Two survivors of a party wipe are Bard 5 and melee Finesse Rogue 6, both good at being the face. Among the casualties are my elf wizard controller. The other players are rolling a "buffing" Paladin, a melee Half-Orc Greataxe wielding Inquisitor, and some sort of full caster, most likely a witch. So melee, buffing, debuffing, sneak and face seem to be more or less covered. Control is less covered, since I'm not sure to what extent the witch is capable of this or how well the player will do this.
I'm rolling up a cleric to replace my wizard, since healing is lacking and I've never played one. Level is 5, stats are 4d6 reroll ones:
STR: 10
DEX: 17
CON: 15
INT: 12
WIS: 20 (18+Human)
CHA: 14 (13+level)
These are by no means set in stone.
My starting point for this guy, visually and personality, is a skinnier version of McNulty from The Wire (Dominic West). I therefore conceived of this character as a Lawful Good one, since McNulty tends to be a stickler for the rules.
However, the Liberation and Travel Domains leap out at me as the most optimal, and I can't find a Lawful Good deity that embraces both of these. Originally I took it for granted that he'd be a cleric of Pelor, a major deity in the DM's homebrew campaign. I guess there's an ideological clash between Liberation and Lawfulness. Can anyone name an LG deity with Liberation and Travel domains? (non-deity Cleric seems wrong to me)
I'm assuming no, so for now I'm going to go with Cayden Cailean, whose drunkenness sort of jives with a McNultyish character anyway.
Feats:
Extra Channeling
Selective Channeling
Weapon Proficiency: Repeating Crossbow.
Combat Casting? Possibly Lightning Reflexes? Toughness?
Traits: Scholar of Ruins (dungeoneering bonus)
Deft Dodger.
I had briefly toyed with the idea of giving him Weapon Finesse to utilize the favored Rapier, but this guy will probably be pretty useless as a switch hitter. The crossbow will likely be for the beginning of a fight; after that my talents will be needed more than melee.
Gear: Mithral Chainmail
Heavy Repeating Xbow
Rings of Deflection
Haversack
Can anyone suggest a better feat than Combat Casting? Are there magic feats optimal to Clerics that I'm not aware of, never having played one? Is Extra Channeling worth it?
As a followup, what is the Cleric's potential at battlefield control?
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Some of the spells that leap out at me as battlefield control at low level are Command, Forbid action, and Burning Disarm. They all pretty much suck. Clerics usually run the route of Buffer/Debuffer via Bless Doom and their higher level counterparts.
Witches are pretty good control characters w/ their hex feature. Misfortune is pretty much the bread and butter where I play. Sometimes the GMs get great rolls in a row, but usually they end up having to reroll 20s.
Some of the spells that leap out at me as battlefield control at low level are Command, Forbid action, and Burning Disarm. They all pretty much suck. Clerics usually run the route of Buffer/Debuffer via Bless Doom and their higher level counterparts.
Witches are pretty good control characters w/ their hex feature. Misfortune is pretty much the bread and butter where I play. Sometimes the GMs get great rolls in a row, but usually they end up having to reroll 20s.
Thanks. Any thoughts on the build? What are some go-to feats for clerics?
With the ability to wear medium armor why such a high dex? you will probably want to have a bit more strength so you can smack something if needed.
Mithral turns medium armor into light armor. Besides Dex being the MVP of abilities overall, it's necessary for ranged, which this party lacks.
I would completely Focus on my spellcasting.There is not much to gain by focusing on healing,you can heal thats enough.Divine Magic isn´t as bad as it once was you get some decent spells and to get more Battlefield Controll you should remember that Metamagic is your friend:)
For spellselection I recommend using this Cleric Spelllist Filter
For battlefield control there is always obscuring mist, no save and it completely shuts down archers or magic missile style magic (if they can't see you, they can't target you)
I know people hate on Gozreh as having less than optimal domains, but if battlefield control is important to you, it might be worthwhile to at least consider this choice. Domain spells are packed full of fogs, area-of-effect storms that can do more than just hitpoint damage, and some walls and wind spells that make archers cry. (The Air domain even gives you Wind Wall as a domain spell a level early.) The domain powers themselves are hit-and-miss- mostly blasts at low level, then more blasts or elemental resistance at higher levels- but I find these can be handy at lower levels to prevent a 15-minute workday. I haven't even run into a situation where I've been out of spells, channels and domain abilities, and those blasts let me contribute to combat, even if it's just a d6+level in damage (always better than doing nothing).
