So I'm making a Cleric for the first time. Usually I play a Wizard.
It's a Gnome Pyromaniac with the Fire and Travel domains (The game world is loose so I can pick whatever when it comes to domains.) Normally I'd be a little more optimized and play a Dwarf or a Human, but I'm trying to do something different here.
I'm having a hard time picking my first level feat. I know I want heavy armor eventually, but not right now because I don't have money to afford heavy armor.
My GM gave clerics selective channeling for free - so that's out of the question.
I kind of want to get Augment Summoning, but Spell Focus: Conjuration doesn't help a Cleric at all as far as I can tell.
What feat would you get for a casting Cleric?
Also, I wanted to ask another question while I'm at it - The feat Glorious Heat - couldn't I just cast the Orison "Spark" over and over to proc its effect?
Wouldn't that eliminate the need for a cure light wounds wand?
In a home campaign, a good feat is endurance so that you can sleep in your armor with out fatigue. Might depend on the campaign and how often your DM attacks you in the middle of the night.
If you have at least a +2 bonus to CHA Selective channleing is very nice. If you plan on going Holy Vindicator you'll want to pick up elemental or alignment channle as well.
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Also, I wanted to ask another question while I'm at it - The feat Glorious Heat - couldn't I just cast the Orison "Spark" over and over to proc its effect?
Wouldn't that eliminate the need for a cure light wounds wand?
See the listing for Faiths of Purity: Glorious Heat heals 0 points for a spark in PFS. I would be surprised if this doesn't become an official update.
What do you mean by a casting cleric? Every cleric cast spells. It's impossible to make good suggestions with no idea what you are trying to achieve with the character.
I would guess that he means to stand in the "back row" flinging spells rather than being a "battle cleric" on the front lines.
Knowing what level he's starting on would be helpful... If he's high enough level to take Craft Wands, that would probably be a really good bet (make wands of divine fireball). Craft Wondrous Items couldn't hurt for Pearls of Power, but you could always just buy those.
I see you mentioned summoning... if your intention is to be more of a summoner, Sacred Summons would be a good place to start. You're right that Spell Focus:Conjuration doesn't do much for you, but Augment Summoning will if you intend to summon often.
To be honest...if you intend to summon, why not play a summoner or a druid?
Improved Channel and Extra Channel are always options too. Are you a positive or negative cleric?
one of my first feats would be quick channel from UM. Lets you do your healing burst and cast a spell in the same round.
Requires 5 skill points in Knowledge:Religion, so the starting level comes into question.
Thanks for the quick response everyone.
What do you mean by a casting cleric? Every cleric cast spells. It's impossible to make good suggestions with no idea what you are trying to achieve with the character.What feat would you get for a casting Cleric?
I mean that I don't intend to boost my strength for MAD reasons (And because I'm a Gnome) so I don't want to care about Power Attack, and all the other things that a lot of guides seem to recommend.
I would like it if I could focus on Summoning, but upon inspection, it doesn't seem like the cleric is the most "optimized" to focus on that. I think I might take the Summon Monster spells as-is (They're pretty good anyway), and focus on other aspects..
See the listing for Faiths of Purity: Glorious Heat heals 0 points for a spark in PFS. I would be surprised if this doesn't become an official update.Also, I wanted to ask another question while I'm at it - The feat Glorious Heat - couldn't I just cast the Orison "Spark" over and over to proc its effect?
Wouldn't that eliminate the need for a cure light wounds wand?
Yeah, I figured that would be caught soon. I'm sure my GM wouldn't allow it anyway.
In a home campaign, a good feat is endurance so that you can sleep in your armor with out fatigue. Might depend on the campaign and how often your DM attacks you in the middle of the night.If you have at least a +2 bonus to CHA Selective channleing is very nice. If you plan on going Holy Vindicator you'll want to pick up elemental or alignment channle as well.
Oh! Endurance! I totally forgot about that (See what happens when you play an arcane caster all the time.)
I just Emailed my GM to see if he'd even keep track of sleeping at night (He probably will, but he did give us selective channeling for free, so maybe not...)
Thanks again for the response - here's some more info on my character so far:
RACE
Gnome with Pyromaniac and Eternal Hope variants
LEVEL
Starting at level 1
STATS
My GM gave us the following stats that we could allocate however we want: 18,16,14,12,10,8
STR: 14
DEX: 10
CON: 14
INT: 8
WIS: 18
CHA: 16
I didn't want to dump STR more than that because of encumbrance issues.
CLASS
Cleric with no variants.
Fire(Smoke) and Travel domains
SKILLS
Stuck my one skill point in Sense Motive.
Obviously I don't know what feats I want.
I'm up for any recommendations for optimization that doesn't involve me dropping my gnome race and some variant of the fire domain - those are strictly RP decisions I want to keep.
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I don't understand why a "casting cleric" would want Strength 14 and you're having to use a 16 ability score to get that. Dexterity does far more for clerics than strength, unless you want to focus on melee, but that isn't what you are saying. I think you'd be happier with a paladin or an inquisitor, you don't seem to have a handle on what you what the character to contribute to the party's success.
