Takeda's page

Well that's one vote for +1 and one for +2.

It is a good point that the entire crit multiplier would apply to the greater damage dice rolled ...

Maybe a -2 on Crit Confirmation based on the unwieldliness of the weapon would balance it out?

I'm reluctant to go to +2 unless there is no way to balance it.

Another option is that any attack with a Massive weapon is at -1 attack (including confirmation).

So a +1 Massive Shortsword would be at a net +0 attack but damage would be d8+1, crit on 19-20, x2.

Nope ... that's too punitive. Makes it less than a +1.

Maybe it makes any weapon so enchanted an Exotic Weapon ... like a Massive Greatsword does 3d6 damage and requires an Exotic Weapon Proficiency. A Massive Scimitar ... Nope.

In my game we have a Great Scimitar which is a scimitar version of the bastard sword but -1 die step. Thus it does 1d8, can be wielded as a Martial weapon in two hands or in one hand as an exotic weapon and has a crit range of 18-20.

That's worth it to wield one-handed. Any weapon could be similarily treated though. Waraxe and Battle Axe, Bastard Sword and longsword, Seige Hammer and Warhammer, Fellspear and short spear, Deathstar and morning star, etc. Note these don't follow the usual rules on damage increase. It goes up by one step but not one size category. So d4 becomes d6, d6 becomes d8, d8 becomes d10, d10 becomes 2d6, 2d6 or d12 becomes 2d8.

Just brainstorming.

I've mulled this over for awhile ... It is a weapon enhancement akin to Gravity Bow or the Bashing enhancement.

Massive:
A weapon with this special ability is designed to hit hard, really hard. A massive weapon looks too big to wield comfortably, but it deals damage as if it were a weapon one size category larger (a Medium dagger thus deals 1d6 points of damage and a Medium handaxe deals 1d8 points of damage).

Moderate transmutation; CL 8th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Gravity Bow; Price +1 bonus.

Is this too powerful for a +1? I'm thinking not as it is by and large much less advantageous than an elemental enhancement. It does jump a bit from d8+ but that's core rules. It does allow for Cloud's Massive Greatsword or that bizarre Greatsword wielded by PF's iconic Barbarian Amazon.

What do you think?

Hi there,

Someone help me here
What ways are there to grant additional spells/spell points per day to a character aside from ability scores? (amulets? rings? something else (within SRD rules))

Where can I find a detailed description of how this happens?

Well ... Spell Adders (or call them what you want) add +(N) Spells per day cast at the minimum level for a caster to cast said spell. So for a Wizard that would be two (up to) 2nd level spells cast at 3rd caster level.

Or Spell Multipliers ... which give a bonus of say x1 to the number of [bonus] spell points the character would earn. Doesn't affect base ... just multiplies the bonus ... it could also be limited to only multiplying up to a certain level.

Say a x3 4th level multiplier. So if for high stats the caster got +2 1st level (2 total) and a bonus 2nd (2), 3rd (3) and 4th (4) that would be a bonus 33 spell points. Pretty amazing really. That's also considering you don't get the bonus multiplier for spells the caster isn't high enough level to cast. So if a 1st level Wizard had this multiplier and had 17 Int they would only get their bonus Spell Points upped from +1 to +3.

I prefer using my own Mana Points where the multiplier just adds to the base multiplier for the Class/Level and Adders just add +N Mana Points per day.

In my Viking game the Sorcerer has a Silver Tongue ring. For a Sorcerer/Bard it is a +5 Spell Adder ring (+5 Mana per Day) that also gives him +5 to Bluff Checks.

As an "early arriver" in this thread... :p

I agree with Rynthief: Not everyone thinks sorcerors to be underpowered.

I witnessed in the groups I played:
If you want many choices and like to tinker with magic, you select a wizard.
If you hate "magic book keeping" and want instantaneous spell casting, you choose a sorceror.
In my experience no need for making sorcerors more "wizardlike".

One appeal to this thread: Please don't forget those players who are content with less choices, but easier use of the sorceror class.

Btw. I really like the concept of bloodlines!

Kr,
Günther

Fair enough ... I guess the only real difference with my Mana Points system is with a Wizard you can blur the lines a bit ... but at a cost. If you want to follow the Rules As Written you can and things are unchanged. If you want to use free mana to cost spells more slowly but with added flexibility you can. If it is something you have truly mastered (Spell Mastery) then you can always cast those spells as easily as a Sorcerer.

