Feedback: Cleric 101 (Work in Progress)

[FordyTwo]

Howdy! Our next 101 class guide is for the cleric, and we'd love to hear your feedback.

Notes of Interest:

• If you have a one-to-two sentence tip or advice for newbie clerics, do share. We'll have an "Every cleric should know ..." section at the beginning of the guide where we'll spotlight some helpful tips.
• This is only the template included with Cleric 101, and not the newbie-info area of the guide. We're posting it this way because our primary goal is to make sure any "how to build" information is clear and thus, helpful.
• We have yet to add a robust "Enhancement" section to the template. If you've got a personal load-out for healing/cc clerics that you've found useful, feel free to share that as well -- and thanks in advance!

What to do: Give use constructive criticism and feedback!

What not to do: Derail Cleric 101 feedback with off-topic posts or inflammatory comments.

Thanks to:

TheDjinnFor, Asketes, dkyle, Angelus_dead, Raoull, Melicat, FrozenNova, knightgf, bigolbear, Hellllboy, lopkon, AZgreentea, Mellifera, KingofCheese, FlyingTurtle, Phidius, nat_1, Kourier, Doganpc, danotmano1988, Trowa88, csivils, Junts, Valiance, Danmor, Nerate_Mireth, Flavilandile, justagame, dragonmane, darkrhavyn, Jubbers, PNellesen, dennison_brilo, Morlen, Saaluta, sirgog, JollySwagMan, DoctorWhoFan, SirValentine, siver, Enoach, sirdanile, dejafu, Kmnh, Dendrix


--------------------Cleric 101 (Work-in-Progress)--------------------

This guide covers the basics of cleric ability scores, skills and feats. It also offers a basic template for a healing/support-focused cleric and tips for new cleric players.

==Every New Cleric Should Know …==

• Wisdom (WIS) is your most important stat, followed closely by Constitution (CON) and Strength (STR). How you want to play your cleric will determine how important STR ultimately is, but remember that no matter how you build your DDO character, CON determines your hit points (HP) and thus, your survivability.

• When playing the role of healer in parties, stay alive first and heal others second. It becomes terribly impossible to heal others while dead.

• You can target yourself by pressing the F1 key and the rest of your current party by pressing F2-F6. It's also possible to click on party members' names, found on the left-side listing of your display.

• Avoiding damage is even better than healing – spells like Command, Greater Command, and Comet Fall can temporarily disable opponents, and often make the most efficient use of your spell points.


==Template: Classic Casting Cleric==

This template provides a path to creating a classic cleric that focuses on casting spells that offer support, healing and some damage. Know that while a classic-casting-cleric can be played solo, this build performs best with hirelings or with fellow DDO players.

===Ability Point Buy===

Human is the racial choice with this template, both for their extra feat at level 1 and increased skill point gain. This template uses the 28 point build in DDO, if you've unlocked the 32 point build, consider using the extra 4 points for CON or STR.

• STR … 12
• DEX … 8
• CON … 14
• INT … 8
• WIS … 18
• CHA … 10

• Ability Point Buys: Every four levels put your ability point buy into Wisdom (WIS).

===Skills===

At character creation, max out Concentration to ensure your spellcasting suffers minimal interruption during combat, and then put two points into Tumble (netting you a 1.0 rank) – without that 1.0 in Tumble, it won't be usable in combat. Finally, use four points to max out Balance, and the remaining point in Jump.

At each level-up keep Concentration and Balance maxed. Beyond this, feed Jump some points – it'll help with traps and hazards!


===Feats===

It's recommend that new players – and really, most players – take the Toughness feat at level one. Beyond this piece of advice, our feat selection for this template focuses on opening up later enhancements and beefing-up healing power.

• 1) Toughness – Increases Hit Points (HP) at first level and provides additional HP for each new level, allowing a player to take the Racial Toughness enhancement. Taking Toughness results in such a significant HP boost that it's practically mandatory.

