Cleric Build Catalogue 2010

[Khimberlhyte]

Target-Practice, if you want a healbot, you can just take the healbot path in the catalog, and play with enhancements to taste. The only two things Radiant Servant did were to make the Empower Healing feat virtually essential on any build with 12 levels of cleric or more, and it also makes Charisma useful.

You can reset enhancements easily every three days, so don't worry about stuff like whether to have anything beyond Divine Vitality - try the others if you want, and keep the ones you like.

If you're already at level 17 on your warpriest, you also have the option of taking him to level 20, and doing a True Reincarnation into a 34 point build. That way, you can keep all of your existing bound-to-character gear, and you can go grind some more out (greensteel goggles, Gauntlets of Eternity, Torq, etc) before reincarnation that will make leveling up a lot easier.

Your Heal spell on a level 17 cleric is not affected by the warpriest path. The number of HP you can heal is affected by the number of cleric levels you have (up to 15), the Life Magic chain of enhancements (which you should fully maximize), by the highest devotion / potency item in use, and by empower healing. Your Heal spell should work as well as a dedicated healbot, apart from crits.

The best use of SP is based on the party, the quest, and the metamagics you have turned on. An empowered healing Heal costs 35 SP + 10 SP = 45 SP (slightly less with metamagic enhancements). A cure moderate wounds with empower healing and maximize both on costs 15 SP + 25 SP + 10 SP = 50 SP for far less healing. In a raid, mass healing is your priority, and cooldowns are your biggest issue, along with conserving SP, and knowing which metas to leave turned on (an area that I need more experience in). You can also spot heal with Heal scrolls.

For your build, maximize Wisdom, and have a healthy Constitution. Add Charisma and Strength to taste (10-12 is handy to avoid enfeeblement). A negative dex modifier is not a big deal - your reflex saves will be awful anyways, so don't even bother. Using a +2 Int tome at level 7 will give you an additional skill point at each level after level 7, so try to do that as well for a new character. Apart from additional skill points at each level, Int isn't all that useful for you.

The "Heal" skill is a waste of points - don't touch it at all, since all it affects is the number of hit points people receive when shrining with you nearby. Keep your Concentration capped when leveling up. I like to put my other points into Balance (helps you get up faster when tripped / cometfalled). Some people like Jump, but a ranger or arcane can give you 30 points of jump, so I tend to leave that one.

For weapons, you can use simple weapons (heavy mace, morningstar, quarterstaff, etc). Some of the best ones at low levels (and easiest to get) are the Nicked Heavy Mace from Sharn Syndicate, and the Pillar of Light quarterstaff from Catacombs (good for those skellies in Delera's). You can also get the enhancement that gives you Dol Dorn's Champion, which gives you longsword proficiency (nice lowbie ghost touch longsword in catacombs, Blade of Inquisition).

[Target-Practice100]

Thank you very much for the reply Khimberlhyte, it gives me a lot to consider.

First, you say to just take a path build instead of a custom build. I assume you are referring to the Font of Healing or Scourge of the undead. Of the 2 the Font of Healing path looks quite good apart from the STR of 8, but I can buff this with a wearable item to give me a 10 STR at level 4, which is where the toon will start at. On the plus side this build would give me a CON of 16.
So with the 32 point build I would have the following base points:
STR - 8
DEX - 10
CON -16
INT - 8
WIS - 18
CHA - 12

On the other hand, you do say that DEX is not needed, so using a custom build I could change DEX to 8 and make STR 10, although how much that will really change things I don't know.

You mentioned using a +2 INT tome, I have use a +2 Supreme tome on the cleric, so bumping up all the main stats at level 7 by 2 is also part of the plan for the new toon.

The heal skill is something I thought to be important for a cleric at least so far as self healing goes. Would not having a too low heal skill lessen my self healing at a shrine? On the other hand I completely agree with putting more points into the concentration and balance skills. What about Diplomacy?

You also mention resetting enhancements, while i know about this I have never done it. I assume that it will not really increase my SP any, but I can use it to make my toon's healing more effective, increase the number of turn undead I have, and increase the possibility of getting crit heals etc. Also having reached level 17 have I left it too late to really benefit much from it?