For those that haven't seen the this posted before, here's the description ... the Mana Multiplier per class/level is a bunch of tables that would not look right here.

Sorcerers and 0-Level Spells: Also called cantrips, 0-level arcane spells have a special Mana Point cost. A sorcerer can cast any cantrip he or she knows for free a number of times per day equal to his or her level +3. After exhausting his or her daily allotment, the sorcerer must pay 1 Mana Point per casting of a 0-level spell for the rest of the day.

Wizards and 0-Level Spells: Also called cantrips, 0-level arcane spells have a special Mana Point cost. A wizard can cast any cantrip he or she knows for free a number of times per day equal to his or her level +2. After exhausting his or her daily allotment, the wizard must pay 1 Mana Point per casting of a 0-level spell for the rest of the day and it takes longer to cast (as noted below with regards casting unprepared spells).

Clerics or Druids and 0-Level Spells: Also called orisons, 0-level divine spells have a special Mana Point cost. A Cleric or Druid can cast any orison he or she knows for free a number of times per day equal to his or her level +2. After exhausting his or her daily allotment, the Cleric or Druid must pay 1 Mana Point per casting of a 0-level spell for the rest of the day and it takes longer to cast (as noted below with regards casting unprepared spells).

Bards and 0-Level Spells: Also called cantrips, 0-level arcane spells have a special Mana Point cost. A bard can cast any cantrip he or she knows for free a number of times per day equal to his or her level +1. After exhausting his or her daily allotment, the bard must pay 1 Mana Point per casting of a 0-level spell for the rest of the day.
Spontaneous casters can cast any spell they ‘know’ in the time as stated in the PHB.

Non-spontaneous casters have the option of preparing spells ahead of time and doing so has a considerable benefit. Non-spontaneous casters who do not prepare a spell ahead of time can still cast it if they have the requisite Mana Points available (with the addition of 1 extra MP) but the time to cast increases significantly. Spells that can normally be cast in 1 action take a full round, full round castings take 1 minute, 1 minute castings take 10 minutes, 10 minute castings take 1 hour, etc. Applying a Meta-Magic feat to a non-prepared spell further doubles casting time! As well, casting a spell that had not been prepared ahead of time also prompts a Spellcraft check at DC 10+total Mana Points spent (*) to cast or the spell is disrupted and 1 Mana Points is lost to the ether.

*Spells are automatically cast at the minimum level necessary to cast the spell. For every Effective Caster Level added it costs 1 Mana Point. Once a spell is memorized the Mana Points are not available for boosting Effective Caster Level. The maximum amount of Mana Points that can be cast at one time are equal to the caster level of the caster. This also means that as you can't cast a spell that has more Mana Points (including the +1 for casting with available Mana) than your caster level and thus a 1st level Wizard MUST memorize all spells ahead of time unless they are Mastered.

Clerics casting Domain spells or spontaneously converting Mana Points or spells into cure/inflict spells, Druids spontaneously converting Mana Points or spells into Summon Nature’s Ally spells, Specialist Wizards casting their bonus spells or Spell Casters converting Mana Points into Mastered Spells (using the Spell Mastery Feat) do not need to prepare them and do not need to make a Spellcraft check, take extra time to prepare it or pay the +1 MP cost. Clerics casting Domain spells or specialist wizards casting bonus speciality spells also cast them for free.

Spell Level (left)------MP Cost=Base ECL
0-----------------------1
1-----------------------1
2-----------------------3
3-----------------------5
4-----------------------7
5-----------------------9
6-----------------------11
7-----------------------13
8-----------------------15
9-----------------------17

Additions to the effective spell level of the spell cast by Metamagic Feats raises the cost of the spell cast. A 3rd level spell at Base Effective Caster Level costs 5 MP to cast. If a Metamagic raised that to a 5th level, it would cost 9 MP at BECL. If the caster wanted to cast the same spell at ECL 12 (as they are a 12th level caster, that is their maximum ECL) it would cost 12 MP.

Spell Resistance checks are based upon the MP in the spell, not the Caster Level. All a caster has to do to raise the ECL is by adding MP to the spell, maximum is Caster Level of course.

The ‘Effective’ Caster Level of the spell cast is used to determine the duration, range, damage, number of targets, etc. of the spells cast.

