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AfterCrescent The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Honorary « on: May 27, 2008, 05:44:20 PM »
Moderator
Organ Grinder
Posts: 4220
3.5 Cleric
Handbook
Here After
https://web.archive.org/web/20170109222320/http://brilliantgameologists.com:80/boards/index.php?topic=420.0 1/26
24/09/2017 The 3.5 Cleric Handbook
Table of Contents
Post 1: Introduction and Party Role
Post 2: Attributes and Races
Post 3: Class Features and Alternate Class Features
Post 4: Feats and Skills/Skill Tricks
Post 5: Spells
Post 6: Equipment
Post 7: Multiclassing, Dips, and Prestige Classes
Post 8: Sample Builds
Post 9: Debatable Tactics/Tricks
Introduction
Clerics are Wisdom based divine casters found in the 3.5 Player's Handbook. The
Cleric class is one of my favorite classes to play, and I always seem to have lots
of ideas floating around in my head about different Cleric builds. Clerics are one
of the most versatile classes in the game, and if properly planned can fill almost
any role. So that basically sums up why I am writing this handbook. Also,
Skydragonknight told me I should, and I probably wouldn't have thought of it
myself, so props to him. Also, thanks to Dictum Mortuum for all his wonderful
work revolutionizing handbooks. Feel free to add any ideas/critiques and I'll try
to keep this handbook updated; I'm a bit of a completionist, so I'm hoping this
guide will stay updated. I figured now would be the best time to write it, since
nothing new for 3.5 will be coming out. Also, as an aside, let's keep it strictly
cleric-focused here. I know that goes without saying, but just incase, let's avoid
discussion of wizards/archivists/druids/etc unless used in combination for sample
builds.
Role in a Party
Like I mentioned above, clerics can, in my opinion, fill just about every role you
could want. Obviously people have different preferences as to what class is best
at what role, but that's neither here nor there. This is just a rundown of some
typical roles and what to focus on.
Primary Melee:
A cleric focused on melee combat needs at least a couple standards. Power
Attack is a staple feat for damage output. Strength arguably becomes
more important than Wisdom for this build; mainly because your spells will
be focusing on buffs and not anything that might require a save. Divine
Power and Righteous Might are two must have spells, as well. If you can
stack nightsticks (see the debatable tactics/tricks below), have an insane
Charisma for some reason, or some form of extra feat system, Persist Spell
becomes a very viable method of buffing at the beginning of the day.
Great Prestige Class options include the Ordained Champion (Complete
Champion) and the Ruby Knight Vindicator (Tome of Battle). Note: It is
okay for melee clerics to lose caster levels due to multiclassing/prestige
classes as long as they achieve 9th level spells. Miracle is an amazing buff
spell.
Primary Ranged:
A cleric focused on archery needs Zen Archery. A vital tool in optimization
is SAD (Single Attribute Dependency). Clerics can, unfortunately, already
be a bit MAD, and adding Dexterity as a necessity only makes it worse.
For the cost of one feat, clerics can eliminate one aspect of their attribute
dependency and should do so. I am of the opinion that clerics should use
the best tools available to them, and that means heavy armor. The only
exception to this is stealth based characters (see below). The Elf Domain
is also of use to a cleric, and depending on your DM may or may not
require you to be an elf. Certain viable prestige classes, such as Radiant
Servant (Complete Divine) or Seeker of the Misty Isle (Complete Divine)
grant you access to martial weapon proficiency, thus negating the need for
the sub par War domain. Also, invest in Raptor Arrows from the Magic
Item Compendium. Especially if you worship Ehlonna. Finally, a one level
dip into Prestige Ranger (Unearthed Arcana) could be useful as long as
your DM doesn't rule out that you get Ranger spells.
Primary Skillmonkey/Stealth Expert:
Small creatures and those with Dex bonuses often make the best 'stealthy'
type characters. It is only with a stealth-based cleric that I advise using
anything other than the optimal armor granted to you by your class. Light
armor, or mithril medium, is your ideal choice here as long as you can
eliminate ACP (Armor Check Penalty). There are plenty of valid choices for
this role, as well. The Trickery Domain and the Luck Domain are solid
choices. Spells like Divine Agility are ideal. Always. This build cries out for
the Cloistered Cleric ACF (Alternate Class Feature), too. See Post 3 for
more information on the Cloistered Cleric.
Primary Healer:
This is the standard role that many people who play clerics feel pressured
into. There are two main approaches to this role: dedicated or not. You
can dedicate yourself to the healer role and focus all your spells/feats/PrC
choices around healing your allies. This is generally considered a bad
idea. On the other hand, you can not dedicate yourself to healing and just
be damned good at it. There are strong PrC choices that benefit your
healing ability without needing dedication to a poor concept. I'm going to
agree with Treantmonk's God threads on this point - The best way to
handle damage is to avoid it. Either way, a common misconception is that
to perform this role, you need to channel positive energy. That is not the
case, as you will see below in the feat section.
Primary Buffer:
Being a buffer is a great role and it's one of my favorite roles to play. Two
major ways to handle this are through either Persist Spell or Quicken
Spell. The first lets you take care of your buffing early in the day and
allows you to focus on another role (see secondary roles below), while the
latter can keep you busy in combat. A majority of cleric spells are buff
spells, and if you ignore them, you really are losing out. D&D is a group
game, remember that, because if you're the only one having fun,
eventually no one will be gaming with you. Having Magic Vestment and
Greater Magic Weapon means your party can better spend its resources.
Make sure everyone understands that.
Primary Caster:
What exactly does 'Primary Caster' mean? On one hand it could mean you
are a dedicated healer or buffer (see above), but it could also mean
something else. To save space, being a Primary Caster entails not being
the party buffer or healer. You can accomplish it a number of ways. You
could be a divine conjurer, using Summon Monster and Planar Binding to
bring allies to the field. These spells mesh well with prestige classes like
Malconvoker (Complete Scoundrel) and Thaumaturgist (Dungeon Master's
Guide). You could also be an offensive caster, using Compulsions or
Illusions to control the battlefield. You could also be an offensive damage
dealer. It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your cleric.
Secondary Roles:
D&D is a game of limits. You have limited feats. Limited skill points.
Limited hit points. Everything has a limit, and while I agree that you never
have enough of them, clerics are not as needy in certain areas.
Depending on your primary role, there may be a few feats you require, but
all in all, you should have some open feats. These open feats, free spells,
etc. allow you to have a secondary role by taking small, but key, portions
of a second primary role (see above). Remember: DON'T BE A ONE
TRICK PONY!
Theme Roles:
One of the things that is amazing about clerics is their overall thematic
versatility. Through something as simple as their domain choices to the
complex prestige class dipping combinations, clerics can vary drastically
each time they are played. There are many themes for clerics, and I hope
to keep this space reserved for links to thematic threads that at least touch
on a cleric's role in that theme.
Necromancers:
K's Revised Necromancer's Handbook
Akalsaris' Master of Shrouds Handbook
Domain Users:
Rhig's Guide to Sovereign Speakers and Other Domain Users
« Last Edit: March 21, 2009, 01:56:06 PM by

AfterCrescent » Logged
The cake is a lie.

