Need some tips with a full Cleric focused on healing.

[Fantoche_13th]

Hello.
I was needing some advice for a character I'm intending to play.
I'm returning after a very long hiatus, and since im starting from the begining with some friends and I'm still dont have the 32 point build and will wait some time before become VIP, I wish ask for some assistance for a full Cleric (focus on healing) character so I will not have to redone everything at lvl 5.

I was going to use this guide http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=232660 and specially this one example http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=2775730&postcount=2 as a base.


For a start, I was thinking on going by it but to do some changes, play as a human, make that 10 str into 10 int to add Diplomacy skill points, and was thinking if should change as it say spell penetration for improved mental thoughness, but that let me with 1 extra feat (since i will not have Greater Spell Penetration either), and since it max out concentration I dont know if Quicken worth it (I always could be wrong).
Or get spell penetration, but later so I get improved mental thougness earlier, trade Quicken for Empower to do some magic damage.

Well I dont know, I ask for some good cleric player advice.
What other race would you play instead of human for example (or is human a good choice at all for some reason)? Will it worth it somehow the change?

I want to add that I will not be VIP for a while, so I will play it as a 28 build because my friends start playing now and I want to stay at their lvl, so I also want to ask if there is some way to transform it into a 32 point build without need to get to lvl 20 first and use those reincarnation tokens.
And finally as a extra question I want to know why a friend that just create his account couldn't create a new thread (even in the free forum section).

Well, thanks for reading and an extra thanks for those who take their time to answer.
Ciao.

[Pape_27]

10 str > 10 int

the reason why is one ray of enfeeblement and you are burdened which is a real pain. I doubt that you will draw a lot of aggro playing a heal bot, so at lower levels the diplo isnt necessary.

as for changing the feats - quicken is a must. especially when you level up and start casting mass heal. It can be taken a little bit later on than thiocan recommends but all in all, it should be taken and kept.

if you are looking for a feat to replace , consider extend. After you reach level 12 or so, extend could be swapped out for maximize/empower/greater spell pen etc, what ever you might like.

As for Improved Mental toughness, its not really necessary to have. It only adds a small amount fo sp, and dedicating two feats to mental toughness is kinda a waste imo.

[Khimberlhyte]

Humans get an extra skill point, so you can stay with 8 int. You could dump balance for diplo if you really wanted, I guess. I've never used diplo in combat yet, but I get knocked down all of the time in melee when wearing heavy armor. For me, balance >> diplo.

In addition to skill points, humans also get an extra feat, human adaptability, and human versatility. Clerics don't get many feats or skill points, so the extra feat and skill points are very nice to have. Other races are good for specialized builds (eg, dwarf for 19/1 battle cleric, elf or half-elf for TWF scimitar build, halfling or half-elf for clonks, etc), but human is very good overall.

I prefer melee capable or offensive casting clerics, which can heal just as well, but are useful for other things too. I find pure healbots to be quite boring to play. With radiant servant, SP are going to last a loooong time after you get your puddle of pee (radiant servant aura) at level 12. Make sure that you take empower healing no later than level 6.

The cleric build catalog (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=223253) is also a little dated, but still good overall. I also recommend that all clerics read the Path to Enlightenment (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=202343) as well.

Apart from healing, the most important spells for a cleric are soundburst, command, divine punishment, greater command, blade barrier, implosion, slay living, destruction, and cometfall. Feats like spell pen might be more useful to you in the long run than mental toughness. Must-have feats are empower healing, toughness, maximize, quicken, heighten (offensive casting only). Empower is only useful for more damage from spells like blade barrier and cometfall, extend is nice for buffing at low levels, spell pen and spell focus:evocation are useful for offensive casting.

After you unlock 32 point, you can buy a Greater Reincarnation (http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/General_Reincarnation_Guide#Greater_Reincarnation) . These will allow you to swap out a class (depending on the type purchased, up to 5 levels, so a +5 heart could turn a 15 clr/2 rogue/3ftr into a 20clr) and also upgrade a 28 point to a 32 point. They will also let you change your stats, skill points, feats, and enhancements.

[FrozenNova]

Here's the tip: 'focusing on healing' is not and should never be a thing. If you join a group and state outright that you have both no DC's nor melee capacity, competant people will be rather upset. (The unfortunate exception being, at current, the fact that a casting divine without suitable past lives has real difficulty landing things in epic).
You choose between melee and DC based casting, and focus on that - the capacity to heal just happens.

Human is practically the only choice for a casting cleric - giving a bonus +1 wisdom and another feat that clr's so desperately need.

Human casting cleric: 8 feats -
Toughness
Maximize
Empower healing
Quicken
Heighten

You then have three loose feats, to distribute between extra turning, (greater) spell penetration, (greater) spell focus, and empower. There are arguments for every combination so it's ultimately personal preference.

Note that empower healing is mandatory - it is a requirement for radiant servant.

[Innara]

a full Cleric (focus on healing) character

Going to have to agree with FrozenNova here. Don't sell yourself short by simply becoming a 'healbot'. I made that mistake when I was new until a point in mid-game, when I did my best to respec and adapt my playing style to a caster cleric.

