Pseudo Shaman

[sigtrent]

From Sigtrent's Build Request Thread

Build Name: Basic Battle Cleric
Author: Sigfried Trent
Requester: Solstyse
Last Updated:07/04/10

Key Words [Battle Cleric, Dwarf, 28pt, Healer]

Objectives
The requester wanted something as close as possible to a WOW shaman. In case you aren’t familiar with WOW, the shaman class is a ritualistic spell caster that throws a range of buffs, heals and totems (placed items that cast spells for you). They also are decent with melee weapons and direct damage spells.

For me, the closest thing we have in DDO is the cleric which does all that and also wears heavy armor. For me the classic dwarven DDO battle cleric fits best. They are tough, capable in combat, and mostly focused on buffing, healing and damage casting, leaving control up to other party members.

Design
One level of fighter gets you access to nearly all melee weapons and the dwarven axe, which along with battle axe will be the character’s mainstay weapons. Fighter also grants an extra feat and a couple of nice enhancements to start your career with.

Strength, Wisdom, and Con are all dealt with more or less equally. While we are giving up on save based cleric spells, we still want a hefty wisdom for spell points. This is meant to be a decent fighter at low to mid levels, and a damage/healer at high levels and for raiding. Strong healing spells/feats and a fairly deep mana pool should let you keep most groups plenty happy.

If your healing and blade barriers aren’t needed, then you can do enough melee damage to help out and you have the hit points needed to hang out with the tanks. As a tank the biggest weakness is a terrible reflex save which means you can get quickly wiped out by traps and area spells in high end quests before you even know to throw a heal on yourself.

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.34
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Level 20 Neutral Good Dwarf Male
(1 Fighter \ 19 Cleric) 
Hit Points: 314
Spell Points: 1488 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 17
Reflex: 5
Will: 17

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             16                    18
Dexterity             8                     8
Constitution         16                    18
Intelligence         10                    10
Wisdom               16                    22
Charisma              6                     6

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               1                    13
Bluff                -2                    -2
Concentration         5                    27
Diplomacy            -2                    -2
Disable Device        n/a                   n/a
Haggle               -2                    -2
Heal                  3                     9
Hide                 -1                    -1
Intimidate           -2                    -2
Jump                  3                     4
Listen                3                     6
Move Silently        -1                    -1
Open Lock            n/a                   n/a
Perform              n/a                   n/a
Repair                0                     0
Search                0                     2
Spot                  3                     6
Swim                  3                     4
Tumble               n/a                   n/a
Use Magic Device     n/a                   n/a

Level 1 (Fighter)
Skill: Balance (+2)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Power Attack
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage I
Enhancement: Dwarven Spell Defense I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I


Level 2 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Enhancement: Cleric Heal I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic I
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot I
Enhancement: Cleric Extra Turning I


Level 3 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing Spell
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom I
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery I


Level 4 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Faith I
Enhancement: Follower of the Sovereign Host
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Life I


Level 5 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Heal II
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic II


Level 6 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack I
Enhancement: Cleric Divine Cleansing I
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Turning I


Level 7 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
[/COLOR]Radiant Servant I

Level 8 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Unyielding Sovereignty


Level 9 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Quicken Spell
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Incredible Life I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic III


Level 10 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom II


Level 11 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II


Level 12 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom III


Level 13 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot II
[/COLOR]Radiant Servant II

Level 14 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage II


Level 15 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic IV


Level 16 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot III


Level 17 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Faith II
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery II


Level 18 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Life II
Enhancement: Cleric Extra Turning II


Level 19 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution I
Enhancement: Dwarven Spell Defense II


Level 20 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution II

Play
Power attack is something you may need to turn off or on depending on how hard the targets are. If you are missing a lot, by all means don’t use it. If you are always hitting, try turning it on for more damage.

Knowing when to fight and when not to is key with this kind of character. If you are having to constantly heal yourself... you should get out of the fight. If you have party members dying repeatedly, you should focus more on healing (unless it is from pure ineptitude). If you can’t hit anything, blade barrier will be a lot more useful to the party.

