Is this a thing? I know a lot of cleric spells don't require a divine focus, but this still feels too overpowered, and like I'm missing something important.
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No you're not missing anything. It can be done. I think the reason it's not done so much is because turn about is fair play. From a player side of things you're destroying your loot and baiting the GM to destroy your weapons, spell component pouches and other similar objects. From the GM side, it's just antagonizing your players. Really sundering or similar tactics are something to be used sparingly in my opinion.
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Holy symbols are cheap. Carry (or even wear) a few extra. Expensive items are where sundering gets really annoying.
The problem isn't so much the value of the symbol as it is it's tactical significance in this case. The cleric either ends up wasting move actions to draw more symbols or is crippled. It's the sort of thing that if abused can easily escalate quickly as either players or GM start to get frustrated by their characters getting shut down by cheesy tactics they can't defend against.
Completely a thing if you're into sundering, just like the wizard's spell component pouch. They can be stolen with little effort, too. That's why it's conventional wisdom to carry more than one, and why things like holy symbol tattoos can be useful.
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That's why I usually spring for holy sybol tattoos or the birthmark trait
...characters getting shut down by cheesy tactics they can't defend against.
CMD is a thing as much as AC. Maintain it or suffer the consequences.
If anything, PF had the right idea of making breaking an opponent's toys at least semi-viable. After all, sundering an enemy's shield is a pretty iconic fighting move. Except that D&D/PF is very poor in modelling that reality for various reasons.
Strategy wise I have always thought it was a good idea. I just haven't done it to a player, and I wouldn't do it more than once in a campaign.
Holy symbols are cheap. Carry (or even wear) a few extra. Expensive items are where sundering gets really annoying.
Pretty much this. Carry a cheap Holy symbol but actually use your holy symbol tattoo/birthmark. Let people smash your held one if they want to waste an action.
No you're not missing anything. It can be done. I think the reason it's not done so much is because turn about is fair play. From a player side of things you're destroying your loot and baiting the GM to destroy your weapons, spell component pouches and other similar objects. From the GM side, it's just antagonizing your players. Really sundering or similar tactics are something to be used sparingly in my opinion.
Pretty much. Most people don't find having their stuff broken fun and like destroying their loot even less.
Once in a while this can work when the magic McGuffin needs smashed but IMO that only works if you keep it rare.
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There's two big differences between sundering someone's favorite magic weapon and sundering a holy symbol.
1. Backup holy symbols cost 1 gp. Everyone should have a backup. Magic weapons cost real money.
2. Holy symbols are easy to sunder. Pretty much any hit will do it. Magic weapons require real amounts of damage, so the enemy will be aware that the first hit might not be enough to do it. Thus, if the enemy wants the weapon out of your hands, disarm is more reliable.
So treating the sundering of a cheap holy symbol with the sundering of a PC's best equipment is silly. They're two entirely different situations.
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There's two big differences between sundering someone's favorite magic weapon and sundering a holy symbol.
1. Backup holy symbols cost 1 gp. Everyone should have a backup. Magic weapons cost real money.
2. Holy symbols are easy to sunder. Pretty much any hit will do it. Magic weapons require real amounts of damage, so the enemy will be aware that the first hit might not be enough to do it. Thus, if the enemy wants the weapon out of your hands, disarm is more reliable.
So treating the sundering of a cheap holy symbol with the sundering of a PC's best equipment is silly. They're two entirely different situations.
Plenty of magic items ARE their holy symbols. Symbol of Luck, Choker of the Rough Beast, Vestments of War, Symbol of Sanguine Protection, Recondite Holy Symbol, Glory Medallion, Golden Holy Symbol, Malleable Symbol, Ornament of Healing Light, Demon Mother's Mask, Charlatan's Symbol, Cassock of the Clergy, Amulet of Euphoric Healing and Sacred weapons.
So do you stop using that perfectly valid tactic when it happens to be a magic item that costs thousands of gp? And if you do, how to you justify tactics changing because THIS one IS a "someone's favorite magic weapon" or item?
Really all the "perfectly valid tactic" does is force people to buy holy symbol tattoos and pick up the Eschew Materials/False Focus. So after people can afford 100gp, the tactic is over unless you find an intellectually challenged caster or the foe is getting you to waste an action destroying an unneeded symbol/pouch. Heck, everyone that has a free hand carry a holy symbol and see how many actions the bad guys waste.
Eyup. This is why my mesmerist wears 2
Consider: A PC cleric hit by a sundering of her holy symbol is limited in her spell selection for the rest of the combat. She can still cast other spells. When would spending an action to do this be in an enemy's best interest, if an average combat takes three rounds? Seriously? Compare doing this with sundering a meleer's weapon or armour, or even the cleric's armour.
Also, sundering a holy symbol for the "other team" doesn't usually cost you much. A LG cleric often doesn't want much to do with CE unholy symbols.
If sundering is such a big deal because of price of magic weapon/holy symbol/item, disarm (or steal) is always an option.
Consider: A PC cleric hit by a sundering of her holy symbol is limited in her spell selection for the rest of the combat. She can still cast other spells. When would spending an action to do this be in an enemy's best interest, if an average combat takes three rounds? Seriously?
very likely. The number of cleric spells they can cast without one is pretty limited, its most of the good ones, and the cleric needs a good one they can cast that they memorized today: its pretty likely to be worth the action at higher levels if the cleric is tossing around some of the nastier spells.
Also makes a lot of sense for the mooks, who have a slight action economy advantage over the party. Not so much with the one big bad at the end of the dungeon.
The problem isn't so much the value of the symbol as it is it's tactical significance in this case. The cleric either ends up wasting move actions to draw more symbols or is crippled. It's the sort of thing that if abused can easily escalate quickly as either players or GM start to get frustrated by their characters getting shut down by cheesy tactics they can't defend against.
I don't like it so it is cheesy.
For the "destroying loot is bad" people: You don't have to destroy things you sunder. Giving broken is enough to give penalties and can be repaired easily.
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There's even a feat to intimidate people when you do it.
Against wizard's you don't typically even need the feats. Not like you are worried about giving the wizard an attack of opportunity.