• 1) Extend Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, spells with durations last twice as long, but they consume 10 additional Spell Points (SP).

• 3) Empower Healing Spell – While this metamagic feat is active healing spells are 50% more effective, but consume 10 additional Spell Points (SP).

• 6) Maximize Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, damage (and healing!) spells deal double damage (and healing!), but they consume 25 additional Spell Points (SP).

• 9) Empower Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, spells do 50% more damage, but consume 15 additional spell points.

• 12) Quicken Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, spells cast twice as fast and cannot be interrupted by enemy attacks but consume 10 additional spell points.

• 15) Spell Penetration – Adds +2 to your caster level check for defeating spell resistance.

• 18) Heighten Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, your spells are raised to the highest spell level your character can cast, making them more difficult to resist, but increasing their Spell Point (SP) cost.

===Enhancements===

Because enhancements in DDO can be reset for an in-game fee, this section of the classic healer template will offer suggestions -- but not strict guidelines. There really isn't a secret when it comes to choosing the "right" enhancements. It's a matter of being economical and choosing enhancements that feed into your chosen style of play, and offer the most for their value.

Tip! You can check "Show Unavailable" in the enhancements window to see prerequisites any enhancements you may desire at higher levels.

To dramatically boost a cleric's healing spells take enhancements like Cleric Life Magic; this enhancement adds a 10% boost to healing. Additionally, Cleric Prayer of Life and Cleric Prayer of Incredible Life both grant a chance for your healing spells to critical, restoring an ally's hit points (HP) by a considerably larger amount for the same spell point (SP) cost.

• Cleric Life Magic I to IV
• Cleric Prayer of Life I to II
• Cleric Prayer of Incredible Life I to II

Radiant Servant is a powerful prestige enhancement. When taken, it allows you to expend a Turn Undead spell for a potent Healing Burst, or a useful Aura of Healing. As an added benefit, Turn Undead uses will recharge at a slow rate with Radiant Servant. (Both the Improved Turning and Improved Healing enhancements are required to unlock this powerful enhancement.)

• Improved Turning I
• Improved Heal I to II
• Cleric Radiant Servant I to II

While clerics can use their Turn Undead ability to defeat weaker undead creatures, this ability can also serve other purposes with the aid of special enhancements. For instance, Divine Vitality restores a small amount of spell points (SP) to a fellow caster – but at the cost of consuming a use of Turn Undead. Unless you've taken Radiant Servant, Turn Undead can only be used a finite amount of times between rests, so use the two below enhancements wisely.

• Cleric Divine Vitality I to II
• Cleric Divine Healing I to II


Cleric spells are fueled by divine power, receiving divine gifts from enhancements like Follower of the Sovereign Host, which gives clerics proficiency with longswords and a powerful Unyielding Sovereignty enhancement. Unyielding Sovereignty is a powerful "last resort" heal that restores a character to full health and removes many negative effects.

• Follower of the Sovereign Host
• Unyielding Sovereignty

Each of these below enhancements will boost the cleric's ability scores, hit points (HP), and spell points (SP) by a reasonable amount. Feel free to take more ranks, if you'd like.

• Cleric Wisdom I to II
• Cleric Charisma I
• Human Adaptability: Wisdom
• Racial Toughness I to II
• Cleric Energy of the Zealot I to II

== Active, Passive & Toggle ==

Feats, spells, and enhancements come in three distinct flavors: active, passive, and toggle. None of these flavors are mutually exclusive. All feats, spells and enhancements can come in any of the three flavors.

Here's the breakdown:

• Active – When used, an "active" feat, enhancement or spell will cause an immediate effect. This effect can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. Inflict Light Wounds is a spell that immediately damages its target, while Nightshield is an active spell that can immediately defend against Magic Missile attacks – but lasts for five minutes.

• Passive – There are no spells that are purely passive, but plenty of feats fall into this category. Toughness is a great example – it's passive, always giving you those bonus hit points (HP).