Variations
The main choice would be to go all out on strength or wisdom instead of splitting level ups. Its a trade off of mana for DPS, but I think the overall DPS is rather limited. What these builds are good for is having the option to fight and the ability to make it count, not domination of the battlefield. If you really want hot DPS, battle cleric is not the place to look for it. What is great about them is they are self sufficient and capable in a wide range of situations while still making very solid raid healers for competent groups.

[djspider37]

What shields should i use? Tower Shields, Heavy Steel i dont know!!!!

[Werewolfzz]

I have a similar version to this in progress at Cleric 5/Fighter 1 ...

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.7.2
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Name 
Level 20 Lawful Good Dwarf Male
(1 Fighter \ 19 Cleric) 
Hit Points: 314
Spell Points: 1473 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 17
Reflex: 6
Will: 17

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             16                    18
Dexterity            10                    10
Constitution         16                    18
Intelligence          8                     8
Wisdom               16                    22
Charisma              6                     6

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               1                     5
Bluff                -2                    -2
Concentration         3                    23
Diplomacy            -2                    -2
Disable Device       n/a                   n/a
Haggle               -2                    -2
Heal                  3                     8
Hide                  0                     0
Intimidate           -2                    -2
Jump                  3                     4
Listen                3                     6
Move Silently         0                     0
Open Lock             n/a                   n/a
Perform              n/a                   n/a
Repair               -1                    -1
Search               -1                     1
Spot                  3                     6
Swim                  3                     4
Tumble                1                     1
Use Magic Device     n/a                   n/a

Level 1 (Fighter)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Power Attack
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I


Level 2 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Faith I
Enhancement: Fighter Critical Accuracy I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic I
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot I


Level 3 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing Spell
Enhancement: Fighter Attack Boost I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom I


Level 4 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack I
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery I


Level 5 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic II


Level 6 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot II


Level 7 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)


Level 8 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Concentration (+1)


Level 9 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Spell Penetration


Level 10 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)


Level 11 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)


Level 12 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons


Level 13 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)


Level 14 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)


Level 15 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell


Level 16 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Concentration (+1)


Level 17 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)


Level 18 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness


Level 19 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)


Level 20 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Radiant Servant I
Enhancement: Cleric Radiant Servant II
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack II
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage II
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution I
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution II
Enhancement: Unyielding Sovereignty
Enhancement: Follower of the Sovereign Host
Enhancement: Improved Heal I
Enhancement: Improved Heal II
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Life I
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Incredible Life I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic III
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Spell Penetration I
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Spell Penetration II
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot III
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom II
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom III
Enhancement: Cleric Divine Healing I
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Turning I
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery II
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery III

Having never played the game any further than the aforementioned 6 lvls, I'm curious to hear from you (and other vets) about any improvements or errors, misconceptions, etc. that may jump out at you from my version of this build.

Primarily concerned with the Feats & Enhancements. I'm comfortable with the stats and there is but 1 skill point to dump into Concentration each lvl.

Keep in mind that the first 6 lvls are already created as shown, and obviously I would abhor re-rolling/re-lvling this character from scratch.

Thanks in Advance!

~X~

[sigtrent]

Having never played the game any further than the aforementioned 6 lvls, I'm curious to hear from you (and other vets) about any improvements or errors, misconceptions, etc. that may jump out at you from my version of this build.

Looks pretty good to me. Spell pen might be kind of wasted without following it up with enhancements and or greater spell pen but its certainly not bad, just a question if you will find yourself consistently throwing control spells or not. Spell resistance becomes very common at high level and starts to feel like an all or nothing mechanic after a while.

On the other hand quicken is a godsend for most clerics. I almost never make characters that cast during combat without it. You can live without it, but once you have tasted its joy... its feels like torture to play without it. (for buffing only casters its fairly pointless)

Fighter attack boost and crit accuracy are fairly useless and only good for Kensei prerequisite. It's basically a case that if you really need them then you they aren't going to really fix the problem and if you don't they are wasted points.

[Werewolfzz]

just a question if you will find yourself consistently throwing control spells or not. Spell resistance becomes very common at high level and starts to feel like an all or nothing mechanic after a while.

...

Fighter attack boost and crit accuracy are fairly useless...

Well that's just it... I'm lvl 6 and I made it here, solo'ing lvls 1-4 on Elite for the vast majority of the time... and the whole time it was the Axe that led the way!