You did indicate later in your post that you are considering taking empower for magic damage, so I will assume you do intend to cast stuff other than heals and buffs. You will find that being able to throw a greater command at a large group of ogres or a quick slay living on a pesky caster is FAR more mana efficient than healing the damage your party takes in order to take them down. You will be far more vauble to your party as well imho.

I mention caster cleric in the example above because it's easier to build and play such for a new player especially without access to 32 point builds.


make that 10 str into 10 int to add Diplomacy skill points

While diplomacy is indeed nice to have around, you will benefit more from starting with a little higher strength. You can work around this by always equipping the best strength item for your level tho. In any case, I personally find balance is hugely more beneficial than diplomacy. You will be no use to the party on your back when tripped, for a start. Also, if you really manage to gather that much aggro from mobs, it's the melees' responsibility to try and help you out there by getting rid of them.


since it max out concentration I dont know if Quicken worth it (I always could be wrong)

You are wrong. Concentration is not a substitute for quicken come end game. In raids and epics, you don't want to fail a check or even be casting that slow as damage will come in fast and hard. This also does not mean you should dump concentration all together. You will still need it to make checks when you use scrolls.

[FrozenNova]

Yup - always max concentration and carry quicken, they're both vital.
Quicken both gurantees your heals, and allows you to actually use Mass Heal in a timely manner. (Healing edq without quicken even with an uber concnetration is still remarkably difficult).
However, you won't always want quicken on on a cleric - I usually keep it off when not explicitly healing through a boss. Moreover, you cannot quicken scrolls - and heal scrolls are remarkably important for a cleric, and without decent concentration you won't have them when they're most needed.

[GoMeansGreen]

why do people think it is your job to heal them?

It is a BONUS that you do. It is refreshing when you notice someone actually using pots, or wands if they can. And those STUPID warforged. How can they possibly expect you to heal them at all? Why should I bother? There comes a time when characters must die, hopefully through their own stupidity and not just bad luck and your inattention. The ultimate determinate of your character build is your personal playstyle. Being a healbot is just sad. ANyything but that. That is just watching other people play, and from a distance. At least hold your wand button down! Similar to how dumb it is to have a traps only rogue who doesn't do a **** thing but stay out of the way and loot crates. Heh, that is when you don't heal... oops! I missed it! SRY

Anyways... nice thread, good question. Remember, you are just another player who happens to have healing powers. You can swing, or cast, right alongside them, and probably never use diplo.

1. Enjoy the battle yourself, however you like.
2. Heal yourself.
3. Heal others.
4. Conserve mana (generally) - buy wands/scrolls/pots... all are good ... hell, even Dryad uses pots.
5. Screw them, disconnect, find a different party (or solo)
6. Make a new character, respec feats, suck it up... doesn't matter, it is just a game :)

If you really want to be a healbot, then play drow (doesn't take long to get 400 favor) and max wis and cha, with some str. You will be a caster/turner who heals great. You will get extra turns you can use to heal with, and be more effective at turning. Having wands or potions or scrolls of bulls strength helps if you get burdened.

I'm trying different builds of cleric myself, so this is good for me, thanks.

Here's a good question, how best to heal warforged? Buy them repair potions!

[LordMond63]

Some really excellent advice here.

I'm not a fan of the term "healbot" either. Even if you are a dedicated healing Cleric, there's no reason why healing is ALL that you do unless you choose to limit yourself. You've still got spell points enough for buffing, debuffing and damage spells although you have to be selective in their use. Just as learning how not to over-heal so you can conserve spell points, you have to learn not to over-nuke as well. That comes with experience.

I understand that you're going to have a 28 pt build to start off with. Even with that limitation, I would not dump CHA entirely, as the number of Turn Undead you have is a CHA based skill and the number of radiant bursts and, later, radiant auras, you have are based on the number of Turn Undeads you have. A higher CHA will give you extra healing capability that is not spell point dependant and that increases your healing capability quite a bit.

[ReaperAlexEU]

i'll chime in with the advice to add offensive casting to the mix. i dont mean direct damage spells though, they tend to be very spell point hungry. crowd control is great and can often reduce the healing bill if used correctly. use soundburst on a pack of kobolds and command on a non-red ogre/troll. this should give you a taste of what is to come when you get greater command and comet fall. you'll also get insta kill spells, perfect for popping off a hostile caster.

there is the new divine punishment, i've not used it my self but i hear it is great for taking down high HP characters on the cheap, eg boss fights.

a cleric is so much more than a heal bot, so try to mix healing with one other thing, in your case offensive casting. you will find times where you just have to step back and heal, but those should be the exception not the norm.

[Callavan]

Try this one (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?p=3926588&highlight=generalist#post3926588). It's what I'm basing my current builds on, with some minor changes.

On one character I gave up a little wisdom for a slight boost in strength because I duo with my girlfriend and a lot of her builds need some combat presence. I'm tending to take divine healing instead of divine vitality for the low levels, especially if I think I might be healing warforged (I combine it with Aid to save a little mana for the trash fights).

Haven't played it all the way through yet, but it's workin' for me so far.