Build a Better PC: Bow Cleric? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Build a Better PC: Bow Cleric? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
yrnes
11-29-07, 05:21 PM I'm still new to these boards, but in my short stop here I already know there is a font of knowledge to be learned from you guys. I don't have many of the 3.5 books (just the core three and a couple misc supplements) so there are tons of spells/feats/classes and items out there I don't know about.

I was just playing around with the idea of a 11th level battle-cleric who used a bow (instead of the tried and true mace and shield), if for anything else a break from the normal. I was hoping I could get some advice on what could help so I could really make a decent combat oriented cleric.

I mainly play humans but am open to other races (I enjoy the humans additional feat and skills and ability to multiclass without penalty, but I figure an elf with the War Domain for the two free feats into the bow from the get go would be nice)

I usually multiclass and prestige past my first several levels, but the cleric spell progression may be worth it to stick with the core class for a couple levels.

I assume one level in fighter might be necessary.

But short of all the staple feats and gear for this class, what would you guys recommend?

Thanks!
Yrnes
StevenO
11-29-07, 06:20 PM Some consider a cleric based archer to be the best kind but you'd have to do some looking to find all the details.

There are several ways to easily get the cleric proficient with bows. The easiest is to simply be an elf which gives you those proficiencies and a couple swords for free. Another option is to take the War domain with a god who favors the bow and thus gives you that proficiency and focus. You can also spend the feat or dip into a class that grants the needed proficiency.

One feat that often appears for the Archery based Cleric is Zen Archery which allows the character to use his WIS modifier instead of his DEX modifier on ranged attacks. This is GREAT news for a cleric who wants to maximize WIS and has the armor proficiencies that allow it to get a good AC without investing heavily into DEX. I think this feat is in the Complete Warrior but is basically as simple as it sounds.

There are tons of ways to make the basic cleric more battle worthy although many take away a little spellcasting to do so.
metalmayhem80110
12-01-07, 06:06 AM Clerics are the best archers in the game. It all comes down to your spell selection though.

Go to the character optimization boards and they'll help you out.
1 ton ghost
12-01-07, 03:33 PM my boy Tom did this to amazing effect.
took the cleric variant for Cleric in PHBII. used Elf as his Spontaneous Domain which grants True Strike. coupled w/ some FX from Travel (his other domain) and proficiency w/ bow (as an elf) he was quite deadly. i mean, Flying anywhere on the map and pretty much guaranteeing a hit w/ the aforementioned spell every other round is comforting, dependable damage you can count on conservatively.
plus you can always True Stike other spells in your arsenal for when you absoulutely positively must land that Inflict, ray, whatever...
eamon
12-02-07, 10:54 AM The Elf Domain Grant's Point Blank Shot. The War Domain grants Weapon Focus.

You can have zen archery, should you wish to max out Wisdom.

The Celerity Domain is also interesting, granting an extra 10ft of land speed.

The Time Domain is definitely interesting, as it grants the always brilliant Improved Init, and has the Haste spell as a third level spell, and has permanency (a great spell to have, considering all the brilliant self-only buffs for clerics...), and contingency...
Cartigan
12-02-07, 01:11 PM The Elf Domain Grant's Point Blank Shot. The War Domain grants Weapon Focus.

With the deity's favored weapon, which deity has a bow as a favored weapon?
1 ton ghost
12-02-07, 03:38 PM With the deity's favored weapon, which deity has a bow as a favored weapon?

most of the elven gods that grant Bow are Faerunian for what it's worth (would check Faiths and Pantheons if i was you).
of course, it's moot point if your race is elf as you're getting it anyway. well, not drow or wild elves anyway
eamon
12-03-07, 06:11 AM most of the elven gods that grant Bow are Faerunian for what it's worth (would check Faiths and Pantheons if i was you).
of course, it's moot point if your race is elf as you're getting it anyway. well, not drow or wild elves anyway

The war domain grants weapon focus not just proficiency. You'll need help from the DM to realize this. In Eberron, the Silver Flame's favored weapon in the longbow. In core Ehlonna's favored weapon is a longbow. Apparently there are many in faerun.

In any case, outside faerun the problem is that the deities associated with the longbow don't have War as domain. This isn't necessarily a problem, since (in Eberron at least) it's not necessarily a limiting factor - but it might be, depending on the setting and DM. If you're a little creative and inspired, some DM's will let you choose the War domain and a deity with the longbow as favored weapon.
kelvinaw273
12-03-07, 07:29 AM I prepped a variant on this that I never used in the end for an Eberron campaign: a Favoured Soul (Complete Divine) of the Silver Flame (favoured weapon: longbow). Only downside is the FS does not gain the domain spells unless you stack them with a feat.
Cartigan
12-03-07, 09:38 AM The war domain grants weapon focus not just proficiency. You'll need help from the DM to realize this. In Eberron, the Silver Flame's favored weapon in the longbow. In core Ehlonna's favored weapon is a longbow. Apparently there are many in faerun.
Ehlonna's is the longsword.

