If I'm the last person to play a PC and we have a ranger, bard, sorcerer, and totunga (new razor coast class). How much am I sticking the group? I understand healing in combat is over rated, but what about removing blindness and other negative effects?
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If you wanted to stay with the group comp (and in my opinion healing in combat is not actually overrated b/c I've saved many lives with a well times channel energy) I would recommend going paladin (depending on the alignments of the other party members you may want to try a chaos paladin) because they can tank almost anything, have godly saves, and have the mercies to remove the negative effects when doing lay on hands.
EDIT: I may have totally not understood what was being asked
I agree that you should not feel compelled to jump on the "cleric grenade" simply because you are the last to join the group. After all, none of the other players felt it important enough to jump on the grenade so to speak. What would they do if you decided not to play? You should not have to sacrifice your fun for everyone else's benefit.
Now that being said, a cleric could certainly be beneficial to the party, and the other players might be particularly pleased with a cleric joining the group, but that doesn't mean you have to play one.
I have played in several groups with no cleric or full-time healer. It can work, but as mentioned, everyone will have to help out in some way.
First off, I will argue until I am old and gone that healing in battle is essential. That being said, there are different ways to get it.
The Ranger and Bard will need to know that they have healing responsibilities. As mentioned, the Sorcerer will have to also keep UMD full up to activate wands and scrolls when the Ranger and Bard cannot or when it is not on their list. I have no idea what a Totunga is other than it sounds like a Spanish turtle to me.
Simply put, you can do it but almost all of the other party members are going to have to contribute which means more selfless behavior than some players are used to performing.
Play what you want.
BEyond that a touch more information is really needed about your group.
What do they specialize in?
I also say play what you want.
Cleric happens to be a great, flexible class, but I can't seem to find the page where it says every party needs one.
If you really feel you need to bring some sort of condition cures to the party, druid, paladin, oracle, inquisitor, all could do it.
I hope some day we put this mandatory cleric myth to bed.
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Until every class can do everything every other class can do, there will always be cries for mandatory classes. Not that I recommend that sort of situation. I've heard this or similar way too many times: "We need a heavy melee, a trapper, an arcane, and a healer." If your GM is actually interested in helping everyone have a good time, he or she will make changes to the game as appropriate for the characters the players have chosen to play.
No trapper? Either leave out traps, make them bypassable/dissableable/solveable other ways, or make them little more than a hick-up in an adventure.
No healer? Give them plenty of curative and restorative items, and possibly a helpful NPC.
If the GM is forcing a certain group composition (intentionally or not) that will cause some players to lose enjoyment, the group needs to talk about their expectations from the game.
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Any group would be grateful to have at least some form of healing in their composition. From your standpoint, make something that can heal, yet does what you like to do. More of a support character is what I am hinting at.
Practically, most of the classes can heal; technically, even more can fulfill the role.
Even though clerics are the most common healer class, oracles and in a lesser fashion druids, witches and paladins can heal too. However, you should consider this:
A) As has been said, investing in potions and scrolls is a quick way to avoid the need of a full healer. And if the GM is a good GM, he'll consider having you find some healing potions when you really are screwed without them.
B) Clerics are healers, yes, but the domains selection is incredibly vast and customizable. Your cleric can become a war cleric, a support cleric, a debuff cleric, a controller... and STILL be able to boost HP totals with channel.
C) Your PC's nature depends on what you want to play and, in a minor portion, on the kind of setting your GM is using. I'm currently running a pirate campaign and of course we have no character using a longsword. Even the warrior has chosen a scimitar because, well, he feels like he'd ruin the atmosphere with a hammer. Our cleric has chosen water and luck domains and controls the battlefield through combat maneuvers with the water, healing only between a fight and another, never spending a standard action on a heal. And we're OK with that: his PC's background says he's a man of action, so we don't expect him to be a nurse.
Hope you find a good, original build for your cleric: it's one of the most versatile classes around, with plenty of customization available.
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Well, I was going to play a battle cleric but I play them so often that it was somehwat annoying. Also, I would hate to get tpked because I chose not to play a cleric.
I have an old school GM, who is simply not going to cut corners because the group chose classes that didn't mesh. He will put horrible traps in regardless of whether or not anyone plays a trapfinder, and he will blind us, even if we don't have a cleric. This may seem harsh to some, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Paladin was/is cool, especially since he doesn't make us play lawful stupid, but I have always and continue to think, that a Cleric eats Paladins for lunch. YMMV
It's worth mentioning that your ranger and bard can both use wands of CLW without difficulty.
Give the first one to the bard, second one to the ranger.
Even at higher levels wands of CLW are the best deal for consumable out-of-combat healing.
Beyond what Evil Lincoln mentioned, a Witch could also act as a healer if you're really worried about it, but if you want to play a Fighter, Rogue, Barbarian or whatever, I don't see why you can't. You're really not "sticking" the group - you want to have the same fun playing a class the others do and it'd be unreasonable of them to expect you to be the 'walking bandage' just because none of them felt like playing a healer.
No need for Cleric in this party. Between the bard and ranger you have healing covered. You can cover a few conditions, bards are good against fear. Ranger and Bards can delay poison effects. For the rest make use of potions for restoration and such.