I am wondering if anyone can help me find some fantasy novels, computer or console games, movies, or cartoons that prominently feature clerics/healers (divine casters in general). I would love any suggestions people might have.
I am particularly interested in novels or short stories that are Pathfinder or D&D affiliated, but am open to looking at just about anything. Im terribly under read in Forgotten Realms and much better read in DragonLance so either of those settings would be okay with me. The only thing that I can get to consistently show up through searching is The Cleric Quintet which apparently gets the worst reviews ever. Any specific dragonlance novels would be welcome as well. Are there any novels from DragonLance that people can think of that feature divine casting after the gods are gone again in the age of Mortals.
Online or published Pathfinder fiction would also be welcome.
I also like Mercedes Lackey's Herald books and wonder if anyone knows if any of her books set in that realm prominently feature healers. Their presence in the herald focused novels are really interesting.
I am currently playing Baldur's Gate II: Dark Alliance on XBOX with a friend and this has made me curious about other video games that feature clerics and the like.
Movies?
Any help you can provide would be awesome. I am just starting to get into playing divine casters and am looking for some inspiration. I use to play arcane casters mostly and that is significantly easier to come by.
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Hrm. I'm pretty darn underread myself, but I'm almost certain that one or more of the DragonLance books feature a dark-haired Cleric lady who I think has a unhealthy relationship with the wizard guy. I also seem to recall her casting spells at some point, maybe start there. Sorry for the vagueness.
What it SOUNDS like you are actually looking for, however, are people's representations of Divine magic, specifically in how it differs from Arcane magic. I think I can help you there.
First of all, the difference between Arcane and Divine is almost always pronounced, to the point where even people who can't ID a spell being cast with Spellcraft can still tell you if it is Arcane or Divine. Furthermore, Arcane and Divine casters look different- nobody really confuses a Cleric with a Wizard, unless they have never seen one or the other. Arcane magic, for instance, is very mechanical and mathematical (at least for Alchemists and Wizards, less so Witches), and it needn't have flair if you don't want it to. A Wizard can reach into his pouch, pull out a pinch of bat poop, and incinerate a room with some funny words and fingerwigglin', but he still looks like an old guy with a mangy cat.
Sorcerers and Bards are Charisma casters, so it only stands to figure their powers are WAY less subtle, possibly including the 'spell casting auras' you see in many video games.
For Divine magic, though, even the simplest spell is essentially a bit of supernatural intervention, which is why they were all Conjuration in D&Dv3.5. When a Cleric heals you, he isn't just a priest saying funny words, he is a conduit connecting you to Pelor, or Sarenrae, or Zeus, or whatever deity he happens to be buddies with. There should definitely be a physical presence of something big and awe-inspiring (or big and scary as hell if he's an evil Cleric), as well as a greater sense of respect, especially for Druids. Sorcerers in particular might be little better and pyromaniac psychos, but every time a Divine caster uses a spell, they are calling on something far greater than themselves.
Oh, and given that I figure Charisma caster = more flash, consider the Oracle. An Oracle casting a higher-level Divine spell should be one heck of a show.
Oh, last thing- Divine spells almost always use a 'divine focus' component. That's the holy symbol. People don't pay attention to this, but all your Divine casting starts with a localized prayer.
Hope this helps.
I am wondering if anyone can help me find some fantasy novels, computer or console games, movies, or cartoons that prominently feature clerics/healers (divine casters in general). I would love any suggestions people might have.
Malazan Book Of The Fallen by Steven Erikson. Lots and lots of priests and gods gets involved through the story. One important note is that Erikson does not fall into D&D custom of dividing arcane and divine magic so lots of those priests are also mages and many mages are (or were or become) priests or just make pacts with gods and demons. Still it is my favorite fantasy series when it comes to cosmology and magic. Well, actually it is my current favorite fantasy.