Should I keep her shelved?

[Knippers]

My first build was a 28pt human cleric. A healbot for sure. I leveled her to 16 and have since replaced her with a 32pt not too long ago that I like much better. I like running clerics and I prefer pure classes. I have 4 capped characters so I usually have something to play. Just last week, however, I was unable to get into a shroud run when I realized all were still on timer. So, I've started looking at this cleric again just to run as a back up. I doubt she'll be used alot - she's too slow and has some pitifully low stat numbers. (Hey, it was my first build.) Obviously she's not going to work for meleeing at all, and I'm not sure the DC's are good enough for destruction in end game content, but I could make BB useful. Here are her current stats:

Str: 8
Dex: 8 + 2 tome
Con: 10 + 1 tome
Int: 8
Wis: 19 +1 tome
Cha: 19 + 1 tome

It was a mistake to invest so much in cha, but what is done is done. So, would you try to work w/this and bring her back? Or would you keep her shelved? Would a splash of pally for the saves (she has a 7 reflex) be an option? With such low HP and the poor reflex save I'm concerned that she wouldn't survive the Shroud part 4 long enough to be useful. But I haven't played a pally so I don't know. Or I could splash Sorc for doubling of SP as an option, but that doesn't help the HP/Reflex save issue for raids. I know it's better to plan a multiclass build, but I am only looking at the splash as a way to shore up whats deficient here well enough to use her in end game content, not neccesarily maximize the build progression. Anyone out there got ideas or suggestions?

[MetaSyn]

if ya still have some open slots, hang onto her, nothing wrong with have'n high lvl backup when needed, some shrouds, loot runs till sack, or an extra bank.

[Warhulk]

I run my 28pt warforged cleric all the time. I tried to make him like my pnp character so my stat points are distributed more evenly than yours. With the help of 3 +1 tomes and the +2 one for 1750 favor, and +6 stat items, I was able to make all his stats(except Int, my dump stat) 20 or higher. I have a lot of fun with him now. And no greensteel items for him yet.

[biggin]

I only play clerics, but I still like running my 1st 28 pt build. I ran him for so long before I decided to roll another character that he's actually just as resilient as my 32 point builds because of all the loot I picked up along the way. If you have fun playing him then go for it. Noone has to know how you rolled him. It's your money, play the game you want to, not what you think other people want you to play.

[Nyvn]

My 28 pt Human Cleric is still my main. Without knowing your gear I'll suggest 3 things that will greatly improve your survivability.

Minos Legions Helm
+6 Con Item
GFL Item

With out tomes/gear/feats you probably won't be able to land spells reliably. So mainly plan on being a healbot until/if you get properly equipped.

[Knippers]

Well, I don't like her as much as the new cleric, but she's still effective as a healbot. If I work at it, I think I can get her wisdom up to 36 w/a +3 tome. But I'm not sure that investment is worth working for. So yeah she's not gonna get much out of the destruct spell, but BB is still an option. But what concerns me more is with a horrible reflex save and barely more than 200 hps, I just don't see her surviving part 4 of the shroud Unless I have REALLY GOOD LUCK and I'm certainly NOT taking her into VOD. She'd just be a liablity in those quests.

She doesn't have the helm, but she does the have those other items. And since I can't figure out how to get into the beta site, I guess I'll go farm for tapestries instead.

[AussieEngineer]

Hey mate,

I was in a similar boat recently.

I had my first cleric I rolled (being Drow turning specc'd cleric) which was awesome fun up until about level 13, when the low Hit Points (I think I had about 200 or so at level 13) really became a problem, coupled with no ability to engage in meaningful combat without SP usage.

This cleric kind of got shelved, and I leveled a new Dwarven 1 Ftr / 15 Cleric, all the way up to cap in the mean time, which I now consider my real cleric, and the one I take into quests primarily if I have a choice. (maxed Wis sitting at 34 atm, and I think around 370 HP, which is nice and survivable for me. No CHA and DV's though ).

Only after I was grinding shroud for ingredients did I finally decide to dust off the old drow cleric, and get him leveled and ready for shroud, purely to help get shroud ingredients.