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halfling oracle = the bees knees.
Cha :18 (20)
Life mystery is awesome
For your revelation at 1st lvl grab channeling .
you will have more spells than a cleric , you are a spontaneous caster , you will have more channeling attempts , more nifty class features , better ac , you will be a terror vs undead or demons + devils if you get the allignment channel feats.
Unless I've missed an errata, he will not have more channelling attempts. A cleric has two more channel attempts than a life oracle with the same Charisma. So a four point higher Charisma would give the life oracle and cleric the same number.
And the life mystery has sad choices for revelations, once you pick up channeling.
The main reason for the 14 str is for encumbrance when wearing heavy armor...
Although you do have a point that I could just pop the 16 in my Dex and get about the same AC with medium armor and save myself a feat...
There are two reasons I don't like Oracles, and they're basically the same reasons I hate sorcerers.
1. Oracles get a limited number of spells that they know. This is one reason the Wizard is better than the Sorcerer, but this matter is doubly so when you consider that the Cleric gets ALL of his spells each level without any effort or selection.
This drastically limits versatility in comparison.
2. The Oracle, like the Sorcerer, learns its next spell level on even levels starting at level 4, rather than on odd levels starting at level 3.
This is the thing that bugs me the most. While the Oracle might have more spells per day, the Cleric gets level 2 spells one level earlier than the Oracle.
So if you compare the Oracle to the Cleric at level 3, the Oracle may have 5 first level castings, but the Cleric has 3 first level castings, and 2 SECOND level castings.
The same number, except that the Cleric is almost in-arguably in a better situation.
Compare them now at level 4. The Cleric has the same number of second level castings that the Oracle does. Sure the Oracle has two more first level castings at this point, but I'd say they're even here.
But then level up again, the Cleric gets one less total casting per day in comparison to the Oracle, but he gets to cast THIRD level spells at level 5, while the Oracle is still putzing around with Second Level spells.
Add in the fact that the Cleric has better Saving Throws, as well as the ever useful channelings - which well make up for lack of castings, and I don't think the Oracle is by any means a superior class.
I know that the Oracle gets some awesome revelations that somewhat make up for the lack of higher level castings on odd levels, I'd personally much rather just have the higher level castings (And the Cleric also gets Domain powers too.)
you grab channel as a oracle at 1st lvl if you are using the life mystery you get bonus spells like a sorc and tell you the truth having knowledge of every spell but you have to prepare them in advance is worse than having access to a handfull of spells but being able to cast them without preparation and as needed. the revelations more than make up for the fact that you are a level behind the cleric.
id rather have a crap load of extra castings then get access to a new tier a lvl early.
And I can kind of understand that...
But the Cleric can spontaneously cast too.
If I ever memorize a spell I don't need, I can always flush it into a cure spell, which are almost always useful.
I just see less reason to play an Oracle vs a Cleric than I even see playing a Sorcerer vs Wizard.
And as I mentioned, the "crapload of extra castings" is only really applicable on even levels. The Cleric gets (almost) the same number of castings on odd levels, except that he has access to the higher tier.
Now in a higher level campaign, I'd say that the Oracle starts to have an advantage since the level lag isn't as important - but our games rarely break level 10 - I'd much rather enjoy the higher level spells as long as I can.
I'm also looking at the glass as half empty. I don't see the Cleric as having access a level early, I'm seeing the Oracle as having access a level late.
Why not play a druid? sure there is the fact that playing a gnome will likely carry little to no benefits (wis being primary stat), but you can opt out of the animal companion and be a great primary caster (you get to choose from a number of domains instead of the animal).
Instead of being able to spontaneously cast all cure or inflict spells you get all summon monster X (X=level number of spell sacrificed) spells instead of the cure/inflict spells.
The 5th level spell animal growth can make for some absolutely nasty summons (+8 str, +4 con, +2 nat armor) paired with augment summoning thats a total of +12 str, +4 con it doesn't get any better than this.
Why not play a druid? sure there is the fact that playing a gnome will likely carry little to no benefits (wis being primary stat), but you can opt out of the animal companion and be a great primary caster (you get to choose from a number of domains instead of the animal).
Instead of being able to spontaneously cast all cure or inflict spells you get all summon monster X (X=level number of spell sacrificed) spells instead of the cure/inflict spells.
The 5th level spell animal growth can make for some absolutely nasty summons (+8 str, +4 con, +2 nat armor) paired with augment summoning thats a total of +12 str, +4 con it doesn't get any better than this.
I actually spent some time looking at the druid. Treantmonk's Guide kind of discouraged me though - since in his opinion the druid isn't very good at low levels without an animal companion.
As I mentioned, I doubt we'll be getting past level 10.
I actually spent some time looking at the druid. Treantmonk's Guide kind of discouraged me though - since in his opinion the druid isn't very good at low levels without an animal companion.
As I mentioned, I doubt we'll be getting past level 10.
Ah I see well if you aren't getting past level 10 then I would just throw casting in the back seat and focus on channeling.