Bull's Str, Aid, Divine Favor, Shield of Faith... spend the next 3 minutes like a lumberjack clearcutting whoever is in front!

... Then recently, I was getting my ass handed to me by some elite Red Boss and I cast hold person and it worked! ... my current Wisdom is only 18 but i stood there, healed up, recast shield, summoned a white wolf and then waited for it to freeze the boss before shattering him with the Axe =)

But it got me thinkin' about if this character really could pull off both... even dividing Str and Wis ability raises...

I suppose if I'm only going to be using the spells in NEED TO moments and not every minute, I could cut back on the spell points to fit in the spell penetration series of enhancements... that could work! but will it be enough?

Please explain what you meant by the All or Nothing... how much "All" we talk'n 'bout here?

Note - Also, you were talking about Quicken and I read somewhere that if you have Quicken, then Concentration as a skill is just wasted, since the spell can't be broken... and if no one is attacking, then nothing's gonna break my concentration! - Is that right?

[Asketes]

what point can you gain from wearing heavy armor?


all you clerics get all whiny about your jump and stuff.. wear some robes, you ain't got no ac to begin with.


just my thoughts.

[Werewolfzz]

what point can you gain from wearing heavy armor?


all you clerics get all whiny about your jump and stuff.. wear some robes, you ain't got no ac to begin with.


just my thoughts.

Spells aren't affected!

I'm only lvl 6, but in my +2 Full Plate I'm a wrecking machine thats hard enough to hit!

What do you mean "ain't got no ac to begin with"?

[Werewolfzz]

I need more Feats!

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.7.2
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Name 
Level 20 Lawful Good Dwarf Male
(1 Fighter \ 19 Cleric) 
Hit Points: 314
Spell Points: 1338 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 17
Reflex: 6
Will: 17

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             16                    18
Dexterity            10                    10
Constitution         16                    18
Intelligence          8                     8
Wisdom               16                    22
Charisma              6                     6

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               1                    11.5
Bluff                -2                    -2
Concentration         3                     9
Diplomacy            -2                    -2
Disable Device       n/a                   n/a
Haggle               -2                    -2
Heal                  3                     8
Hide                  0                     0
Intimidate           -2                    -2
Jump                  3                     4
Listen                3                     6
Move Silently         0                     0
Open Lock             n/a                   n/a
Perform              n/a                   n/a
Repair               -1                    -1
Search               -1                     1
Spot                  3                     6
Swim                  3                     4
Tumble                1                     1
Use Magic Device     n/a                   n/a

Level 1 (Fighter)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Power Attack
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I


Level 2 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Faith I
Enhancement: Fighter Critical Accuracy I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic I
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot I


Level 3 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing Spell
Enhancement: Fighter Attack Boost I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom I


Level 4 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack I
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery I


Level 5 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic II


Level 6 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot II


Level 7 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 8 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 9 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Spell Penetration


Level 10 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 11 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 12 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons


Level 13 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 14 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 15 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 16 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 17 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 18 (Cleric)


Level 19 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)


Level 20 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Enhancement: Cleric Radiant Servant I
Enhancement: Cleric Radiant Servant II
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack II
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage II
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution I
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution II
Enhancement: Unyielding Sovereignty
Enhancement: Follower of the Sovereign Host
Enhancement: Improved Heal I
Enhancement: Improved Heal II
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Life I
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Incredible Life I
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Spell Penetration I
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Spell Penetration II
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Spell Penetration III
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom II
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom III
Enhancement: Cleric Divine Healing I
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Turning I
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery II
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery III

I can only have 2 out of these 5:

1. Greater Spell Penetration [an additional +2 (total +4) to caster lvl]
2. Mental Toughness [additional 100 spell points, roughly]
3. Maximize
4, Quicken
5. Heighten

Speaking from experience, what do you think will serve me in the long term?

[sigtrent]

Please explain what you meant by the All or Nothing... how much "All" we talk'n 'bout here?