Need to play table top? Get your game on at:
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The 3.5 Cleric Handbook
The 13th Guard - An alternate history campaign idea.
Clerics just wake up one morning and decide they need to kick ass, and it needs to be kicked NOW.
~veekie
AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Honorary « Reply #1 on: May 27, 2008, 05:44:27 PM »
Moderator
Organ Grinder
Posts: 4220 Attributes

Str: Strength is an important stat for a cleric focusing on melee combat.
Here After If you plan on going ranged or not being involved in the damage dealing of
combat, this stat loses its importance.
Dex: As a cleric, you are proficient with heavy armor, which calls for you to
wear at least full-plate. Wearing something sub par is not optimizing.
Now, yes, there are builds that call for Dexterity, but those are few and far
between, so in general, dump this one.
Con: Constitution gets a blue stat regardless of class. At higher levels, it's
really your Constitution that determines hit points. Yes, the hit die plays a
role, but a +8 Con is better than getting max hit points with a +0 Con.
You can see the simplicity in that.
Int: You get 2+Int skill points. Whooo! /sarcasm. Intelligence is a dump.
(Although Concentration and Spellcraft are worth those two points, so feel
free to place a 10 in this score.)
Wis: Wisdom is arguably the most important stat for clerics. It determines
your spellcasting, and as a full caster, is vital. There are cleric builds
where Wisdom as the second highest stat is viable, and this works for
casting where you do not plan on using offensive spells. Even so, it
determines bonus spells per day, so it is great to have.
Cha: Charisma powers your social skills, which you most likely won't have
ranks for... It also powers your turn attempts which help in combat against
undead... OR... Power Divine Metamagic (see the feat section). If you are
for some reason avoiding Divine Metamagic, feel free to dump Charisma.
Races
LA+0
Show hidden content (spoiler)
LA+1
LA+2
Templates
Many thanks to Tigurius for making and maintaining the Master Player Template
List. Templates, in general, make poor choices for casters due to the level
adjustment. A few are worth it. A few more are worth it with level adjustment
buy-off. And most are worth it if for some reason your alternative is to take racial
HD. LA can be bought off, HD cannot.
LA +0
Primordial GiantSoX - This template is terrible for a cleric. It's a classic
example of a TRAP! The Cha boost seems nice, but no. You lose Str & Con.
Not to mention you already have a LA from being a giant (I know of no
LA+0 giant race). If you were pulling a half-giant warlock/eldritch disciple
build this might be worthwhile, but that's not an optimal build, so why do it
in the first place?
NecropolitanLM - Another really bad choice. Your HD goes from d8 to d12,
and average increase of +2 HP/level which means if you have a +3 Con,
you're better off alive. Not to mention you technically lose a level when you
become one. Just not worth your time.
Amphibious CreatureStorm - Nothing special here. Not terrible, but not
good. If you are playing a sea-faring campaign, this template could be a lot
more useful to you.
DragonbornRotD - On one hand you have a bonus to Con and a penalty o
a dump stat. On the other hand, you're roped into playing a good aligned
character. If that's what you want, then by all means, this is a great
template to use. Just remember to only place it on a race with worthwhile
stat mods, because you lose just about everything else. Do take a
moment to check out the tricks section
LA +1
Mineral WarriorUnd - Penalties to casting stats are not good. DR
8/adamantine is nice, but actually not that hard to overcome. Maybe one
in fifteen cleric builds will find this beneficial. It's better to just stay away
from it.
ChameleonUnd - Nothing special about this one. The climb speed is
decent. The skill boosts make it an okay template for stealth based cleric.
Blooded OneUE - You get physical bonuses and Combat Reflexes for free.
What's not to like?
DarkToM - Hide in Plain Sight rocks. Sure you can get it via an item, but
this template is still good, especially for stealth clerics
DraconicRotD - Bonuses to 3 good stats. Natural weapons. The
dragonblood subtype is a boon and burden at the same time. It is still a
good choice for its cost.
FeralSav - This thing is crazy good. Boosts all the right things and hits all
the useless ones. Not to mention the abilities that scale with your HD. With
buy-off, this is amazing, and it's pretty good even without.
LA +2
LycanthropeMM - Way, way too many racial HD. There are very few
animals that would allow you to reach 9th level spells, and that's assuming
you use afflicted lycanthropy, which is craptastic compared to natural
lycanthropes.
Celestial/FiendishMM - No stat mod. Crappy qualities. Not worth a LA+0.
Seriously. This isn't even worth a template.
Gravetouched GhoulLM - Decent choice. This template suffers from the
no-con issue that Necropolitans do. However, there are positives. Natural
weapons are decent, and the Wis boost is good. If you have a lower point
buy and allow LA-buy-off, becoming a gravetouched ghoul might be useful.
Half-FeyFF - The flight and Wis boost keep this from being red. The SLAs
are not very impressive.
Half-VampireLM - Avoid the blood dependency if you decide to take this.
There's nothing stellar about this template, but it's not terrible. The natural
attack is better than some of the others you might get via a template.
ShadowLoM - This template flourishes for certain builds and is mediocre
for others. The evasion ability is nice, as is fast healing.
PhrenicXPH - A good haul. The PLAs are powerful and useful. The stats are
helpful. If using Psi-Spell transparency, the SR is even more useful.
SaintBoED - Single most powerful LA+2 template possible. Sure, it has
some decent requirements, but o.O!!! If you're playing a good character
and can use LA buy-off, take this template ASAP!
« Last Edit: June 05, 2008, 11:18:20 PM by

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~veekie

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Posts: 4220 Main Class Features

