tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post5063286201069158900..comments2023-08-09T23:49:41.885-04:00Comments on Rule of the Dice: Why Clerics (Still) SuckJohn Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05940190831705865182noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-63297455815571049822014-11-15T14:26:39.642-05:002014-11-15T14:26:39.642-05:00I'm trying a war cleric in 5e, because all the...I'm trying a war cleric in 5e, because all the good classes were taken and we needed healing, but still wanted to hopefully be kinda badass. So far it's not too bad.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03646066953877645514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-1963341653487933852014-10-19T11:36:40.188-04:002014-10-19T11:36:40.188-04:00One word: CoD-zillaOne word: CoD-zillaZuin *(Sinapsys)*https://www.blogger.com/profile/15667053642835673084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-51330988519387401512014-07-10T02:19:12.067-04:002014-07-10T02:19:12.067-04:00Actually, I found the most fun with the new editio...Actually, I found the most fun with the new edition as being a Cleric to a Sun-god (life).<br /><br />I played him as a Jesus-like roaming priest, taking Thaumaturgy, Sacred flame, and Save the Dying as his powers.<br /><br />There is nothing like using Thaumaturgy (booming voice, white eyes, and the ground shaking) as he's using Sacred flame, while reciting prayers and healing power-words.:-)<br /><br />The DM loves it so much, he allows me to use thaumaturgy for intimidation... lol.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06186695984659792903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-83080451169170055142014-06-19T18:27:34.007-04:002014-06-19T18:27:34.007-04:00The single most powerful class in 3.5 useless? ...The single most powerful class in 3.5 useless? So powerful in fact that other builds are dependent on dipping at least one level of it? It's dumb players like this that are the reason dnd is being turned into a pen and paper version of League of Legends.....Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01843813436326049539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-74005784092760315612014-03-26T12:17:09.475-04:002014-03-26T12:17:09.475-04:00I liked playing clerics (and other spellcasters wi...I liked playing clerics (and other spellcasters with save-based attacks) in 3e because I hate rolling dice. I have bad luck so I like to minimize my dice rolls inasmuch as I am able in a given system.<br /><br />That aside, I enjoy playing leaders (including the cleric) in 4e because they tend to have the most to do from round-to-round. A cleric can drop a heal as a minor action, attack, sustain a conjuration, move... whereas most other classes and roles are stuck with the standard move-attack routine.<br /><br />Each of the 4e leaders specializes in a kind of rule-breaking that rocks the socks off monsters. Warlords grant a billion attacks. Artificers inflate ally HP with THPs like giant balloon. Clerics have lots of powers that lower defenses and confer "vulnerability," which REALLY boosts damage output for the party.<br /><br />All in all, fun to play. :)<br /><br />--Ditherditherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16636135891319380870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-58203168312562835162013-12-26T03:04:51.591-05:002013-12-26T03:04:51.591-05:00We were recently playing 3rd Edition's Ravenlo...We were recently playing 3rd Edition's Ravenloft. There was a battle where a Hag was turning invisible and teleporting (?) around the battle field. This was grating on our collective nerves. I was playing one of the two clerics in the party, and was perusing my spell list and saw i had one called Shape Stone. So the next time the Hag revealed herself, i shaped the stone under her feet to spike raising rapidly out of the ground. This not only hurt her, but stuck her in place too. In another fight, we were up against some undead abomination that we just couldn't hit, and just wouldn't die. Through many attempts at hitting the thing, we discovered its touch AC was significantly lower than its regular AC (something in the ballpark of 11 vs 26). Since it was undead, and i was obviously not going to hit it, i started using my cure wound spells on it instead, which counted as touch attacks. When i got hurt, my wife who was playing a pixie cleric, would turn invisible, fly in, and apply a healing potion to me, then fly out. I thoroughly enjoy playing a Neutral cleric of negative energy, and in Raveloft that means walking a fine line between good and evil. Raising nearby corpses to bolster our numbers, summoning spirit weapons and celestial monsters. Needless to say, in Ravenloft, the cleric is in his or her element.j. smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16168895704409343087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-4071011296397330192013-05-02T15:08:56.747-04:002013-05-02T15:08:56.747-04:00Had fun reading all the comments, so here's mi...Had fun reading all the comments, so here's mine<br />Well, stepping into a running campaign that lacked cleric and wizard for a while, my cleric (crl 15, hierophant 1 for reach)was greatly welcomed. Although someone did die right away, because i thought a big stupid fighter would have more then 120 hp's. <br />CR's matched to the party (instead of just average lvl), there is just this distinct feeling of power when you play a cleric right, with a good DM. The amount of protection clerics offer in other ways then just plain 'heal' is wonderful. IF thought through and prepared right. There is a lot to tweak with feats, more healing, more vs undead, more creation, more towards persistcheese fighter etc. Add a meriad of specialist magic items you can have and you can play cleric any way you like it.