Hey all,
I've been recently toying with the idea of a Cleric who focuses on fighting with a Heavy Shield as their primary weapon. Yes, I understand it's not the best build, but I like the idea of using Shield-bashes to maintain good Armour Class while freeing up the other hand for wands and spell casting.
Paremeters:
i) Human;
ii) Support/Battle Cleric themed;
iii) Positive Energy Channeling;
iv) PFS legal;
v) CORE ONLY.
Concerns:
i) The Two-Weapon Fighting Feat is a prerequisite for a lot of Shield-fighting Feats, and it has a DEX requirement of 15. Some will probably suggest taking a 2-level dip in Ranger in order to get the Two-Weapon Fighting Feat from the Ranger Combat Style, thus avoiding the DEX requirement. Even though I'll have a better BAB and access to the Ranger spell list, I'd like to try to do it WITHOUT Multi-classing and maintain full Cleric casting levels. If that means the character only takes "Improved Shield Bash" along with "Power Attack" and friends, so be it;
ii) While this character will have no problems using Wands, they'd need to remove their Heavy Shield in order to use Rods. This build would, therefore, rely on non-Rod tactics;
iii) Point-Buy Arrays:
a) 14, 14, 14, 14, 10, 10 or;
b) 15, 14, 14, 14, 12, 7.
Posible Themes:
i) Kellid Priest of Zon-Kuthon, serving the Silver Crusade: A poor victim goes mad after losing their entire family to the Worldwound, and uses their pain and loss to fuel the destruction of the demonic hordes;
ii) Ulfen Priest of Torag;
iii) A Starknife-throwing Priest of Desna;
iv) Taldan Priest of Calistria, serving the Sovereign Court: A fallen Noble seeks to subvert those who wronged them through manipulation and intrigue. [I like the idea of Shield & Whip combo, but this story is probably best suited for a Bard character];
I'm reading several Build Guides while awaiting your replies, but would appreciate any information, especially regarding Deities and Domains.
Thanks in advance,
:Byronus
Worship Gorum, take the Shield Trained trait, be proficient with shield bashes.
Take the Crusader archetype, use the War (Tactics) domain.
@Ajaxis: I can't believe how quickly this idea got derailed on the first reply. :P I already imagined this to be a difficult, Feat-starved build before, and now.... :(
@Secret Wizard: It's Core only, sir, but I appreciate the advice nonetheless. I've toyed with the idea of a Chaos/Destruction Gorum Cleric, but never considered him for a Shield-build.
It's starting to look like a Shield-fighting character would be best suited for a TWF Ranger, wielding Heavy Shield and a light weapon. :/