The amount of Mana available to a spellcaster is based upon their Class-Level and the bonus modifier of their spell-casting stat. A spellcaster can determine their basic amount of mana available daily by (Mana Multiplier * Casting Statistics Bonus Modifier) to determine Base Mana available. (I.E. A 14th level Sorcerer has 21 Charisma (+5 Modifier) and has a Mana Multiplier of ‘42’ which means they have 5*42=210 Mana!) Once a spellcaster ‘has’ a Mana Multiplier they have a minimum of 1 MP per Caster-Level. (I.E. a 9th level Paladin who has had their Wisdom drained to 11 would still have (Caster Level = 9/2) 4 Mana Points but would be limited to 1st level spells. An 18th level Wizard drained to 11 Intelligence would not normally have any MP but has the minimum for their level of Caster Level=18 MP but they would be limited to 1st level spells as well.)

Spell Casters can use Vitality Points in order to help them cast spells when needed but at a cost. Vitality can only be used to take the place of MP if the caster has no MP available for normal casting. The Vitality used is considered to be ‘Drained’ and does not come back at the usual rate. Drained Vitality cannot be healed or regenerated by any means and can only be recovered with rest. If a person rests for an entire day they will recover Drained Vitality equal to their Character Level. If a caster ever uses this method to power a spell and exceeds their available Vitality the excess will be Drained Wounds and is primarily treated like typical Wound Damage. Where Drained Wounds differ from typical Wound Damage is that it cannot be healed by magical means or via regeneration and only the intervention of a Deity or the use of a Wish or Miracle can affect this type of injury. Drained Wounds heal at a rate of 1 per day of complete rest and no known means to speed up this recovery exists. If a spellcaster ever exceeds their Wound threshold solely by Drained Wounds they are irrevocably dead having depleted their very essence or soul completely and nothing was left to go on to the afterlife.

Here's the Cleric Table:
--------Mana---------Max Level of
Lvl-----Multiplier---Spell Castable
1-------2------------Up to 1st level
2-------4
3-------6------------Up to 2nd level
4-------8
5-------10-----------Up to 3rd level
6-------12
7-------14-----------Up to 4th level
8-------16
9-------18-----------Up to 5th level
10------20
11------22-----------Up to 6th level
12------24
13------26-----------Up to 7th level
14------28
15------30-----------Up to 8th level
16------32
17------34-----------Up to 9th level
18------36
19------38
20------40

Takeda wrote:

Rubio wrote:

What is this mana magic system you speak of? Was it in the beta pdf and I just didn't notice it?

Err ... I should have taken that out of there I guess. It's my own homebrew system. If you message me with your email I can send it to you.

It rewards memorizing spells for those that usually prepare but you don't have to memorize necessarily. It makes your use of Mana more efficient to memorize if you are not a spontaneous caster. It also makes Spell Mastery for prepared casters very cool!

I think it's be great for Pathfinder ... ?! (Shrug)

I'd certainly be interested in seeing it. Maybe fire it off to ssjrubio (that at symbol-thingie) yahoo (Dmg Over Time) com

I tried to send it to you Rubio .. but Yahoo would not let me send it to your address. I'm pretty sure I interpreted it correctly ... try me at abraxus9999 (symbol-thingie) yahoo (damage over time) co (damage over time)uk

Okay, so here is the situation. In my campaign kobolds engage in ritual cannibalism. They don't kill other kobolds just to eat them nut if a kobold warrior dies in a particularly heroic way, the other warriors eat a small part of his body to transfer the heroism to themsleves. It is a trait they inherited from dragons, who also engage in ritual cannibalism when the ruler of the united dragon tribes dies, the new leader eats the body of the old as a sign that power has switched hands. Some of my players have complained that this is an evil act and that I should not have good dragons and kobolds as a result. So I ask you, is this evil or not?

NO!

Applying our 21st Century morals and world view to a setting that is more akin to the 7th century in Europe is ridiculous. By this same standard every culture in world could be considered evil at one point or another even though the culture at the time was considered benevolent by their peers. Thousands of years of judging others by our own standards and finding them lacking is testament enough that this is totally fallacious.

Raiding a village, killing most including woman and children, taking the captives back to their own village, killing the captives by cooking them alive and eating them in a grand celebration of their martial strength is clearly evil in our current world view ... and likely the world view of the setting you may be using if it is set in an idealized neo-near-medieval Europe ... but it's all about context.

