ETR clerical experiment

[ValariusK]

Just ETR'd my evoker cleric (pure cleric 20, Divine disciple major, Radiant Minor). I still need some tokens so I decided to do a little experiment on the ETR. If I like it, I'll do a 2nd ETR if not, I'll just TR once again.

Cleric 20 human
Strength 16, Dex 14 Con 14, Int 10 Wis 14 Cha 14, All level ups to strength
Build concept: The barbarian's best friend
Feats Empower heal, power attack
Two weapon fighting at 3rd (+1 tome takes effect then), Completionist at 6th (can substitute quicken if you don't have that), Exotic weapon Khopesh at 9th, Improved TWF at 12th, Great TWF at 15th, Imp Crit (slash) at 18th, Overwhelming crit at 21st, Probably quicken at 24th
Skills, with a +5 int tome you can max conc, spellcraft, and heal and almost max UMD
Enhancements
Warpriest 31 (key points AM strike, fully tricked out Inflame)
Radiant 41 (Key points, Positive energy aura, Cure focus, +3 to heal cast level, tons of regenerating turns, capstone)
Rest in Racial
Epic destiny Divine crusader
Spells are mostly heals and utilities, you do your damage with TWF, consecration, and strike down. You have perma blur, haste as a castable spell, and an aura that ticks very close to 100 with nearly 200 on crits. Every 15 seconds you have AM strike for a large free heal plus lesser restoration in an area effect. Any tank stacked with you with even moderate healing amp will probably never need a spot heal between aura, consecration, and judicious use of positive energy burst.

Going to see how this one works in EEs

[cru121]

I suspect the problem is that your own DPS will be abysmal. If you're fine with that, then yes, you can easily heal everything that needs healing. (Hint: Barbarians mostly don't.)

Another problem is run speed; can you keep up with them?

[ValariusK]

Well, DPS was competitive as an evoker, we'll see how it is between
TWF with a high strength (adding divine might, primal scream), zeal, strike down, consecration, and stacks of vulnerability plus crusade.
I suspect it might well be comparable to what I was doing as an evoker. As to keeping up, well, I do have castable haste---granted no sprint bonus other than my pdk past life one.

[firemedium_jt]

Going to see how this one works in EEs

You prob will be more of a healing role hanging back. In EE you prob don't have the saves to stand in there and melee with Aura. Depends on your gear too.

[ValariusK]

You prob will be more of a healing role hanging back. In EE you prob don't have the saves to stand in there and melee with Aura. Depends on your gear too.

Up to 24 on the experiment now. Thus far done EEs up to gianthold with no big issues. Heal aura (now in the 112 noncrit a tick region), plus consecrate and the heals I get when things die from divine crusader seems plenty to take a front line role. Only rarely do I need to use a casted heal. Normally I open a fight by dropping a consecration. For saves I have mid 40s in reflex and around 50 in everything else, they've not been a big problem thus far. PRR is around 110 or so.

The big thing this build is doing is sustaining party members who would normally be too squishy for EE. Kill numbers are pretty moderate (on undead heavy quests, I can get half the kills in a 6 person party, but on more normal quests I'll get just a competitive number), which indicates that DPS is pretty ordinary. Level 26 should be another pretty big jump in damage output. Party utility on the build is very high.

[Kanuk]

How are you managing with the EE red name bosses? Are you getting better results than a caster build? Right now, i hope to have a solid melee in group to help beat down the boss while i heal, if not i often end up drinking pots to make any real contribution on the end fight..... guaranteed pot chugs fest if I need to solo EE red names :(

[ValariusK]

How are you managing with the EE red name bosses? Are you getting better results than a caster build? Right now, i hope to have a solid melee in group to help beat down the boss while i heal, if not i often end up drinking pots to make any real contribution on the end fight..... guaranteed pot chugs fest if I need to solo EE red names :(


Well when I'm soloing I just chew them up with my crazy doublestrike rate and TWF. Takes a while but it's pretty certain. Thing is on this build, healing takes no real time. Your aura plus your consecrate plus the little heals you give the whole party when something dies covers almost everything. You're not going to get barbarian class damage out of this build (although you could get closer going dreadnaught I suppose if you wanted to), but you'll get enough to make a solid DPS contribution to a typical EE pug and get your share of kills.