I was just wondering.
What would be the perfect party to DM for? (five people only).
Which class combinations do you think work the best?
(paldin vs. cleric when there is no fighter) so on and so forth.
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Generally, most adventures assume that groups include the four major "food groups": Warrior, Rogue, Divine Spellcaser, Arcane Spellcaster. The core classes are more or less balanced. Certain classes will excel more in one aspect while being weaker in another. However, taking one of those classes can hurt the group. If a druid is chosen instead of cleric, for example, it will give a party more offensive capabilities at the cost of healing and defensive capabilities. This is generally not a good option unless the other players make up for the lack of strength in that area.
Of course, the campaign is a HUGE factor. A city based campaign such as Shackled City would make great use of a bard but leave the players playing a ranger or druid wishing they had chosen something else.
Things every good party should have:
Damage dealer, character with high AC, range specialist, character with high saving throws or spell resistance, trap finder, lock specialist, stealth specialist, access to most skills, turn undead, healer, buff spells such as Bull's Strength or Haste, high damage dealing spells like Magic Missile and Fireball, versatility spells such as Fly and Knock, and a diplomat.
Ignoring noncore classes and environment, I believe the most powerful group of five PC's would include: Dwarf Barbarian, Elf Rogue, Human Cleric, Human Conjurer, and Human Bard.
This party has pretty much everthing with the exception of a character with great saving throws or spell resistance such as a monk or paladin. There is enough variety amongst the party to avoid arguments as to who should get certain magic items, with the exception of the bard who'll fight with the rogue over light armour and with the conjurer over certain wondrous items. Including the rogue is worth it as it allows the rogue to ignore certain skils and allows the wizard to specialise. Plus the 3.5 bard is actually pretty decent: two good saves, 6 skill points, healing magic, and Inspire Courage (which is great). The cleric will definately have to get involved in the fighting. This means he'll need at least four good ability scores: Strength, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma. This could be hard to attain. Replacing the bard with a paladin is also an option. This means converting the conjurer into a wizard and making sure the rogue has a good intelligence for extra skill points. But then it's the paladin who needs four good ability scores.
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A group that I DM'd a few years back was actually pretty unstoppable. I was quite surprised by their survival skills, because there was no rogue type to take care of traps and scouting. However, the action was always fast-paced and there was enough healing in the group to keep things moving along. The group rarely had to stop to rest. It was:
A half-orc paladin
A human cleric of Heironeous
A dwarven cleric of Moradin
A human wizard
A human monk
This group pretty much buzzed through everything they came up against. With two clerics and a paladin, undead were screwed against their holy wrath. The wizard would frequently use spells that helped to make up for the lack of a rogue, and the saving throws of everyone were good enough to shake off the effects of most traps. They were a fun group to DM, mostly because they never bothered with the "I move 5' forward, and search for traps again" scenario. It wound up making for more story, less mechanics.
I was just wondering.
What would be the perfect party to DM for? (five people only).
Which class combinations do you think work the best?
(paldin vs. cleric when there is no fighter) so on and so forth.
I'd probably soon grow bored with anything resembling a 'perfect' party. But I'd like the players to do something to cover all their bases. So there should be some kind of individual to detect traps (multi-classed or a Ninja are OK though), some one with some kind of access to Arcane Magic (especially required beyond 5th level or so), some kind of a meat shield and most importantly some one with access to healing - lots of healing ... lots and lots fo healing. Did I mention they should have some healing?
This party has pretty much everthing with the exception of a character with great saving throws or spell resistance such as a monk or paladin.
In my campaign the players would probably want to trade in that Bard for another damage dealer - a fighter is a good option though a ranger or Paladin won't be too bad either. Of course I play with six players so your example party is very good from my point of view with a fighter thrwon in on top of it.
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... and most importantly some one with access to healing - lots of healing ... lots and lots fo healing. Did I mention they should have some healing?
KEV: We're going adventuring without a cleric?! We can't go adventuring without a cleric! Are you nuts??
DOMATO: Relax - I bought three potions of cure light wounds before we left town.
KEV: Oh.
