Post/Author/DateTime	Post
denner 11-25-06, 02:57 PM	Im looking for idees on how to play a Cleric. I dont wanna be "just-another-healer" So any idees?
Comus 11-25-06, 03:26 PM	A cleric can do anything (nearly). What kind of characters do you usually enjoy playing?
Elemental_Elf 11-25-06, 03:32 PM	Clerics can be anything you can dream of... So let us start with a few questions: Are you going to be G, N or E? Are you going to be L, N or C? Do you want a God or Not? Do you want to be militant or not? Answer these andthat will help us very much in our endevour to help you.
denner 11-25-06, 03:42 PM	Well thats the problem i dont realy know what i wanna play... i jst know it must be a cleric (like magic and no arcane magic is allowed) I start out good... could turn evil latter I was thinking on necromancer or something like that... Is there any spell that can make undead look like "normal" peoples? (just a bit stupid)
crowclub 11-25-06, 03:57 PM	I've just started a Cleric. I'm going down the Dodge, Mobility and Spring Attack feat chain. I selected Celerity as a Domain for the +10 movement. This allows me to jump into and out of Combat when I want, and also be available to heal if necessary. Make a point of pooling gold for healing potions and explain to the other players that although you can heal them, they have to take some responsibility for staying alive. The extra movement means no heavy armour so my starting stats are.. Str 14, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 8, Wis, 14 & Cha 8. I'm a combat Cleric, not a multi-purpose band aid / blaster. Turning Dead... bo**ocks to that, I'll just whack them!
Nialo 11-25-06, 04:18 PM	The 6th level arcane spell, Veil, can create an illusion making undead appear alive. It also appears on the Trickery Domain.
leather_book_wizard 11-25-06, 04:26 PM	Well, have you Cleric be dedicated to his Deity or Alignment,but don't talk about them constantly. You really didn't give us much to go on. You said you wanted to start out good and become evil? Have him act as a good person,with slight shadowy side. Think Anikan Skywalker from Star Wars three. You also said you wanted to be a Necromancer(Why isn't arcane magic allowed?). You're character might be interested in funerary customs,death rituals,etc. Other people may like your char, but find him a bit creepy.
denner 11-25-06, 04:40 PM	Why arcane magic isnt allowed? Ask my GM! I usely play either a Fighter or a Wizard of some sort. Lawfull is defintly not me. Our GM wanted us to start out as good guys, but we where free to form our characters latter on, and since i always play good, i wanted to start something new. I am suposed to be the groups healer, but just sitting back and healing is no fun. The group has no knowledge of any kind of "spoky" non-real-life stuff like undeads, dragons, orcs and all that kind of monsters, but our first game was a pre-loot-game (a dream) where we saw how the city we live in now was build up by some lord, that used undead as workers, hence im gonna use that to shape my cleric into a necromancer, for if what i saw in my dream was true, then i can do alot of "good" things with workers like that. Hmm do Necromancers have to be evil? Cant i just say that i use the remains of the fallen to better the world? With evil shal evil be destroyed! The problem ill be facing now is, will the rest of the group be freaking out if i suddenly had a skelton warrior standing beside me? I could go with the "Hey.. its just some bones, nothing evil in that".
leather_book_wizard 11-25-06, 04:44 PM	There are plenty of reasons a Necro might be good. I know that members of the Dread Necromancer class have to be Neutral or Evil,but your DM might make an exception.
denner 11-25-06, 04:47 PM	yes but i dont wanna freak out every little town we come by
leather_book_wizard 11-25-06, 04:49 PM	yes but i dont wanna freak out every little town we come by Then don't:D
Salla 11-25-06, 04:51 PM	yes but i dont wanna freak out every little town we come by Just because you're a necromancer doesn't mean you have hordes of shambling undead minions. Truthfully, they're so weak that it's a complete waste of your time and energy to do so anyway. Nor does it mean you're a brooding, anti-social, gloomy, life-hating, black-wearing, adorned-with-skulls wrinkled old man who never had a date in wizard's school, aside from his Animate-A-Date. Necromancers are also very good at hosing undead, as my Exalted LG Necromancer/Cleric made clear many times. :)
leather_book_wizard 11-25-06, 04:53 PM	Nor does it mean you're a brooding, anti-social, gloomy, life-hating, black-wearing, adorned-with-skulls wrinkled old man who never had a date in wizard's school, aside from his Animate-A-Date. :lol: Oh,that's hilarious!!!
denner 11-25-06, 05:02 PM	You are right i dont have to.... thats why im asking for idees :) Im not asking how to make a necromancer, im asking for idees on how not to simply make another "im a cleric, i heal.... and thats what i do"
Salla 11-25-06, 05:11 PM	You are right i dont have to.... thats why im asking for idees :) Im not asking how to make a necromancer, im asking for idees on how not to simply make another "im a cleric, i heal.... and thats what i do" The cleric is so versatile and can fill so many roles, I have trouble seeing how you can only see the cleric as a walking bandage, really. Here's an easy one. Take the War and Strength domain. Pick a good martial weapon like a Greatsword. Worry about STR, CON and WIS over CHA; you don't turn undead, you beat it up. ;) Use Divine Favor a lot to keep yourself melee-strong. Don't heal until after the fight is over. You're a warrior, not a field medic, your place is on the front lines. If you have access to the PHB2, use the Domain Spontaneity feature so you spontaneously cast spells other than cures.