I have thought about True Reincarnation for the current toon, and this might be the option I end up going with, but I want to find out a lot more about it and exactly how it works first. If I do not TR, does my toon continue to get SP and other increases beyond level 20? If not, is there any point in continuing a toon beyond level 20 that is not probably up to doing epic and other very high level quests?

[Khimberlhyte]

First, you say to just take a path build instead of a custom build. I assume you are referring to the Font of Healing or Scourge of the undead.

Nope, was referring to this one.

On the other hand, you do say that DEX is not needed, so using a custom build I could change DEX to 8 and make STR 10, although how much that will really change things I don't know.

Your reflex saves will be ever-so-slightly worse, and you won't be enfeebled as easily.

The heal skill is something I thought to be important for a cleric at least so far as self healing goes. Would not having a too low heal skill lessen my self healing at a shrine? On the other hand I completely agree with putting more points into the concentration and balance skills. What about Diplomacy?

I generally hit the shrine with at least one aura/burst remaining, so I'm only shrining to get SP. While it's not as bad since they nerfed monster's chain trips a few updates ago, you can spend a lot of time on the ground when surrounded by a pack of worgs, jackals, air elementals, or with cometfalls. Balance helps you gets you up faster, and helps prevent you from becoming a soulstone. A little bit more self-healing at the shrine is nice, but it is less important than other skills. I rarely use diplomacy, but if you find it useful, put some points into it.

You also mention resetting enhancements, while i know about this I have never done it. I assume that it will not really increase my SP any, but I can use it to make my toon's healing more effective, increase the number of turn undead I have, and increase the possibility of getting crit heals etc. Also having reached level 17 have I left it too late to really benefit much from it?

It is never too late to reset enhancements - they're the only thing you can change easily in this game. You can reset all of your enhancements every three days by walking up to a cleric trainer and paying some plat. I don't focus on crit heals apart from the radiant servant pre-requisites. Crits are fun to see, but you never rely on crits, and you're mostly just overhealing when you do get one. They're nice, but there are other places to spend action points. Write down your existing enhancements before you reset them, and make sure you get the radiant servant pre-requisites, life magic line, toughness enhancements, and at least the first two tiers of Cleric Wisdom. Wand and scroll mastery are nice as well for scroll healing, and the first few tiers of SP enhancements are probably worth spending a few enhancement points on.

I have thought about True Reincarnation for the current toon, and this might be the option I end up going with, but I want to find out a lot more about it and exactly how it works first. If I do not TR, does my toon continue to get SP and other increases beyond level 20? If not, is there any point in continuing a toon beyond level 20 that is not probably up to doing epic and other very high level quests?

Level 20 is the cap. You will want items though, such as greensteel, which take some grinding. The best items in the game come from raids and high level content, and they will vastly increase your cleric's capabilities. It's hard to screw up a cleric, so odds are, your existing cleric is more capable than you think - it's a matter of learning the game, and optimizing him a bit.

[Sambadd]

First, thank you all for this awsome, and informative series!

I'm returning as FTP, after a year of old age medically induced absence, and purchased the 32 point build.

I had no Characters higher than level four, so I'm "Restarting" them as new ones.

=========================

Edit starts here:

I remember loving the Cleric for early solo ability, and ability to be useful to Groups. I wanted to use the 32 point build for making this new Cleric a Battle Type.

I recently earned that Radiant Servant I & II require close prox to Melee, and would like to go with Follower of the Soverign Host line, instead of the Charisma I & II

So.......

My new request is for a step-by-step Build link for my 32 point, level 3 Human Cleric, showing how best to include the Radiant Servant line with other necessary feats/enhancements.

He started with 14/10/14/10/16/14 with current WIS at 17, due to Feat +1 increase.

Feats: Empower Healing (1), Extend Spell (1), Toughness (3)

Enhancements can be fixed as needed.

I have read and re-read numerous posts all over the Forums about the RS I & II, and the more I read, the more confused I get about exactly what to take, and when... and what is really useful vs what is not.


Thanks again to Sirgog, and the rest of you Experienced Cleric Fans, for your time and effort, on behalf of the Great Unwashed!

Sam

[simsiim]

this needs a bump
So I can find it easier after I wake up, still more reading for me to do here

[Crimsonplayer]

A pvp focused cleric??!! Either pure 20 cleric or the 18/2 monk.

