Trying a all cleric party.

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Just got inspired from some of the other posts that have resurfaced latelly. So I started thinking of setting up a pure cleric party. Not exactlly a challenge considering cleric is a good class, but I just liked the theme.

So I have desided that each member should have at least some levels of cleric, the more the better. (no pure clerics)

I have curentlly desided i want to bring:

Asimar Paladin1/ClericX (Ilmater)
Tiefling Rogue1/ClericX (mask)

That should take care of tank, traps/locks and healing/buffing.

But I would like to have at least 4 members of the team, and i can not deside on the rest of the party.

I'm undesided on arcane caster, becose he would be slowed down by cleric levels, unless I pulled cleric1/spellcasterX style, which would take alot away from the style IMHO. Also don't like sorcerers (preference) and would have prefered a wizard in that style for the faster access to spell levels anyways since he would be multiclassed.

Been considering a Bard/Cleric of some style, and run even class. I would never ever reach level 11 bard that way though, so no chesee for me

Also thought about a ranger1/clericX, beeing a typical me combination, but since the rogue will be able to pull all those stealth tings, he won't be of much use im afraid, unless i try for a ranged attack/weapon finesee style character, might work.

Barbarian/cleric is just not my style (to defensive)

So basically I am just asking you guys if you know of any cool and interesting ideas for more clerics ?! and if anyone have a good idea of how to combine a arcane (wizard or bard) with a cleric in a multiclass where i don't entirelly skimp cleric levels ?

Also, I'll deside races myself so dont bother.

 

If you're gonna go with a bard/cleric, go with the Oghma domain, since Oghma's supposedly the god of bards.

 

*puffs up chest indignant*

Of corse I am! As if i would allow any other of those oafish faiths avilable handle a musical instrument

*getting horrible mental images of a bard/cleric of talos*

And since there is no cleric of Finder Wyvernspur Oghma is the only worthy choise

Playing around with a halfelf ranger1/cleric (undesided yet) and a human bard/cleric of oghma atm.

 

Sounds like a really fun party! Clerics are a very powerful class!

 

You could have a cleric of lathander or talos for some blasting power! Add any class as a mix-in.
A monk1/cleric of bane could also be fun as a high-AC enchanter-type character.
Druids are quite close to clerics and can maybe be added??? At least as a druid/silverstar with preferebly as many druid lvls as possible.

 

Even a Cleric/Druid multiclass is a good character (just choose which one you want to advance most of the levels). Both rely on a high WIS, and so you get twice the bonus spells!

 

I was considering the druid "count as" cleric idea myself, i desided against it, but after playing a bit with the party the versatility would be welcome so i might change the halfelf ranger1/cleric4 into a ranger/druid instead.

I am curentlly using a human cleric3/bard2 and plan to keep levels even all the way up, since i don't want to just pick a single level cleric and call it a "priest" (would have worked if there was a lceric of mystra). So i want more cleric levels than just one. thus i desided that an even leveled bard/cleric of oghma should fill in as a nice support character (already divided lots of stats between both charisma and wisdom so no combat for this gu).

Lastly, I am failing miserably with the weapon finesse feat... my ranger/cleric picked weaponfinesse (starting as ranger) so i could focus on dexterity and range dattacks, and serve as a backup melee combatant with at lest some chance of hitting anytihng with weapon finesse. unfortunatelly i do not get it to work at all. I have tried dagger, shortsword, and even longsword and scimitar (just to notice if there was any difference), with or without armor and shield in any combination available. He never get hes dex bonus to the attackroll. Strength 10, dexterity 18. Anyone have nay ideas ? Game is patched and only added the DLL fixpack mod.

 

Raptor, if you're using Weapon Finesse and you carry a shield in your offhand, the Armor Check Penalty of that shield is added to your attack roll.

 

I am aware of that Crucis And I can guarantee you i have read both the ingame description and the PHB 3.5 description before even taking the feat. Also tried with and without shields, and even with armor check penalty 0 shields. And yes even tried dualwielding to see if that affected the to hit bonus in any other way.

for some reason i simply don't get dex bonus to wielding even a dagger in any way.

 

Just checking.

 

raptor: the 3.5 description won't help you, the 3.0 will.

BTW, if you're going to keep the levels even, may I suggest a Drow or Aasimar racial choice for the Bard/Cleric?

 

*snickers*

If i had bothered i could check the 3.0 book as well, but I did not see that as significant Klorox

(Yes, yes I know. you deserve the right to take some kicks back at me for all the puns i have taken at your powerplay parties.)

