Halfling Cleric... Yes or No?

[majikfreak]

My cousin is just back after a 4 year lay-off from DDO...

He TR'd his Dragon Mark Halfling Cleric... I'm trying to help him avoid making the same mistake with the Dragon marks. I don't see any halfling cleric builds out there... are they bad clerics? I see mostly humans, elf cleric builds... can some one please point me to a halfling cleric or clonk build please...

Oh and the main reason for need a halfling is his name... Meredoc! We are Tolkien fans.

Thanks

[Loromir]

My cousin is just back after a 4 year lay-off from DDO...

He TR'd his Dragon Mark Halfling Cleric... I'm trying to help him avoid making the same mistake with the Dragon marks. I don't see any halfling cleric builds out there... are they bad clerics? I see mostly humans, elf cleric builds... can some one please point me to a halfling cleric or clonk build please...

Oh and the main reason for need a halfling is his name... Meredoc! We are Tolkien fans.

Thanks

Most cleric builds you find out there right now are going to get a big overhaul in the near future. Clerics will be getting domains....which will be a game changer for Clerics. I don't see any reason why a Halfling Cleric won't work.

Look at the recent post by Severlin about Cleric Domains to get a feeling for what's on the horizon.

[Enoach]

What is wrong with Halfling Clerics? And the Dragonmarks?

How is it a mistake?

When people pick human it is usually for the extra feat
Elf could be for scimitar or AA access or if half-elf the dilettantes or Morninglord for the racial abilities for turns or the 3 in 1 buff
Dwarf also has a nice synergy with Cleric

But I would look at the changes coming (at least the preliminary outline) to see how Domains could effect your choices

[unbongwah]

I don't see any halfling cleric builds out there... are they bad clerics?
There's no particular advantage to playing a halfling cleric, whereas humans get an extra feat, Spellpower Boost, etc.; elves can get extra Spell Pen and (if you still want a DM) Displacement is far more useful to cleric than extra healing is; dwarves get extra CON & HPs so they're harder to kill; etc. Plus the STR and encumbrance penalties of halflings is a downside for a toon which (probably) wears heavy armor, unless you're going the clonk route.

That said, if you're playing a typical caster / healer build, there's no real difference between halfling vs other races: i.e., max WIS, load up on metamagics, etc. Any of the typical cleric builds like Necro cleric (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/422552-Necro-Cleric-for-new-players) or the sun elf cleric in my Iconic Builds thread can be adapted to halflings.

BTW, don't forget to take a look at the thread about upcoming cleric domains (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/488730-Early-Look-Cleric-Domains).

[Lonnbeimnech]

What is wrong with Halfling Clerics? And the Dragonmarks?

How is it a mistake?

When people pick human it is usually for the extra feat
Elf could be for scimitar or AA access or if half-elf the dilettantes or Morninglord for the racial abilities for turns or the 3 in 1 buff
Dwarf also has a nice synergy with Cleric

But I would look at the changes coming (at least the preliminary outline) to see how Domains could effect your choices

You spend a feat and a bunch of ap to get the heal spell on a build that already gets the heal spell...

[Enoach]

You spend a feat and a bunch of ap to get the heal spell on a build that already gets the heal spell...

That is one way to look at it. Another is you spend a feat and 12AP to get no Spell Point Cost features which depending on your game play could be a savings that allows more SP for other options.

Also, the Halfling race is a good base for a thrower, such as a Cleric with Monk splash.

Of course you don't need to take the Dragon Mark and still benefit from the other features.

[ValariusK]

Forget the dragonmarks on a halfling cleric. They don't bring you any value. Halfing gives you slightly better saves, better dex, and worse strength. For a cleric that's a wash. A halfling cleric will be inferior to a human one by a feat and usually half a DC on spells, but that's hardly insurmountable. Take a good build (most of them include completionist which you probably don't have, so you can absorb the loss of a feat pretty easily) and just change the race. Problem solved.

[SirValentine]

As other have said, Halfing is fine if you want to play one, even though Human is better by a feat (and a point of potential Wisdom). If you want to play a Halfling, go for it.

[Vish]

Halfling cleric, yes

A 14/6 clonk would do pretty good
Just take dex on the halfling,
You don't need the dragon marks

If you need a build,
Send me a pm

[SocratesBastardSon]

I've used the dragonmarks on Halfling several times, but not for a cleric. It's redundant and a waste of APs, with one exception. Halflings with dragonmarks get Heal much sooner (level 3 I believe?) than clerics do (level 11). So you could take the dragonmark feat, then swap it out once you get the spell. Or if you're taking a just a few levels in cleric, then by all means. But for pure or mostly pure healer-cleric there are other races that are a better choice, at least for now.

That being said, when I've played non-cleric halflings in the past, I almost always take the dragonmark for self-healing.