Worship the Faerun deity Solonor Thelandira - Elven god of archery, hunting, and wilderness survival. Has both the Elf and War domains and the Longbow as a favored weapons. Of course, you would have to be allowed to use this one.
Alyri
12-03-07, 11:19 AM Ehlonna's is the longsword.

Worship the Faerun deity Solonor Thelandira - Elven god of archery, hunting, and wilderness survival. Has both the Elf and War domains and the Longbow as a favored weapons. Of course, you would have to be allowed to use this one.

Are you sure Ehlonna's favored weapon is a longsword? Really really sure?
Cartigan
12-03-07, 12:29 PM Are you sure Ehlonna's favored weapon is a longsword? Really really sure?
Hmm, I swore it had said longsword. It does in Complete Divine but apparently it says Longbow in Player's Handbook.
Suspect_Unusual
12-03-07, 01:09 PM The Elf Domain Grant's Point Blank Shot. The War Domain grants Weapon Focus.

You can have zen archery, should you wish to max out Wisdom.

The Celerity Domain is also interesting, granting an extra 10ft of land speed.

The Time Domain is definitely interesting, as it grants the always brilliant Improved Init, and has the Haste spell as a third level spell, and has permanency (a great spell to have, considering all the brilliant self-only buffs for clerics...), and contingency...

I made a character with both the Elf Domain and the War Domain, taking Precise Shot at 1st, Zen Archery at 3rd, and Rapid Shot at 6th. At 9th, consider that Holy Warrior Reserve feat - the one that works off of War Domain spells. Archers LOVE adding damage to their attacks, and that one adds damage equal to the highest spell level of War Domain you haven't used yet.

Invest in one of the several bows that auto-adjust for strength (MIC has one, Complete Divine does as well, there's that broken Energy Bow from the D&D Cartoon, and I bet there are others as well if you look hard enough...), and go to town with Divine Favor, Divine Power, and Righteous Might.

I'll be first to admit that, in early levels, a fighter archer is simply better (Better attack bonus, more consistent attack and damage, more important feats earlier, etc), but once Divine Power starts becoming an available tactic, it's wonderous. When you get Righteous Might and Holy Warrior from Complete Champ, you start piling on pure damage in ways the Fighter has difficulty matching.

