Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mr_MojoRisin 12-03-03, 08:59 PM	A couple days ago I made a thread concerning a Bard, and was really happy with the results and creative process. Unfortuantely I must put that concept up on the shelf for a later game, cause the party needed a cleric and I have to step up to the plate. What are some cool/interesting ideas for a half-elf cleric character, I want him to be cool as hell too. For example, Im debating whether or not to have him take the perform skill in instrument (lute or something) so he can carry it around on his back when he travels and play for money. Little stuff like that, hes older, mid 30s, gonna start at lvl 5. Any ideas? Speak up experts!
Thorak 12-03-03, 09:20 PM	If you can work it, a Death and Destruction cleric could be fun. Walk around nuking the heck out of the enemy, especially with high-level Death Touch and Implosion. Combine with melee combat with a vicious-looking weapon for even more fun.
wdarkk 12-03-03, 09:24 PM	Add a scythe and a few levels of weaponmaster to the above.
paintedmask2 12-03-03, 09:26 PM	Cleric of St Cuthbert... Smiting!!!!! Cleric of Olidimara who doubles as a balckmarketeer and fence
Luminous Crayon 12-03-03, 09:33 PM	One of my favorites is to build a cleric as a combat-hardened warrior in service to one of the more martial deities (i.e., something with the war domain.) Have plenty of ranks in Craft: Metalworking, and make your own masterwork weapon and armor. At level 6, take Craft Magic Arms and Armor and really make your equipment something with which to kick holy butt. You won't even need to do much actual spellcasting, except fot the occasional buff and healing, when needed. In fact, if you decide later on that spellcasting isn't one of your top priorities, take a few levels in Fighter, Barbarian, Paladin, or some sort of combat-oriented PrC, and really become a combat fiend.
RLWilde 12-03-03, 09:39 PM	Define "cool".
Princeoflowlight 12-03-03, 09:47 PM	I personally prefer the Inquisitor/Iron Fist of Justice type of Cleric. If you've ever seen Hellsing, like Alexander Anderson except a little less insane. Hard, ruthless in matters of righteousness with an "Ends Justify The Means" mindframe. IE, if you know for certain that the only way a group of powerful Pit Fiends to enter this world is through mortals born in a certain town, he'll slaughter everyone in that town with no qualms, simply because the lives lost through his inaction are greater than through action.
Addi83 12-03-03, 10:40 PM	You could always go with the female drow CN cleric who one day decides that the ways of Lolth aren't for her and flees to the surface, eventually finding a god to her liking and atoning to that god, but still using various drow techniques and items, like whips, hand crossbows and stuff like that. If you're in the forgotten realms you could always go with a pre-time of troubles-Adon rippoff and make a very vain follower of Sune. But in all seriousness, what kind of thing are you looking for, I for one would like a NG cleric of some NG or LG god, with the war domain to pick. You could always go with the scythe wielding, Death and Destruction domains, always hooded Death wannabe cleric, probably TN or NE
Mr_MojoRisin 12-03-03, 10:43 PM	Awesome advice, but the winners so far are:Luminous Crayone and Prince of flow light, those are cool suggestions, im gonna combine the two and focus a lot on building my own gear, we havent really done that in our campaigns thus far, sort of relying on what hte monsters drop. Also, worthy of note, what were trying to do is have one character start as the master, and the other the apprentice (only two PCs). Im the master, lvl 5 (DMs choice) and the apprentice is lvl 1, same class/ race etc... hes done pelor god of sun his domains are sun and healing. Ill see what I can do.
Addi83 12-03-03, 10:52 PM	Originally posted by Princeoflowlight I personally prefer the Inquisitor/Iron Fist of Justice type of Cleric. If you've ever seen Hellsing, like Alexander Anderson except a little less insane. Hard, ruthless in matters of righteousness with an "Ends Justify The Means" mindframe. IE, if you know for certain that the only way a group of powerful Pit Fiends to enter this world is through mortals born in a certain town, he'll slaughter everyone in that town with no qualms, simply because the lives lost through his inaction are greater than through action. I saw the entire Hellsing series, It was very good. Anyway I thought Alexander of the Iscariot order was a very good example of an antivillain. We all know what an antihero is, someone who saves people and is generally a hero, but either does it for some very wrong reason, or is totally brutal and sadistic about it. What I see in Alexander is in a way the opposite, because he is obviously good, (a LG paladin even), but he still does things that are detrimental to 'the forces of good' as a whole, because he is totally against the methods of the Hellsing organization, even though their goals are the same as his, he despises their methods (consorting with/employing vampires). So we have a good person who is effectively a villain, as opposed to an evil person who is effectively a hero. Funny concept.
Malben 12-03-03, 11:23 PM	It would be helpful to know the campaign setting you're playing in. I'm currently playing a CG cleric of Gond (god of smiths, inventors, and craftsmen) in the Forgotten Realms, on a concept which is actually very like the one Luminous Crayon spoke of earlier in the thread. This cleric is essentially the lynchpin of our melee fighter cadre. You'd do well to get the Persistent Spell feat, if your DM allows it, though. Warrior-clerics are vastly improved when they can keep their buff spells in play. To buff my cleric to his fullest capacity, I have to spend 5+ rounds casting spells. That's a problem if you're in combat, since by the time you're buffed up, the rest of the party may be dead. Persistent spell fixes that difficulty nicely. Add a nice +1 flaming wounding warhammer, proficiency and Weapon Focus with same (from a domain ability), Greater Magic Weapon, and extremely prolific creation of magical armor and other defensive items, and the DM generally finds it not worth his trouble to try to kill the character anymore. It's too much trouble to pound him down 150+ hit points when he's got AC 35 or more and 30% concealment, especially when he's pounding away with iterative attacks starting at +32 and dealing d8+15 plus Con . . . only to pause and cast heal so you have to do it all over again. It's amusing to be able to blithely ignore storms of poisoned drow arrows, death threats from exasperated liches, and so forth, and merely comment, "My god protects me, you snivelling infidel!" If you can, I highly recommend combining the Earth and War domains. At high levels, you get a nice combination of martial prowess and otherwise-unavailable defensive spells. Stoneskin is great on a melee cleric. And it's great fun to use earthquake to drop a mountainside on inconvenient fire giants. I have to agree with Luminous Crayon. Melee clerics are great fun. They've got almost endless options, even after you devote a lot of spells to buff and defense magic, so you can pound on your foes with a weapon, and still have spells tucked away to heal yourself and your pals, or to solve various other problems if they come up. No other class allows you the opportunity to be a stellar physical combatant, wield impressive destructive magic, warp the DM's plans with powerful divinations, mend the wounds of your companions, and be mind-bogglingly hard to kill . . . all in one character.
E-Vile 12-04-03, 08:25 AM	My favorite is the TN Cleric of Balance, no god just worship the balance in things. Take the Death and Healing domains (allow each of your hands to either Inflict or Cure, never both, like left is your curing hand and right your inflicting)and fight with two small imbued flails (scales). A cleric with death in one scale and life in the other.
E-Vile 12-04-03, 08:28 AM	Freaking double posts