Here After
Hit Die: D8s are good hit die, but not great. You will be able to take a
bigger hit than wizards or rogues, but the barbarians and warblades clearly
outshine you. Not the most vital attribute, but a good one to have. Overall,
your Con modifier will factor into your HP more than this will.
Skill: You are a wisdom based caster with all the fluff for rooting out the
truth. And yet you lack Sense Motive as a class skill. That's just bad
planning. You don't have the skill points for it either. 2+Int is nothing
special. If you don't have a negative Int modifier your skills will most likely
consist of Spellcraft and Concentration. Skills aren't too important for you,
big guy.
Proficiencies: On the plus side you have access to heavy armor, which
will help keep you alive. Equipment is one of your many decisions when
optimizing and it should not be taken lightly. You are also proficient with
shields, so make sure to grab an animated one. They help both ranged and
melee fighters. The biggest downside is the simple weapon only clause,
unless you take the War Domain. Best simple weapon for you is the
MORNINGSTAR.
Aura: If you worship a deity you glow with its aura. If you have an
alignment and don't worship a deity you glow with that aura. This has no
benefit and merely helps reveal you to enemies. Especially Paladins that
can detect evil/good at will. You can mask it but that's just extra wasted
resources. The only upside comes from being neutral and having an evil
deity. Paladins waste their smite evil on you.
Spells: Cleric spells are awesome. Vigor?! Righteous Might? Righteous
Wrath?! The list goes on. While most of these spells are buffing/debuffing
there are plenty of offensive spells out there, so you can pull whatever role
you want.
Deity: Deities supply domains. In a campaign where you have to pick a
deity this can be a boon or hindrance. It all depends on what your deity's
domains and portfolio are. There's a lot of good roleplay to be had through
this, but then again anyone can worship a deity. If you know what
domains you want and there is a deity that supplies them, it really is a nice
thing.
Domain Powers: These are some of the best things clerics have to offer.
They are also the reason Cleric 1 is a great dip. Most of the best powers
come in the form of bonus feats or things like uncanny dodge. Whatever
the case may be, you can do a lot with these powers, so make good use of
them. One important note: Prestige classes that add domains should stack
with cleric levels for the purpose of the domain ability, but that is your
DM's call.
Domain Spells: You have two domains (at least) and one domain spell for
each level. Who doesn't like free extra spells? It's almost like a specialist
wizard, except better. The key thing to note is that you want to get access
to solid spells that are not normally available to you. Mix these well with
domain powers and you'll be happy.
Spontaneous Casting: As a cleric, you can spontaneously cast either
cure or inflict spells. Generally speaking, sacrificing well prepared slots for
spontaneous healing is not a good idea, but in a pinch, this ability can be
useful to you. Just remember, if you channel negative energy, get
everyone to grab Tomb-Tainted Soul.
Alignment Restriction: This is probably one of the biggest setbacks for a
cleric. You are not allowed to cast a spell with an alignment opposite of
your own. If you are evil, you cannot cast Holy Word, etc. It's not too
terrible, because there are not an insane number of aligned spells, but it is
still an inconvenience. This reason alone is why I suggest playing a neutral
cleric. You have access to everything, and lose nothing (Except, apparently,
access to the Incarnum domain *rolls eyes)
Turn/Rebuke Undead: Amazing! Second best class feature. There is just
so much you can do with turning attempts. Grab a domain with the ability
to turn other subtypes and you can do even more. You can power Divine
Metamagic. You can power all sorts of divine feats. You can turn undead or
command them. An incredibly useful class feature; you'll be happy you
have it.
Bonus Languages: You can take the religious (re: aligned outsider)
languages as bonus languages. Meh. It does allow for some interesting
language choices, but in reality there's no advantage or disadvantage to
this feature. Warforged have no bonus languages, so this helps them,
though.
Alternate Class Features
Blasphemous Incantation - Exemplars of Evil: Lose Rebuke Undead (A

great class feature) to sicken good creatures (not good at all).
Champion Cleric - Unearthed Arcana: Sacrifice Turn Undead for Aura of
courage and a Paladin's smite. It is a bad move.
Divine Counterspell - Complete Mage: You lose turn undead, which is
bad. You gain the ability to counterspell using ONLY your cleric level, not
your caster level. Terrible option.
Positive Healing - Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: You lose a domain
granted power, which is bad, but not a horrible loss. In return all you gain
is 10HP over 5 rounds? And that costs you a turn attempt. Two losses does
not equal a win.
True Daylight - Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Like Positive Healing
except instead of healing, you can cast Daylight... Who thinks up these
things? Even in an undead heavy campaign this is terrible.
Pool of Healing - Complete Champion: Trade one fourth level spell for a
variant Lay on Hands ability. This actually isn't a terrible ability and could
be really useful. The problem is that you're usually hitting a PrC by 7th
level, so this won't see much air time.
Dragonscale Husk - Dragon Magic: For a Vow of Poverty build, this ACF is
good. Otherwise it's not worth it. Even then, you may just end up using
Greater Luminous Armor.
Drow Cleric - Drow of the Underdark/Rebuke Dragons - Dragon Magic: If
your campaign is going to have a lot of vermin or dragons, this could be
useful. It still counts as turn undead for the purpose of divine feats, which
is nice. It all depends on your campaign and DM, really. These could be
useful or useless.
Destroy Undead - Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: In a campaign with
powerful undead, or if you just want to use your turning as a backup, you
trade the ability to make undead cower for the ability to damage them for
1d6/cleric level. The save for half sucks, but otherwise this is a decent
choice, as long as you can still use your turn attempts to power divine
feats, that is.
Divine Magician - Complete Mage: It's the "Make your own Domain" ACF.
Instead of a power, you get to add a wizard spell at each level of spell. Not
the greatest schools, but solid choices for what you're giving up. Nice if
you have to choose a deity and there's not two good domain choices.
PhaedrusXY has a rework of good spells to choose from here.
Divine Restoration - Dungeonscape: You lose a granted power from one
of your domains (nice if you picked a domain just for the spells and it has a
terrible power) and gain the ability to spontaneously cast restoration
spells. I could see a use for this, especially with a Hellfire Warlock/Eldritch
Disciple.
Cloistered Cleric - Unearthed Arcana: You get bardic lore, knowledge
domain as a bonus, Bucket o' Skill Points, extra spells. You lose BAB which
Divine Power makes up for and Armor proficiencies. Let's face it. This ACF
is ideal for a lot of cleric builds. The biggest downside is one less average
HP, and there are a lot of ways to counteract that. An ideal ACF for
ranged, skill monkeys, stealth, etc.
Spontaneous Domain - Player's Handbook II: Instead of spontaneously
casting Cure/Inflict, you spontaneously cast Domain spells. Granted, it is
only one domain, but it's still awesome. If you have a domain with solid
spell choices that you'll use most of the time, this feature is amazing.
Substitute Domain - Complete Champion: While not actually an alternate
class feature, this spell allows you to swap a domain you have for another
one of your deity's for 1 day/level. It allows for flexibility and versatility
without commitment. It is especially evident if you need access to a certain
spell for a certain objective or a domain power for a short time. It takes
some planning to determine what you will need more often, the domain
power or a certain spell, but when you need to switch, this spell is great. It
can also be dismissed, so there's no worry that you will be stuck with a
terrible domain for too long.
[/list]

The cake is a lie.

