Clerics can be really awesome....one of the best classes in the game. You can cast spells in armor and fight decently.
The healing is free in the form of channeling, and can damage undead if needed. Domains give you access to the spells you want for your theme..want to throw fireballs? take the fire domain....Want invisibility?...Take trickery.
A cleric can fulfill a wide range of concepts...not just healbot.
Sorry, finally back. Ok so first a word of warning: Clerics can be a really fun and powerful class. They have a lot of options for debuffing or smashing people in combat. Unfortunately you won't see it at the first couple levels. Druids on the other hand have a lot more instant pay off in the form of an animal companion, a couple attack spells like produce flame, and a decent weapon buff in shillelagh. What people have been warning you about though is that clerics are one of the few classes that get all the debuff removal spells. Spells like blindness/deafness or bestow curse PERMANENTLY blind or curse a character who fails his save until removed by a spell. This is especially true for fairly new DMs who say "Oh man, I think it would be really cool for the party to fight some vampires now." not realizing that ability drain is permanent where as ability damage can be healed.
TLDR: if your DM refrains from permanent afflictions (or, since you are in an urban setting, if you can have a NPC cleric cast removal for you) then I think you will have a lot more fun playing as a druid. On the other hand, if the DM throws spells like blindness at you and you have no means of getting rid of it, that character might as well be dead. Talk to your DM about treating all creatures with ability drain as dealing ability damage and either having an NPC in town to remove afflictions, offering quests to remove it, or having the spells last days/level instead of being permanent.
CLASS BREAKDOWN:
cleric
The pros: buff spells like bless will not only give you the +1 to hit like shillelagh, but will also apply it to all your allies. Better single target removal in the form of command, murderous command, and hold person. Heal spells can be swapped in on the fly meaning you can prepare more fun spells and only cast healing when it is needed. Domains can add more versatility. Can remove all afflictions
The cons: No damage spells without specific domains. No boost to combat damage. No animal companion.
Druid
The pros: Start with an animal companion (read 2nd fighter). Get sustainable damage spells like produce flame (1 spell means multiple rounds of throwing fire at people so you can last multiple combats). More minor debuffs (like stagger, sicken, fatigue, entangle). Better damage boosting spell (shillelagh).
The cons: little removal. Healing spells have to be prepared in advance (taking away from preparing spells like produce fire).
non-core classes:
Oracle
Oracles are to clerics what sorcerers are to wizards. Prepared casters (like druids/clerics/wizards) have to know which spells and how many of each spell to cast at the beginning of the day (so say, 1 attack spell, 2 debuffs, 2 buffs for instance) where as spontaneous casters (sorcerers/oracles/bards) have a limited spell selection, but if they know 1 buff, 1 debuff, and 1 attack and find out they need 5 buffs that day, they can cast 5 buffs. This makes them a little more new person friendly (as long as they are careful about spell selection). On the other hand, if one of their allies gets blinded the cleric can go to sleep, rest 8 hours, and have remove blindness in the morning. The oracle is stuck with whichever spells he knows. I tend to lean towards spontaneous casters myself but I recognize that is just a matter of preference.
Witch
Witches, kind like bards, are an odd arcane class that gets access to the cure spells. They have a couple aggressive spells like the druids do, a lot of affliction removing spells like clerics, and a ton of utility spells like the wizard. Additionally they can rely on hexes so that they don't run out of spells. Hexes are pretty straight forward to understand (which makes them great for newer players), and it is a prepared caster so you can always sleep on it if you find you need a particular spell.
Shaman
This was designed as a blend between oracles and witches in terms of class abilities, but I find it more closely follows the druid spell list (with all the remove afflictions spells added). this makes it great because you can get that instant satisfaction of throwing fire while still having back up healing/support. If the DM allows outside core classes, I think this would be your best fit.
I hope all this helps. You also mentioned that you find the cleric class abilities confusing? How so? (I would be more than happy to explain). Feel free to message me if you have more questions and I will try and keep tabs on this thread as well.
Healing sucks. Plain out simple you will never out heal the damage being inflicted. People forcing you to a healer do not realize this fact and are being jerks makes you sit in the shadow of them being the spot light and a security blanket that robs the party of a much more useful class.