A group that I DM'd a few years back was actually pretty unstoppable. I was quite surprised by their survival skills, because there was no rogue type to take care of traps and scouting. However, the action was always fast-paced and there was enough healing in the group to keep things moving along. The group rarely had to stop to rest. It was:
A half-orc paladin
A human cleric of Heironeous
A dwarven cleric of Moradin
A human wizard
A human monk
This group pretty much buzzed through everything they came up against. With two clerics and a paladin, undead were screwed against their holy wrath. The wizard would frequently use spells that helped to make up for the lack of a rogue, and the saving throws of everyone were good enough to shake off the effects of most traps. They were a fun group to DM, mostly because they never bothered with the "I move 5' forward, and search for traps again" scenario. It wound up making for more story, less mechanics.
Hmm this party would be very potent in the kind of campaign I run as well - except that I'd take that Dwarven Cleric of Moradin and Multiclass him as a rogue - forget sneaking - hell wander around in full plate, but max out search and open locks.
I'd say the following, though I'm very biased against pointless thugish characters, in otherwords if your job is to catch bullets or arrows, I don't want or need you)
One sorcerer or wizard (depending on spellselection of all party members as well as the campaign)
One cleric or druid (depending on next choice as well as campaign, specificly monsters and presence of magic items)
One ranger or paladin (ranger if there's a cleir or paladin if there's a druid, dependent on setting)
One rogue or scout (depending on setting and player preference, this character must be sneaky and most likely a ranged combatant)
One psion, specificly shaper (combine astral construct with summon monster from arcane caster and cleric or summon natures ally/animal companion from druid/ranger and there should be no need for a mele oriented character, leaving the ranger/paladin slot to focus on ranged combat and tactical spell casting)
One modification might be replacing the ranger/paladin with a bard or a marshal if the rest of the party focuses on summoning well enough.
I never realy liked the idea of a meat shield character, if I'm willing to hide behind someone while their getting hacked/shot to pieces then chances are I don't like them enough to put the level of trust and friendship toward them I would need to to be fellow adventurers. Best to leave that business up to expendables, like constructs, elementals, and horses. That and I typicaly go for parties quite/sneaky/magicly silenced enough that you don't need a fighter type, only the occassional well placed daggers, bolts, or death spells, followed by a hasty dimensional door.
The perfect party:
Cleric
Druid
Bard
Rogue
Savant (From Dragon Compendium)
I love a party that includes PCs with lots of skill points and knowledge-based skills. I like groups that don't rely on a single PC to "get the job done." I also don't like to deal with some of the high-level arcane spells, so the lack of a wizard/sorceror is okay with me.
If the above list didn't have the savant, I really like the Archivist (from Heroes of Horror), the Delver (from Path of Shadow), the Scout (from Complete Adventurer), or if I had to choose another core class, the Ranger.
My current party is: Half-Orc Druid (with racial substition levels from Races of Destiny), Kender Rogue, Elf Bard/Seeker of the Song, Elf Cleric/Entropomancer, Half-Doppleganger Rogue/Psion/Elocator. They really have to rely on each other's abilities to get through the different encounters, and they do a great job.
I was just wondering.
What would be the perfect party to DM for? (five people only).
Which class combinations do you think work the best?
(paldin vs. cleric when there is no fighter) so on and so forth.
Perfect party to DM for has nothing to do with the characters and everything to do with the players.
No such thing as a perfect character party. All classes work well together.
As ever,
ACE
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My perfect party would include:
1.Dwarven fighter or Half-orc Barbarian
2.Elven ranger or Elven paladin(probably ranger/don't like paladins)
3.Dwarven rogue or human monk
4.Elven cleric or Dwarven cleric
5.Gnome wizard or halfling sorcerer
if one more: a multiclass halfling rogue/sorcerer
thats my picks, 2 fighter types with one having an animal companion, the sneaky type, the healer/bowman or scrapper, the small arcane caster, and the back-up artillary. Most of them could see at least in low light conditions fairly well also.
my2 (or 5-6)
FH
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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The perfect party requires you to hit 4 positions. Everything beyond that is gravy. You should have:
1. Tank: You need a frontline to hold back monsters and soak damage. The tank needs a high AC, high hp, and preferably both. Ftr and Bbn are best. Pal trails because he's not as good in combat (the class is optimized when using the mount, not in the front lines). Clr is a bad choice because you want him casting. Rngr, Mnk and Rog don't have enough defense (hp/ac).
2. Healer: Obviously, Clr is best. Brd and Drd are next, with Pal and Rngr trailing behind. Rog is an option, but not one I would want to rely on.