~veekie

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Posts: 4220 Feats

Augment HealingCD - Not worth a feat. You should only take this if you
Here After are trying to optimize your healing potential to be a "healstick." If that's
the case, you really have no idea what a cleric is capable of when properly
utilized.
Combat CastingPHB - It's a trap! The limitations imposed on this feat
make it terrible. You are much better off taking Skill Focus (Concentration).
In fact, if you are going to take Shielded Casting (Races of Stone), try to
get your DM to allow Skill Focus in place of this feat.
Combat ReflexesPHB - You're dumping Dexterity most of the time. Odds
are that this feat will grant you little to no benefit.
Domain FocusCD - There are few domains with more than one spell that
you'd take this for. You're really better off getting spell focus for an
increase in caster level here.
Enlarge/Maximize/Silent/Still/WidenPHB - These are the rejects of the
core Metamagic feats. The level adjustment compared to the benefit is just
not worth it for these feats. Don't waste you precious feat slots here.
Eyes in the Back of Your HeadCW - You might think you're safe because
this feat takes away a +2 to hit you, but you can still be sneak attacked.
Plus, arguably, Darkstalker from Lords of Madness allows someone to get

the bonus for flanking you... Just be careful with how your DM rules that.
Imbued HealingCC - You need to heal (1), have access to the right
domain (2) and get a sub par ability that lasts for one minute (3). Yup.
Three strikes your out. This feat is too complicated and not worth the
benefit it grants.
Improved CounterspellPHB - Omen of Peace has a very informative
Dispelling & Counterspelling Compilation. I suggest you read it if you were
thinking about this feat. (Yes, his guide says its an outdated option)
Improved TurningPHB - Even when optimizing your turning efficiency,
you'll likely avoid this feat. The +1 to turning level can be handled many
other ways. If you have all of those and still want more, then you might
want to consider this, but why waste a feat when you just spend a little
money instead?
Martial Weapon ProficiencyPHB - As you are only proficient with simple
weapons, this may seem like a worthy investment. It's not. Don't let it fool
you. You'll only get 1 proficiency. You are better off dipping into a class
that grants you proficiency. Or take the war domain and go Ordained
Champion. Hell, you can even be an outsider and just have proficiency
naturally. No matter what you do, there's no reason to take this feat. If you
need a weapon, take Exotic Weapon Proficiency before you take this feat.
PS: Never take Exotic Weapon Proficiency.
Quicken TurningCD - If you're going the optimized turning route, this
becomes an okay feat, but even then it's not really that great.
Spiritual CounterCC - Just remember: If you are readying an action,
you've already failed. Actions are important, use them wisely. It's better to
kill an enemy before it gets the chance to cast a spell than to wait and
counterspell it.
Spring AttackPHB tree - Unless a stealth-based cleric, do not try to use
this tree. Even stealth based, you're better off without this tree, although
Dodge will have its uses. Anything beyond dodge is a no-no.
Able LearnerRoD - For skill monkey clerics, this feat is useful. The
downside is you have to be a human or changeling. The upside is that both
of those races are awesome. . A good choice for Cloistered Cleric builds.
Chain SpellCAr - The key thing to note here is that it has to specify a
target, and most rays don't. However, if you can get a touch spell that
specifies a target, find a way to give it a range (Reach Spell or Ocular
Spell), you can Chain it. Some may argue that Chain only applies to a spell
that has an original range of greater than touch, but that's a DM's call right
there.
Craft WondrousPHB - Most Item Creation feats are sub par at best. If you
are considering Item Creation, this feat is all you need. You have Greater
Magic Weapon and Magic Vestment to cover the others you might be
thinking about. Really, Warlocks & Artificers do this job better, but to each
his own, I guess.
Disciple of the SunCD - By spending an extra turn attempt you gain the
ability of the Sun Domain.
Earth SenseRoS - This feat is okay at best. The real reason you'd take this
feat is because it is required for Earth Spell. There's nothing spectacular
about this feat, but you're most likely better off doing something else.
Empower SpellPHB - One of the two mediocre metamagic feats in core.
Good for offensive spells.
Empower TurningCD - If you're using your turn attempts to power other
things, pass on it. Being able to turn more creatures is nice. Being able to
turn creatures with more HD would be better.
Exalted TurningBOED - If you are using the turning variant where you
deal damage or the ACF that deals 1d6/cleric level, an additional 3d6 is
pretty nice. In that way, it's like Improved Turning but 3 levels instead of
1. A much better deal if you look at it that way.
Extend SpellPHB - One of the two mediocre metamagic feats in core. Good
for a lot of spells, especially defensive ones. Also, it is a requirement for
the greatest feat for clerics -> Persist Spell