First off, you are playing a game you need to enjoy it to. As a player and DM I insist people play what they enjoy. If they enjoy the game they will join and make the game more fun for everyone vs that person not paying attention rolling dice when directed.
If they insist you build a healer, i would build someone that CAN heal, but does not focus on it. Healing is a great utility that can be very helpful in spots. Everyone of my PFS characters has some ability to heal. So build something you want to play that has access to healing.
You want a druid but the DM hates them, fine. Build a Ranger. They are very similar, can heal, get a pet, and can cast some spells. A cleric with the animal doman nets you a pet too. Be a cleric that worships something that is natury and you have a druid like cleric.
Using your ranger to drop a bad guy before your ally gets critted and almost dies is more valuable them running up to him and healing him so he does not die.
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If they insist you build a healer, i would build someone that CAN heal, but does not focus on it. Healing is a great utility that can be very helpful in spots. Everyone of my PFS characters has some ability to heal. So build something you want to play that has access to healing.
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Regardless of whether you end up building a cleric or another healing capable caster, you are still going to need to make it perfectly clear to the table that you are not their bandaid. Otherwise, they are going to badger you and b**** about you not kissing their boo-boos* instead of doing interesting things until you start being their healbot (or you could leave the game I guess - that's always an option). Just making a character that can heal isn't enough to satisfy them. You have to make a character that will heal, because that is why they are asking you to play a cleric.
*how else are touch range healing spells delivered?
Ley Line Guardian witch archetype from OA turns the witch into a spontaneous caster which I think works very well for the witch. The patron spells are added as spells known so you could grab healing patron and just leave it at that.
Dang. I recall hearing about that, but did not pay attention as I was not looking to make one. Sigh. Errata kills another neat concept.
Still, a witch gives full caster, stat removal, and other stuff.
/cevah
Eh. That removal came around the same time that they released a 'kinda' caster that works entirely off of physical stats- the kineticist.
And those can be made perfectly orc-y, with big fire-y explosions, and the ability to grab that explosion and use it as a sword to cut people up.
If there is anything more orc-y than that, then is must have a lotta dakka.
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The Scarred Witch Doctor has never even been PFS legal. There was no reason to change it. Con casting was it's whole shtick. Now that's gone. Now, we have an archetype, for a Int based caster, for a -2 Int Race.
The fitting nature, and a chunk of the flavor, are gone as well.
Nobody decided to change some kind Dwarf Monk archetype, to now have all it's abilities based off charisma. That is just as silly.
The change was needless, pointless, and obnoxious.
Is Variant Multiclassing allowed?
If so go vanilla Witch with the Healing Patron, with VMC Cleric, choosing a Deity with the Restoration Subdomain.
You give away 5 feats but none of your Hexes to gain:
Spontaneous casting for Cure Spells;
Restorative Touch to remove the dazed, fatigued, shaken, sickened, or staggered condition;
Diminished and then level-2 Channel Energy;
and at 15th you also got free Empowered Spell on Cures...
All of this, without having to be a healer during combat, in fact during combat you can instead focus on heavily Debuff you enemies with your Hexes (at will) and with your prepared Spells (battlefield control, or whatever you like, even blasting if you wish so);
finally your Healing Patron covers all the others conditions you couldn't already remove via Restorative Touch.
The Scarred Witch Doctor has never even been PFS legal. There was no reason to change it. Con casting was it's whole shtick. Now that's gone. Now, we have an archetype, for a Int based caster, for a -2 Int Race.
The fitting nature, and a chunk of the flavor, are gone as well.
Nobody decided to change some kind Dwarf Monk archetype, to now have all it's abilities based off charisma. That is just as silly.The change was needless, pointless, and obnoxious.
Well, it does help an orc to be an effective witch doctor.
The 'fierce intelligence' ability is basically like the fiendish sorcerery ability for tieflings- it treats you like your casting stat was 2 higher, so that you can use a race with a penalty to that casting stat without feeling like you did something completely stupid. That allows you to take something rather archetypical (someone with fiendish blood using their natural magic to warp the world around them) and made it functional in the system, if not the best choice.