• Toggle – Many spells and feats come in this flavor. Think of toggles like a light switch: you can flip it on or off! A toggle always works this way, and in the case of metamagic feats (toggles!) using one will only increase the spell point (SP) cost of other spells – but in no way costs spell points itself to activate.

==Hotbar Loadout==

Newly acquired spells will not automatically show up on your hotbar. To add new spells, simply press the "C" key, and then click on the "Spells" tab on your Character Sheet panel. From the "Spells" tab you can drag and drop each spell icon to your hotbar – and the same can be done for active and toggle feats and enhancements from their respective tabs on the Character Sheet panel ("C" button).

Tip! The Bullstrength spell gives a +4 STR boost, and makes it much easier to defeat enemies at lower-levels with your melee weapon.

==Final Thoughts==

When playing a character with 20 levels of cleric – like the above template – there's plenty of room for customization. If you're interested in having some spellcasting capability but want deeper access to melee combat, consider creating a level 1 fighter, and then taking 19 levels of cleric. If you decide to tweak the classic healer template in this way, make sure to read some of our Fighter 101 guide for tips on important fighter Ability Scores, and more!


Cleric 101 was made the collaborative help of the DDO community!

[Paleus]

Every new cleric should know: The wavecrasher manifests that drop as collectibles can be turned in to Kipling Vranch in the Marketplace for a free (pre-owned) cure moderate wounds wand. Save yourself plat and spell points by checking every collectible for these useful items.

[Asketes]

since there is only one prestige enhancement line thus far for clerics, it may be a good idea to speak briefly about it.

[dkyle]

[*]If you have a one-to-two sentence tip or advice for newbie clerics, do share. We'll have an "Every cleric should know ..." section at the beginning of the guide where we'll spotlight some helpful tips.

A Cleric is not a healbot. Healing actually requires very little focus for a build to do it well. A Cleric can melee, nuke, CC, and buff. A Cleric that focuses solely on healing is squandering their potential.


Overall, build looks fine. Divine casters aren't really my style, but for what it is, looks fine. I would suggest a word about melee Clerics. "Battle Clerics" get a bad rap among new players. Some nitpicks:

At character creation, max out Concentration and Diplomacy, then put two points into Tumble (netting you a 1.0 rank). Use the remaining two points on Jump. At each level-up, keep Concentration and Diplomacy maxed, using the remaining points to get Jump to rank 10. Once Jump is at rank 10, or while you're getting it to rank 10, show some love to the Balance skill.

Jump is not a class skill, so it'll only get to 10 at level 17, which leaves 1.5 ranks for Balance.

Diplomacy is questionable in my opinion, but I guess a newbie might like having a panic button. But a good Cleric is perfectly capable of handling aggro for a little while.

I'm glad you didn't say to take the Heal skill

• 15) Mental Toughness – Increases your maximum spell points by 10 at first level, and 5 Spell Points (SP) for each additional level.

Mental Toughness is a waste. It should only be taken if required by a PrE, which Radiant Servant does not require.

I'd go Greater Spell Pen (better CC) or Empower (better nuking).

Here's an example selection of some good cleric enhancements:

Will want to mention Radiant Servant.

[boricua_in_cali]

aimed at all clerics, b they battle clerics, warpriests, combat caster clerics, etc, etc. In end-game, and all the way up to it, your build isn't as important to the party, as is wether or not you can effectively heal. You might say, I'm a DPS cleric, or combat caster, destruction, blah, blah, blah, but the bottom line is, most groups, especially if your in a non-guild group, are going to look at your little cleric symbol, and expect the hjeals to be coming.

That's not to say that you're responsible for the group, people should be relatively self-sufficient. There's no reason people shouldn't carry their own healing supplies, be it wands, pots, scrolls, a pouch of jerky, a candy cane, or something that will help them stay alive.

P.S. I love my greataxe cleric.

