Now I have not ever posted much in these forums as casters be they divine or arcane are not something I have done much in DDO over the years. Not that I dont revel in the awesome power of magic in D&D, but I just never found the spell point system very appealing, and alot of other **** that cost me way to much time giving casters here in DDO a fair shot.
I have seen no shortage of powerful casters in DDO over the years. Sorcerers who can walk through quests killing everything before even an archers arrows can land. I have seen the wizards who thanks to long documented knowledge can have every ideal spell for every situation. I have seen the well designed multi classers who can weave skills like trapping, and combat skillfully together creating hybrids I myself appreciate far more then pure classes and the easy power they get thanks to capstone feats.
Of recently Ive begun to explore the divine caster more in the cleric class. However I had no interest in being a healing/buffing type. At least not for anyone but myself. Like only a few here seem to preach, I knew from my years on the tabletop that those who try here in DDO to claim that healbot/supportbot are a clerics only uses are either delusional, or greedy pigs trying to spread a narrow minded view designed to subjicate an entire class to suit thier personal idea of how a cleric should be used, based largely on an MMO like WoW which though is in its own way a fine game, is not one I think DDO should be taking any lessons from, rather drawing from the many FTP MMO out there in thier design which focusses on fast fun battles vs big drag out smack down things usually.
Here we clerics are not just healers, but killers of the first order. We can wield a weapon and witha few simple spells remove what little seperates our base class ability and quickly surpass any fighter or barbarian(rangers and paladins are touched by the divine and our allies so we need not concern them. Healing is something any class can do for itself with simple coin, or a well designed build. Sure clerics can help be the back up for when **** goes bad, in PnP many spells existed to allow a cleric to evade and recover.
I ranted all the above to make my view clear. Battle clerics should be the rule not the exception and this game needs more in game love for those who persue our art of dvine retribution. For example take this last festival. Weapon users could add frost and ciy burst to favored weapons creating some very potent new items in our world that some may be considered even beyond epic named, and green steels.
Arcane casters gained the chance to forge both wand and with good luck in House D or the AH to find the right base, put together what some could say may be the most potent caster artifacts in the game especially for when dealing with fire based foes(Ms Red Dragon anyone?)
But what could clerics enjoy having, a few stockpiles of candy canes for self healing in between fights, and to hand out to cheap warrior types who cant be bothered to spend plat on pots. Even though a festival that seems to reflect xmas could well be seen to espouse life, light ,and giving of ones self selflessly.
They could have also had recipes for eternal cure light wands, and so as not to make the weapon upgrade to nasty id say first would maek a weapon into flametouched iron, second would add righteous, and third pure good( or lesser evil bane, either way) these could I feel improve weapons holy warriors would favor but not upgrade a weapon any more potently then icy burst.
Also why not a series to make a really potent light spell booster, or positive energy booster? Both would be nice to have an option to create an ideal caster tool for the support/or battle minded cleric.
Finally I want a greater range of clerical spells that PnP clerics have. In other words our Domains. We could easily see them added as 2 point enhancments taken as easly as lvl 1, limited to two different ones. Gaining the appropriate spell at each new lvl range, as well as the granted benefit. THis is mainly because we currently as clerics lack access to certain element dmg types that could prove especially useful in the same ways wizard/sorcerers and element weapon wielding warriors do.
Now I wont deny clerics are already powerful in DDO, maybe even among the most powerful, but does that mean they should suffer gaps in potential diversity to make each even more unique simply for fear of a cleric having one more dmg spell in a lvl range that might hit some elemental based foe for abit more dmg? will that many stop using blade barriar and flame strike ? I doubt it, but at least a few, especially those who favor battle with thier magic, would appreciate that bit more of an option in developing thier character.