3. Artilery: Wiz or Sorc. Clr or Drd don't have enough juice to fill this role. Ditto Brd.
4. Scout: Rogue is obviously best. Mnk/Rngr are decent substitutes, as is the Bard.
The fifth character should be a secondary tank (mnk, rngr, pal) an outdoor specialist (rngr, rog, drd) or a general support character (caster focused on buff, brd).
The coolest party I ever ran that hit all the bases was:
1. Halfing Wiz
2. Dwarf Wild Druid (whatever the variant is from UA that has raging instead of an animal companion)
3. Half-orc Rogue
4. Minotaur (eventually Minotaur Fighter)
You can have the best combination in the realm, but if you're playing with a bunch of numbskulls, it can quickly turn to disaster. I say it's not the characters that make great combinations; but great players. A good team of players can turn ANY combination into a winning one.
In my opinion, of course.
Ultradan
My perfect party has a backbone made of two charachter-types:
1) Great DMG-dealer (Human Fighter with Greatsword and heavy armor, OR Orc Barbarian with Grataxe and specialized in charges; third choice is Fighter or Paladin mounted and with Spirited Charge or Deadly Charge).
2) Healer (Cleric, that is also the Undead Grinder; OR Druid that is the second-choice). He can also serve as magic item crafter if there is no wizard.
Besides these, I usually recommend:
3) A Rogue, that is at once the diplomat, the archer, the scout, and has access to many different skills.
4) A Wizard, nonspecialized, to have access to (nearly) all Arcane spell. This character is also the magic item crafter.
I cannot begin a campaign anymore without this last function.
Director of Game Development
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ACE and UltraDan have it right. (scroll up slightly, I don't know how to quote two diferent posts.)
In the current party that I'm torturing is:
A Rogue/Bard on her way to Chameleon.
A Rogue/Bard on his way to Fochlucan Lyrist.
An old Wizard on his way to Loremaster.
A Scout Exotic Weapon Master.
And a Dwarven Cleric.
It also depends greatly on the type of campaign you're playing.
Ultradan
Hmmm... perfect Party? I don't hink it exists. I have to agree that even with the bases covered(Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, and Wizard... with a 5th anything) the potential has to be with the players for party dynamics. But my current group is a LOT 'o fun:
1) Barbarian/Fighter (prestige: Whirling Dervish)
2) Swashbuckler/Wizard (prestige: Arcane Knight)
3) Ninja/Cleric (prestige: Chameleon)
4) Rogue/Monk (prestiges: Invisible Blade/Tattooed Monk)
5) Sorcerer (prestige: Master of the Unseen Hand)
6) Healer/Monk (prestige: Reaping Mauler)
all of them rely on speed and wear light or no armor, we have no Full Cleric, no Charge in Tank(ours uses Karisari-Gama)and prefers the fight come to her, no Stealth(Rogue Tumbles in and feints for sneak attack damage), and no Utility Spell Slinger(both Sorcerer and Wizard are Artillery)... but we have a Chameleon(can be any of the core classes for the day)so essentially, we got it all! >:)
I'd settle for just a good party. I'd even settle for just A party, if push came to shove.
My definition of a good party is a group of players that enjoy each other's company and have goals when playing the game (in and out of character) that are complimentary. This goes for any game system, not just D&D.
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I'd settle for just a good party. I'd even settle for just A party, if push came to shove.
My definition of a good party is a group of players that enjoy each other's company and have goals when playing the game (in and out of character) that are complimentary. This goes for any game system, not just D&D.
Amen...
that is after all the ultimate goal of our hobby...to have fun, and play well as a group
game on, rightously
Look the perfect party is a myth like Santa Claus. If the game is heavy urban bring a social character if the wilds are calling the party bring a ranger and/or a druid. My wife thinks that I should have an ECL on every character I make because I seem to walk through her games. I ain't walking I'm skilled and lucky its called experience. The perfect party is one that works well together. Everyone does their part and every one survives no one is let behind.
Amen!
You can have the best combination in the realm, but if you're playing with a bunch of numbskulls, it can quickly turn to disaster. I say it's not the characters that make great combinations; but great players. A good team of players can turn ANY combination into a winning one.
In my opinion, of course.
Ultradan
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Has anyone considered the following?
Dwarf Cleric of St. Cuthbert (Destruction & Strength)
Human Cleric of Pelor (Healing & Sun)
Human Cleric of Wee Jas (Death & Magic)
Human Cleric of Boccob (Knowledge & Trickery)
Elf Cleric of Obad-Hai (Fire & Air)
I realise this looks somewhat boring at first and that there are many problems that can crop up such as religious conflicts and who gets the +1 full plate, but consider how well they could clear out dungeons. 4/5 spontaneous healers!