Everything above, shortened to two (maybe 3) lines.
No matter what your play style as a cleric, people will expect you to heal them in groups. If you don't want to, so be it. But people WILL Expect it from you, and possible be upset when you don't, even if you are leading in kill counts. Be prepared to heal, or be prepared to be shunned.

[Angelus_dead]

At character creation, max out Concentration and Diplomacy
• 6) Quicken Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, spells cast twice as fast and cannot be interrupted by enemy attacks, but they consume 10 additional Spell Points (SP).
• 15) Mental Toughness – Increases your maximum spell points by 10 at first level, and 5 Spell Points (SP) for each additional level.!

Diplomacy is really nonuseful for Clerics, as their normal party function doesn't have them leading the aggro list (or even close). Balance or Jump is higher priority.
Taking Quicken at such a low level would be unusable until your SP are much higher.
I can't recommend any Cleric take Mental Toughness: there's always something better in melee weapons, spell focus, penetration, saves, or even a second HP Toughness.

Going 18 wisdom is actually excessive for most Cleric needs... compared to a Sorcerer or Wizard, it is much more justifiable to drop your casting stat to 16 and put points elsewhere. (I'd really tend to raise str a bit over int and cha!)

[Raoull]

It is imperative as a cleric to avoid dying. Often you are the only one who can raise. This matters when building your toon (at least 6 points to con), while gearing your toon (+con gear, false life, fort and extras like blurry) as well as when playing your toon (your red bar is more important than theirs). A cleric who is out of spell points can still heal with wands or scrolls (or mana pots). Dead clerics can't heal.

[MeliCat]

Balance not diplomacy - too many trip kitties in this game and faster you get up is better for everyone.

I like mental toughness - with 18 wis and level ups here this char is an offensive caster build therefore more sp = more damage. You should also definitely include a sample melee build too though.

Tip: poison neutralisation, lesser restoration, remove blindness, remove curse and remove disease can be cast from a pot which can be hot-barred. This leaves your hands free of wands so that you can hold potency or penetration items and leaves your spell slots free for damage and buff spells.

[dkyle]

Tip: poison neutralisation, lesser restoration, remove blindness, remove curse and remove disease can be cast from a pot which can be hot-barred. This leaves your hands free of wands so that you can hold potency or penetration items and leaves your spell slots free for damage and buff spells.

But not guild pots. Those are self-only. 'cause we all know guilds are selfish

Worth mentioning along with the above.

[FrozenNova]

Regular empower instead of mental toughness.
Your divine punishment and blade barrier will thank you.

I'd personally swap extend out for spell focus: evocation at cap. Now blade barrier is inextensible, extend offers nothing to the capped cleric.

Brief advice?
Any cleric with any build can heal. If all you do is heal, pre-epic, I don't want you in my party.
This build is an offensive casting build - correct operation requires adequate use of crowd control and killing spells.

A single cleric with just enough spellpoints for a single blade barrier can take out an army or five.

Commanding an ogre is cheaper than healing his damage. Greater commanding a pile of trolls is cheaper than healing their damage. And more fun.

You have a will-save spell, a fortitude-save spell, and a reflex-save spell.
Greater command, implosion/destruction, cometfall.
Know which, when, where and why to cast them.

Do not complain about costs. The cost of gearing a cleric and supplying scrolls compared to the cost of fully gearing a TWF melee is extremely small.

[knightgf]

===Ability Point Buy===

Human is the racial choice with this template, both for their extra feat at level 1 and increased skill point gain. This template uses the 28 point build in DDO, if you've unlocked the 32 point build, consider using the extra 4 points for CON or STR.

• STR … 10
• DEX … 8
• CON … 14
• INT … 10
• WIS … 18
• CHA … 10

• Ability Point Buys: Every four levels put your ability point buy into Wisdom (WIS).