I first swapped out a feat (based on PnP knowledge, I had given the guy Combat Casting :P) for toughness, to try and do something about low HP. (Already had Minos Legens on him). Reworked enhancements to make use of toughness as feat. Left off Improved turning enhancements on him for now, and I figure when level cap is raised, and the changes to the turning enhancements costs come in I will re-invest points into this.

This guy is still not that fun, and I am painfully running him through SOS flagging too atm to try and get him some useful armour, but it figure it will be worth it in the end.
(He was also my 'proof of concept' build to get an idea of how useful turning undead would be).

Having an extra cleric you can swap to when your more liked clerics are on timer is good. Ingredients or guild need are all good motivators to get him ready.

So first off if I were you, I would look at seeing what you can do to get some more hitpoints.
You know your build better than everyone else, but if you can fit them in anywhere, I would suggest trying to get a toughness feat or two in there. Minos Legens in a must have, and also look at maybe crafting a 1st or 2nd tier HP item in shroud.

You didn't mention your level, but given you make reference to splashing a level in another class, I suspect you are not yet capped?
If it were me, I wouldn't think of splashing at this stage. I tend to think if you are going to splash, it is best done at the start of a character's life time, when you are able to fully consider how to balance the trade off's you will face for losing that level of cleric goodness.

Keeping the cleric pure will also make sure when the level is raised, you get access to the new spells right away, which might offset the rest of the build's flaws? The previous information released about Mod9 included some new cleric spells (Implosion) which sounds fun. It might be that once you get access to higher level spells in Mod9, you won't mind so much the other limitations you are facing.

The fact is, you are probably not going to enjoy this build as much as your other one(s), but for an "in emergency break glass - Need a cleric off timer" it can be worthwhile to keep around.

[Knippers]

AussieEngineer, thank you for the feedback. She is level 16 - So I was considering a splash when the level cap is increased. Now I think if I do that, it will be 1 level of sorc to increase the spell points. I don't know how many extra spell points it would give with actual the level, but it would double spell points of the wizardry and shroud items.

I have pulled her out her a few times - she isn't as fun as my main cleric, but she is still useful. I have swapped out a feat for toughness and acquired the ML helm. But to use the helm I have to remove a wizardry VI item.

I think I will make her a special project and see if I can improve her survivability and versatility before the cap increase. After that, I'll see what can be done for her long term.

[JayDubya]

I don't know how many extra spell points it would give with actual the level, but it would double spell points of the wizardry and shroud items.
.

I don't think that this is true - my understanding is that the sorc bonus scales by level - so 1 level of sorc w/19 levels of cleric would only give you a +5% bonus to your wizardry/shroud items, not double them.

[Knippers]

I don't think that this is true - my understanding is that the sorc bonus scales by level - so 1 level of sorc w/19 levels of cleric would only give you a +5% bonus to your wizardry/shroud items, not double them.

Well, if that's the case maybe it's not worth it. Is there a 15 cleric/1 sorc out there who could tell me how much increase they get from their wizardry or shroud item when they equip it?

[Noctus]

Well, if that's the case maybe it's not worth it. Is there a 15 cleric/1 sorc out there who could tell me how much increase they get from their wizardry or shroud item when they equip it?

The Sorcerer SP item bonus is proportional to the number of Sorcerer levels compared to total character levels.
--> Splashing Sorcerer to get this bonus unlocked doesnt work.

[Knippers]

The Sorcerer SP item bonus is proportional to the number of Sorcerer levels compared to total character levels.
--> Splashing Sorcerer to get this bonus unlocked doesnt work.

The only other reason would be access arcane wands and scrolls like stone skin, blur, GH etc. I didn't invest in umd for - too costly. But since I could craft her a SS clicky and/or a Blur item and I NEVER run her solo (unless it's a level 4 or lower quest ) then what's the point of that? And if asking the arcane for those buffs doesn't get a favorable response, with a cha like that + diplo maxed, standing close enough to the said caster will be entertaining at least. Well then, I think she stays pure.

So that leaves the db fireball issue. And the end fight in the kobold quest (shudder)