Don't forget that your cleric can be within one step of his deity, so you can still play LG if you go with a NG or LN deity. Desna (CG) is the only deity that gives the Liberation domain, but you can get Travel from Abadar, who is LN. Favoured weapon is a light crossbow, too, so if you're looking for ranged attack options, this can work. Be sure to pick up Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot and Rapid Reload as feats as soon as you can to make crossbow use more effective.
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If you want to make a healer Cleric, I suggest you swap your Dex and Cha and drop Extra Channel for Quick Channel.
Healing in large numbers is needed combat. Out of combat a wand of CLWs, solves most hp needs.
Quick channel allows you to expend 2 uses of channeling to channel as a swift action, couple that with using a standard action for another cure spell or buff spell, you ability to heal per round in combat is expended.
For example, you can channel to heal everyone an average of 3d6=10 and still cast a Cure Serious wounds on that fighter that needs more healing.
If you can try grabbing a Deity with healing domain (OPTIONAL)
With 18 Cha, you can exclude up to 4 enemies when you channel and have up to 7 channels per day. 3 quick channels + 1 normal in combat if needed.
Made right, a proper healer Cleric can "reverse" the damage deal by a maximized fireball.
I guess I was hesitant on boosting Cha so high because the party already has a Bard and a high Cha rogue. I also have an aversion to the bloody-nose-wiper role that I've often seen clerics fall into. But this was usually because the role was pawned off on inexperienced players. As of now I'm considering
STR 10
DEX 17
CON 13
INT 12
WIS 20 (18+race)
CHA 16 (15+level)
and try to keep clear of melee. Low Con? Maybe, but he shouldn't be toe-to-toe with a BBEG until dire emergencies, he's fast, and he's got Freedom of Movement to avoid grapples and things like Web traps. And I won't need to beg somebody else for healing for a change.
Why all the hate on a ranged cleric? 3/4 BAB isn't so bad. For the cost of one feat I can pretty much have the same attack bonus as a similarly-leveled Inquisitor with a MW Repeating Crossbow, before buffs. I'm also keenly aware of his low Reflex save, which is probably the most common saving throw in the game.
Since he won't be holding a melee weapon, I'm also considering taking advantage of DM's one-time "drop two to get one" at character creation to dump STR and boost Con. That is, if an 8 can carry mithral chain (how exactly is this different from elven chain?), a crossbow, haversack, and shield.
Sticking with the above scores, I'm playing around with:
Deft Dodger
Scholar of Ruins
Extra Channel
Selective Channeling
WP: Repeating Crossbow
Quick Channel
Gear: Mithral Chain 4,150 /20
MW Heavy Crossbow: 550 /12
Light Steel Quickdraw Shield 59 /7
Amulet of Natural Protection +1 2k
Haversack 2k /5
This setup leaves 1741 to play with. I don't want to go for Rich Parents to pay for a Ring of deflection, since my wizard had one on him when he died and I'm hoping to recapture it, since it's probably on the BBEG's finger now. He also weighs in at 44 pounds, so he'll have to drop the haversack before a fight and drop the crossbow before he moves to drop 17 pounds...
to 27. Hmm. This weighs him down at 8 STR without Ant Haul. So I could switch to a light wooden shield to squeak by or drop another thou on a mithral shield and get under by 2.5 pounds. Either way I'm going to want to keep Ant Haul in the toolbox for carrying away fallen comrades.
Or use a buckler. Why does anyone carry a quickdraw shield when they can carry a buckler? Just for the bashing?
Anyway, this gives him a shooting AC of 20 and helping AC of 21.
