It allows you to use a swift action to expend one use of channel energy to deal elemental damage equal to the number of dice you would channel with your next three weapon attacks this fight.
Prerequisites are channel energy and to have one elemental domain or blessing. The damage dealt depends on the domain.
I wanted to be able to deal acid or lightning so air or earth where the options.
The crusader cleric can learn some weapon specific bonus feats only for the favored weapon.
I found Yamatetsu and Shelyn as options and thought the latter was nicer (pun intended).
So what I have: I want a cleric that is able to fight in the front line, I want to use element channel and I want to wield my deity's favored weapon. That is what I am set on. The rest is still open to change.
Human Crusader of Shelyn
STR: 16 DEX: 13 CON: 12 INT: 10 WIS: 14 CHA: 14
Or
STR: 17 DEX: 12 CON: 12 INT: 12 WIS: 14 CHA: 12
Feats:
Bonus: Weapon focus (Glaive)
Human: Element channel (Air)
1St: Open
3rd: Power attack
5th: Furious focus ?
Bonus: Heavy armor prof.
7th: Open
9th: Open
Bonus: Weapon Specialization (Glaive)
I could see me taking believer's book to get an additional 1st level domain power. And/or divine protection (only with cha 14). Or I could take eldritch heritage and later the feat that gives me the lesser bloodrage.
I have not yet looked into PrCs, but I'm open to gong there if it increases my channeling.
Any ideas or pieces of advice?
As there is a feat that allows me to provide soft cover to an adjacent ally I thought about taking it and using vital strike once I qualify. With my 3/4 BAB my iteratives are few and do not hit well.
Perhaps I could, later, make vital strike better by adding grasping strike?
My problem is that I need one of the elemental domains and the crusader cleric only gets one domain. So either I drop crusader or I can't take the other domains.
Shield of swings might be an option. For combat expertise my dex will not be high enough that it matters.
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My problem is why is a cleric of Shelyn so skilled and focused on combat?
That doesn't make sense to me TBH. You do know she is a godless that expects her followers to favor mercy over aggression and combat to be a last option only after peace has been offered and refused.
As far as your build you are missing combat reflexes. It is how reach characters get in more damage.
Secondly channel energy damage is going to feel like a waste of feats even for elemental channel. It will add some extra damage but it is not going to be OMG awesome damage.
Also find out what your end level is. If it is 12 or under I highly recommend a Warpriest. If it goes over 12 then cleric is the stronger choice.
Also you mention vital strike. Full BaB classes benifit more from vital strike then a 3/4 BaB class.
Furious focus pairs with vital strike but I skip it if I take weapon focus and no vital strike.
If your going levels 8+ then big game hunter is a nice.
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A Holy Vindicator of Shelyn would be quite the sight...
But I do agree with...
My problem is why is a cleric of Shelyn so skilled and focused on combat?
And...
As far as your build you are missing combat reflexes. It is how reach characters get in more damage.
Thematically, you use your Attacks of Opportunity to defend the weak. Think of a very flowing, dancing style of combat. The element of air certainly fits into this theme, if you must.
Also, I'm not entirely sure the loss of a domain AND Diminished Spellcasting is worth 5 very spread-out feats and 8th Level Legion's Blessing. Crusader is best used as a dip.
Straight cleric with Air and Protection Domains? Maybe look into the PrC Sentinel?
My problem is why is a cleric of Shelyn so skilled and focused on combat?
That doesn't make sense to me TBH. You do know she is a godless that expects her followers to favor mercy over aggression and combat to be a last option only after peace has been offered and refused.
Perhaps yamatetsu is the better choice after all, fluff wise.
Secondly channel energy damage is going to feel like a waste of feats even for elemental channel. It will add some extra damage but it is not going to be OMG awesome damage.
I'm not sure how +level (or level-1 at even levels)on weapon attacks is weak. Perhaps you look at the wrong feat.
The one I want to take is from the ACG and adds damage to weapon attacks. 2 points per d6 you would channel.
Also find out what your end level is. If it is 12 or under I highly recommend a Warpriest. If it goes over 12 then cleric is the stronger choice.
