Hello everyone, new to the forums and was wondering if you could help me out with a build I made for an upcoming campaign. I'm trying to optimize this cleric to be as synergistic as possible with my party while also being a solid utility, support, and [somewhat] offensive caster. The party so far consists of:
- a Half-orc paladin (melee)
- a human Cavalier (melee)
- a _________ (hasn't decided on the class, but has said he will not be doing cleric and is going melee)
- a _____ Witch (using Prehensile Hair)
We're going to be playing the AP Curse of the Crimson Throne (CotCT), so I figured a cleric would be a good thing to have. I've been using the guides to optimization to the best of my ability, but still have some doubts. This is what I have so far :
Gandid Zucilo
Human Fighter 2/Cleric 8/Exalted 10
Str: 15
Dex: 19 (17 + 2)
Con: 10
Int: 10
Wis: 13
Cha: 12
-Fate's Favored
-Magical Knack
-Unhappy Childhood: Religious
1 (Fighter Bonus Feat) - Precise Shot
1 - Selective Channeling
1 (Human) - Deific Obeidience
2 (Fighter Bonus Feat) - Rapid Shot
3 - Skill Focus (Knowledge(religion))
5 - Extend Spell [Metamagic]
7 - Manyshot
9 - Improved Critical
11 - Channeled Revival
13 - Intensified Spell [Metamagic]
15 - Quicken Spell [Metamagic]
17 - Blessed Striker
19 - Maximize Spell [Metamagic]
Weapon: Longbow (I plan on buying an Adaptive composite one asap)
Armor: Chain Shirt (buying a Mithral one after the bow)
And once I get enough gold, get a Headband of Mental Prowess +6 (Wis, Cha), a Belt of Physical Perfection +6, and a Ring of Summoning Affinity.
Diety: Sarenrae
Channels positive energy
Domains/subdomains: Good, Sun, Heroism (exalted)
Any and all feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks!
EDIT: Info about the campaign: Only core races are allowed. Summoner and Gunslinger are banned. Point-Blank Shot, Deadly Aim, Power Attack, and Weapon Finesse are given for free. The item "Monk's robes" is banned. Everything else is free-reign as long as it's Paizo.
What are you wanting from Fighter? You're delaying your spellcasting progression by taking those levels, and given your current group composition, I think that it probably an error. If you're feeling feat starved in your pursuit of archery (despite the nice houserule to minimize feat taxes), I think you're better off dropping the path towards Exalted, as the benefits you're getting probably don't outweight the costs.
I also find the decision to have only WIS 13 to be quite peculiar. You'll be unable to cast higher level spells without ability score boosts, and you're missing out on bonus spells and reducing yourself to using only spells without saving throws (since the DCs will be too low to matter).
As you seem to recognize, your group really would benefit from a full divine caster cleric, so everything you do to dilute the casting side is probably a step away from being optimized for the party's benefit.
I'd recommend taking advantage of the generous feat houserule and point buy to create a well-rounded Cleric who focuses on spells first, and uses archery as his/her secondary contribution to combat. That means dropping those fighter levels, and probably Exalted, and focusing on Cleric.
In this instance, an Evangelist (archetype, not prestige) Cleric would be *fantastic* insofar as it will provide Bard-like boosts to the effectiveness of your allies. You'll likely end up being the 'heart' of the team.
As another option, if you're not stuck on Sarenrae, I might actually suggest that you consider: (a) worshiping Erastil to get the Longbow proficiency you likely want (not seeing that built in above); (b) taking the Feather subdomain for an Animal Companion (Roc?) while grabbing Boon Companion at 5th level; and (c) planning towards the Evangelist prestige class (*not* archetype in this build).
What are you wanting...I also find the decision to have only WIS 13 to be quite peculiar...In this instance, an Evangelist (archetype, not prestige) Cleric would be *fantastic* insofar...suggest that you consider: (a) worshiping Erastil to get the Longbow proficiency you likely want (not seeing that built in above); (b) taking the Feather subdomain for an Animal Companion (Roc?) while grabbing Boon Companion at 5th level; and (c) planning towards the Evangelist prestige class (*not* archetype in this build).
You're correct, I mistakenly considered myself "feat-starved" in pursuit of archery instead of focusing on the main purpose of my character.
As far as the Evangelist (archetype, not prestige) goes, I had never considered it, and upon looking at it now, seems very powerful. Likewise with the prestige class of the same name.
And as far as dieties go, I am not stuck on Sarenrae. The reason behind me choosing her was that I heard from a friend that CotCT featured quite a bit of undead. The feather domain combined with Evangelist (both prestige and archetype) intrigues me quite a bit.
Just to clarify then, as far as ability scores go, I should focus more on DEX and WIS rather than the others?
--ABILITY SCORES--
Yeah, for a more caster-focused character (with archery as the secondary combat contribution), I would probably prioritize as follows:
WIS > DEX > STR, CON > CHA > INT
With a 25 pt buy, assuming you stay Human, maybe something along the lines of the following, with racial bonus included (to WIS):
STR 14 | DEX 15 | CON 13 | INT 10 | WIS 18 | CHA 10
The modest INT hurts for skill points (because Clerics get so few per level), but Human makes up for that with the Skilled racial trait, and if you go for the Evangelist Prestige Class later, you will get more skills then.
Similarly, the modest CHA means you're not going to be a channel energy machine, but channel energy isn't great anyways unless you build towards it, and you'll still get a few group heals per day for out of combat. (The majority of out of combat healing can also be done via a wand of cure light wounds.) The other upside to not worrying about channel energy is that it also means you can duck out on taking Selective Channeling (which is only needed if you intend to consistently channel in combat... which you probably won't). That opens up a few feats to be used for casting or archery, or whatever you like.
You'll notice that I've suggested odd numbers for DEX and CON. While not great at 1st level, you'll be able to bump them at 4th and 8th via your level-based attribute bonus increases. Delayed gratification, but nice once it pays off.
--DEITIES, DOMAINS, PRESTIGE CLASSES AND ARCHETYPES--
-- Prestige Classes --
If you go with Erastil and the Feather subdomain, I would definitely look at planning towards the Evangelist prestige class. Starting into it at 6th level. You only hit a little roadbump in your casting prigression (which comes after getting 3rd level spells), and the eventual payoff from the Evangelist boons is pretty amazing.
Oh, and while I previously suggested Roc as an animal companion, you could certainly look at other options, including ones that don't grow to Large size (as I understand COTCT is largely urban-based). Of course, that issue can be mitigated via the Narrow Frame feat.
If Erastil isn't your preference for whatever reason, I can definitely see how Sarenrae could be a good fit conceptually for your campaign, so that remains a good option. However, if you go with Sarenrae, I don't know that I'd recommend either of the Prestige Classes, as the boons just aren't great.
-- Archetypes and Domains --
Lastly, in terms of archetypes, the 'Erastil build' works fine without one, though it could be combined with Evangelist or even Herald Caller (though the latter is a little more complicated to work with, and I worry that the other players might get annoyed by your long turns, between your character, your animal companion and your summons all taking actions). I think it would largely depend on how you conceive of the character.
If you don't choose an archetype and keep both Domains, I would probably look at Good:Archon subdomain, or the Community domain (and/or one of its subdomains).
Similarly, you could easily go straight Cleric, no archetype if you stick with Sarenrae. I think her Glory: Heroism subdomain is fantastic, and Healing:Restoration and some of the Good subdomains are prety good, too. However, for me, if I went Sarenrae I think I would be more likely to look at the Evangelist archetype, and just taking the Heroism subdomain alone.
(Edited to make it easier to read.)