The all or nothing thing kicks in at the higher levels. I'm mostly talking about spell penetration which gets pretty tough to beat around level 16 or so in many quests. At lower levels most spells just need to beat the monsters saving throw, and that's based on your wisdom score and the spell level. Spell resistance is something devils and similar monsters have that requires a caster level check to get through and this roll is what spell penetration adds to. I find at higher levels, spell penetration requires a fair bit of min-maxing to break through consistently on the monsters you fight most often.

Note - Also, you were talking about Quicken and I read somewhere that if you have Quicken, then Concentration as a skill is just wasted, since the spell can't be broken... and if no one is attacking, then nothing's gonna break my concentration! - Is that right?

If you are using quicken then concentration is not needed as your spells cant be interrupted no matter how much damage you take. Concentration still good for using scrolls though which quicken does not effect so most clerics will still run it up anyhow.

[sigtrent]

I can only have 2 out of these 5:

1. Greater Spell Penetration [an additional +2 (total +4) to caster lvl]
2. Mental Toughness [additional 100 spell points, roughly]
3. Maximize
4, Quicken
5. Heighten

Speaking from experience, what do you think will serve me in the long term?

I don't have a capped cleric so part of my advice is from watching others play clerics and based on the game rules. Hopefully a strong cleric player can give you their take on it.

I'd say go Quicken and Maximize (for blade barrier and comet fall)
The other best option is Quicken and Greater Spell Penetration (For destruction and implosion)

[ArgentMage]

You always take Quicken, as you can easily take more damage at the higher
levels than you have Concentration for (even maxed), and it can often be the
difference between a life-saving Heal and death. And quite often that life you
save is your own.

If you intend to heal Raids, and any serious healer does, then you also take
Maximize. Mass Heal is a very slow spell to cast, even Quickened, so you often
fall back to Mass Cure Critical and Mass Cure Serious for healing Shroud, and
when the **** hits the fan in high-level content.

If you want to do any soloing, then you also want Quicken and Maximize.
Maximize doubles the damage dealt by your damage spells, Blade Barrier being
the big one here. Quicken helps get that Blade Barrier off, as it has a very long
casting time, otherwise.

[Tirisha]

Spells aren't affected!

I'm only lvl 6, but in my +2 Full Plate I'm a wrecking machine thats hard enough to hit!

What do you mean "ain't got no ac to begin with"?

He means end game once you hit lv 10 you'll find your AC means less and less until it becomes completely pointless too lose the Check Pen to skills (or more importantly have ASF when using UMD for Arcane scrolls) when mobs are hitting you on anything but a 1 anyways. Through low lvs that plate is good; in end game throw on a robe that's all.

[Tirisha]

What shields should i use? Tower Shields, Heavy Steel i dont know!!!!

you should only really use a shield for blocking so Tower shield is the winner there. What you should be doing especially through low lvs is wielding the nastiest Two hander you can find. *Carnifex or maelstrom are always winners*

If you choice to lv with a shield out wear the best plate you can find and use a Tower shield.

[Roaringdragon]

From Sigtrent's Build Request Thread

Build Name: Basic Battle Cleric
Author: Sigfried Trent
Requester: Solstyse
Last Updated:07/04/10

Key Words [Battle Cleric, Dwarf, 28pt, Healer]

Objectives
The requester wanted something as close as possible to a WOW shaman. In case you aren’t familiar with WOW, the shaman class is a ritualistic spell caster that throws a range of buffs, heals and totems (placed items that cast spells for you). They also are decent with melee weapons and direct damage spells.

For me, the closest thing we have in DDO is the cleric which does all that and also wears heavy armor. For me the classic dwarven DDO battle cleric fits best. They are tough, capable in combat, and mostly focused on buffing, healing and damage casting, leaving control up to other party members.

Design
One level of fighter gets you access to nearly all melee weapons and the dwarven axe, which along with battle axe will be the character’s mainstay weapons. Fighter also grants an extra feat and a couple of nice enhancements to start your career with.

Strength, Wisdom, and Con are all dealt with more or less equally. While we are giving up on save based cleric spells, we still want a hefty wisdom for spell points. This is meant to be a decent fighter at low to mid levels, and a damage/healer at high levels and for raiding. Strong healing spells/feats and a fairly deep mana pool should let you keep most groups plenty happy.