If possible, I would simply divert the two points from strength and put them into constitution if possible. There are a few good reasons for this:

1. Even though you make yourself more vulnurable to Ray of Enfeeblement, the spell Bulls Strength will raise your strength from 8 to 12 for a brief period of time, and (Assuming the die isn't loaded) Ray of Enfeeblement deals only 11 str damage at max...you'll still have enough STR to cast or use lesser restore to dispel it. Besides, bulls strength is a nice party buff spell for melees at low levels, since its also when the rays happen the most, although it can continue even into the Sands of Mech.
2. For humans, there can be many benefits. A +1 tome can be used instead of a +2 tome for raising con to a even number, the enhancement human constitution can actually have use instead of sit there as a prerequisite to human toughness III, and if you get some good gear later on, one can use the exceptional bonus - Constitution +1 to even out their CON level.
3. Even though you carry less, managing your weight is a important thing to master. In a battle of STR and CON, a few pounds of carrying stuff < more HP. If you have trouble with your load cap, sell your loot in-between traveling to quests, avoid looting plain or low-qualify heavy armor, and if you can get a better source of DR 3/-, wear something lighter than heavy armor. Speaking of which, since clerics can wear heavy armor, any Adamantite heavy armor can be good to wear as even though clerics don't have much in AC, the DR from heavy armor isn't bad, and is better than nothing. Also, if you decide to use shields for whatever reason(Id use two caster-enhancing weapons personally), try getting something made of mithril, not only does it reduce your weight, but it also reduces your armor penalties.

===Skills===

At character creation, max out Concentration and Diplomacy, then put two points into Tumble (netting you a 1.0 rank). Use the remaining two points on Jump. At each level-up, keep Concentration and Diplomacy maxed, using the remaining points to get Jump to rank 10. Once Jump is at rank 10, or while you're getting it to rank 10, show some love to the Balance skill.

For new players, concentration is a must when quicken is either unavailable or inefficient. Diplomacy can be a bit tricky for players to use, as it requires monsters to be close to if not attacking them. It doesn't work on all monsters either, and if your using it, I think somehow there's a problem within the group, whether its the cleric or someone else.

For new clerics, the only other cross-class skill I recommend would be haggle if your not going to invest in diplomacy, as it helps you get some much-needed plat for the resources you bring along. You can also invest in balance early if you decide not to invest in Tumble, since really, a feather fall item gets rid of the fear that clerics face when falling in armor. Jump seems ok, but tumble might not get you far at early levels if a cleric decides to wear armor with armor check penalties.

===Feats===

We recommend that new players – and really, most players – take the Toughness feat at level one. Beyond this piece of advice, our feat selection for this template focuses on opening up later enhancements and beefing-up healing power in the levels beyond 10.

• 1) Toughness – Increases Hit Points (HP) at first level and provides additional HP for each new level, allowing a player to take the Racial Toughness enhancement. Taking Toughness results in such a significant HP boost that it's practically mandatory.

• 1) Empower Healing Spell – While this metamagic feat is active healing spells are 50% more effective, but consume 10 additional Spell Points (SP).

• 3) Extend Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, spells with durations last twice as long, but they consume 10 additional Spell Points (SP).

• 6) Quicken Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, spells cast twice as fast and cannot be interrupted by enemy attacks, but they consume 10 additional Spell Points (SP).

• 9) Maximize Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, damage (and healing!) spells deal double damage (and healing!), but they consume 25 additional Spell Points (SP).

• 12) Heighten Spell – While this metamagic feat is active, your spells are raised to the highest spell level your character can cast, making them more difficult to resist, but increasing their Spell Point (SP) cost.

• 15) Mental Toughness – Increases your maximum spell points by 10 at first level, and 5 Spell Points (SP) for each additional level.

• 18) Spell Penetration – Adds +2 to your caster level check for defeating spell resistance.

To be honest, as long as you invest a few tiers into the spell penetration enhancements and perhaps get a item, you really don't need the spell penetration feat. You could probably replace it with two things:

• Improved Mental Toughness: Adds more SP into a class that is severely deprived of SP. I'd recommend it completely.
• Empower spell: 50% more damage at the cost of only 15 SP. Good way to boost your heals, although to be honest, it's really more useful for your damage spells.