Not sure yet. but I guess around 12-16.
Also you mention vital strike. Full BaB classes benifit more from vital strike then a 3/4 BaB class.
How so? They have more to lose.
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Vital strike is a feat that helps martal when they move and would only get 1 attack. It doubles the weapon damage only...not anything else tagged onto it.
It basically is an attack and a half.
The issue with a 3/4 BaB character is they are getting vital strike at level 8. 3 levels behind full BAB classes. You pick up improved vital strike @ 15. And you dont even qualify for greater vital strike.
Sure you have nice tools like enlarge for bigger weapon damage but your way behind level wise when vital strike really shines. When you add in the option of haste or blessing of fervor vital strike really isnt the best option a battle cleric has. It is an option but typically your standard action will be a spell or ability over a single attack.
I will also be honest with this opinion..it is my opinion. I believe that channel cleric and battle clerics are a waste of a clerics potential. Ive played clerics for many years including in 3.5. Im abit jaded when it comes to clerics. I play them as full casters that mirror a God wizard of divine spells. I tend to either be a summon cleric or a enchantment cleric. I rarely move away from the evangelist archetype as it is freaking brilliant. I've played the other types of clerics and from experance they tend to be weaker in the later game levels 12+. Cleric is my favorite class so you can take my advice or leave it. That's up to you. I just dont want to see you disappointed in the end.
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Magda is a martial evangelist cleric of shelyn. She was raised in an orphanage run by a temple of Shelyn. Martials arts are a performance art, and Shelyn is goddess of the Art portfolio. Combat can even have a savage, primordial beauty. E.g. from a Klingon perspective. Magda had a terrific aptitude for martial arts and was also very dedicated to celebrating Shelyn, art, love, and beauty in all ways. It helps that she is too dumb to worry about the contradictions therein. End result: martial evangelist cleric of Shelyn.
Like the others said, you are missing Combat reflexes. That's how reach weapon wielders inflict extra damage and battlefield control. You'll want a 14 DEX, for 2 enlarged AoOs. You want Power Attack, but don't need Furious Focus. Neither do you want or need Heavy Armor proficiency.
Oddly enough, there's not that much difference between base STR14 and base STR18 for a buffed-up battle cleric. At 5th level the STR14 gets you roughly +12 to hit for +18 damage. At 5th level STR18 gets you +14 to hit for +21 damage. Significant, sure, but only a ~20% improvement. The unbuffed difference is much larger, but that only comes up when you are caught out unprepared.
What do you need so much CHA for? You won't Selective Channel, so channeling is mostly for Out Of Combat healing. In that context, there's not that much difference between 5 channels per day and 3 channels per day. You could drop CHA as low as 10 without harming your character concept. Shelyn values inner beauty not outer beauty.
If you learn to employ reach tactics you will be far more effective with this sort of character.
You only need STR14 and two feats (Combat Reflexes & Power Attack) to be more than competent at reach combat. That leaves you 3-4 optional feats before 13th level. Use them wisely, for they are precious. You could use them for melee juice and fight like a barbarian. You could choose to be a first rate summoner with those feats. You could even be a channel specialist, although that's spreading your attributes pretty thin. You can do those things in addition to melee combat (with AoOs), and at the same time.
What do you need so much CHA for? You won't Selective Channel, so channeling is mostly for Out Of Combat healing. In that context, there's not that much difference between 5 channels per day and 3 channels per day. You could drop CHA as low as 10 without harming your character concept. Shelyn values inner beauty not outer beauty.
The main point about the pc I want to build is a feat that increases weapon damage for channel uses.
Energy channel: You destill your channeled energy into your weapon to empower it.
Prerequisites:Channel energy;Air, Earth, Fire, or Water domain or blessing.
Benefit:A swift action you can expend one use of channel energy to grant youur weapon attacks a bonus on damage rolls equal to twice the number of dice rolled for your channel energy. This additional damage is of an energy type determined by your domain or blessing. (...) This effect lasts for your next three weapon attacks or until the end of combat, whichever comes first.
In my op I misnamed the feat because I remembered it wrong.