bonuses. Plus it is a good buff for a warforged juggernaut. Warforged get full benefit from spells that give temporary hp. Quickened consecrate is AWESOME at high levels when fighting undead. But it is almost useless until you can quicken it. Shield Other is good at very high levels. If you play a high-level cleric that is pretty passive then you can easily handle a double shield other. But at lower levels the range is too short...the fighter breaks the spell when he charges. Oh, and remember that warforged benefit from Shield Other. THIRD LEVEL: Spikes is wonderful but it can make other players mad. Initially, it is tough to convince the fighter to wield a wooden weapon. And once the other players finally understand it...well then the DM bans it. Dispel magic is great at middle levels. Buffed enemies hate it...put it on a mace with spell storing. At high levels the cap is cumbersome. At very high levels 3rd level spells are throwaways. A good use for them is putting magic vestments on retainers' armour. Remember that you can even put it on ordinary clothing. Prot energy is another good buff. FOURTH LEVEL: This is a HUGE level for clerics. Air Walk is a useful buff spell. Divine power makes you a fighter with no feats. Tongues goes well with all those ranks of diplomacy. Freedom of movement is good underwater. FIFTH LEVEL: Commune is wonderful IF you plan the questions beforehand. You can use it to learn any proper name using a binary search algorithm. First determine the length of the word. Then first letter, second, etc. Write out the alphabet BEFORE you cast it. Then it is easy to say "Is the third letter a letter that comes before L..." I have burned alot of xp asking questions like that. Don't let the other players bully you into asking irrelevant questions...this is your xp. Don't cast plane shift at ninth level. You are too small to cope with another plane then. Righteous might is amazing for martial clerics. Grapple-oriented feats are great for high-level martial clerics because they can cast righteous might. True Seeing is well, one of the best spells in the book. It works well with telepathic stuff so that you can communicate your insights to the other players clandestinely. Spell Resistance is awesome at high levels. Put it on the fighter to compensate for his saves. It is okay on a cleric too. The mass cure spells work well with sudden maximize. Remember that in 3.5 you can spont them. SIXTH LEVEL Greater dispel magic is good because it has a higher cap. Too bad you cannot put it on a spell storing weapon. Heal is rather fine. Remember that it does alot more than just give HP. The Energy Immunity is great. That may be the best sixth level spell. SEVENTH LEVEL The PH does not have much at this level. Perhaps others can suggest seventh level spells. I often put sixth level spells in my seventh level slots. EIGTH LEVEL Antimagic field may be one of the most broken spells. Let's say you have a normal str of 15. Then you read a +5 manual. So now you have str 20, even in an anti-magic zone. And you have grapple-oriented feats. Now you can EASILY take out an epic-level wizard. Oh, and throw in large size (due to being a half-ogre or jotenbrud)...it is smackdown time. Holy aura is rather fine. Earthquake has a LONG range. Its effects are also quite localized. So it is a good way to collapse tunnels. You certainly do not have to be standing in the quake area...that is a popular misconception. NINETH LEVEL Energy drain is really good because it has no save. So your bad DCs are not a concern. Sudden maximize works well with it :) Gate is great but complicated. I could write a whole post just on that. Mass heal is great. Miracle may be the best spell in the player's handbook. Use to emulate wizard spells. Permanency is a great spell to emulate...use it to give yourself permanent tongues. Some other great spells to emulate are forcecage, greater heroism, and mords mag mansion. Notice that I did not list anything that is offensive and has a save. Clerics usually start with 15 wis. And they usually never take spell focus. So their DCs are very poor. You can build a cleric with high DCs but I do not think that that is optimal. In fact my current cleric started with a wis of just 14. PS: I did not write about resurrection, because DMs usually have house rules on that.