I'm not intending to make excuses for cultures that seemed to fall into a kind of mass psychosis of murder and mayhem either.

What is this mana magic system you speak of? Was it in the beta pdf and I just didn't notice it?

Err ... I should have taken that out of there I guess. It's my own homebrew system. If you message me with your email I can send it to you.

It rewards memorizing spells for those that usually prepare but you don't have to memorize necessarily. It makes your use of Mana more efficient to memorize if you are not a spontaneous caster. It also makes Spell Mastery for prepared casters very cool!

I think it's be great for Pathfinder ... ?! (Shrug)

I was watching The Mummy Returns the other night and in it they were using a large (what I can only describe as a) Two-Bladed Sword. However both ends had what appeared to be Pendulum Blades on them instead of straight (or curved) blades.

I have done a quick google search, but other than a picture, I can't find any other information on this weapon. I am interested in using it as a weapon for an Osirioni Fighter, and wanted to know what it was called and whether it deserved it's own stats, or should I just use the generic stats for a Two-Bladed Sword?

If you look in some Asian Martial Arts it was a double-bladed staff. Sometimes the edge was convex like the Mummy, sometimes concave like a crescent moon with the points able to stab.

Double-Moon Staff

Or

Double-Khopesh

Battle Sorcerer looks like it's OGL.

Me, personally, I would add in the bloodline powers of pathfinder (perhaps in the same proportion as the spell classing), adjust the skills, and make sure the hit points match the the Pathfinder norm.

What questions do you have?

Well, your suggestions are exactly what I had done ... if it's OGL ... then here it is.

Battle Sorcerer
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
The sorcerer’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcane) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks Per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the battle sorcerer.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: A battle sorcerer is proficient with all simple weapons, plus a single one-handed or light martial weapon of the character’s choice. Battle sorcerers are also proficient with light armour and shields (except tower shields). A battle sorcerer can cast battle sorcerer spells while wearing light armour and using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a battle sorcerer wearing medium or heavy armour or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass battle sorcerer still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.
Spells: A battle sorcerer casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a battle sorcerer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a battle sorcerer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the battle sorcerer’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a battle sorcerer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the table below. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score.
The battle sorcerer’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A battle sorcerer begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the battle sorcerer’s choice. At each new battle sorcerer level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on the Table below. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a battle sorcerer knows is not affected by his Charisma score. The numbers below for Known Spells are fixed.)
Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third battle sorcerer level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), a battle sorcerer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the battle sorcerer “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level battle sorcerer spell the battle sorcerer can cast. A battle sorcerer may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.
As noted above, a bard need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.
Cantrips (Sp): Battle sorcerers know a number of cantrips. They can cast these spells at will as a spell-like ability. The number of cantrips a battle sorcerer knows is noted on the table below under 0-level spells known. Cantrips are treated like any other spell cast by the battle sorcerer in terms of duration and other variables based on level.
Eschew Materials: A battle sorcerer gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 3rd level.
Bloodlines: Each battle sorcerer has a source of magic somewhere in her heritage that grants her spells, bonus feats, an additional class skill, and other special abilities. This source can represent a blood relation or an extreme event involving a creature somewhere in the family’s past. For example, a battle sorcerer might have a dragon as a distant relative or her grandfather might have signed a terrible contract with a devil. Regardless of the source, this influence manifests in a number of ways as the battle sorcerer gains levels. A battle sorcerer must pick one bloodline upon taking her first level of battle sorcerer. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.
At 8th level, and every two levels thereafter, a battle sorcerer learns an additional spell, derived from her bloodline. These spells are in addition to the battle sorcerer’s list of spells known. These spells cannot be exchanged for different spells at higher levels (although variations might exist, with GM permission).
At 7th level, and every six levels thereafter, a battle sorcerer receives one bonus feat, chosen from a list specific to each bloodline. The battle sorcerer must meet the prerequisites for these bonus feats.
For the record: the difference between a sorcerer and a battle sorcerer in how this bloodline manifests. The additional class skill and bonus feats are unchanged. Using the appropriate Bloodline table for Sorcerer’s the Bloodline Powers and Bonus Spells are calculated as if they were a Sorcerer five levels less than their Battle Sorcerer level. The table below reflects these changes. If the Bonus Spell it would grant is a spell that would ordinarily be of a spell higher level than the Battle Sorcerer can cast (based on spell levels known) it is treated as a spell-like ability the battle sorcerer can cast once per day.
Battle Sorcerer: Standard Magic System
Base
Attack Fort Ref Will Spells per Day
Lvl Bonus Save Save Save Special 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Cantrips 1 — — — — —
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 2 — — — — —
3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 eschew materials 3 — — — — —
4th +3 +1 +1 +4 3 1 — — — —
5th +3 +1 +1 +4 4 2 — — — —
6th +4 +2 +2 +5 Bloodline Power (as 1st Lvl Sorcerer) 4 3 — — — —
7th +5 +2 +2 +5 Bloodline Feat 4 3 1 — — —
8th +6/+1 +2 +2 +6 Bloodline Power & Bonus Spell (as 3rd Lvl Sorcerer) 4 4 2 — — —
9th +6/+1 +3 +3 +6 5 4 3 — — —
10th +7/+2 +3 +3 +7 Bonus Spell (As 5th Lvl Sorcerer) 5 4 3 1 — —
11th +8/+3 +3 +3 +7 5 4 4 2 — —
12th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 Bonus Spell (As 7th Lvl Sorcerer) 5 5 4 3 — —
13th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 Bloodline Feat 5 5 4 3 1 —
14th +10/+5 +4 +4 +9 Bloodline Power & Bonus Spell (as 9th Lvl Sorcerer) 5 5 4 4 2 —
15th +11/+6/+1 +5 +5 +9 5 5 5 4 3 —
16th +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 Bonus Spell (As 11th Lvl Sorcerer) 5 5 5 4 3 1
17th +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 5 5 5 4 4 2
18th +13/+8/+3 +6 +6 +11 Bonus Spell (As 13th Lvl Sorcerer) 5 5 5 5 4 3
19th +14/+9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Bloodline Feat 5 5 5 5 5 4
20th +15/+10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Bloodline Power & Bonus Spell (as 15th Lvl Sorcerer) 5 5 5 5 5 5