It is just that we also have the same problem as we did with fiendish sorcerery- it is much, much better for related races which not only lack the penalty, but have a bonus in that stat.
For tieflings, that would be someone using an alternate heritage, such as demon blooded, to get +2 cha, and then act like they have +4 cha. For witch doctor, that would be half orcs (and humans using racial heritage) using witch doctor and having the actual option to get +2 cha.
Within its own context, it is...'ok'... Technically, except for the 'super SAD' bit, you can get roughly the same amount of casting stat compared to when you were a witch doctor (since orcs don't have a con bonus anyway, and this version basically eliminates the int penalty for this purpose, so it is 0 vs. 0).
Whether they needed to revisit the material is of course a question worth asking, but I can see the logic here- they just altered it to match a system they used previously. And I can...kinda... see the thematic reason for doing this (since there is an obvious question of 'how' they are using con; kineticists can justify con since they are basically forcing a plane through their heads, and they have to be hardy if they don't want to pass out)
Personally I've been toying with the idea of a Spirit Guide archetype Battle Oracle which could easily fill a Healer niche while being very fighty. It could be a "fine, I'll play a healer but want flexibility" compromise.
The Battle mystery (and Extra Revelation feat) give you tons of solid melee options, and using the Shaman Life Spirit via the archetype gets you Life Link, Channels and swift action healing, as well as all the needed condition removal spells. Optionally you could choose a different Spirit for the day for flexibility.
I m playing a life oracle, spirit guide(flame/battle) , and I ve toyed with the same idea. But it s actually not so great.
You can t swift Channel and heal, that s the true spirit ability which you never get. standart Channeling is weak and requieres you to specialise in it, believe me I m asimar so fav class bonus and feats go into it swift and selectiv. Feats you would need to take extra revelation for all the nice batte mystery goodies.I m also not the greatest fan of life link, specially if you are in the front line as battle oracle, your hp aren t that high. I use a spear and always get picked on by archers, life link gets me a near death experience every odd battle.
spirit guide is an absolutely amazing archetype for mysteries with few great revelations, like heavens by example but i don t feel it mixes well with battle.
Channeling is great outside of combat. It can heal everyone so you can continue without using your spell slots.
If your GM allows access to easy CLW wands...it doesn't much matter either way.
Healing in combat is usually sub-optimal...but sometimes the timely application of a high level healing spell can make the difference.
In general it will never outpace damage though.
So I'm joining a game that some friends started last weekend. The party make up is currently a rouge/bard, a fighter and a wizard. The gm is 'encouraging' me to play a cleric or paladin.
I don't really want to play either of those classes, clerics confuse me and seem rather complicated and i don't want to play a lawful character. I would like to play a druid but the gm hates them for some reason that he can't explain. The setting is typical fantasy with a little urban. I think they want someone to play a healer, but I don't want to just be a bandaid the whole time. Any advice?
Play a Ranger if you want a "Druid-like" feel that's less complicated for your GM.
Looks like your party could benefit from an archer with a flanking pet later for the rogue.
See if he'll let you take the Boon Companion feat for a full level animal comanion.
...the cleric can go to sleep, rest 8 hours, and have remove blindness in the morning.... I tend to lean towards spontaneous casters myself but I recognize that is just a matter of preference.
Witches, ..., and it is a prepared caster so you can always sleep on it if you find you need a particular spell.
You do know about leaving spell slots open? Any prepared caster can fill an open slots in 15 minutes to an hour.
So that blindness you need removed? Wait 15 minutes, not a day.
This blurs the prepared/spontaneous line a little.
/cevah
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Thanks so much for all the advice but I don't think I'm going to play in the game. It seems like the game isn't likely to last (people moving and it being close to exam time). The Gm is not very flexible with what I am trying to do and I don't really want to play if i am not going to enjoy it.
But I am now very interested in witches and may have to try one out some time.
This is actually probably the best outcome for this scenario. Sometimes there isn't a good fit between a player and a GM, and this can sour you on the entire game. You can try to find another game to play in, or perhaps see if there is any local PFS play in your area. This is a great way to play if you are trying to manage your time, as a session should only go 3-5 hours. It also is a great opportunity to meet other local gamers.