Halfling Cleric... Yes or No?

[majikfreak]

My cousin is just back after a 4 year lay-off from DDO...

He TR'd his Dragon Mark Halfling Cleric... I'm trying to help him avoid making the same mistake with the Dragon marks. I don't see any halfling cleric builds out there... are they bad clerics? I see mostly humans, elf cleric builds... can some one please point me to a halfling cleric or clonk build please...

Oh and the main reason for need a halfling is his name... Meredoc! We are Tolkien fans.

Thanks

[Loromir]

My cousin is just back after a 4 year lay-off from DDO...

He TR'd his Dragon Mark Halfling Cleric... I'm trying to help him avoid making the same mistake with the Dragon marks. I don't see any halfling cleric builds out there... are they bad clerics? I see mostly humans, elf cleric builds... can some one please point me to a halfling cleric or clonk build please...

Oh and the main reason for need a halfling is his name... Meredoc! We are Tolkien fans.

Thanks

Most cleric builds you find out there right now are going to get a big overhaul in the near future. Clerics will be getting domains....which will be a game changer for Clerics. I don't see any reason why a Halfling Cleric won't work.

Look at the recent post by Severlin about Cleric Domains to get a feeling for what's on the horizon.

[Enoach]

What is wrong with Halfling Clerics? And the Dragonmarks?

How is it a mistake?

When people pick human it is usually for the extra feat
Elf could be for scimitar or AA access or if half-elf the dilettantes or Morninglord for the racial abilities for turns or the 3 in 1 buff
Dwarf also has a nice synergy with Cleric

But I would look at the changes coming (at least the preliminary outline) to see how Domains could effect your choices

[Lonnbeimnech]

What is wrong with Halfling Clerics? And the Dragonmarks?

How is it a mistake?

When people pick human it is usually for the extra feat
Elf could be for scimitar or AA access or if half-elf the dilettantes or Morninglord for the racial abilities for turns or the 3 in 1 buff
Dwarf also has a nice synergy with Cleric

But I would look at the changes coming (at least the preliminary outline) to see how Domains could effect your choices

You spend a feat and a bunch of ap to get the heal spell on a build that already gets the heal spell...

[Enoach]

You spend a feat and a bunch of ap to get the heal spell on a build that already gets the heal spell...

That is one way to look at it. Another is you spend a feat and 12AP to get no Spell Point Cost features which depending on your game play could be a savings that allows more SP for other options.

Also, the Halfling race is a good base for a thrower, such as a Cleric with Monk splash.

Of course you don't need to take the Dragon Mark and still benefit from the other features.

[ValariusK]

Forget the dragonmarks on a halfling cleric. They don't bring you any value. Halfing gives you slightly better saves, better dex, and worse strength. For a cleric that's a wash. A halfling cleric will be inferior to a human one by a feat and usually half a DC on spells, but that's hardly insurmountable. Take a good build (most of them include completionist which you probably don't have, so you can absorb the loss of a feat pretty easily) and just change the race. Problem solved.

[unbongwah]

I don't see any halfling cleric builds out there... are they bad clerics?

There's no particular advantage to playing a halfling cleric, whereas humans get an extra feat, Spellpower Boost, etc.; elves can get extra Spell Pen and (if you still want a DM) Displacement is far more useful to cleric than extra healing is; dwarves get extra CON & HPs so they're harder to kill; etc. Plus the STR and encumbrance penalties of halflings is a downside for a toon which (probably) wears heavy armor, unless you're going the clonk route.

That said, if you're playing a typical caster / healer build, there's no real difference between halfling vs other races: i.e., max WIS, load up on metamagics, etc. Any of the typical cleric builds like Necro cleric or the sun elf cleric in my Iconic Builds thread can be adapted to halflings.

BTW, don't forget to take a look at the thread about upcoming cleric domains.