Point Blank ShotPHB - This feat is required to get Precise Shot, which is
essential for a ranged combat build. As such, it's not a great feat, but its
importance as a requirement is noted. The +1 attack/damage is untyped,
so I guess that's something minor to note.
Rapid Spell - For summoning-type clerics, this feat is almost necessary. A
good solid choice when going Malconvoker.
Retrieve SpellCC - The requirements are harsh, but the ability is solid.
Getting back spells is awesome. If you have methods of getting lots of
turning attempts and won't use them all, this can be useful. It's not
amazing, though.
Transdimensional SpellCAr - A decent feat. One of those feats that,
depending on the campaign and DM, may be of more use or less use.
Vow of XBOED - Most of these vows are situational and, while okay, are
not amazing.
Ancestral KnowledgeRoS - You have to be a dwarf, but that's not a bad
thing. Especially if you take the right subrace. Using your wisdom in place
of intelligence for knowledge checks is great for a Knowledge Devotion
using cleric. It further helps alleviate MAD issues. You still need a 10 in Int
so as not to lose skill points.
Earth SpellRoS - A very useful feat, and one of the key ingredients for an
optimized Shadowcraft Mage. Clerics using DMM Heighten or entering
Shadowcraft Mage will find this feat amazingly useful.
Heighten SpellPHB - Heighten Spell does a lot of interesting things, the
least of which is increasing the save DC for the spell. Depending on
interpretations, you could even heighten a shadow spell to qualify for
Shadowcraft Mage (although there are other, less shaky, ways).
Holy WarriorCC - For melee and ranged clerics, this is a great feat.
Depending on how you interpret it, Spontaneous Domain (War) would
mean you +Highest level spell available to damage rolls. Not too shabby.
Invisible SpellCity - Not only do you make visual effects of your spell
invisible, but there are a lot of tricky things you can do with this. An
Invisible Summon Monster is dirty. If you Shadowcraft Mage your cleric,
invisible Silent Images are very disturbing. My favorite? Invisible fog
spells. Only see invisibility and True seeing will see these clouds, which
actually is detrimental to a lot of creatures. Invisible fog cloud a deep
dragon and it can't see you, but you can easily see it. Your DM will most
likely ban this use, but it's fun.
Leap AttackCAd - If you go the Power Attack route, Leap Attack is not a
bad choice. You don't have jump as a class skill, so it'll be hard to pull off,
but still a good feat if you can get it.
Mitigate SufferingCC - At first it sounds kind of crappy, because all you
can do is alleviate some ability damage for a few minutes. But you can
rinse and repeat as often as necessary, so you can keep the Hellfire
Warlock at full Con until his Con heals normally. As long as you are paying
attention, anyways.
Power AttackPHB - For melee combat oriented clerics, the Power attack
route while wielding a two handed weapon is a stable. Add in an animated
shield and you should be set. Just remember, Divine Power is your friend.
It gives you full Base Attack Bonus, which can then be used to Power
Attack.
Practiced SpellcasterCAr - If you multiclass or PrC and lose any caster
levels, take this feat. Very, very important!
Precise ShotPHB - A -4 penalty is harsh. In d20, that's a 20% higher
chance of missing. Precise shot is essential to ranged combat for that very
reason. It's quite possible one of the only archery based feats you need for
a ranged Cleric build.
Quicken SpellPHB - The +4 spell level may seem intense, but it is well
worth the cost. One of the first things I learned when I began optimizing
is that the only economy more valuable than that of the gold piece is that
of the action. You have swift actions. Use them efficiently.
Reach SpellCD - One of the few ways to make a touch spell have a range.
When combined with chain spell, you have a great combo. The extra bonus
is that this has a fixed range now. See the trick section for more info on it.
Sculpt SpellCityv - Area of Effect spell manipulation is great. It's just that
simple.
Shielded CastingRoS - A good, solid feat. If your campaign is going to go
into epic levels, there will be ways to make this feat null and void, but for
the time being it's good. Sure, you can most likely invest in Concentration
and make the casting defensively checks, but if you'd rather use your skill
points more efficiently, this feat is a pretty good choice. As a cleric you
should have the shield with you at all times, so it's not much of a
requirement. The only counter-argument you may have is that an enemy
could ready an action to disrupt your spell. But that just means you've
already won if the enemy can't do anything better than disrupt your
casting.
Spontaneous DomainsCC - Similar to the ACF, except you trade a feat for
the ability to spontaneously cast both domains. Although you can only use
your domain slots. You win some, you lose some. If you have two very
varied domains with good all around spells, this could be useful.
Twin SpellCAr - A great feat for Primary Casters. Being able to hit them
with that save or X (suck, die, etc) twice in a row doubles the chance that
they fail it. If you can throw in a quickened spell too, you're golden.
Vow of PovertyBOED - This Vow, however, can be optimized in a most
interesting manner. My favorite method of using Vow of Poverty involves a
Warforged and the saint template. These three things together get some
incredible bonuses and a lot of sickening immunities. A nice little combo, if
I do say so.
Yondalla's SenseRotW - This is the Improved Initiative of Halflings.
Halfling cleric with Improved Initiative and this may just beat your generic
caster in initiative. And I think we've all realized that initiative is often what
it comes down to when determining a victor.
Craft Contingent SpellCAr - You can make any spell you know the target
of your contingency. That's borderline broken. Contingent Shapechange?
Timestop? Yeah. It's an amazing feat, but you're actually probably better
off not taking it. You know your DM better, though.
DragonwroughtRotD - One feat can make a kobold gain a +3 to all mental
stats. That's awesome. Plus having the dragon type is nice. One optimized
race with one optimized feat. A good package together.
Extraordinary Spell AimCAd - Okay now say it with me. Extraordinary
Spell Aim so that you are not affected by your Persistent AMF. Toss in
Saint/VoP and a few other Persist Spells that make baby Pun-Pun cry...
Also, expect the ban-hammer if you use it this way. This feat is just that
good.
Persistent SpellCAr - This is THE feat for clerics. Since a majority of your
spells are buffs, if you can make your buffs last all day, you have that
much more time to focus on your other areas of expertise. Persistent Spell
is not a broken feat. It is a powerful feat and well worth the +6 level
adjustment needed to use it. This feat is how you manage to be a primary
buffer and a primary whatever else you want to be.
Planar touchstonePlH - The Catalogues of Enlightenment. When you are
attuned to this location you gain the granted power of a cleric domain.
After reading all those domains, you must have seen one you wanted but
then didn't like the spells it gave you. Well here's the solution. Now you
can grab a cleric domain power without having to take the actual domain.
Not to mention the other abilities of the feat can be nifty.
Tomb-Tainted SoulLM - This feat is amazing for any cleric that channels
negative energy. If you want to heal without being a goody-two shoes, get
this feat and make your party members get this feat. A great little trick to
have handy
Zen ArcheryCW - Like I said back in post one, this is the feat for ranged
combat clerics. Don't make yourself MAD; take Zen Archery.
Divine MetamagicCD - This feat is amazing. A cleric

without Divine Metamagic is like a druid without Natural Spell. It might as
well be a part of the class features. Divine Metamagic, when chosen, can
apply to any metamagic spell you have, which makes it the most versatile
feat I know. Not to mention its power. You do have to know the
metamagic feat in question, but that's minor compared to what you can do
with it. The safest option is to talk to your DM and determine what you can
and cannot do with it and what limits, if any, your DM will place on
methods to obtain extra turn attempts to fuel this feat. Take this at least
once, possibly more than once, depending on the build.
Devotion FeatsCC
Skills
Your skill list is not huge, but you don't have a great number of skill points, so it
is fairly even. It's important to note what skills you need both for in-game use
and for requirements for prestige classes.
Concentration - A very important skill for any caster. It keeps you casting
even when you get it. If you decide to go the Shielded Casting route, you
may not need more than 5 ranks in this, depending on your campaign.
Craft - In general, it is useless. The only reason you'd use this is for the
Bone Knight prestige class.
Diplomacy - If you go the route where you have a decent Charisma, think
about investing in this skill if you have the excess points. Being a party
face is effective and fun. Overall a good skill. Works better if you can get
Sense Motive as a class skill, too, in my opinion.
Heal - You can cast healing spells. You can summon a creature to do what
this skill does for a low level spell. There's almost no point to taking this
skill.
Knowledge (Arcana) - Good for in game knowledge checks, even better
with Knowledge Devotion.
Knowledge (History) - A worthless skill. Don't waste skill points here.
Remember, if you need to know about the history of something, there's a
divination spell for that.
Knowledge (Religion) - Thematically appropriate. Synergy helps your
turning. Good for a lot of in-game knowledges. Even better with Knowledge
Devotion. Take this skill if possible.
Knowledge (The Planes) - About on par with Arcana; a solid skill.
Profession - Much like craft, this is useless. The sad part is it can't even
be used as often as craft can. Pass on this.
Spellcraft - Arguably the most important skill in D&D, and definitely the
most important for clerics. This identifies spells and other magical effects.
Always keep this skill maxed or close to.
Skill Tricks
Since you have such an incredibly low number of skill points per level (unless you
are a cloistered cleric), you are most likely not taking a skill trick. However, if
you manage to get one or feel the urge to take a few, these are some of the
useful ones for clerics.
Collector of Stories - It's debatable whether or not this works in
conjunction with Knowledge Devotion, but even if it does not, it is still a
viable trick. Very useful for identifying monsters.
Swift Concentration - You don't have that many spells that require
concentration, but when you cast one that does, you'll be glad to have this
trick.

