War Cleric Advice

[Ghimm]

Hello all,

I'm sort of a newbie when it comes to Pathfinder and I'm interested in playing a negative energy channeling half orc cleric of Gorum. This character will be for PFS gaming.

Right now, I'm looking at taking channel smite for my 1st feat, using it to add damage to his attacks (plus, it sounds cool to hit a creature or an opponent with a weapon glowing with the power of Gorum. Lots of RP possibilities).

I'm not exactly sure which domains to take, though. I'm thinking Chaos and Destruction. Any suggestions?

Also, are their disadvantages of channeling negative energy? I'll basically lose most of my utility as a healer - does the extra damage make up for that loss? Would I better off playing a straight up fighter?

Thanks!

[Chess Pwn]

Would I better off playing a straight up fighter?

Depends, are all you worried about is damage? If you're looking for damage and combat focus then Full BAB classes will probably be easier to do better at combat then the cleric. If you like the spells though then a combat cleric works fine.

Negative energy is fine, just let your party know and probably prep a few cures. There are guides for cleric you can look into for ideas and their suggestions on domains.

[Demoyn]

The thing you're going to find in Pathfinder is that combats don't last long enough for you to enjoy a battle cleric playstyle. However, there are some good clerical builds that make due with negative energy channeling. The bad touch cleric, for instance. Check out Tark's Big Book of Clerical Optimization here on the forums.

[cheese_sdc]

Thanks y'all! I appreciate the help! :)