CrossBlade 11-25-06, 07:15 PM	I've always wanted to go 5 levels cleric (with that good diety that has the war domain), 5 fighter, and 10 dracolyte. That way you start off with a sword proficiency, get a few feats and hp, and the dracolyte levels stack for cleric casting and you get a little dragon friend.
denner 11-25-06, 08:04 PM	hmm how about the ur-priest how doi quilify for that in a fast way....remember no arcane magic
Drausktanchache 11-25-06, 08:17 PM	I have a personality quirk for you that would make an interesting cleric, he likes to skim from the church donations and get into sacramental wine...
Vapthorne 11-25-06, 08:57 PM	hmm how about the ur-priest how doi quilify for that in a fast way....remember no arcane magic You can, but you have to be some sort of divine spellcaster in order to qualify. Therefore it's kind of counter-productive. To answer what type of cleric you want to play. It helps to define some sort of character concept. For this, try not to think in terms of builds or classes. Come up with a general idea, and maybe some guidelines. This is something you have to eventually decide. A good necromancer-type cleric would not be the one who commands hordes of zombies. Instead, picture him as a funeral priest. (Domains: Death / ???). Or, you can have the knights errant-type cleric. This is good because clerics are profient with heavy armor, all you need is a martial weapon. (Domains: Strength / War). Or, you can try for the witch/warlock archtype. For some reason, I enjoy making clerics with a strong influences in paganism. (Good domains: Trickery / Dream or Travel). Remember, clerics are character with strong ties to their faith. Decide what's yours character's faith and beliefs are, and you should a good grasp on roleplaying and not have to resort to being the healing battery.
denner 11-25-06, 09:00 PM	"You can, but you have to be some sort of divine spellcaster in order to qualify. Therefore it's kind of counter-productive." Says who? The book says you may NOT be able to cast divine spells
Vapthorne 11-25-06, 09:17 PM	"You can, but you have to be some sort of divine spellcaster in order to qualify. Therefore it's kind of counter-productive." Says who? The book says you may NOT be able to cast divine spells I apologize, I forget to explain this. The pre-requirements states you needs a base save: +3 will and +3 fort. Which means, to qualify early, you need to be from a class that has good will and fortitude. Any melee class can grant you a decent fortitude, but for a good will save, you need to be some sort of spellcasting class. Since you ruled out arcane spellcasters, the only option is being a divine spellcaster... maybe, you can be a monk. But, like I said, it's counter-productive because you have to give up being you divine spellcaster (ie, be an ex-cleric).
denner 11-25-06, 09:46 PM	Human Paragon should take care of the will
MerrikCale 11-25-06, 11:26 PM	what kind of character you want is often influenced by the God you choose, at least for a cleric. Pick that first and see where it leads you
DocBeard 11-25-06, 11:55 PM	For my characters, I tend to start with what their goals in life and their general personality are, and work outwards. (Well, for my successful characters. I make soulless builds all the time, as a thought exercise, but I wouldn't mistake those for characters.) Clerics definitely have a lot of versatility, as folks have already stated in this thread. War/Strength melee clerics that buff themselves and smash everything in sight are an obvious choice, and quite a fun one, under the right circumstances. Another option is to go the opposite route; scholarly proto-wizard cleric with the Magic domain. A dedicated summoner could also be interesting, though I prefer druids as summoning specialists. One of the more interesting and fun clerics I've played (not for nearly long enough, alas) was in an Eberron campaign. Multiclassed ranger (using an Urban Ranger variant from somewhere) turned Silver Flame cleric, he was basically a bitter ex-cop (broadly speaking) who turned to the bottle before he had turned to the faith. (Okay, so I was on a bit of a noirish kick at the time. Sue me.) Bear in mind, however, that even if you're not 'just another healer', you will almost certainly be expected to pull your weight as a healer in the party, simply because (unless you're not the only cleric about), you're going to be the one best-able to dish out the healing, if not the *only* healer available.
Roivas 11-26-06, 12:45 AM	I'd make a character that seeks to bring about the return of the god of Fate. Then just work with the GM from there. Your would define how you play such a character and would make him less a medicine cabinent and more a real person. To put it simply you aren't putting enough into your own character. You need to come up with his personality, goals, and beliefs. Then his god, alignment, and favored spells should be obvious.
Salla 11-26-06, 01:11 AM	what kind of character you want is often influenced by the God you choose, at least for a cleric. Pick that first and see where it leads you Assuming you have one, of course. It's not a necessity. ;)
kelvinaw273 11-26-06, 03:34 AM	Im looking for idees on how to play a Cleric. I dont wanna be "just-another-healer" So any idees? Yes. Stop looking at the character class and look at the character. Create a PERSON. Tell us what they are like, what makes them tick, why they do things. Tell us about their religion, how they got involved, why they became a priest. Now you have your cleric, you can do all the mucking about with stats and classes and numbers .... they are the least important part of an interesting, engaging character.
denner 11-26-06, 12:10 PM	I builded up a background for my character and started a new thread http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=745573
denner 11-27-06, 06:12 PM	Come on guys i put alot of work into that background :) Well if u dont wanna read the hole thing thats find, but maybe amswer some of the guestions at the buttom