My favorite tactic by far, however, was becoming my own arrow volley - In large battles, I'd toss out a few Spiritual Weapons (shaped as longbows) that had a decent attack bonus due to my wisdom focus (especially after Divine Power) and did 1d8 +x force damage with potentially multiple attacks. 2 of 'em, combined with Divine Power at 8th level, had me throwing out 4 attacks for 1d8 +2 and 3 attacks for 1d8 +9 or so.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
yrnes 11-29-07, 05:21 PM	I'm still new to these boards, but in my short stop here I already know there is a font of knowledge to be learned from you guys. I don't have many of the 3.5 books (just the core three and a couple misc supplements) so there are tons of spells/feats/classes and items out there I don't know about. I was just playing around with the idea of a 11th level battle-cleric who used a bow (instead of the tried and true mace and shield), if for anything else a break from the normal. I was hoping I could get some advice on what could help so I could really make a decent combat oriented cleric. I mainly play humans but am open to other races (I enjoy the humans additional feat and skills and ability to multiclass without penalty, but I figure an elf with the War Domain for the two free feats into the bow from the get go would be nice) I usually multiclass and prestige past my first several levels, but the cleric spell progression may be worth it to stick with the core class for a couple levels. I assume one level in fighter might be necessary. But short of all the staple feats and gear for this class, what would you guys recommend? Thanks! Yrnes
StevenO 11-29-07, 06:20 PM	Some consider a cleric based archer to be the best kind but you'd have to do some looking to find all the details. There are several ways to easily get the cleric proficient with bows. The easiest is to simply be an elf which gives you those proficiencies and a couple swords for free. Another option is to take the War domain with a god who favors the bow and thus gives you that proficiency and focus. You can also spend the feat or dip into a class that grants the needed proficiency. One feat that often appears for the Archery based Cleric is Zen Archery which allows the character to use his WIS modifier instead of his DEX modifier on ranged attacks. This is GREAT news for a cleric who wants to maximize WIS and has the armor proficiencies that allow it to get a good AC without investing heavily into DEX. I think this feat is in the Complete Warrior but is basically as simple as it sounds. There are tons of ways to make the basic cleric more battle worthy although many take away a little spellcasting to do so.
metalmayhem80110 12-01-07, 06:06 AM	Clerics are the best archers in the game. It all comes down to your spell selection though. Go to the character optimization boards and they'll help you out.
1 ton ghost 12-01-07, 03:33 PM	my boy Tom did this to amazing effect. took the cleric variant for Cleric in PHBII. used Elf as his Spontaneous Domain which grants True Strike. coupled w/ some FX from Travel (his other domain) and proficiency w/ bow (as an elf) he was quite deadly. i mean, Flying anywhere on the map and pretty much guaranteeing a hit w/ the aforementioned spell every other round is comforting, dependable damage you can count on conservatively. plus you can always True Stike other spells in your arsenal for when you absoulutely positively must land that Inflict, ray, whatever...
eamon 12-02-07, 10:54 AM	The Elf Domain Grant's Point Blank Shot. The War Domain grants Weapon Focus. You can have zen archery, should you wish to max out Wisdom. The Celerity Domain is also interesting, granting an extra 10ft of land speed. The Time Domain is definitely interesting, as it grants the always brilliant Improved Init, and has the Haste spell as a third level spell, and has permanency (a great spell to have, considering all the brilliant self-only buffs for clerics...), and contingency...
Cartigan 12-02-07, 01:11 PM	The Elf Domain Grant's Point Blank Shot. The War Domain grants Weapon Focus. With the deity's favored weapon, which deity has a bow as a favored weapon?
1 ton ghost 12-02-07, 03:38 PM	With the deity's favored weapon, which deity has a bow as a favored weapon? most of the elven gods that grant Bow are Faerunian for what it's worth (would check Faiths and Pantheons if i was you). of course, it's moot point if your race is elf as you're getting it anyway. well, not drow or wild elves anyway
eamon 12-03-07, 06:11 AM	most of the elven gods that grant Bow are Faerunian for what it's worth (would check Faiths and Pantheons if i was you). of course, it's moot point if your race is elf as you're getting it anyway. well, not drow or wild elves anyway The war domain grants weapon focus not just proficiency. You'll need help from the DM to realize this. In Eberron, the Silver Flame's favored weapon in the longbow. In core Ehlonna's favored weapon is a longbow. Apparently there are many in faerun. In any case, outside faerun the problem is that the deities associated with the longbow don't have War as domain. This isn't necessarily a problem, since (in Eberron at least) it's not necessarily a limiting factor - but it might be, depending on the setting and DM. If you're a little creative and inspired, some DM's will let you choose the War domain and a deity with the longbow as favored weapon.
kelvinaw273 12-03-07, 07:29 AM	I prepped a variant on this that I never used in the end for an Eberron campaign: a Favoured Soul (Complete Divine) of the Silver Flame (favoured weapon: longbow). Only downside is the FS does not gain the domain spells unless you stack them with a feat.
Cartigan 12-03-07, 09:38 AM	The war domain grants weapon focus not just proficiency. You'll need help from the DM to realize this. In Eberron, the Silver Flame's favored weapon in the longbow. In core Ehlonna's favored weapon is a longbow. Apparently there are many in faerun. Ehlonna's is the longsword. Worship the Faerun deity Solonor Thelandira - Elven god of archery, hunting, and wilderness survival. Has both the Elf and War domains and the Longbow as a favored weapons. Of course, you would have to be allowed to use this one.
Alyri 12-03-07, 11:19 AM	Ehlonna's is the longsword. Worship the Faerun deity Solonor Thelandira - Elven god of archery, hunting, and wilderness survival. Has both the Elf and War domains and the Longbow as a favored weapons. Of course, you would have to be allowed to use this one. Are you sure Ehlonna's favored weapon is a longsword? Really really sure?
Cartigan 12-03-07, 12:29 PM	Are you sure Ehlonna's favored weapon is a longsword? Really really sure? Hmm, I swore it had said longsword. It does in Complete Divine but apparently it says Longbow in Player's Handbook.
Suspect_Unusual 12-03-07, 01:09 PM	The Elf Domain Grant's Point Blank Shot. The War Domain grants Weapon Focus. You can have zen archery, should you wish to max out Wisdom. The Celerity Domain is also interesting, granting an extra 10ft of land speed. The Time Domain is definitely interesting, as it grants the always brilliant Improved Init, and has the Haste spell as a third level spell, and has permanency (a great spell to have, considering all the brilliant self-only buffs for clerics...), and contingency... I made a character with both the Elf Domain and the War Domain, taking Precise Shot at 1st, Zen Archery at 3rd, and Rapid Shot at 6th. At 9th, consider that Holy Warrior Reserve feat - the one that works off of War Domain spells. Archers LOVE adding damage to their attacks, and that one adds damage equal to the highest spell level of War Domain you haven't used yet. Invest in one of the several bows that auto-adjust for strength (MIC has one, Complete Divine does as well, there's that broken Energy Bow from the D&D Cartoon, and I bet there are others as well if you look hard enough...), and go to town with Divine Favor, Divine Power, and Righteous Might. I'll be first to admit that, in early levels, a fighter archer is simply better (Better attack bonus, more consistent attack and damage, more important feats earlier, etc), but once Divine Power starts becoming an available tactic, it's wonderous. When you get Righteous Might and Holy Warrior from Complete Champ, you start piling on pure damage in ways the Fighter has difficulty matching. My favorite tactic by far, however, was becoming my own arrow volley - In large battles, I'd toss out a few Spiritual Weapons (shaped as longbows) that had a decent attack bonus due to my wisdom focus (especially after Divine Power) and did 1d8 +x force damage with potentially multiple attacks. 2 of 'em, combined with Divine Power at 8th level, had me throwing out 4 attacks for 1d8 +2 and 3 attacks for 1d8 +9 or so.