If your healing and blade barriers aren’t needed, then you can do enough melee damage to help out and you have the hit points needed to hang out with the tanks. As a tank the biggest weakness is a terrible reflex save which means you can get quickly wiped out by traps and area spells in high end quests before you even know to throw a heal on yourself.

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.34
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Level 20 Neutral Good Dwarf Male
(1 Fighter \ 19 Cleric) 
Hit Points: 314
Spell Points: 1488 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 17
Reflex: 5
Will: 17

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             16                    18
Dexterity             8                     8
Constitution         16                    18
Intelligence         10                    10
Wisdom               16                    22
Charisma              6                     6

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               1                    13
Bluff                -2                    -2
Concentration         5                    27
Diplomacy            -2                    -2
Disable Device        n/a                   n/a
Haggle               -2                    -2
Heal                  3                     9
Hide                 -1                    -1
Intimidate           -2                    -2
Jump                  3                     4
Listen                3                     6
Move Silently        -1                    -1
Open Lock            n/a                   n/a
Perform              n/a                   n/a
Repair                0                     0
Search                0                     2
Spot                  3                     6
Swim                  3                     4
Tumble               n/a                   n/a
Use Magic Device     n/a                   n/a

Level 1 (Fighter)
Skill: Balance (+2)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Power Attack
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage I
Enhancement: Dwarven Spell Defense I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I


Level 2 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Enhancement: Cleric Heal I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic I
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot I
Enhancement: Cleric Extra Turning I


Level 3 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing Spell
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom I
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery I


Level 4 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Faith I
Enhancement: Follower of the Sovereign Host
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Life I


Level 5 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Heal II
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic II


Level 6 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack I
Enhancement: Cleric Divine Cleansing I
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Turning I


Level 7 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
[/COLOR]Radiant Servant I

Level 8 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Unyielding Sovereignty


Level 9 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Quicken Spell
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Incredible Life I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic III


Level 10 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom II


Level 11 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II


Level 12 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom III


Level 13 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot II
[/COLOR]Radiant Servant II

Level 14 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage II


Level 15 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic IV


Level 16 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot III


Level 17 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Faith II
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery II


Level 18 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Life II
Enhancement: Cleric Extra Turning II


Level 19 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution I
Enhancement: Dwarven Spell Defense II


Level 20 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution II

Play
Power attack is something you may need to turn off or on depending on how hard the targets are. If you are missing a lot, by all means don’t use it. If you are always hitting, try turning it on for more damage.

Knowing when to fight and when not to is key with this kind of character. If you are having to constantly heal yourself... you should get out of the fight. If you have party members dying repeatedly, you should focus more on healing (unless it is from pure ineptitude). If you can’t hit anything, blade barrier will be a lot more useful to the party.

Variations
The main choice would be to go all out on strength or wisdom instead of splitting level ups. Its a trade off of mana for DPS, but I think the overall DPS is rather limited. What these builds are good for is having the option to fight and the ability to make it count, not domination of the battlefield. If you really want hot DPS, battle cleric is not the place to look for it. What is great about them is they are self sufficient and capable in a wide range of situations while still making very solid raid healers for competent groups.

Is this a sword and board build? That's all I have to say on the great build. Though today's cleric capstone may make it not as useful.

[Roaringdragon]

you should only really use a shield for blocking so Tower shield is the winner there. What you should be doing especially through low lvs is wielding the nastiest Two hander you can find. *Carnifex or maelstrom are always winners*

If you choice to lv with a shield out wear the best plate you can find and use a Tower shield.

I made this build a couple days ago, it rocks . Yes, take any best THF wep available, since that is your main source of DPS. If AC is needed, get a X+ Tower Shield high enough for you level and a X+ Full plate or Mithral Full Plate, so you can actually get up to the 30's AC ( Not sure since I don't have many Tower Shields). By the way...Tirisha, I think this build is mostly sword and board. Using *insert elemental/bane attribute here* DA Axes for the DPS with a devotion shield or a AC shield. If DPS is needed, you can use great axes, since the axe damage gives +2 to damage with the great axe. Most of the time, I find myself having almost all of my SP pool full still. Though I haven't leveled my character to a decent level where healing and DPS is needed.