Battle Sorcerer: Mana Magic System Standard Known Table
Base
Attack Fort Ref Will Mana Max Spell Known Spells
Lvl Bonus Save Save Save Special Mult. Level 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Cantrips 1 1st level 4 2 — — — — —
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 2 5 3 — — — — —
3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 eschew materials 3 6 4 — — — — —
4th +3 +1 +1 +4 4 2nd level 6 4 2 — — — —
5th +3 +1 +1 +4 5 6 4 3 — — — —
6th +4 +2 +2 +5 Bloodline Power (as 1st Lvl Sorcerer) 6 6 4 4 — — — —
7th +5 +2 +2 +5 Bloodline Feat 7 3rd level 6 5 4 2 — — —
8th +6/+1 +2 +2 +6 Bloodline Power & Bonus Spell (as 3rd Lvl Sorcerer) 8 6 5 4 3 — — —
9th +6/+1 +3 +3 +6 9 6 5 4 4 — — —
10th +7/+2 +3 +3 +7 Bonus Spell (As 5th Lvl Sorcerer) 10 4th level 6 5 5 4 2 — —
11th +8/+3 +3 +3 +7 11 6 6 5 4 3 — —
12th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 Bonus Spell (As 7th Lvl Sorcerer) 12 6 6 5 4 4 — —
13th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 Bloodline Feat 13 5th level 6 6 5 5 4 2 —
14th +10/+5 +4 +4 +9 Bloodline Power & Bonus Spell (as 9th Lvl Sorcerer) 14 6 6 6 5 4 3 —
15th +11/+6/+1 +5 +5 +9 15 6 6 6 5 4 4 —
16th +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 Bonus Spell (As 11th Lvl Sorcerer) 16 6th level 6 6 6 5 5 4 2
17th +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 17 6 6 6 6 5 4 3
18th +13/+8/+3 +6 +6 +11 Bonus Spell (As 13th Lvl Sorcerer) 18 6 6 6 6 5 4 4
19th +14/+9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Bloodline Feat 19 6 6 6 6 5 5 4
20th +15/+10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Bloodline Power & Bonus Spell (as 15th Lvl Sorcerer) 20 6 6 6 6 6 5 5

Sorry about the table looking ... crappy here but if you're really interested I'm sure you'll figure it out. You will of course notice that the spells per day, maximum spell level and known spells is based on the Bard instead of the Sorcerer. I honestly think this works better ... sort of an Arcane Warrior ... think Psychic Warrior with Magic instead.

