I’m a player in a upcoming campaign and agreed to be the party’s healer. We’re starting at level 1 I believe and have a 30 point buy, I’d ideally want to be human too. I really want to try and make something a little weird so I decided on a chaotic good cleric of groetus. His mindset being that if the end of the world is coming upon us everyday should be lived like as if it were your last and he celebrates the idea of the end of the world because that would make room for something even better to take this worlds place.
This is my first time playing a cleric. Can someone help me figure out how to build this? I’m told that social skills are a bit important for this campaign so I need to find a balance here with social skills, combat ability and healing? Is that possible? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
My go-to cleric for a 20 point buy is:
S-14, D-12, C-14, I-7, W-18, C-12 (Human/Half-Human).
This gives you enough STR/CON to be on the front lines (though you won't be keeping up with the Fighter/Barbarian/etc), and 12 DEX is enlugh for Combat Reflexes. You want to start with 18 WIS if the game's going to high levels so you can get that bonus spell-per-day at your highest level spell. Then I made a choice between INT and CHA and decided a on CHA, but you might decide differently.
With a 30 point build you could do away with the dump-stat, or raise your combat stats, or could even push your INT to 14 if needed for extra skills. As a Cleric you'll probably want Diplomacy and Sense Motive for social skills, but if you think Bluff/Intimidate ro go with Groetus then there' probably an archetype or trait that'll do it. Seriously, no one should beat your sense motive if you pump it.
Also, don't neglect your Knowledge Religion as a Cleric =P (I mean unless that's part of your character)
There are also archetypes that increase you to 4+INT skills per level. You might decide you like one of these. With 14 INT, and a 4+ archetype a human cleric should have heaps of skills.
Divine Paragon for 5 levels,
All 10 levels of the Evangelist PrC...
You get 6 boons, extra languages and skills, only miss out on 1 level of spellcasting/Channel. It is the epitome of the Cleric class.
You could go for an archetype like Cardinal (loses any fighting ability for 6 skill points and adds bluff, intim, and some knowledges as class skills).
I want to add I really love your take on this cleric.
take the trait Empathic Diplomat, and use wis instead of Cha for Diplomacy.
Put ranks in diplomacy and sense motive.
problem solved
The Evangelist PrC gives you extra class skills (of your choice), and extra languages (also of your choice), gives you SIX boons (Evangelist boons are locked by the PrC, but you can choose either Exalted or Sentinel boons via Divine Paragon), AND continues literally all of your Cleric stuffs...
Divine Paragon-5/Evangelist-10 has 7D6 Channel, casts as a 14th level Cleric, BAB +10, +7/+6/+7 base saves, six boons... it really is the epitome of all things Cleric.
"Healer Cleric" this is a redundant statement. You swap any spell for a Cure spell of the spell level dumped, so you're always a healer. If you want to focus on healing as a specialty, there are literally dozens of threads on how to do this.
"...w. Social skills" This part can be accomplished in MANY ways. One: the VM way as a DP-/E-10 with languages, extra skills and so on. Two: play a 1/2 elf instead of a human, get Skill Focus as a bonus feat, take Diplomacy as your skill focus. Three: take 2 of the numerous Traits that give you Intimidate as a Class skill, then always make sure you've got Enhanced Diplomacy as one of your Orisons every day (+2 Competence bonus on Diplomacy/Intimidate)
A special note on languages: Comprehend Languages is a level 1 spell, Share Language is a level 2 spell, Voluminous Vocabulary is a level 3 spell and Tongues is a level 4 spell, for Clerics. Scribe Scroll or Craft Wand could be super useful if all you're going to be is a healing battery with some talking skills. Putting some of these language spells on consumables, or putting everyday buffs/heals on consumables so you can take these spells in your spell slots, and starting at level 3 as long as your enemy fails a Will save you're guaranteed to speak and be understood one or more times/day.
So a healing focused cleric might go high Cha, using Cha for # of Channels/day, and with a 30 pt buy you've got plenty of points to hit, say, a 16 Cha and an 18 Wis after racial adjustments while still being a character that can survive a fight scene. Even a base cleric with 2 Traits, one granting Intimidate as a Class skill with a +1 Trait bonus, means your level 1/Int 10 Human Cleric starts with 3 skill ranks: Knowledge: Religion, Diplomacy, Intimidate.
At level 1 as a Medium sized PC you can Intimidate to Demoralize with an average roll of 17. If the average foe you face has 2 HD and a +5 or less Wis bonus congratulations; you just Demoralized for at least a round.
Your character, entering into a minute-long Diplomacy check to try and adjust some NPC's attitude, you could easily cast Enhanced Diplomacy ahead of time. This means your average Diplomacy check is an 18. If they're Indifferent towards you congratulations; you've successfully improved their attitude.