On the other hand, dumping Strength for DEX instead of Con gives him an AC of 22 with Buckler, and +8 to hit with a d10 weapon with a range of 120'. With 38 HP and a sluggish speed of a mere 30' while heavily laden down. It also gives him one better for reflex saves. Speaking of saves, he's got
Fort +5
Reflex +6
Will + 9
I'm willing to bet there are going to be a lot more Reflex saves than Will, and a lot more Will than Fortitude. And he's got 8 channels a day, potentially 4 swift ones, which is one better than Secane's proposal (thanks for pointing out Quick Channel, btw).
AC 22 might not seem like much, but it's tough to have speed and AC, and I really want the speed to be able to get to trouble/fallen buddies.
So to recap, my man has a speed of 30, AC of 21, and can fire a d10 weapon up to 120 feet once a round. (Correct me if I'm wrong; I believe that since the crossbow requires 2 hands, you don't get the buckler bonus). If he stands still while he's firing (say, if he's behind a Paladin or giant Half-Orc Inquisitor) he can channel 3d6 while shooting. Before he can empty his clip somebody's going to need some help, so he drops the weapon, boosts his AC one point, and gets 10'/round faster.
This is all before he's fired off a single spell, so he'll probably specialize in buffing magic and saveless conjuration like the aformentioned Obscuring Mist.(thanks Mirrel; you're Marvelous). Some of that extra gold will go into a Wand of CLW (thanks again, Secane). A little of it will go into Cure Potions for my man's pocket, in case he goes down mid-battle.
Before I figure the skills, is there an Achilles heal I'm missing? I know someone will take me to task for dumping Con all the way down to 13, but while this might be a semi-battle cleric, he's not melee, and I am the one that does the healing.
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I'm kinda confused. Why Chainmail? When a Mithral Breastplate /(agile), gives better protection and is of lesser weight?
Don't worry too much about speed. Remember as a Travel domain Cleric you already have a +10 to speed, couple with the lv 1 domain spell longstrider, your speed is at 50 feet, 5 hours of the day. That's 50 feet!!!
On the Con, ALL CLERICS need good Con for the HP, not just "Battle" Clerics.
WHY? Cos you are the party HEALER, if you go down... there may not be someone to bring you back up!
1st rule of a "healer" cleric, SURVIVE. If you die, your party dies, if you live, you can rez the party later.
Also you usually have low Relfex saves, so the extra hp helps with fireballs and other damage spells.
HOWEVER, a good Dex score is also needed to pull off range touch spells, Initiative (Very important) and AC/Reflex.
Its really up to you. While having high Con is the "recommended" choice. You could go with a higher Dex, if it suits your style.
At lv 8, your 2nd powers kick in and you can teleport and get others out of grapple.
Play what you like, with that stat spread you can go in any direction.
Remember to prepare 1 or 2 copies of the lv 2 spell "Grace" It can get you out of trouble if you are going to provoke attacks of opportunity.
I'm kinda confused. Why Chainmail? When a Mithral Breastplate /(agile), gives better protection and is of lesser weight?
Don't worry too much about speed. Remember as a Travel domain Cleric you already have a +10 to speed, couple with the lv 1 domain spell longstrider, your speed is at 50 feet, 5 hours of the day. That's 50 feet!!!
On the Con, ALL CLERICS need good Con for the HP, not just "Battle" Clerics.
WHY? Cos you are the party HEALER, if you go down... there may not be someone to bring you back up!1st rule of a "healer" cleric, SURVIVE. If you die, your party dies, if you live, you can rez the party later.
Also you usually have low Relfex saves, so the extra hp helps with fireballs and other damage spells.
HOWEVER, a good Dex score is also needed to pull off range touch spells, Initiative (Very important) and AC/Reflex.
Its really up to you. While having high Con is the "recommended" choice. You could go with a higher Dex, if it suits your style.
At lv 8, your 2nd powers kick in and you can teleport and get others out of grapple.Play what you like, with that stat spread you can go in any direction.
Remember to prepare 1 or 2 copies of the lv 2 spell "Grace" It can get you out of trouble if you are going to provoke attacks of opportunity.
You know, you're right. Plain old Agile Breastplate is better, and frees up a bunch of gold to drop on a Deflection Ring and other goodies.
Is there an item that replicates Ant Haul?
In fact, trading in the mithral bling frees up cash for a ring +1 and a cloak of resistance +1.
Thanks, Secane.