HAGEN take your pill that is sick and wrong on so many levels we're not paying munchkin mash. No DM in his right mind would touch that party...Maybe on a dare but that is it.
HAGEN take your pill that is sick and wrong on so many levels we're not paying munchkin mash. No DM in his right mind would touch that party...Maybe on a dare but that is it.
'Sick and wrong on so many levels' to describe another's gaming style is unduly harsh, on so many levels.
No more prunes for you!
That said, that sure is a lot of clerics.
HAGEN take your pill that is sick and wrong on so many levels we're not paying munchkin mash. No DM in his right mind would touch that party...Maybe on a dare but that is it.
Hey, Prune-Nazi, we're just brainstorming. ALL ideas are worth hearing. They just may not be right for you.
Ultradan
That was the prunes talk I'm sorry. It was intended as good humored teasing i didn't realize you were so sensitive. Hagen I am sorry if I offended you.
That was the prunes talk I'm sorry. It was intended as good humored teasing i didn't realize you were so sensitive. Hagen I am sorry if I offended you.
We're only sensitive because most of us, and I'm sure I'm speaking for the group here, lost loved ones to the prune storms of '88. Has anyone forgotten where they were that week?
Oh, the bubble-gutted humanity!
That was the prunes talk I'm sorry. It was intended as good humored teasing i didn't realize you were so sensitive. Hagen I am sorry if I offended you.We're only sensitive because most of us, and I'm sure I'm speaking for the group here, lost loved ones to the prune storms of '88. Has anyone forgotten where they were that week?
Oh, the bubble-gutted humanity!
I was volunteering at a small community farm expo held in the center of a corn feild.
Upwards of 75 people there when it all started. Only relief for 6 miles was a 3 by 3 porta potty .........we never stood a chance........
I was volunteering at a small community farm expo held in the center of a corn feild.Upwards of 75 people there when it all started. Only relief for 6 miles was a 3 by 3 porta potty .........we never stood a chance........
I am so, so sorry to hear this.
What a alternative way to get corn into...
I'm hearing that the US government had a massive emergency store of TP kept in an underground vault 20 miles outside of Lincoln, Nebraska... but when the disaster hit nearly every military transport vehicle that could have driven wads to the needy had been sent off to assist in the firebombing of Iraqi fig fields, which of course led to the popular sentiment:
"I love the smell of baked newtons in the morning."
Has anyone considered the following?
Dwarf Cleric of St. Cuthbert (Destruction & Strength)
Human Cleric of Pelor (Healing & Sun)
Human Cleric of Wee Jas (Death & Magic)
Human Cleric of Boccob (Knowledge & Trickery)
Elf Cleric of Obad-Hai (Fire & Air)I realise this looks somewhat boring at first and that there are many problems that can crop up such as religious conflicts and who gets the +1 full plate, but consider how well they could clear out dungeons. 4/5 spontaneous healers!
That's a cool idea. . . It would be cool to theme a 3.5 edition cmpaign around a particular class. A DM's challenge indeed.
Back in 2nd edition, using the Bard's Handbook, we used the kits to create a rather diverse set of circus performers. We only played with it for about 5-6 sessions though.
We had a jongluer, a blade, a charlatan, and a jester. It was fun for a while, but we kinda got bored. I think we needed a skald.
Five clerics? As a DM I would laugh at a group who all made clerics; all I would have to do in order to show them the error of their ways is throw any type of specialized encounter their way (other than undead).
The best party would be only the four most archetypal characters, all single classed: Cleric, Fighter, Rogue and Wizard PERIOD. (race doesn't matter much but humans ARE the best, in general, by a margin) Despite 3.x's myriad basic classes, prestige classes and races the game is still designed in such a generic way that the four basics remain the masters of the general D&D world.