[Roaringdragon]

He means end game once you hit lv 10 you'll find your AC means less and less until it becomes completely pointless too lose the Check Pen to skills (or more importantly have ASF when using UMD for Arcane scrolls) when mobs are hitting you on anything but a 1 anyways. Through low lvs that plate is good; in end game throw on a robe that's all.

Or a dragontouched full plate. Which I see alot of clerics use above level 17ish... Also, just get any healing amp shields such as devotionals and a ardo clicky to help with healing . Personally even though I just made my build, AC is quite useless... with my +1 tower shield and a +1 full plate, my swim is -22 o.O which makes me drown in about...5 seconds

[NovaNZ]

Hail kin!

I’m running a dwarf cleric 12/fighter1 and really enjoying it. Have 302 Hp at lvl 13.
Sigtrent certainly has a talent for character development.

My build basics:

Str 14 => 16 HP = 314
Dex 8 => 10 SP = 1336
Con 16 => 18 Fort = 17
Int 10 => 12 Reflex = 6
Wis 16 => 24 Will = 18
Cha 13 => 16 BAB = 15

1) Toughness
3) Empower heal
6) Maximise
8) fighter = Power Attack
9) Quicken
12) Improved Crit - slashing
15) Heighten
18) spell pen

RSII
Prayer of Life III (with item can get 18% heal crits)
Improved empower III (with item - empower heal will cost 4sp extra/spell)
Spell Penetration II
Divine Might II
Life Magic IV
Scroll/wand II

Initially plate and THW (carnifex), or shield and DA.

At lvl 11+ using elfcrafted robe (reward in GH) and Great axe. DP, PA, DM, Axe AP's, prayer, recitation, haste and rage clickie, fighter attack boost etc.

For healing duty - robe, Superior Potency XI with greater spell Pen weapons.

@Asketes - I agree - robes or Pj's really and mid - high levels. Good shield for blocking and DR 30-35 if achievable without breaking too much sweat.

@Sigtrent - I agree dropping crit accuracy (option of using a stone if need be). I use fighter attack boost often esp when on healing duty and a nasty slips past the DPS and attacks arcane/divine in the back rows => DP, attack boost, paralyser GA gives me time to get some DPS back up if need be.

@Werewolf - of your choices - I recommend u take Maximize and Quicken. Take Conc - using scrolls to augment raid healing etc is a clincher.

Nice base build Sigtrent.

[arpendragon]

From Sigtrent's Build Request Thread

Build Name: Basic Battle Cleric
Author: Sigfried Trent
Requester: Solstyse
Last Updated:07/04/10

Key Words [Battle Cleric, Dwarf, 28pt, Healer]

Objectives
The requester wanted something as close as possible to a WOW shaman. In case you aren’t familiar with WOW, the shaman class is a ritualistic spell caster that throws a range of buffs, heals and totems (placed items that cast spells for you). They also are decent with melee weapons and direct damage spells.

For me, the closest thing we have in DDO is the cleric which does all that and also wears heavy armor. For me the classic dwarven DDO battle cleric fits best. They are tough, capable in combat, and mostly focused on buffing, healing and damage casting, leaving control up to other party members.

Design
One level of fighter gets you access to nearly all melee weapons and the dwarven axe, which along with battle axe will be the character’s mainstay weapons. Fighter also grants an extra feat and a couple of nice enhancements to start your career with.

Strength, Wisdom, and Con are all dealt with more or less equally. While we are giving up on save based cleric spells, we still want a hefty wisdom for spell points. This is meant to be a decent fighter at low to mid levels, and a damage/healer at high levels and for raiding. Strong healing spells/feats and a fairly deep mana pool should let you keep most groups plenty happy.

If your healing and blade barriers aren’t needed, then you can do enough melee damage to help out and you have the hit points needed to hang out with the tanks. As a tank the biggest weakness is a terrible reflex save which means you can get quickly wiped out by traps and area spells in high end quests before you even know to throw a heal on yourself.