EDIT: And as it turns out, a shield gives you no speed penalty. So I might as well buy two of them - a buckler for light combat and a heavier one for more dangerous encounters.
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Is there an item that replicates Ant Haul?
From the APG
Muleback Cords
Aura faint transmutation; CL 3rd
Slot shoulders; Price 1,000 gp; Weight 1/4 lb.
Description
These thick leather cords wrap around the wearer's biceps and shoulders; when worn, they make the muscles appear larger than normal. The wearer treats his Strength score as 8 higher than normal when determining his carrying capacity. This bonus does not apply to combat, breaking items, or any other Strength-related rolls except the amount of equipment or material the wearer can carry.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, bull's strength; Cost 500 gp
Is there an item that replicates Ant Haul?From the APG
Muleback Cords
Aura faint transmutation; CL 3rd
Slot shoulders; Price 1,000 gp; Weight 1/4 lb.
Description
These thick leather cords wrap around the wearer's biceps and shoulders; when worn, they make the muscles appear larger than normal. The wearer treats his Strength score as 8 higher than normal when determining his carrying capacity. This bonus does not apply to combat, breaking items, or any other Strength-related rolls except the amount of equipment or material the wearer can carry.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, bull's strength; Cost 500 gp
Exactly what I asked for. But he's only got one set of shoulders. Is there an item that does it w/out the shoulder slot? Is there a +1 saves item that isn't a cloak? Or is there a way to get both?
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You could stack the effects with a cloak of resist as they both occupy the same body slot. (emphasis mine)
Adding New Abilities
Sometimes, lack of funds or time make it impossible for a magic item crafter to create the desired item from scratch. Fortunately, it is possible to enhance or build upon an existing magic item. Only time, gold, and the various prerequisites required of the new ability to be added to the magic item restrict the type of additional powers one can place.The cost to add additional abilities to an item is the same as if the item was not magical, less the value of the original item. Thus, a +1 longsword can be made into a +2 vorpal longsword, with the cost to create it being equal to that of a +2 vorpal sword minus the cost of a +1 longsword.
If the item is one that occupies a specific place on a character's body, the cost of adding any additional ability to that item increases by 50%. For example, if a character adds the power to confer invisibility to her ring of protection +2, the cost of adding this ability is the same as for creating a ring of invisibility multiplied by 1.5.
Magic Item Creation at the bottom of the page.
So a character can have muleback cords of resistance+1 for 2500? Or is there an additional fee?
Actually, this thread has convinced me to dump the proficient feat and spend it on combat casting. Meaning he'll have 4 magic/heal oriented feats. I will still give him a ranged weapon, though. I was thinking I'd simply use Bestow Weapon Proficiency to try it out, at which point it occurred to me that I might as well give him a musket.
Seems to jibe fairly well with Cayden, the drunken god. My man casts BWP as close to combat as possible, blasts at baddie's touch AC with a +7, then drops the weapon, because by now he can probably be more useful dancing his nimble self around the battlefield with a shield. And if that's not working out, he can cast it on the rogue with the better Dex bonus next time around. Or sell it, since he hasn't invested much in it besides a little gp.
Eh, I've decided that both the muleback cords and the gun are just too expensive. Instead I'm going to sink 2k into +2 AC through enhancement. So total gear is
+1 Mithral Breastplate
MW Repeating Crossbow
+1 Ring of Deflection
+1 Amulet of Natural Armor
+1 Quickdraw Steel Shield
+1 Cloak of Resistance
Buckler
Haversack
The rest will be little fun favorites like a periscope, telescope, other little stuff. Probably I'll get him a horse and some light armor like leather or chain shirt to sleep in.
So armored up, my man will have a shooting AC of about 22-23 (does a Buckler protect you while you're firing a crossbow?) Shielded up, he'll have a 24. Not terrible for a level 5 non-tank, yes? Str will stay 10, so the cords probably aren't necessary.
So armored up, my man will have a shooting AC of about 22-23 (does a Buckler protect you while you're firing a crossbow?) Shielded up, he'll have a 24. Not terrible for a level 5 non-tank, yes? Str will stay 10, so the cords probably aren't necessary.If you fire the crossbow one handed (taking penalties) then you get the buckler's AC. When you reload you need that hand so that round you would not get it.