The cake is a lie.
~veekie

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Posts: 4220 Spells

Considering how many different splat books are out there, you can imagine just
Here After how many cleric spells there are. What follows is a small selection of some of
the better Cleric spells. These are general spells that, if you prepare them on a
generic adventuring day, will serve you well.
First Level
Second Level
Third Level
Fourth Level
Fifth Level
Sixth Level
Seventh Level
Eighth Level
Ninth Level
Domain Spells
« Last Edit: May 27, 2008, 06:27:01 PM by

The cake is a lie.

~veekie

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Posts: 4220
Here After
Equipment
**NOTE: Magic Vestment and Greater Magic Weapon are amazing at saving
clerics money for other, also amazing, items**
Armor
Shield
Weapon
Arms
Body
Face
Feet
Hands
Head
Rings
Shoulders
Throat
Torso
Waist
Relics
Other
For those of you who feel that you still don't have a high enough turning level,
carnivore has a Comprehensive Guide to Turning over on WotC.
« Last Edit: August 02, 2008, 01:33:57 AM by

The cake is a lie.

~veekie

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Posts: 4220
Here After
Multi-classing
General Disclaimer: An optimization rule of thumb is that caster levels are

superior to other abilities. Caster levels with extra abilities are superior to even
that. Basically, if at all possible, don't lose caster levels. If you must lose caster
levels, never lose more than 3 in a 20th level build, and make sure the benefits
greatly outweigh what you are losing.
Clerics are unique in that you get all of your class abilities at the outset, so
Prestige classing and Dipping into other classes is much more viable than in
some other builds. That being said, the disclaimer about Caster Levels stands.
Another important thing to note is that if you plan on using turning for more than
just Divine Metamagic, make sure your prestige classes advance turning much
like cleric does. Not all of them do, and it is important to note the ones that do
for this purpose.
The Soulknife-Soulbow Dip

The standard idea with this build is to grab two levels of Soulknife for the
throw mind blade class feature and then dip one level of Soulbow. The idea is
that Soulbow allows you to apply your Wisdom modifier as damage to the Mind
arrows you fire. When in a null psionics field, you can attempt to use your mind
arrows regardless. In a psionic-magic transparency game, this means you can
manifest the mind arrow in an antimagic field. This dip, while it may seem like it
is okay for ranged clerics, is fairly bad. If your DM reads the mind arrow ability
to mean that you can make +2 mind arrows at character level 7, you're good,
but most likely he'll read it as it was meant to and require multiple levels of
soulbow for this purpose. You are better off getting Raptor Arrows and good
bow. Still, for a psionic flavor, there are many more worse options.
The Monk-Sacred Fist Dip
The goal of this build is a monk/cleric "divine gish." By taking one level of
monk (two if you can't spare the feats needed), you then take cleric and Sacred
Fist. This prestige class is viable up to two points, depending on your DM. If your
DM rules in favor of text over table, take all 10 levels, because it is full casting. If
he or she rules the table to be the authority, dip out at level 6. Either way, you'll
want a Monk's Belt and something like either Bones of Li-Peng (WoL) or
Gauntlets of the Talon (MIC). Skydragonknight has a good example of this
combination in the sample builds below.
The Druid Variant Dip
Unearthed Arcana has a druid variant that offers a monk's AC bonus, the Track
feat, and one Favored Enemy as a one level dip. For certain cleric builds, this
could be a good choice. The Monk's AC bonus is always a nice boost, and a +2
favored enemy can be really useful for not too heavy of an investment. Probably
the biggest boon of this dip is access to the druid's spell list. You can now
activate spell completion items of druid only spells like Owl's Insight ( ). Now
if only there were divine runestaffs... :weep
The Classic Fighter Dip
A pretty straight forward dip, one or two levels of fighter. Two levels can get
you the Dungeoncrasher ACF, but it also costs you a second caster level.
Depending on where you go with this, you can enter Ordained Champion fairly
easily (take only 1 fighter level if any) or Bone Knight (you can get away with
two here). For the melee focused cleric, this dip is a decent, if archaic, choice.
The Crusader-Lockdown Dip
Taking Crusader 1 costs you a caster level but nets you the prerequisites for
taking Martial Stance (Thicket of Blades) as a feat. If you want to mix all the
wonders of a lockdown build with the power of a cleric, this is a decent method.
You could accomplish this with a couple feats, but if those are limited in your
design, this is a safe alternative. Another good pro for some people is that the
pre-written flavor fits smoothly, too.
A Rogue Dip?
Here our goal is multifaceted. Able learner combined with a level of rogue
forever gives us the stealth based skills we need without resorting to our domain
choices. The 1d6 sneak attack is a nice little boost, too. It's not the clear winner,
but it opens up spells like grave strike as having a bit of potential. The kick in
power to your Reflex save also helps the one bad save you have. Primarily for
skillmonkey clerics, this dip can be worth it.
Dragonfire Adept Dip
What the hell does a dragonfire adept have to do with cleric casting?
Everything. No, not really. But I love the class, and it does make a surprisingly
good dip. You gain a breath weapon, which, while minimal in damage can be
boosted with the ever amazing Entangling Breath feat. Also, the Dragontouched
feat gives you the dragonblood subtype, which lets you grab some cool feats if
that's your goal. The kick to your saves is like icing on the cake. The real winner,
here, though, is that one single invocation. Draconic Knowledge is perfect for
Knowledge Devotion builds. +6 unnamed bonus to all Knowledge skills and
Spellcraft, plus you can make checks even without ranks. That's useful for both
regular and cloistered clerics.
Prestige Class Options