<br />Half of the power and all of the fun is in being a good player anyway (except for a few basically broken classes of which cleric isnt one)<br />The above, and being able to roleplay a Good cleric and guide the misguided (the other partymembers obviously) makes it worthwhile to play cleric imo.<br />Xarxareshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18109233651435343091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-26792418671214448622013-02-17T17:24:00.743-05:002013-02-17T17:24:00.743-05:00It's too bad this blog is seemingly non-active...It's too bad this blog is seemingly non-active, now. I would have loved to have seen some rebuttal directed at the nine most recent comments on the article. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-76689988048381517152013-01-20T21:53:52.879-05:002013-01-20T21:53:52.879-05:00LOL!!! Clerics are easily the most powerful class...LOL!!! Clerics are easily the most powerful class in 3.x<br /><br />Even druids and wizards flee from an angry cleric;<br />The lesser classes don't even stand a chance.<br /><br />The problem was not the cleric class, it was you.<br />You think clerics are healbots, and they are not.<br /><br />When you play a 3.x your only job is to take down the<br />biggest, baddest opponents you can find... Your other<br />party members are not your responsibility, they are<br />your pawns.<br /><br />Michael W. Tuckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17502914127636928496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-37005097783257323892013-01-02T02:26:31.699-05:002013-01-02T02:26:31.699-05:00I must say that I also Love playing a Cleric. Rig...I must say that I also Love playing a Cleric. Right now I'm experimenting with the Cleric/Necro builds. Planning and Undeath Domains. At 2nd level I was able to Command (3) Undead Skeletons and (1) Orc Zombie... all I had to do was sit back and let them do all the work :) For me, evil Clerics are the most fun to play, they are NASTY. In my last campaign I was an evil Cleric who just happened to be in a party with a Paladin. As you all know, as soon as a Paladin realizes that they are in a party with an evil charactor, they must fight them or risk becoming a fallen Paladin themselves. I was so much stronger than he was that he never brought the subject up, (he knew I was evil, I was controlling undead instead of turning them) he knows that if we would have fought 1-on-1 he wouldn't of had a chance.Valdishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05138799658614702308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-53219925746032991342013-01-01T17:39:14.752-05:002013-01-01T17:39:14.752-05:00I had a cleric in nwn1 (directly 3.0 based).. and ...I had a cleric in nwn1 (directly 3.0 based).. and I LOVED it.. I chose the healing and magic domains given and it gave me this defensive tank that simply could not be hit or dealt damage effectively till she healed herself. I used improved expertise and with an insane number of healing and 'heal' spells, my level 10 cleric/fighter moon elf character won a battle that lasted for 2 hours with an orog ranger level 16. The cleric is supreme on low magic servers and caimpaigns, and are by far one of the best if you plan on solo'ing a battle by yourself. Being an elf the cleric also automatically knows how to use swords, and being a cleric fighter combo makes them fairly good in combat. I love defense, and I love the idea of fighting hordes of other characters that rival my usually rebelious attitude, and still coming out ontop. So yes, the cleric is awesome, and by far the choice if you plan on solo'ing a caimpaign. 4th edition does however, suck.. just play pathfinder, 3.5, or 2.0.. or.. make your own.Matty Mikelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16933940570823421716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-63939439383803337312012-06-22T12:15:21.902-04:002012-06-22T12:15:21.902-04:00I like 3.5 clerics for one reason only: domains. Y...I like 3.5 clerics for one reason only: domains. You could pick strength and luck and beat the shit out of the monsters, but otherwise you could only turn undead or/and pick water and fire so you could turn more. But, once again, gone with spells YOUR GONE. When i play clerics i play either luck+strength or strength+war. Otherwise, i hate clericsJacksworldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-281180535797649392012-04-21T09:18:27.185-04:002012-04-21T09:18:27.185-04:00I play a cleric alright ... a cleric of Talos. Dei...I play a cleric alright ... a cleric of Talos. Deity-based clerics get a full range of interesting spell and weapon choices. In our current campaign, I play a human cleric of Talos, and have NO healing spells at all. The druid does the healing, or an NPC sent along by the DM, or the wizard who's into alchemy (healing potion, anyone?) Not the best arrangement, but FUN. Picture a caster in full armor, with the weapon of his deity (javelin +1 electric, in my case) who can heal, but can also cast boffo offensive magic. 