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Howdy advice board!
I'm running a melee cleric in my local PFS league. Stats so far:
Clast
CN Cleric 4 of Gorum
STR 18 (16+2 racial)
DEX 12
CON 14
INT 7
WIS 16 (15 +1 lvl)
CHA 10
Domains: Chaos (Protean), Destruction (Rage)
Feats: Heavy Armor Proficiency, Toughness, Power Attack
Skills: Sense Motive 1 rank, Perception 3 ranks, Profession (Soldier) 1 rank, Heal 3 ranks.
Equipment: +1 full plate armor, +1 greatsword, +1 ring of protection
I've been fighting in the thick of melee for the first three levels and doing quite well. I default to power attacking with my greatsword, relying on brute force to overpower the DR that every single creature seems to have. On groups of undead I channel positive to damage, between encounters I top people off with channel positive for healing. All my in-combat healing is done with a wand of cure light. I spend my spells buffing before fights and casting Hold Person to set up paralyze/Coup de Grace combos.
All of this is working very well at these low levels where 3/4 BAB and full BAB are similar, and a standard action attack with a greatsword is just as effective as a full-round action attack.
I foresee problems down the road, however, as the true fighter classes pull way ahead of me in combat potential. I'm planing on taking:
5: Furious Focus
7: Spell Focus (Enchantment)
9: Vital Strike
11: Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment)
I'll concentrate on landing one devastating hit per round, with a high DC on my Hold person, Confusion, Command, Murderous Command, and Forbid Action spells for sweet controller action.
Where I see the most trouble is in equipment. I get to use a greatsword because it's Gorum's favored weapon, so for weapon advancement past +1 I'm totally dependent on a chronicle sheet having a magical greatsword. Simple weapons just don't work for a battle cleric. Ideally I'd like a spell storing one to combo a destructive smite + power attack + searing light into a fight-ending blow. How do I get my grubby paws on one? Is there a module I can be sure to GM so my cleric can get one?
I don't see a problem getting better armor, loads of people will use plate armor and I should run into some eventually. For stat boosters, I need strength belts and wisdom circlets. I'd imagine those are decently common as well.
Is it realistic to expect to be able to continue healing with wands? Will I be finding wands of cure moderate and serious? I'd rather reserve all my spells for buffing and controlling.
Any advice is much appreciated! This is my first pathfinder character, and my first PFS character so I'm trying to make it a good one :)
In PFS you don't need to wait for just the right item to show up on your chronicle sheet. Look at the price of the item you want, then look at the table regarding item cost and prestige in the PFS organized play guide. Once you have the prestige and the gold....buy it. Simple as that. This holds true for ALL items.
A wand of CLW will always be the cheapest way to heal. It is not an in combat healing but an after combat healing strategy. What we usually do in our PFS games is have everyone has a wand of CLW for themselves. Then who ever can use it will be in charge of healing the party after combat. Everyone marks off their charges used, everyone is happy, and the healer doesn't feel like they are subsidizing every other players progression.
Hey! Great to hear you started up PFS.
I'd like to you to check out this thread when you get some time. It'll explain purchasing rules a bit better. Especially Jiggy's post. Basically when your fame is high enough, you can buy anything up that spending limit, even if it's not on any of your chronicle sheets.
Your cleric is level 4, so odds are you already got or close to 18 Fame = that means you can buy ANYTHING up to 5,250 gp (as long as you're not doing it in a small town during a scenario) as per page 21 of the Organized Play Guide. Belts +2 and Circlets +2 stat boosters are worth 4,000 gp each. You can buy them whenever. A specific +1 spell storing greatsword isn't gonna be very common so will probably need Fame to get it; it costs 8,350 gp (equal to +2 weapon + masterwork greatsword), so you'd need 27 Fame (11,750 gp max) which you can probably get to by level 6.
I'd skip out on the Vital strike. You have a great strengh bonus+power attack damage already. Vital Strike is only done with attack action and just gonna net you extra damage of 2d6 which only averages at 7. You're not really built for mobility so if full-attacking (and you're buffing yourself for attack bonuses, I'm sure, so the extra attack's bonus modifer isn't that inaccurate) you can net yourself 2 attacks that do 2d6+14 each (assuming 20 Strength with belt, two-handed power attacking by level 6 at BAB +4, and +1 greatsword) which averages at 21 each. Extend Spell (buffs), Improved Initiative (hit first while they're flat-footed), or Weapon Focus instead seems like a better choice, honestly. Heck even Cleave if you wanna stick with Standard Action attacking, at least you get second attack at full damage on second target.
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@ Labrat and Protoman
Well, that explains it! I had the purchase rules figured wrong. I was under the impression that all mundane core rulebook gear and +1 weapons and armor were always available for purchase, and anything greater than that had to show up on a chronicle sheet. Thank you kindly for setting me at ease! Good call on replacing vital strike with cleave or weapon focus.
@ Secane
I did see that, but IIRC it's only using wisdom for the to-hit, not the damage. Two handers shine because you can abuse the snot out of a high str score with one.
Thanks guys!