Also, if your going to recommend mental toughness, I suggest taking the first tier at a earlier level. In fact, you don't really need metamagics at creation, id recommend the feats in this order:

• Toughness
• Mental Toughness
• Empower Healing SPell
• Heighten Spell
• Maximize spell
• Quicken spell
• Improved Mental Toughness
• Empower spell

===Enhancements===

Because enhancements in DDO can be reset for an in-game fee this section of the classic healer template will offer suggestions, but not strict guidelines. There really isn't a secret when it comes to choosing the right enhancements. It's a matter of being economical and choosing enhancements that offer the most for their value.

Here's an example selection of some good cleric enhancements:

• Cleric Life Magic I (Grants a 10% increase to the effectiveness of your healing and negative energy spells.)

• Cleric Divine Vitality I (Activate this ability to restore 13 to 22 Spell Points (SP) to another character. Consumes a use of your turn undead ability.)

• Follower of the Sovereign Host (Grants a +1 bonus to hit with longswords, the favored weapon of the clergy of the Sovereign Host.) The longsword bonus is not generally very useful, but this enhancement is a prerequisite for Unyielding Sovereignty, which will be discussed in a bit.

• Cleric Wisdom I (Grants a +1 increase to your Wisdom score.)

• Racial Toughness I (Grants you 10 additional hit points if you have the Toughness feat.)

• Unyielding Sovereignty (Activate this ability to fully heal Hit Point (HP) damage done to an ally and remove several negative effects, restoring them to a completely healthy status.) Although Unyielding Sovereignty has a long cooldown, it can be a great “last resort” way to keep a high-hit-point ally alive, and remove most ailments!

One probably vital thing that you've forgotten to mention was the Radiant Servant PrE. It's the only and by far greatest PrE for a cleric. It allows them to passively regenerate turns and throw a few special heals. Now I don't know much about this, but doesn't it require a feat of some sort? If so, you can simply downgrade improved mental toughness to regular or exchange extend and use that feat instead.

Other than that, it's not bad.

[bigolbear]

looks solid, like the skills selection and stat distribution.

dont think you will have enough ranks in tumble to tumble with that dex in heavy armour - maybe more in tumble.

Id suggest adding to recomended feats: extra turning - for additional turns to fuel DV's and radiant bursts.

mention DV, divine healing, divne cleansing, and importantly radiant servant. You should suggest that 'turn undead' is useful vs low lvl undead such as skeletons but not generaly useful at high lvls and thus a cleric should start using their turn undead attempts for other things - then go on to explain about dv, radaint servant etc.

about heighten: it would be worth mentioning this is only recomended for more advanced cleric players that will toggle metamagics on/off often. It is not a good idea to leave heighten on all the time as it makes healing spells way more expensive. Infact considering this is a newbie guide remove heighten from the list of recomended feats.

[Hellllboy]

This is a good start.

You may want to discuss some of the items a Cleric (that would fall into this category) may carry-such as:

-Heal Scrolls
-Wands
-Devotion/Potency/Ador
-Sacred (for turn attempts)
-Wizardry/Power items

Perhaps you could give new players a run down on healing strategy, Mana Management, Healing amplification, Racial Tendencies, Ect...

[dkyle]

I'd personally swap extend out for spell focus: evocation at cap. Now blade barrier is inextensible, extend offers nothing to the capped cleric.

Good point. Extend is nice on a melee divine, to help keep Divine Favor and Divine Power up, but not much use on a casting divine.

Perhaps this would be a good guide to introduce Lockania and her free feat swap? It ought to be addressed at some point. It's really a very useful thing to know about, that's kind of obscure.

[dkyle]

[*]Improved Mental Toughness: Adds more SP into a class that is severely deprived of SP. I'd recommend it completely.

It's like a 100 SP at cap. Drop in the bucket. Really not worth it.