3d8 harm touch? Yes, please! It's all about the roleplay. Pick a deity you'd like to cleric for, and have fun. Annoy the party, annoy the DM. Have a ball. I do! ;^) Briarrootnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-22071687147839988542012-02-06T18:13:37.133-05:002012-02-06T18:13:37.133-05:00I read this and started laughing so hard. I am a C...I read this and started laughing so hard. I am a Cleric in 3e/3.5, and while I have occasionally needed to drop a spell for a quick pick me up, or two...I am the single most devastating front line character in the party. Our fighter (acctually a Knight, but who's counting?) plays the tank role, and with one quick Enlarge person spell, I am literally dishing out death over his head while he keeps those pesky minions off of me while I go straight for the big guy. Our Sneaky Sneaky Rogue/Scout slips around for some nice Skirmish/Sneak Attack combos, and the Wizard conjures up some terran modifications, and boom. Funnel Tunnel Shovel. I just can't agree with saying Clerics are weak by any means, SRD or no.<br /><br />I make potions, scrolls and even wands to supplement my healing abilities for the party, and now we have a Bard. So can you say attack and damage buffs please? I mean yeah it helps that we are all experienced and work together well, but the moment I chose Cleric as my class everyone else knew exactly what to build to supplement what we'd need. You are only a first aid kit if you let your fellows think of you that way from your own inaction. Even better is I am the second lowest level party member. (We all started together at first level, except for the bard who is 5th level now, I died and missed out on three adventures, and was Resurrected for a loss, so I am Ninth Level, while everyone else is twelfth.) <br /><br />Either way, I just can't see how Clerics are considered weak, unless you let them be such. Sorry to rant on like this, just putting it all out there. Also. Flavor. Love Cleric's backgrounds, and moments of Divine Win.<br /><br />Chao.Mike Roeblingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-34046913522234530652011-06-26T13:18:39.116-04:002011-06-26T13:18:39.116-04:00 +1 Insightful. I loved clerics and if I didn'... +1 Insightful. I loved clerics and if I didn't like artificers even more, I'd probably play 3.5 cleric all the time. Clerics were very versatile and of comparable power to other classes (we're ignoring game-breaking cheese, here). Using just the SRD, I think that wizards had slightly more brute damaging spellpower, but clerics could buff themselves to be better than fighters for most of the day, long after the wizard starts calling for a rest because he's run out of spells. <br /><br />With the right domains, and even sticking to the SRD, it was entirely possible to have a party of clerics who could be just as good (if not better) than the "standard" group of fighter, cleric, rogue, wizard. And it was tons as fun, as well, which is far more important!Ryan Tucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-37767298758331111232011-06-19T17:16:42.583-04:002011-06-19T17:16:42.583-04:00I totally second Susan. Sheesh, if there was ever ...I totally second Susan. Sheesh, if there was ever a case for UR DOIN IT WRONG, claiming clerics get the brown sticky end of the stick has got to be right up there. 1. Armor. You get it. Arcane Spell Failure Chance? You can have it. Massive spell list? Check. No spellbooks, are choosing spells known, or any of that noise. Decent hit dice? Sure it's not a fighter or barbarian, but your ranger over there gets just as much as you do. Not running into many undead? Grab some divine metamagic feats and turn those unused turn attempts in to FREE METAMAGIC. The errata from Complete Divine makes this slightly less ridiculously overpowered, but still, when your Widened, Empowered Flame Strike is STILL cast as a 5th level spell, that's not something to sneeze at. Even when you run out of spells, you can still hit things and they will know that they've been hit. If you have a few rounds pre-combat to buff yourself (or your party if you really feel like it), you're hitting just as hard as the front line fighters, and then afterwards is when it is time to hand out the band-aids.<br /><br />But if your party is composed of pussies that come whining to you every time they get sneezed on by a kobold, guess what? Wands of Cure Light Wounds are 750 gold a pop. Even better are Wands of Lesser Vigor for the same price. You know what's also dirt cheap? Healing Belts. Have all your fighter-types wear one, and they can do their own emergency healing in combat. Because Susan is right, unless you're staving off certain death, healing in combat is a loser's game. Healing ability simply cannot keep up with enemy damage output if you're fighting at or around your CR, so why bother trying? The best way to prevent getting hurt is to kill your enemy as quickly as possible. And the best way to do that is to intelligently make the best use of one of the most powerful core classes: the Cleric.James Ratcliffenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-7553783509181684002011-06-02T21:13:15.374-04:002011-06-02T21:13:15.374-04:00Are you insane? Clerics were all powerful in 3rd!