Bone Knight5N
As long as you are not barred from using Eberron books, this is one of the best
cleric prestige classes around. It is especially ideal for melee oriented clerics. It
is a 9/10 Casting class, meaning you only lose 1 caster level. It meshes well
with Ordained Champion (see below). The skills are a bit tough to come across,
since craft and ride are not traditionally of use to a cleric, but they are worth it
for Bone Knights. You are forced to Rebuke Undead for this class, but it is very
much worth it. The class stacks with your cleric levels for turning level. On top
of all the casting, you gain a boatload of immunities that will make you a beast
on the battlefield.
Church InquisitorCD
Church inquisitor is one of the very few prestige classes that can be entered
before having 5 base classes. Once you have 3 cleric levels, if you are non-evil
and lawful, this prestige class is a good choice. You gain an extra domain
(Inquisition). The domain can be kept for a nice ability or traded for the
Knowledge Devotion feat. The mental immunities and auto saves against certain
spells and effects are sweet. The class is good for the first 5 levels. If you are
worried about possession, level 8 make a second stopping point. The last two
levels of the class really just aren't worth it.
ContemplativeCD
You can't take this class until level 11, but it is well worth the wait. At first
level, you gain an extra domain and immunity to disease. That's beautiful.
Really, many cleric builds just take this one level. If you are looking for more,
then the second drop point is level six. At level 5, gaining immunity to poison is
okay, but you get the second domain at level 6.
Divine OracleCD
This is another full casting PrC. It has either 2, 6, or 10 levels. The Oracle
domain is a fairly decent domain, but the second level is where things get nice.
You gain an ability that functions as EVASION, but in ANY armor.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170109222320/http://brilliantgameologists.com:80/boards/index.php?topic=420.0 Heavy armor 19/26
You gain an ability that functions as EVASION, but in ANY armor. Heavy armor
clerics with evasion is quite sickening. Level six makes you unable to be flanked
with Improved Uncanny Dodge. Level 10 is truly the cream of the crop, though.
Remember that whole thing about initiative? Well you always get to act in a
surprise round, if there is one, so no one can get the drop on you. It take a while
to get, but that reward is pretty sweet.
MalconvokerCS
An 8/9 casting PrC focused on battlefield control via summons. While it can be
argued that wizards or druid do this class better, clerics make damned good
Malconvokers. Add some Thaumaturgist on top of it and you're golden.
Treantmonklvl20 has a wonderful guide to Mastering the Malconvoker.
Ordained ChampionCC
3/5 casting means you can only lose one other casting level. Another reason I
suggest that this build be used in conjunction with the Bone Knight (see above).
This class also advances turning. Yay! You gain a third (or fourth or fifth) domain
upon entering this. If you don't have the war domain, you'll gain it instead. This
class basically forces Domain Spontaneity (War) on you as an ACF, but it is well
worth it. The abilities of this class are good for melee combatants.
Prestige PaladinUA
This class only exists for a one level dip. If it wasn't actually a prestige class, it
would be up in the dip section. The important aspect of this class is that it puts
all the paladin spells onto your cleric spell list. In combination with Ordained
Champion, A build utilizing this dip can be a powerhouse.
Radiant ServantCD
The worst aspect of this class is the Sun domain requirement, but it fits and it
actually makes it useful. Extra Greater Turning is amazing. You could dip this PrC
for 1 level or stick it through to ten. Level five is probably the best drop point as
it nets you a bonus domain. For a Neutral Good cleric, this domain is about as
good as it gets. I mean the class grants you weapon proficiencies. That alone is
sweet.
Ruby Knight VindicatorToB
Remember that crusader dip I mentioned up above? Here's how you make the
most of it. This build is often nicknamed the Ruby Knight "Win"dicator. Let me
explain why. Full BAB and 8/10 casting. You gain maneuvers and stances (not
many, but they're useful in combat... especially since you don't have to spend a
feat on Thicket of Blades now). The "win" though? That's the 7th level ability,
Divine Impetus. A Windicator breaks the action economy. As many turn attempts
as you have, you can spend to gain swift actions. Travel Devotion lets you move
your speed as a swift action. Battle Blessing lets you cast Paladin Spells as swift
actions. Quickened spells. I think I've said enough.
Sacred ExorcistCD
The best thing about this class is that it stacks with cleric for turn undead. It
also has some useful abilities for undead or evil outsider heavy campaigns. Full
casting progression makes it a viable choice for certain prestige class hungry
builds.
Sacred FistCD
The text has to triumph over the table for this prestige class to work. By the
rules, the text does, but if your DM is a douche, you may not be so lucky. You'll
want to take at least one Monk level, like I mentioned above, before taking this
class, as it will fulfill the many feat requirements. Stacking monk unarmed
damage with full cleric casting makes for a powerful build. See the sample build
section for just how powerful.
Seeker of the Misty IsleCD
Another issue of text over table. This class is also full casting by the table.
Remember to point that out to your DM. The race requirement is harsh, but if
you ignored my advice and are playing an elf, the class gives you two solid
domains. This PrC meshes well with Cloistered Clerics for the whole skill-monkey
cleric angle.
Sovereign SpeakerFoE
Another one of those Eberron Cleric PrCs that works wonders. The required
feat actually isn't a terrible one. It can be useful for clerics, making you not
dependent on your holy symbol. Even beyond the full casting this class gives, is
the ability. You gain a new domain at every level. Granted you are limited to not
taking too many domains of a certain deity, but you can get some of the best
taking too many domains of a certain deity, but you can get some of the best
domains this way. Feel free to stop taking the class before you have to start
taking any less optimal domains.
ThaumaturgistDMG
Your HD in this class is pretty crappy, but the ability boosts of this 5 level PrC
are fairly nice. It really meshes well with Malconvoker and makes for a wicked
Planar Binder.

The cake is a lie.

~veekie

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Posts: 4220 Sample builds

The Sacred Warfist by SkyDragonKnight
Here After Show hidden content (spoiler)
Cleric 20 by carnivore
Elf Versatility 1 by carnivore
Elf Versatility 2 by carnivore
Cleric Monk by carnivore
The Healing Machine by carnivore
Super Holy Warrior by carnivore
« Last Edit: August 03, 2008, 03:08:44 AM by

The cake is a lie.

~veekie

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Posts: 4220 Debatable Tactics and

Here After
Tricks
The purpose of this section is to take a look at some of the tactics and tricks that
Clerics may or may not be able to use. I will have the title of the ability/trick/etc
in bold and a summary of the arguments for or against it in a spoiler block below
that. I do not want this thread to turn into a debate over which one actually
works. Both methods are at least somewhat plausible by a strict reading of the
rules, but it is truly up to your DM to decide what he or she will allow. If you
have a tactic that may be debatable or an argument stance that is not expressed
here, feel free to explain it and I will add it to the section, so there will be a
complete, unbiased point of view. Once again, please do not turn this into a
debate thread. Take your rules discussions elsewhere
Greater Consumptive Field {Spell}

Nightsticks
Reach Spell/Persist Spell
Dragonborn, Warforged, Saint, and Vow of Poverty
Imbued Healing/Aura of Chaos: Infinite Damage
Alternate Fuel for Divine Feats
The Bloodtouched Rite
« Last Edit: July 10, 2009, 11:24:48 AM by

The cake is a lie.