As for 22-23 AC.. it's NOT good considering the cash investment you've made there.
Consider what the heavy armor feat and a much low DEX score would give you:
+1 full plate, +1 buckler, 12 DEX.. same AC, more when shield of faith is up, more readily increased, and 6-7k more gold to spend.
Taking a trait to make UMD a class skill and a single rank in it would have you doing far more damage with a level 1 wand of magic missiles than you will do with that repeating crossbow.
-James
'preciate the feedback. That said, my way I'm lighter, I free up a feat for combat casting, I have a better Touch AC, and I'm not the tank.
I suppose I've been talked out of the repeater, though. Better to dump the buckler and the repeater and get a wand of CLW and a regular old heavy crossbow.
Wand of Magic Missiles? Too wizardy. Damage shouldn't be my specialty. Since I'm probably only going to fire a crossbow for one round anyway, may as well get the plain and save a feat and/or spell.
Recap:
STR: 10
DEX: 17
CON: 13
INT: 12
WIS: 20 (18+Human)
CHA: 16 (13+level)
Cayden Cailean
Liberation Domain
Travel Domain
Feats:
Deft Dodger, Scholar of Ruin
1 Combat Casting, Selective Channel
3 Extra Channel
5 Quick Channel
Gear:
Handy Haversack 2K
Ring of Protection +1 2K
Agile Breastplate +1 1.4K
Amulet of Nat Armor +1 2K
Cloak of Protection +1 1K
Quickdraw Shield +1 1.059K
Wand of CLW 750
Chain Shirt 100
Heavy Crossbow 50
Light Mace 5
Dagger 2
Periscope 20
Folding Chair 2
Light Horse 75
Waterskin 1
Bedroll .01
Leaves about 40 for rations, walking around money, nice hat, flask, booze. I'll leave it to DM to provide me with a map, and I have a trait to help keep me from getting lost.
How interested are you in archery?
Cause you could do human cleric of erastil (LG, favorite weapon longbow)
Stats:
Str 13
Dex 20 (17+1+2)
Con 13
Int 12
Wis 18
Cha 13
Feats:
Point blank shot
Precise shot
Rapid shot
Deadly aim
With a +1 longbow (+1 str) within 30' you're attacking at +7/+7 dealing d8+5 damage
Same setup at level 8 after you put you stat bonus in strength you're at
+9/+9/+4 d8+8
That's with no buffs and you're still great at spell casting. Just another option to think about.
Hmmm if he follows Cayden he gets Rapier proficiency. I think I'd pick up one of those if I were him.
Is there a weapon quality in Pathfinder that gets you weapon finesse?
agile?
EDIT: Nope, only gives you damage bonus w/ Weapon Finesse.
How interested are you in archery?
Cause you could do human cleric of erastil (LG, favorite weapon longbow)
Stats:
Str 13
Dex 20 (17+1+2)
Con 13
Int 12
Wis 18
Cha 13Feats:
Point blank shot
Precise shot
Rapid shot
Deadly aimWith a +1 longbow (+1 str) within 30' you're attacking at +7/+7 dealing d8+5 damage
Same setup at level 8 after you put you stat bonus in strength you're at
+9/+9/+4 d8+8That's with no buffs and you're still great at spell casting. Just another option to think about.
It's interesting, but a totally different character.
Anyway, now I'm thinking about trading in that expensive shield for a Repeater after all. They're just so kewl.
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I suppose I've been talked out of the repeater, though. Better to dump the buckler and the repeater and get a wand of CLW and a regular old heavy crossbow.
Wand of Magic Missiles? Too wizardy. Damage shouldn't be my specialty. Since I'm probably only going to fire a crossbow for one round anyway, may as well get the plain and save a feat and/or spell.