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.34
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Level 20 Neutral Good Dwarf Male
(1 Fighter \ 19 Cleric) 
Hit Points: 314
Spell Points: 1488 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 17
Reflex: 5
Will: 17

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             16                    18
Dexterity             8                     8
Constitution         16                    18
Intelligence         10                    10
Wisdom               16                    22
Charisma              6                     6

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               1                    13
Bluff                -2                    -2
Concentration         5                    27
Diplomacy            -2                    -2
Disable Device        n/a                   n/a
Haggle               -2                    -2
Heal                  3                     9
Hide                 -1                    -1
Intimidate           -2                    -2
Jump                  3                     4
Listen                3                     6
Move Silently        -1                    -1
Open Lock            n/a                   n/a
Perform              n/a                   n/a
Repair                0                     0
Search                0                     2
Spot                  3                     6
Swim                  3                     4
Tumble               n/a                   n/a
Use Magic Device     n/a                   n/a

Level 1 (Fighter)
Skill: Balance (+2)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Power Attack
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage I
Enhancement: Dwarven Spell Defense I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I


Level 2 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Enhancement: Cleric Heal I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic I
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot I
Enhancement: Cleric Extra Turning I


Level 3 (Cleric)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing Spell
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom I
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery I


Level 4 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Faith I
Enhancement: Follower of the Sovereign Host
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Life I


Level 5 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Heal II
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic II


Level 6 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack I
Enhancement: Cleric Divine Cleansing I
Enhancement: Cleric Improved Turning I


Level 7 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
[/COLOR]Radiant Servant I

Level 8 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Unyielding Sovereignty


Level 9 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Quicken Spell
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Incredible Life I
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic III


Level 10 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom II


Level 11 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II


Level 12 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell
Enhancement: Cleric Wisdom III


Level 13 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot II
[/COLOR]Radiant Servant II

Level 14 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage II


Level 15 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Cleric Life Magic IV


Level 16 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Cleric Energy of the Zealot III


Level 17 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Faith II
Enhancement: Cleric Wand and Scroll Mastery II


Level 18 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness
Enhancement: Cleric Prayer of Life II
Enhancement: Cleric Extra Turning II


Level 19 (Cleric)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution I
Enhancement: Dwarven Spell Defense II


Level 20 (Cleric)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution II

Play
Power attack is something you may need to turn off or on depending on how hard the targets are. If you are missing a lot, by all means don’t use it. If you are always hitting, try turning it on for more damage.

Knowing when to fight and when not to is key with this kind of character. If you are having to constantly heal yourself... you should get out of the fight. If you have party members dying repeatedly, you should focus more on healing (unless it is from pure ineptitude). If you can’t hit anything, blade barrier will be a lot more useful to the party.

Variations
The main choice would be to go all out on strength or wisdom instead of splitting level ups. Its a trade off of mana for DPS, but I think the overall DPS is rather limited. What these builds are good for is having the option to fight and the ability to make it count, not domination of the battlefield. If you really want hot DPS, battle cleric is not the place to look for it. What is great about them is they are self sufficient and capable in a wide range of situations while still making very solid raid healers for competent groups.

I'm thinking if a Bard level instead of a Cleric level to pick UMD is a good choice in this build

[NovaNZ]

Hi Arpendragon

Given that this build has Int of 10 - one lvl bard splash may not make that much sense given the limited skill point distribution and that concentration is generally considered a requirement. With a higher investment of INT - this may have some more merit.

There is also the issues total SP reduction, reduced DC, etc etc

All said - not something I would consider doing if building a cleric splash.

[axel15810]

A build similar to this is my main. I've played through the whole game with it and is now capped at lvl 20. From my experience I have a few tweaks which I personally think makes the build better. First of all, I'd put all ability points into wisdom. The extra SP and spell effectiveness is more useful to me than extra melee damage. But it's all personal preference as to how far you want to go with your DPS. To me the extra SP is a godsend. Also I'd forget about extend and take THF to boost melee. The only real use for me is to extend divine power and divine favor when meleeing. I rarely find myself being the main buffer. From my experience that duty usually falls to arcanes or favored souls who can afford the SP. And if I do have to buff, it's usually not a big deal to rebuff later when needed.

Another option is to drop both extend and mental toughness and take spell pen and greater spell pen if you want to be really good at insta death spells. Great build, good post.

Also I don't ever use shields unless it's a raid and I not going to be DPSing at all. I'm currently making a greensteel greataxe for my melee cleric. Don't use devotional shields, use ardor 6 clickies instead to boost healing. Thats a mistake I made at first.