~veekie

Moderator
Organ Grinder
There you go. Enjoy, comment, etc
Posts: 4220
« Last Edit: May 27, 2008, 06:05:08 PM by
Here After
The cake is a lie.
~veekie
Shigunaru Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

That monkey with « Reply #10 on: May 27, 2008, 06:12:07 PM »
the orange ass
cheeks
Reading through
Posts: 269
in advance... :wink
I am your "friend"
Logged
Tshern Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Clown Prince of « Reply #11 on: May 27, 2008, 06:14:25 PM »
Crime
Organ Grinder
Is this your work originally? I'd like to know the original author too, if you aren't
Posts: 5726 the one responsible. You know, adding the name to the Handy Links too.
Logged
Ja vuosia myöhemmin
kalvas kaksikko lattialla motellin tihrustelee,
kun sama keiju katossa leijailee.
Kyselevät: "Mikä päivä nyt on?
Tiedätkö sen?"
Kuiskaten laulaa keiju:
"Tämän elämän viimeinen."
Aistii valoa
auttavasti Handy Links
3.5e

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Quote from: Tshern on May 27, 2008, 06:14:25 PM
Is this your work originally? I'd like to know the original author too, if you aren't the one responsible.
Posts: 4220 You know, adding the name to the Handy Links too.
Definitely mine. The old one on WotC is fairly outdated. Been working on this for
Here After the past week or so.
Logged
The cake is a lie.

~veekie

Crime
Organ Grinder
Brilliant! Then I will give this a good, thorough read! I was already sick of the
Posts: 5726 previous one... Had I enough expertise of Druids (sure, I play a lot of them and
they are my favourite class, but still..) I'd do something like this.
Edit: Updated the Map.

Edit 2: Add in a mention condoning Spell domain for melee Clerics. Using
Anyspell to get Wraithstrike and then persist it with the standard Divine
metamagic cheese is effective. So effective that my DM was wondering how well
I ran over the dragon we fought...
« Last Edit: May 27, 2008, 06:21:55 PM by Tshern

Aistii valoa » Logged
auttavasti
Tiedätkö sen?"
Handy Links
3.5e

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Quote from: Tshern on May 27, 2008, 06:18:37 PM
Brilliant! Then I will give this a good, thorough read! I was already sick of the previous one... Had I
Posts: 4220 enough expertise of Druids (sure, I play a lot of them and they are my favourite class, but still..) I'd do
something like this.
Here After Don't worry about it. I still don't know if I have enough expertise with Clerics,
but sdk seemed to think I do, so he urged me on and here's the result
Logged
The cake is a lie.

~veekie

Crime
Organ Grinder
Quote from: aftercrescent on May 27, 2008, 06:21:14 PM
Posts: 5726 Quote from: Tshern on May 27, 2008, 06:18:37 PM
Brilliant! Then I will give this a good, thorough read! I was already sick of the previous one... Had I
enough expertise of Druids (sure, I play a lot of them and they are my favourite class, but still..) I'd do
something like this.
Don't worry about it. I still don't know if I have enough expertise with Clerics, but sdk seemed to think I
do, so he urged me on and here's the result
Possibly when the Iron Siege is over and I am finished with a project that is even
beyond its scale of magnitude...
Quote from: Tshern

Aistii valoa
Edit 2: Add in a mention condoning Spell domain for melee Clerics. Using Anyspell to get Wraithstrike
auttavasti
and then persist it with the standard Divine metamagic cheese is effective. So effective that my DM was
wondering how well I ran over the dragon we fought...
I added that to my previous post, while you posted the one I just responded to.
Figured I could put this here so it won't be missed...
Logged
Tiedätkö sen?"
Handy Links
3.5e

Moderator
Organ Grinder
Quote from: Tshern
Edit 2: Add in a mention condoning Spell domain for melee Clerics. Using Anyspell to get Wraithstrike
Posts: 4220 and then persist it with the standard Divine metamagic cheese is effective. So effective that my DM was
wondering how well I ran over the dragon we fought...
Here After Good catch. Thanks. I put in the Domain Spell section. I'd actually not condone it
much like I don't condone Shivering Touch abuse. :wink Access to Anyspell and
its Greater version can be very helpful before you have Miracle, though.
Logged
The cake is a lie.

~veekie

Crime
Organ Grinder
Well, then there is another nice trick. I'd suggest any archer to get his hands on
the Spell domain as well. Why you might ask and here is the answer: Limited
Posts: 5726 wish. Owl's insight from Druid's list? Oh yeah, that's a divine spell, so DMM
works on it!
At level 20, assuming Beads of Karma, but no other CL buffs, you have a CL of
24. That's +12 insight bonus to wisdom right there. +6 to attack rolls, save DCs,
will saves and, with a high likelyhood, to AC as well.
Actually, any reason for caster Clerics, hell, any Cleric for not using this?
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Organ Grinder
Limited Wish can be gotten from the Spell and Envy domains as well. It costs XP
though, so I'd rather actually waste the Miracle slot to persist it. And extend the
Posts: 4220
persist if your DM will allow you to do that.
Here After
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~veekie

Crime
Organ Grinder
At level 20 I'd probably just persist and extend it (metamagic rod) and use that
Posts: 5726 150xp a day. Better than sacrificing a Miracle.
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Author Topic: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook (Read 1056486 times)

AfterCrescent The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

« Last Edit: March 21, 2009, 01:56:06 PM by

The cake is a lie.

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Posts: 4220 Attributes

« Last Edit: June 05, 2008, 11:18:20 PM by

The cake is a lie.

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Posts: 4220 Main Class Features

Alternate Class Features

Blasphemous Incantation - Exemplars of Evil: Lose Rebuke Undead (A

« Last Edit: June 13, 2009, 06:51:50 PM by

The cake is a lie.

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Posts: 4220 Feats

Plus, arguably, Darkstalker from Lords of Madness allows someone to get

the greatest feat for clerics -> Persist Spell

Divine MetamagicCD - This feat is amazing. A cleric

« Last Edit: June 02, 2009, 03:47:19 PM by

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Posts: 4220 Spells

« Last Edit: May 27, 2008, 06:27:01 PM by

The cake is a lie.

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

« Last Edit: August 02, 2008, 01:33:57 AM by

The cake is a lie.

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

General Disclaimer: An optimization rule of thumb is that caster levels are

The Soulknife-Soulbow Dip

Prestige Class Options

You gain an ability that functions as EVASION, but in ANY armor.

« Last Edit: June 05, 2008, 11:22:18 PM by

The cake is a lie.

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Posts: 4220 Sample builds

« Last Edit: August 03, 2008, 03:08:44 AM by

The cake is a lie.

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Posts: 4220 Debatable Tactics and

Greater Consumptive Field {Spell}

« Last Edit: July 10, 2009, 11:24:48 AM by

The cake is a lie.

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Shigunaru Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Tshern Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

The cake is a lie.

Tshern Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Edit: Updated the Map.

« Last Edit: May 27, 2008, 06:21:55 PM by Tshern

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

The cake is a lie.

Tshern Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

Quote from: Tshern

AfterCrescent Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

The cake is a lie.

Tshern Re: The 3.5 Cleric Handbook

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