Recap:
STR: 10
DEX: 17
CON: 13
INT: 12
WIS: 20 (18+Human)
CHA: 16 (13+level)Cayden Cailean
Liberation Domain
Travel DomainFeats:
Deft Dodger, Scholar of Ruin
1 Combat Casting, Selective Channel
3 Extra Channel
5 Quick ChannelGear:
Handy Haversack 2K
Ring of Protection +1 2K
Agile Breastplate +1 1.4K
Amulet of Nat Armor +1 2K
Cloak of Protection +1 1K
Quickdraw Shield +1 1.059K
Wand of CLW 750
Chain Shirt 100
Heavy Crossbow 50
Light Mace 5
Dagger 2
Periscope 20
Folding Chair 2
Light Horse 75
Waterskin 1...
6 20 lbs. or less 21–40 lbs. 41–60 lbs.
7 23 lbs. or less 24–46 lbs. 47–70 lbs.8 26 lbs. or less 27–53 lbs. 54–80 lbs.
9 30 lbs. or less 31–60 lbs. 61–90 lbs.
10 33 lbs. or less 34–66 lbs. 67–100 lbs.
11 38 lbs. or less 39–76 lbs. 77–115 lbs.
12 43 lbs. or less 44–86 lbs. 87–130 lbs.
13 50 lbs. or less 51–100 lbs. 101–150 lbs.
14 58 lbs. or less 59–116 lbs. 117–175 lbs.
Stuff you have to carry at some point.
Handy Haversack 2K (5lb.)
Ring of Protection +1 2K
Agile Breastplate +1 1.4K (25lb.)
Amulet of Nat Armor +1 2K
Cloak of Protection +1 1K
Quickdraw Shield +1 1.059K (6lb.)
Wand of CLW 750
Heavy Crossbow 50 (8lb.)
Bolts Crossbow(10) (1lb.) (You will need more then 10. Just a FYI.)
Light Mace 5 (lb.)
Dagger 2 (1lb.)
Total Weight Carryed: 50lb.
Str 10 Medium Load Max Dex +3 Check Penalty -3 Speed 20ft
Need a Str of 13 just to carry your stuff and not be encumbered
I just checked my core book, and Cayden Cailean doesn't get the Liberation domain; only Desna has it. I checked Gods and Magic as well, and Liberation isn't listed for Cayden Cailean there, either. You might want to check and make sure your DM will allow you to take that domain as a cleric of Cayden Cailean.
I had to dump Strength with the cleric I made. (It was either that or dumping Intelligence, and clerics are skill-starved as it is.) I bought a horse with a pack saddle to carry my stuff.
I suppose I've been talked out of the repeater, though. Better to dump the buckler and the repeater and get a wand of CLW and a regular old heavy crossbow.
Wand of Magic Missiles? Too wizardy. Damage shouldn't be my specialty. Since I'm probably only going to fire a crossbow for one round anyway, may as well get the plain and save a feat and/or spell.
Recap:
STR: 10
DEX: 17
CON: 13
INT: 12
WIS: 20 (18+Human)
CHA: 16 (13+level)Cayden Cailean
Liberation Domain
Travel DomainFeats:
Deft Dodger, Scholar of Ruin
1 Combat Casting, Selective Channel
3 Extra Channel
5 Quick ChannelGear:
Handy Haversack 2K
Ring of Protection +1 2K
Agile Breastplate +1 1.4K
Amulet of Nat Armor +1 2K
Cloak of Protection +1 1K
Quickdraw Shield +1 1.059K
Wand of CLW 750
Chain Shirt 100
Heavy Crossbow 50
Light Mace 5
Dagger 2
Periscope 20
Folding Chair 2
Light Horse 75
Waterskin 1...6 20 lbs. or less 21–40 lbs. 41–60 lbs.
7 23 lbs. or less 24–46 lbs. 47–70 lbs.
8 26 lbs. or less 27–53 lbs. 54–80 lbs.
9 30 lbs. or less 31–60 lbs. 61–90 lbs.
10 33 lbs. or less 34–66 lbs. 67–100 lbs.
11 38 lbs. or less 39–76 lbs. 77–115 lbs.
12 43 lbs. or less 44–86 lbs. 87–130 lbs.
13 50 lbs. or less 51–100 lbs. 101–150 lbs.
14 58 lbs. or less 59–116 lbs. 117–175 lbs.Stuff you have to carry at some point.
Handy Haversack 2K (5lb.)
