Cleric Build Advice

[Gwyrdallan]

So, I'm building a new character after an old one getting eaten by a froghemoth, and I'd like some feedback on a cleric build I've been toying around with:

20 pt buy
Aismer Cleic of Shyka the Many
Str: 13 (For PA)
Dex: 10
Con: 13
Int: 10
Wis: 20 (15 base, +2 racial, +1 4th, +2 Headband)
Cha: 20 (15 base, +2 racial, +1 8th, +2 Headband)

Feats:
1: Selective Channel
3: Power Attack
5: Versatile Channeling
7: Quick Channel

Domains: Death & Madness

I'm going mostly for a mix of Bad Touch cleric and Battle cleric. I can afford a guiding weapon, so I can get WIS to attack and damage. Do a bit of debuff as needed, or buff myself, get in there, start hitting things and then quickened channel for negative when I need to heal.

[Mergy]

A few things I would like to know are what the party is like and what level you're starting at.

I also don't think it would hurt to drop your charisma to 13 base for another 5 points. That could bring your constitution up to 14 and your dexterity up to 13 as well.

Do you foresee having no issue with a mere 2 skills per level?

[Gwyrdallan]

Party is 8th level, other than me we have a ranged inquisitor and a bunch 4 melee fighters (5 counting the druid's companion).

I'm not going to enjoy only 3 skill points per level after favored class, but it is not the worst thing in the world.

I can see 2 problems with dropping CHA down to 18, 1) that means I can't exclude the entire party from my channels, and 2) it lowers the save DC on the channels.

[blackbloodtroll]

Who is your god?

[TarkXT]

Have you considered using the Madness alternate channeling? Nothing says bad touch then feeling great after sucking the life out of a bunch of dudes and leaving them confused...

Well that sounded right in my head...

I think with having so many different people in the group someone is bound to have the skills that you'd otherwise kind of suck at.

I'm tempted to say with so many melee fighters just skip power attack entirely and bad touch full time.

[Gwyrdallan]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Who is your god?

Shyka the Many, one of the Eldest (N, domains: Death, Destruction, Madness, Magic).

[Axebeard]

Channels are a pretty bad way to deal damage, honestly, and I think they tend to serve better as a way to keep the party (or yourself) awake without having to spend spells. Worrying about how effective your channels will be at killing enemies is like worrying about how hard you'll be able to beat a burglar with your featherduster when he comes after your television.

Melee Clerics are fantastic. You have FOUR melee combatants, though, five with the druid's animal companion, so I'd invest in spells like Prayer and Blessing of Fervor as ways to spend your standard actions instead of channel energy. The overflowing number of melee combatants, though, means that bad touch cleric is going to be much less effective because it gets better and better the more rounds the debuff enemy lives. If you cast Bestow Curse on an enemy and it gets killed by the 4 fighters before it can act, you might as well not have cast a spell.

And hey, if you felt like super-buffing the party while keeping yourself up, go for the cleric archetype that gets you bardic performance. Swift (eventually) action perform, standard cast a buff, then close into melee. You'll have the entire party swinging at big bonuses, including yourself. Sure, you lose spontaneous cure/inflict, but you channel negative, and the inflict wounds spells are terrible, ESPECIALLY if you're good with a weapon.

Also, consider Heavy Armor Proficiency and nabbing a 12 dex. Here's where I'd go, if your DM has ok'd Guided weapons:

Str 13 (3)
Dex 12 (2)
Con 14 (5)
Int 12 (2)
Wis 14 (5) +2 headband, +2 levels, +2 racial
Cha 13 (3) +2 headband, +2 racial

Heavy armor proficiency for some Full Plate that you keep buffed up with Magic Vestment will see you with an excellent armor class. Final Stats:

Str 13
Dex 12
Con 14
Int 12
Wis 20
Cha 17

Feats:
1) Heavy Armor Proficiency
3) Power Attack

See if your GM will let you take Master Performer and Grand Master Performer. They're a couple of feats that require membership with the Kitharodian Academy, but that's kind of flavor-oriented and as such he may be flexible. Those feats each increase the bonus granted by bardic performance by +1, making you an awesome party/self buffer.

[blackbloodtroll]

What is your god's favored weapon?

[Gwyrdallan]

Axebeard wrote:

Channels are a pretty bad way to deal damage, honestly, and I think they tend to serve better as a way to keep the party (or yourself) awake without having to spend spells. Worrying about how effective your channels will be at killing enemies is like worrying about how hard you'll be able to beat a burglar with your featherduster when he comes after your television.

Yeah the thing is I don't enjoy the roll of support cleric. I understand channels are not the best in terms of damage, that I why I mostly intend to use quick channel. Basically I intend to debuff any major bosses, probably only spending 2 rounds max on that and then attacking myself with an occasional swift channel to heal me and harm them.

[Gwyrdallan]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

What is your god's favored weapon?

Light mace, so useless.

[Axebeard]

Gwyrdallan wrote:

Yeah the thing is I don't enjoy the roll of support cleric. I understand channels are not the best in terms of damage, that I why I mostly intend to use quick channel. Basically I intend to debuff any major bosses, probably only spending 2 rounds max on that and then attacking myself with an occasional swift channel to heal me and harm them.

Fair enough. Keep in mind, though, that when you channel energy, (unless it's modified by a feat I'm too lazy to look up) that you choose whether to heal undead OR harm enemies, so you can't both heal yourself and harm your enemies in the same action.

[blackbloodtroll]

Have you considered other gods?

[Gwyrdallan]

Axebeard wrote:

Fair enough. Keep in mind, though, that when you channel energy, (unless it's modified by a feat I'm too lazy to look up) that you choose whether to heal undead OR harm enemies, so you can't both heal yourself and harm your enemies in the same action.

Actually the level 8 ability to the death domain specifically lets your negative channels heal you as if you were undead.

[Gwyrdallan]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Have you considered other gods?

Yes, but I really wanted Death & Madness, and he is the only none evil god that grants them. I want death so I can heal myself while harming my enemies, and madness has an amazing debuff ability. I also needed to be neutral so I could take versatile channeler.

[blackbloodtroll]

http://www.pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Zura
The Rapier is still pretty good.

[blackbloodtroll]

With the Demonic Obedience feat, you can get some cool stuff too.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/demon/demon-lor ds#TOC-Zura

[Gwyrdallan]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

With the Demonic Obedience feat, you can get some cool stuff too.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/demon/demon-lor ds#TOC-Zura

Yeah, not looking for an evil god, not only would it make Versatile channeling not work, there is a paladin in the party.

[Mergy]

Okay, well I don't think you need Power Attack for a build like this. Your melee damage, even with a guided weapon, will always be sub-optimal, and you can replace that feat with the Improved Channel feat for an even higher Channel DC.

Madness or Magic variant channelling would significantly lower your damage, but give you a very neat trick to pull against your enemies.

[blackbloodtroll]

You do not actually have to be evil, to worship an evil god. Just saying.

[Gwyrdallan]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

You do not actually have to be evil, to worship an evil god. Just saying.

Yeah but you still can't take versatile channel as that requires neutral cleric of a neutral god. Also, due to the aura class feature would still detect as Evil.

[blackbloodtroll]

As you are going to be using a guided weapon, why not use piranha strike instead of power attack? A cool thing about the guided property is that the damage is not reduced by being used as a off hand weapon. You may consider increasing your dex and two weapon fighting.