Takeda

I have a player who wasn't too happy about his two 'best' choices for the kind of character he wanted to play ... he didn't see his character as a Sorcerer or a Bard ... but he felt it was kinda like a Variant Sorcerer with better fighting abilities, better HP and worse spell-casting to balance it out. There is a variant Core Sorcerer in the Unearthed Arcana that he thought was interesting, but to make it more 'Pathfinder' I spent a few hours rewriting it, borrowing heavily on the Bard and Sorcerer from the Pathfinder Beta.

I know the tables would turn to mush if posted here but I also don't want to violate Do not post any content that infringes and/or violates any patent, trademark, copyright, or other proprietary right of any third party. so can anyone explain or direct me to where I could find out about both of these ... questions?

Ignore this if it has been posted before:

Strength Domain power at 1st level appears to have both a typo and a power-balance issue.

It appears that a part of the Luck Domain 1st level power is in it:
Bit of Luck (Su): As a standard action, you can touch a creature, giving it a bit of luck. For the next 3 rounds, any time the target rolls a d20, he can roll twice and take the better result. The target must decide to use this ability before rolling the dice. This effect fades after 3 rounds or when the reroll is used. Once a target has been affected by bit of luck, he can gain no further benefit from it for 1 day.

See the Strength Domain:
Strength Surge (Su): As a standard action, you can touch a creature, giving it great strength. For the next 3 rounds, the target may add an enhancement bonus equal to 1/2 your caster level on one melee attack roll or Strength check (minimum +1). The target must decide to use this ability before rolling the dice. This effect fades after 3 rounds or when the reroll is used. Once a target has been affected by strength surge, he can gain no further benefit from it for 1 day.

So ... If the Strength Surge lasts 3rds in total, not until used/rerolled(?!) then it is low-powered, but still a bit wimpy ... as you compare it to Good:

Touch of Good (Su): You can touch a creature as a standard action giving it a bonus to a single attack roll, skill check, ability check, or saving throw equal to your caster level. This bonus lasts 3 rounds or until it is used. Once a creature has benefited
from touch of good, it can gain no further benefit from this ability for 1 day.

Where you get your Caster Level as a bonus to any one ... check.

Makes the Strength Surge seem like a muscle cramp. If the Strength Surrge were to LAST for 3 rds and gave a +1 enhancement to Attack and Damage or to a Str check per 2/caster levels I could see it.

Well ... if the DM feels ambitious enough, each Cleric could be custom-built to match the dogma of the Diety they follow. But then you'd be entering the quagmire of 2.5 D&D ... where you could trade off Heavy Armour for better saves, or better BAB but less spells, etc.

I could be wrong but I think a lot of what we view as the 'Cleric' in RPG's was really the Fighting Bishop/Cardinal of the middle ages. They if they chose (if they were wealthy enough in spite of a presumed vow of poverty) could have a full suit of Maximillian plate, a holy water sprinkler-styled mace and shield. This weapon was brutally effective ... and honestly an exception to what most of the examples of a fighting religious person ... except for many of of the fighting monastic orders ... Templars, Hospitalers, etc.

But look at say the high priests of the Aztecs, the Sumerians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Wise Men of the Prairie Peoples of North America. Only the Europeans would have even been covered in steel from top to bottom ... the Aztecs would likely have had a hardwood club with Obsidian flakes wedged into it; the Sumerians may have had boiled leather armour and a khopesh or something similar; the Greeks with a bronze breastplate, greaves and bracers, a spear, club or sword; the Romans a bronze breastplate or something similar to that worn by a Centurion with weapons to match; the Wise Men of the Prairie ... buckskins, maybe a bone vest and a spear, bow or club.

So our view of all Clerics wearing plate, wielding maces and such is based on the culture they were from. D&D is unflinchingly euro-centric for the most part.

Summary: Clerics 'Can' wear Heavy Armour, they 'Can' wield a shield, they 'Should' have always been proficient in their Diety's chosen weapon, they 'Should wield, wear and be proficient' in armour, shields and weapons that fit their Diety/culture/setting. If your setting is Euro-Centric so should your expectations of gear ... if your game is not feel free to limit what gear is available.