[Koshy11]

Necrophilia, the urge to crack open the cold one, in this case, bumping up some dusty old but useful thread.

[Habreno]

Build Name: Master of Trades
Typical class level split: 20 Cleric
Optimal races: Human/HElf/Others*
Party role: Mainly heals. Fully offensive-capable while being fairly melee capable.
New player friendly? Not in the least. +3 tomes, past lives all recommended. Ask if you have a bunch of gear and want a 32 or 34 point version, and include your race, please. I will recommend a stat distribution.
Signature spell(s): Any and All.

* Pick a race with a weapon that you want, if you want a specific weapon or two. I have an Elf version that is Elf because of Rapier/Longsword/Scimitar proficencies.

Build Description
Very competent healing power, Offensive casting, and capable melee, all in one. When things do go south, capable of swapping a couple gear pieces, hitting a solid AC and just tanking mobs while slowly whittling their HP down at very little risk.

Recommended Starting Stats
Human/HElf/Elf/HOrc/Dwarf/Halfling/Drow/Warforged
Str: 15/15/15*/16/15/13/15/15*
Dex: 12/12/12*/12/12/12/12/12*
Con: 14/14/12*/14/16/14/12/16*
Int: 10/10/10*/10/10/10/10/10*
Wis: 18/18/18/18/18/18/18/16
Cha: 08/08/08*/08/08/08/10/06*
Level up points into: WIS

Elf and WF versions have 2 build points remaining, place these into whichever stat you wish.

Key Feats:
Empower Healing
Quicken
TWF
IC: Slashing

Key Enhancements:

WIS +3
Radiant Servant II
Appropriate weapon-specific racial enhancements
Life Magic IV

Recommended Skill Point Allocation:
Concentration, Balance or UMD. If going UMD, put points in Balance after +2 tome. If going Balance, skill is up to personal flavor.

Gear to hunt out while leveling:

Do not recommend leveling as this build.


Gear to hunt out when closing on level 20:

Do not recommend leveling as this build.


Gear to aspire toward getting at endgame:

Gear which enhances multiple factors at once.
Examples:
Epic Brawling Gloves: Provides STR +7, Sneak Attack, and a Yellow Slot
Greensteel Weaponry: Craftable in a variety of methods, including adding Exceptional Stat (benefit dependent, use a crafter before planning any long-term gear if you go this route)
Craftable Trinkets: Greater Foci/Greater Lore/Dodge +2/other benefits, easily swappable.
L16 Cannith Challenges Bracers of Wind (Tier 3, adding Dodge +1 on Cannith Crafting)
Epic Swashbuckler (slotted +7)- 14 AC on shield, when augmented via SoC- 9 shield, 4 insight, 1 ritual, while keeping MDB non-limited by shields.
Yugoloth Potions.

Play notes:

Focus on your intented role in the group. Often this will be party healing. However, remind groups that you have a fairly high STR, and solid DC's on spells. If you build correctly, you can go from chewtoy in Hound to healing the dogs attacking Xy'zzy, without needing to do anything but switch gear. Or you can heal the party in EDA while outkilling half of them, thanks to a combination of melee and instakills.

I recommend high-crit range weapons over high-crit multiplier ones. Even though you have a solid STR, your damage is not around a full melee build. Leverage Seeker effects to your benefit for additional damage on crits. ESOS should be your dream weapon- +10, 15-20 X3 with IC: Slashing. Perfect for a lower to-hit that you will have and the lower damage as well.

THIS IS A GEAR INTENSIVE BUILD. There is no way around this.

I do recommend LRing into this build, rather than building straight to it. Your fairly high STR will get some second looks from groups, but you will get in since you are a Cleric.


AC: Gear dependent. Capable of filling a high MDB, up to +9 with Yugo pots and Ship buffs if you wish.
Capabilities: Mid 60's self buffed, low 70's raid buffed, mid 80's capable.
HP: Low to mid 500's.
SP: 2000-2200, slightly more with max WIS buffs and Guild Augment slots. About 250-300 SP is lost switching gear for melee, keep that in mind.
To-Hit: Unbuffed, mid 30's. Normal buffs: Mid 40's. Raid buffed: ~45-50. Max buffed: 70+.