• Toughness
• Mental Toughness
• Extend spell
• Heighten Spell
• Maximize spell
• Quicken spell
• Improved Mental Toughness
• Empower spell

Left out Empower Healing (prereq for Radiant Servant), which is in the original build.

[lopkon]

Mental Toughness doesn't seem very useful to me, rather I would suggest Empower Spell, since if you are going for combat Casting your BB, Cometfall,etc should hurt.

Quicken is not really needed before you reach the Desert and then again, actually it just gets really useful in the last lvls, you can get it later. As mentioned before using it too early may cause a too big SP drain.

Extend Spell is not essentially needed anymore, since it doesnt apply on BB and the other buffs (even short terms) have rather long enough durations later on. On a Human this feat is still viable, but this feat is the one I wouldnt take on a non human.

Spell Penetration is definitely a nice feat and not a useless concept, but just getting one of those feats and even this one just at lvl 18 will leave it to have almost no use without taking more Spell Penetration feats or Past Lifes, if this will be included I would at least say to mention that the matching enhancements are a must have

Another useful tip would be that Empower and Maximize Spell Apply on all Cure Spells - which is a nice add to the healing amount, but since it's not always needed it's mostly a nice SP-drain as well. Furthermore you should add that it doesn't apply on Heal or Mass Heal. Speaking of SP Drain- Heighten can get a nice SP-drainer as well.

I would recommend new healer to carry heal and mass moderate wounds scrolls with them, as soon as they are able to pay them. And if you ever get SP problems in healing a quest, try to mostly scroll heal and only use a bit off mana, since once you run out of mana pure Scroll healing mostly won't cut it. However that's more for only a few endgameish quests, so it might not apply for a 101.

For the Skills: I would switch Diplomacy to Balance (or Haggle xP)

[AZgreentea]

For a 101 guide, I think it would be important to mention the ways to target your teammates. Targeting is helpful on an arcane caster, but auto target can still be used. For a Cleric, the only way to target your teammates is manually, unless you use the radiant burst. This means either right clicking on their character, left clicking on their name in the party list, or using the Function keys (F1-F6 for a normal party, F1-F12 for a Raid). Also important to mention about healing would be that the spells are LOS. You cant heal around corners or through object like pillars (which is also one of the ingame tips).

**EDIT
Oh, and the radiant servant SLA can only be used when targeting yourself or nobody (i.e not targeting an ally).

[knightgf]

Left out Empower Healing (prereq for Radiant Servant), which is in the original build.

Whoops, how'd I leave that out? Well, I guess you can replace extend with it...

Oh, and one thing I have to ask: Do we REALLY need all of these active metamagics as feats? While I have played a cleric and have had to juggle metamagics(Meaning I dont need all of them on all of the time), I think a new player would be scared away if they saw how many of their feats composed of metamagics.

[FuzzyDuck81]

if you're fighting undead, and need to heal yourself.. remember to select yourself first or it'll be used as an attack spell on the undead instead - that one caught me out a couple of times when i first started.

[Mellifera]

Nice start. This is an excellent template for a cleric who can heal AND cast offensively. Some notes tho:

Dip, Balance, and Jump: I don't think Diplomacy is a must have. All three of them are viable options for your secondary skill. You should say Concentration is a must (and why!), and then give a break down on what the other three are good for.

Feats: Dump Mental Toughness. Feats are tight on a cleric, and you can get extra sp through the Energy of the Zealot line. You could fit in Empower (or take it instead of Empower Healing) or Greater Spell Pen or Spell Focus. Quicken I would take much later; you can live without it until Blade Barrier and Heal. Extend is also optional post Spell Pass: it could be taken at low level for better buffage and swapped out via the free feat swap from running Lockania's quest.

Enhancements: No mention of Radiant Servant? Seeing as its the only PRE and how it's so good, I'd think there should be a few words about it.


Also, I hope you eventually write a guide on how to be a successful melee cleric. After all, not everyone wants to stand back and just sling spells. Some of us like to smash things in the face while throwing the heals!