And nope, the cleric/bard is a human. I said above i wouldn't listen to race suggestions, the reason is that characters i create is 90% of the time inspired or modified by various characters i hav eused in P&P/D&D, and as such i keep them as close as possible. And or inspired by various characters from books or stories i like.

Example is the cleric bard human that is inspired by Joel from the book Finders Bane (He is really suposed to be a bard/cleric of Finder Wyvernspur, but Oghma can do in a pinch!)


The party thus far is fun, the rogue/cleric is neutral evil, that prooves a bit tricky in spell selection as she is the cleric usually spellcasting in combat (no converting to healing). The bard is to low level to do much with most of hes abilities, so he is basically spamming sleep speels, grease spells, and converts whatever he got to healing.

the Paladin/cleric does awesome, and the Ranger/druid is doing much better than i had expected, though i do really miss the ability to convert to healing spells.

 

It's too bad more books were'nt written about Joel and his friends. I thought the (was it two books?) ones written were pretty good, for D&D novels.

 

Though entirelly off topic, yes two books: Finder's Bane, and Tymoras Luck. Excellent books, some of my favorites (there is just something awesome about the idea that someone pickpockets a gods godhood...).

I am definitivelly noticing the bard/cleric "lagging behind" in usefullness. at level 5bard/3cleric He simply doesn't have enough spells to be more than "somewhat" usefull. I am dependent upon him for sosial stuff and identifying/knowledge checks. But i would have liked him to be somewhat more efficient in combat. Just started picking spell focus enchantment on him (plan to take greater next time) So hopefully by sticking a few more levels into Bard this should help out.

 

Your bard is very useful in combat, probably even the most useful one. You just don't realize it because he is supporting the others with his songs (if you enabled the bard script) instead of delivering direct damage.

 

kmonster: I have used bard several times before, and I really love them, have used them for anything from ranged attack, healer, party buffer, singer, and even occational bait.

My problem is that i want as many cleric levels as possible (becose of the party theme) which limites the number of bard levels i can take. I had hoped to keep them even level as much as possible. But this really limits hes uses, as i get much slower access to all the arcan buffs that i miss (the rest of the party can do any cleric buffs), i miss out on getting the higher bardsongs (going equal level i would get warchant of sith at level 22... which i wont make in normal mode).

He still works decentlly as a ranged attacker though, I just have to spend a feat point on bows for him, so he can later use rapid shot... as is he is stuck with crossbows (that single one attack per round is anoying).

I just ruined my own plan and leveled him up so he is now level 3 cleric and level 6 bard. gaining access to haste and emotion hope (much needed!). If i had gonne as originally planned, i would not have gotten those spells for another 2-3 levels. That would have hurt alot (And redused him to spam grease, sleep and blindness on spellcasters when not emergency healing).

 

I don't like the "haste" spell much, it lasts very short,it targets only one character who gains only one extra attack per round. "Mass haste" is great, but you'll never get this spell, for "improved invisibilty" you need at least 10 bard levels.
You don't really need "emotion hope" from your bard, it's also an Ilmater domain spell.

I wouldn't bother too much about your bard's physical combat and spellcasting abilities, one round of singing the level 1 bard song gives +1 to hit and damage for the other 3 party members and summons for 3 rounds with 2-3 attacks per round, one round of singing the level 5 song yields about the same result, also estimated 40 damage increase even without summons, and you also get big bonusses to saves. So fighting makes only sense every 3rd round.

 

I also recommend a straightclassed Storm-Lord of Talos...maybe with 4 lvls of Fighter as a front-line damage dealing monster tanki!!

 

The way i usually play bards i use them in conjuration with a cleric to do the party buffing. I never liked summons (cant explain why), and considering the bard is the only "arcane" in the group and he is not very "blasting" in hes spell selection i focused heavilly on the buffing which fits me fine. Its the way i play both IWD1 and 2 first time and loved it.

Emotion hope gets alot better when you combine it with bard song, bless, prayer, recitication, protection from evil (circle) etc, and throw a bunch of extra buffs on the paladin (main tank), as well as bombard the area with entangle, web, spike growth (druid).

So I guess I just disagree becose of my playingstyle Kmonster The bard is valuable by all means, but for my playing style he looses much by loosing to many bard levels. I think i will reconsider him and take him 1:2 cleric:bard instead, that should work okie enough.