I'd have to agree with the sentiment that players and not characters make or beak the party...but having said that, I'd like to mention a memorable party back in an city campaign we played almost a year ago. The party was not "perfect" by any stretch of the imagination, but it was one of the most fun i've ever played in (yes this was back when I played almost as much as I Dmed...sigh....but I digress). We ALL started as 1st level rogues (this was 3.0) and we were all part of the thieves guild in a city...as we gained expereince, we all specialized in different areas (read multiclassed) except ONE guy who went 100% rogue...by the time we were at level 10 we had:
10th level Rogue
2/8 Rogue/Cleric
2/8 Rogue/Fighter
2/8 Rogue/Sorceror
It was a decent party in terms of meeting challenges...more tactical than most (the playing style was not combat heavy)...and the interparty interaction was really cool...the Dm did a great job of tying it in together...i'm just not sure that it was what he envisioned when he asked us all to roll up rogues to be part of the thieves guild =).
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Director of Game Development
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Has anyone considered the following?
Dwarf Cleric of St. Cuthbert (Destruction & Strength)
Human Cleric of Pelor (Healing & Sun)
Human Cleric of Wee Jas (Death & Magic)
Human Cleric of Boccob (Knowledge & Trickery)
Elf Cleric of Obad-Hai (Fire & Air)
How about a Palestinian Diplomat, an Israeli Soldier, an American Petroleum Executive, a Dutch Hippie and a Bosnian Surgeon?
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That was the prunes talk I'm sorry. It was intended as good humored teasing i didn't realize you were so sensitive. Hagen I am sorry if I offended you.
No offense taken. The idea for the all-cleric party came after a conversation with my fellow gamers in which we discussed the most self-sufficient class. Decent BAB, pretty good HP, 2 good saves (the best ones IMO, as failed Reflex saves more often just deal damage as opposed to killing you), good armour, great spells, and healing. I know it looks silly and I'm not sure I would want to DM such a party, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it could work. I am convinced that a cleric, properly buffed, can take out a fighter. I once created an 18th level cleric of Kord with 10 levels in Mighty Contender of Kord (from Dragon #284) who could raise his strength to 54! Spells such as Animate Dead, Hold Person, and even Find Traps make the cleric versatile. I used to think the cleric was one of the worse classes back in 2nd edition, but the addition of spontaneous casting changed all that. No other party comes close when it comes to healing. Once they get access to the Heal spell, it becomes quite a task to take that party down.
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How about a party of four Dvati (meaning 8 characters) all rogues, which have lots of hiding skills and invisiblity items and focus on augmenting their sneak attacks and all go assassin prestige for death attack/poison use. :D
Wow. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that sneak attack. Ouch!
If the idea of playing a game with others is to have fun and enjoy each others company. Then, right know, I have the perfect party.
Thanks Lake Warriors of Cauldron. For the fun, for the company, and for the sweet leather bound 3.5 DM's Guide!
Much Aloha
Tactically a party needs fighters and healers perferably a good cleric of healing. Although with out either a rogue or arcane spellcaster a party will see many unnecessary casualties and hopefully total party kill, as a DM a quest of mine, damn smart reseliant PCs.
Five clerics? As a DM I would laugh at a group who all made clerics; all I would have to do in order to show them the error of their ways is throw any type of specialized encounter their way (other than undead).
The best party would be only the four most archetypal characters, all single classed: Cleric, Fighter, Rogue and Wizard PERIOD. (race doesn't matter much but humans ARE the best, in general, by a margin) Despite 3.x's myriad basic classes, prestige classes and races the game is still designed in such a generic way that the four basics remain the masters of the general D&D world.
I dunno - there really are not that many specalized encounters that a Cleric is not fairly good at handling. They've got descent attacks - good armour - good hit points, lots of spells and with that many clerics near infinate healing. Thats a really potent party really. I guess the best way to kill them is not to use monsters at all but to fill the Dungeon to overflowing with lethal traps.
That was the prunes talk I'm sorry. It was intended as good humored teasing i didn't realize you were so sensitive. Hagen I am sorry if I offended you.No offense taken. The idea for the all-cleric party came after a conversation with my fellow gamers in which we discussed the most self-sufficient class. Decent BAB, pretty good HP, 2 good saves (the best ones IMO, as failed Reflex saves more often just deal damage as opposed to killing you), good armour, great spells, and healing. I know it looks silly and I'm not sure I would want to DM such a party, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it could work. I am convinced that a cleric, properly buffed, can take out a fighter. I once created an 18th level cleric of Kord with 10 levels in Mighty Contender of Kord (from Dragon #284) who could raise his strength to 54! Spells such as Animate Dead, Hold Person, and even Find Traps make the cleric versatile. I used to think the cleric was one of the worse classes back in 2nd edition, but the addition of spontaneous casting changed all that. No other party comes close when it comes to healing. Once they get access to the Heal spell, it becomes quite a task to take that party down.