Ring of Protection +1 2K
Agile Breastplate +1 1.4K (25lb.)
Amulet of Nat Armor +1 2K
Cloak of Protection +1 1K
Quickdraw Shield +1 1.059K (6lb.)
Wand of CLW 750
Heavy Crossbow 50 (8lb.)
Bolts Crossbow(10) (1lb.) (You will need more then 10. Just a FYI.)
Light Mace 5 (lb.)
Dagger 2 (1lb.)Total Weight Carryed: 50lb.
Str 10 Medium Load Max Dex +3 Check Penalty -3 Speed 20ft
Need a Str of 13 just to carry your stuff and not be encumbered
Nope.
You're forgetting that anything I'm not currently holding goes in the haversack, which stays 5 pounds. Generally, when heading into a battle, he'll be holding only a shield on his back, a haversack, and his crossbow. Once he's needed in the melee zone (to cure, buff, rescue, cast), he drops the crossbow and equips his shield as he's moving. By RAW, "Shields: Shields do not affect a character's speed." I read this to include the check penalty, we'll see what DM says about whether a shield can overload you. So Breastplate+haversack-=30 lbs, 3 pounds shy of a Medium load for a character with a Strength of 10. But at the very least it won't explicitly won't affect my speed, and I don't see myself using DEX-based skills like stealth all that often.
We're playing in DM's homebrew world anyway, so I don't think he'll have a problem with Cayden having the Liberation Domain. I got it from the wiki, so it's not like I'm cheating or anything. Pretty set on him being a Cayden follower by now, too.
ReRecap:
Recap:
STR: 10
DEX: 17
CON: 13
INT: 12
WIS: 20 (18+Human)
CHA: 16 (13+level)
Cayden Cailean
Liberation Domain
Travel Domain
Feats:
(Deft Dodger, Scholar of Ruin
Noncombatant)
1 Combat Casting, Selective Channel, Weapon Proficiency
3 Extra Channel
5 Quick Channel
Gear:
Handy Haversack 2K
Ring of Protection +1 2K
Agile Breastplate +1 1.4K
Amulet of Nat Armor +1 2K
Cloak of Protection +1 1K
Quickdraw Shield 59
Wand of CLW 750
Leather Armor (Chain and/or studs will chafe) 10
Heavy Crossbow Repeater, MW 700
Dagger 2
Periscope 20
Folding Chair 2
Light Horse 75
Waterskin 1
Bedroll .01
RE: Encumbrance. Also remember that I have a horse to carry my Handy Haversack. So far this has been almost entirely a wilderness campaign.
Leaves me with 481 Gold at the end. Potions, anyone?
How about Channel Foci?
Game's not til Saturday, so I'm changing everything again.
Mickey's Gear
MW Repeat Heavy Crossbow 700
Mithral Agile Breastplate +1 5450
Cloak of Resistance+1 1000
Sanctified QuickDraw steel shield 159
Handy Haversack 2000
Wand of CLW
Str 10
Dex 18
Con 13
Int 12
Wis 18
Cha 17
Noncombatant
Deft Dodger
Scholar of Ruin
Combat Casting, WP: Repeat Xbow
Selective Channel
Quick Channel
For a last feat I'm wondering if extra channel is necessary. It's something I could pick up later if it's necessary. Some alternatives:
Improved Initiative? Probably not necessary with this character, even though it's good for everyone.
Lightning Reflexes
Toughness
Dodge ( building toward Mobility)
Extra Traits (fast talker might work nicely with my concept; focused mind would be the second)
Point blank shot (leading toward rapid)
Weapon focus: repeat xbow
Stealthy (to accompany the party sneak and help keep her alive)
Brew Potion - I'll admit that playing a few alchemists has me thinking like one, but it occurs to me that handing out cure potions might save me some utility spells; also, I don't think I need to "prepare" a cure spell to cast it into a potion, since I can convert unused dailies to cures at the end of the day (and I don't need the full 8 that a wizard does.
Whaddya think, sirs?
I think you are actually brewing beers.
Set me up with 12 ounces of heal.
Hah!
I actually did consider getting the "sacred chalice" channel focus as a flask, til I realized that it only works on the faithful.