...Are you insane? Clerics were all powerful in 3rd!<br />Once you have access to heal its only ever worth healing people just before they die AND you had a spell that gave you more CON and STR as well as the BAB of a fighter ~~(that's ignoring the fact that you're a caster walking around in full plate!). If you don;t like playing a cleric thats fine, but don't claim the entire class is useless :PSusan Heathnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-59686492049313166892011-05-23T09:29:47.832-04:002011-05-23T09:29:47.832-04:00Sounds kinda like the "Wounds" and "...Sounds kinda like the "Wounds" and "Vitality" from the Star Wars d20 game, which I quite enjoyed. It made it obvious when the character was taking real injury-type damage (as opposed to that friviolous damage that most heroes just shrug off), and Vitality could also be used by Jedi to power their "spells."<br /><br />And I have come to accept that clerics do have a place in certain games, but I still don't like to play them. CDGallant_Kingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-57413638929554794662011-05-23T09:26:40.998-04:002011-05-23T09:26:40.998-04:00It's true - if you play the cleric as a selfis...It's true - if you play the cleric as a selfish, melee-focussed attacker that just uses his powers to keep himself alive, you can have a lot of fun. You won't make many friends, but you can have a lot of fun.CDGallant_Kingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-84989171487140822422011-05-21T17:59:40.290-04:002011-05-21T17:59:40.290-04:00I have played various versions of pen and paper RP...I have played various versions of pen and paper RPG's over the years including all of the D&D from the original out to 3.5. Side note, I prefurred the story line immersion of AD&D but the mechanics of D&D 3.0/3.5. In my games we rarely even encounter a "Clereic". Instead I modified the game a littel and use Stamina (based on half your con + normal HD increases based on level Con bonus and Class HD, that recover at an hourly rate.) and Health (starts at half your Con increases with half ur die roll for Class HD increases until it reaches ur full Con at which it has maxed out) and turne Crit hits into straight to Health attacks. Their are quite a few other small modifications, but the short of it is that Clerics as healers/buffers are just not htat important. instead every Cleric/Druid we have had became a very pivotal figure due to story line reasons. Their fighting ability and the way the can help buff/defend the party tends to make them natural leaders. Also, the way their stats tend to need to be ie good Wisdom good Charisma. Personally I dislike playing them, but every time i included them in my games it has greatly deepened the story. A PC that has to think of how hteir actions effect not only their own faith but the goals of their chosen god leads to some epic story telling.james MILLERnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-39492829853610791952011-05-15T15:24:01.285-04:002011-05-15T15:24:01.285-04:00I haven't played a cleric (I DM a good ammount...I haven't played a cleric (I DM a good ammount of the time and played the wizard 'type' for a while because I was the last to join), but I did play a warlord for a good chunk of time. Still, in all my experience, I've never had a session devolve into running around and making heal checks. It probably helped that most of the powers I had (or the 'cleric' in the group had) were better than just making a Heal check. Utility powers that gave out multiple saves as a minor, or attacks that also gave out health, or saves, or defense boosts, etc in addition to being attacks. Encounters means level 1, which does mean you don't get many of those options, but generally speaking, there are better things to be doing that running around making heal checks.Ryan Alariehttp://twitter.com/Kanta_Mizunonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-25319707801866806592011-05-11T15:47:09.383-04:002011-05-11T15:47:09.383-04:00As a sesson of encounters, the first when Essentia...As a sesson of encounters, the first when Essentials was released. I was the cleric. I was the god of the sesson. At a recent game, I played a war priest, Essential, from 1st-4th level who was killed by a fellow party member who decided that rehabilitating a slave ogre was more important than assisting the guy who had just healed her twice in that same encounter. In both cases, I found that by getting the cleric thick into the melee, that it cut down on the need to heal others and hey, heal myself. Worked very well for the most part.Joe Kushnerhttp://twitter.com/JoeGKushnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-17583145461100797392011-02-27T21:36:38.456-05:002011-02-27T21:36:38.456-05:00Sounds pretty sucky alright! Thanks for the info, ...Sounds pretty sucky alright! Thanks for the info, I haven't kept up with the later versions, so it interesting to learn how some of the mechanics have changed.Spawnofendranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-73882897507700843712011-02-25T19:24:28.759-05:002011-02-25T19:24:28.759-05:00In games like Final Fantasy, a separation between ...In games like Final Fantasy, a separation between "white" mages and "black" mages is fine, because you control the whole party, and it balances out to have one character constantly pumping out healing spells while another casts attack spells. But having someone just play the white mage is cruel. Plus you have to wear that stupid white hood. But a knight that's a pastor in his spare time? That's just creepy.CDGallant_Kingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3188833949555515251.post-9356475793503271112011-02-25T19:21:58.362-05:002011-02-25T19:21:58.362-05:00Or, as John mentioned above, the "wizards&quo...Or, as John mentioned above, the "wizards" in fiction had "clerical" powers. In Star Wars, Wheel of Time and many others, the "magic user" casts healing magic. <br /><br />And we don't talk about the Second Dungeons & Dragons movie.CDGallant_Kingnoreply@blogger.com