Ha me and my friends were thinking the same thing not too mong ago but we did find and interesting weakness. Earthquake spell and the whole party is toast. Get some flying boots and try not to piss off any druids
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Ha me and my friends were thinking the same thing not too mong ago but we did find and interesting weakness. Earthquake spell and the whole party is toast. Get some flying boots and try not to piss off any druids
Hmmm. Not sure. An Earthquake spell cast on open ground requires a Reflex save, DC 15. Being an 8th level spell, a cleric will probably have a Reflex bonus of +8 approx. (assuming he has a cloak of protection) and, more often than not, ignore the earthquake. If the spell is cast underground, victims only receive 8d6 damage, from which the clerics can easily recover. I agree that such a spell can take out one or two clerics, but it would be just as lethal against fighters, barbarians, paladins, wizards, and sorcerers.
I run a game for a few of my friends the rise I said that the all cleric group was sick is because it would take me as a player about two seconds to splatter most monsters. If kill it you can animate it
Jeremy wrote: I dunno - there really are not that many specalized encounters that a Cleric is not fairly good at handling. They've got descent attacks - good armour - good hit points, lots of spells and with that many clerics near infinate healing. Thats a really potent party really. I guess the best way to kill them is not to use monsters at all but to fill the Dungeon to overflowing with lethal traps.
I admit clerics are versatile. My point is that clerics are only GOOD at two things: countering undead and defense/healing. Though they can make decent warriors/casters/finders, there are situations that downright require a GOOD warrior/caster/finder.
I was just wondering.
What would be the perfect party to DM for? (five people only).
My ideal party to DM for:
1 chips & salsa-bringer
1 veggie tray-bringer
1 coffee-bringer
1 chocolate goody-bringer
1 antacid-bringer
Plus little gifts for the DM like minis or markers or post-its are always a plus.
M@
I was just wondering.
What would be the perfect party to DM for? (five people only).
My ideal party to DM for:
1 chips & salsa-bringer
1 veggie tray-bringer
1 coffee-bringer
1 chocolate goody-bringer
1 antacid-bringerPlus little gifts for the DM like minis or markers or post-its are always a plus.
M@
FOLKS WE HAVE A WINNER!!! I bow my head in shame, no world shaking spellcaster can defeat the man who bringith munchies and drinks.
Big Jake mentioned something about a Half-Doppleganger. What book would I find that in?
I saw a Half Doppleganger template in one of my Dragons but I'm not sure which one. The idea was interesting but the ECL modifiers were high like 3 or 4 for some of the templates in that article. good luck in finding that Dragon I think it might have been the spies issue.
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I admit clerics are versatile. My point is that clerics are only GOOD at two things: countering undead and defense/healing. Though they can make decent warriors/casters/finders, there are situations that downright require a GOOD warrior/caster/finder.
The ability of the cleric to buff himself or someone else should not be underestimated. Sometimes these spells are necessary when going up against tough opponents or "boss" monsters, especially if they have spell resistance. Divine Favour, Protection from Evil, Shield of Faith, Aid, Bull's Strength, Magic Vestment, Prayer, Divine Power, Greater Magic Weapon, Righteous Might, Spell Resistance, Heroes' Feast, & Holy Aura are all great buffs and many of them stack and easily make the cleric more than a match for a warrior of the same level.
Cause Fear, Summon Monsters, Hold Person, Silence, Animate Dead, Flame Strike, Slay Living, Harm, and Holy Word are great offensive spells, as good as their arcane counterparts. Find Traps, Make Whole, Zone of Truth, Dispel Magic, Locate Object, Stone Shape, Water Breathing, Air Walk, Freedom of Movement, Wall of Stone, True Seeing, Find the Path, and Wind Walk are great utility spells. Unlike a wizard, a cleric doesn't have to spend time and money to learn all these spells and knows many more spells than a sorcerer. Using animated skeletons or summoned monsters is a good way of setting off traps. The one big useful spell that clerics don't have is haste, but a wand of haste used by a cleric with the magic domain fixes that problem.
While I agree that offensive cleric spells don't deal as much damage as arcane spells, I think the cleric's other advantages more than make up for it. Any really useful arcane spells can be purchased on scrolls or wands and used by a cleric with the magic domain. Battles will usually be longer, but with less casualties than with a standard party.