Optimize an Elf Cleric

[The Chort]

Hey all; my friend's wife is joining us for Pathfinder tomorrow and I have been charged with making her character! For flavor reasons, she is an elf, so not the most optimal choice, but it'll have to do. She wants to be able to heal, but Clerics can already do that well without further optimization, so I'm thinking focusing everything into being a melee combatant will be a good way for her to always have something to do (There's plenty of times when clerics simply shouldn't be wasting spells to advance the combat)

We'll be at level 5. Her stats should be:

Str 18 (16+2 from belt)
Dex 12
Con 14
Int 12
Wis 20
Cha 10

I have little experience with Clerics, so any tips on how to build them (and play them!) will be appreciated.

[Son of the Veterinarian]

Have you checked out any of the guides yet?

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2m612?Guide-to-the-Class-Guides

[LazarX]

There's no reason to have to defend a racial choice for almost any class.

Even if Treantmonk won't approve that doesn't mean it's not viable.

Keep in mind that as an Elf she gets bow and sword proficiency for free. A strength adjusted bow is not a bad investment.

[Avatar-1]

I've gotta ask - why are you charged with making her character? It's one of the best parts of owning it, even for a new player!

Give guidance, don't take over.

[Caderyn]

What sort of point buy are you using?

and she has both a belt of ST? and a headband of wisdom?

I am asking this because elves racial bonuses are +2 dex +2 int and -2 con (and you seem to have a +2 wisdom from something)

meaning your pre-racial stats using what you have currently listed is

16 (10)
10
16 (10)
10
20 (not even possible, but lets say its an 18 and she has a headband which is 17 points)
10

Meaning you have a 37 pb and you are not focusing at all in any of the areas that elves actually get bonuses. The reason why elves are not recommended is because none of their bonuses apply to the clerics core attributes (Wis/Con) and they even get a penalty to one of their core stats (Con).

[Caderyn]

My recommendations for an elf cleric using a 37 PB

ST 14 (5)
Dex 18(16+2 racial) (10)
Con 12(14-2 racial) (5)
Int 16(14+2 racial) (5)
Wis 18(16+2 headband) (10)
Cha 12 (2)

the same 37 points spread out a little better

Be an Archer cleric of Erastil (your already proficient in longbows but it fits flavor wise anyway) or Desna (for Travel domain) stick with medium armor to take advantage of your dex.

Get all the ranged feats

1. Precise shot
3. Point Blank shot
5. Rapid Shot
7. Deadly Aim
9. Manyshot

[The Chort]

Avatar-1 wrote:

I've gotta ask - why are you charged with making her character? It's one of the best parts of owning it, even for a new player!

Give guidance, don't take over.

Well, her husband asked me to since he lost her old character sheet. She's not all that into Pathfinder, doesn't know the rules, and probably never will. But she's very gracious and likes being a part of things he is passionate about.

Also, we don't have a lot of time; the game starts at 6pm tomorrow and we're going to 9, maybe 9:30. The character needs to be done in advance of the game.

...since I'm rebuilding this character from scratch, I thought I'd take this opportunity to buff up her character so she has something to do other than bless or a cure spell or some other low-impact ability that doesn't contribute much to the combat of our 8 person group. (Waaaay to big a group, but it is what it is.) I figure proficient with melee and archery with backup support spells or summon spells or something should be a more engaging way to play a cleric.

Oh, also we have quite a bit of loot to spend; let's say 30k.