Need better, right off the starting line? Well, there's a Religion Trait called Patient Optimist that grants a +2 Trait bonus on Diplomacy checks specifically on Unfriendly/Hostile targets. That means your average with Diplomacy, while using the Enhanced Diplomacy spell, at level 1 against an Unfriendly foe is 20; congratulations, you just improved their attitude.
So a base Cleric, no bells and whistles, with the Traits Convincing Liar and Patient Optimist and Scribe Scroll as one of their level 1 Feats and at least an 18 Wis/16 Cha means you're doing well in most Social interactions, can write scrolls of any utility type spell you need, and have a great starting Wis for being a caster-type cleric. Your scrolls could be your healing battery, your Channels are emergency healing or damage to undead, your spells/day are your attacks against enemies and you can Intimidate to debuff with Shaken against most foes.
All without much of an optimized build.
I'll go out on a limb and guess you're going with Madness as one of your Domains if you keep Domains. Vision of Madness would give you half your Cleric level as a bonus to skills, such as Social skills, if you needed that in a tough spot. Otherwise it's a good way to get or give a bonus to Attack rolls.
Consider the Destruction Domain if you play a PC that gets 2 Domains. Sure, Destructive Smite is a good damage boost but the level 1 spell is True Strike. If, despite your 30 point buy you end up having to skimp a bit on your Str or Dex, this is a nice way to make sure one of your attacks hits for the day. It's also a good spell to have in a scroll or wand as a contingency.
A 30 point buy Human might get stats as follows:
Str 12, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 18 (16 +2 Racial), Cha 16. A base Cleric at level 1 with Channel Surge and Scribe Scroll has a +1 melee attack, a +1 ranged attack, a couple spells/day that could prompt a DC 15 Will save, 6 Channels a day or, as a full round action spend 2 Channels to heal/inflict 1d6 x 150% damage. If your GM will allow it, your PC might spend 50 GP of their starting gold for 4 scrolls they've already created.
Again, this is entirely non-optimized, but it shows how even a base Cleric with Groteus' Domains, a couple non-optimized Feats, Traits dealing with social skills and decent stats can begin play filling the role you have laid out in the thread's title.
As you level up making sure you have a steady supply of healing consumables is important. If your GM is using Downtime and you've got both time and GP, a character beginning with Scribe Scroll can earn Magic Capital and spend it to essentially scribe scrolls at a cost of 6.25 GP x CL x Spell Level. That pretty much covers your "healing" aspect though, if you wanted more you could always spend a feat on Extra Channel or keep upping your Cha with items or level bonuses.
So I guess my only question is... what ELSE do you want to do with your character, besides heal and be good at social skills?
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NihilsticBanana wrote: I’m a player in a upcoming campaign and agreed to be the party’s healer. We’re starting at level 1 I believe and have a 30 point buy, I’d ideally want to be human too. I really want to try and make something a little weird so I decided on a chaotic good cleric of groetus. His mindset being that if the end of the world is coming upon us everyday should be lived like as if it were your last and he celebrates the idea of the end of the world because that would make room for something even better to take this worlds place.
This is my first time playing a cleric. Can someone help me figure out how to build this? I’m told that social skills are a bit important for this campaign so I need to find a balance here with social skills, combat ability and healing? Is that possible? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Clerics are really fun and flexible IF you choose a deity that fits the campaign and your playstyle.
I dont know your campaign BUT Groetus is really more of a GM bad guy type of deity.
About the healer role:
I expect Groetus to only give you spontaneous inflict spells - why would he prolong life if he is working to end it all?
The same goes for channel energy. Positive energy is not his style unless it is used to end undeads.
About the social skills:
Your problem isn't how to get skill points for social skills, but more how to roleplay a religious worshipper of the god of Oblivion, Destruction, Entropy, Catastrophe, Madness, Insanity and Loss (among others).
I like your idea of a charismatic mad leader type with a doom sect doctrine mindset. It could be fun, but it will not fit well in most Campaigns.
If this is a social campaign, then your character can (and should perhaps) easily derail the story. Especially if you have good social skills.
I would advice you to consider another deity, together with the GM or perhaps look at the Oracle class instead?
I'm gonna disagree with basically everything Khan said.
First, Clerics are fun and flexible, so we agree there.
Groetus is a CN deity so he can absolutely grant positive energy, and this fits NihilsticBanana's concept well. Groetus isn't working to end reality, he's simply waiting for the end so he can clean up. (Pharasma isn't evil even though she's the god of death, death is inevitable and so is she. The end of reality is also inevitable, and so is Groetus.)
For the roleplay aspect I feel like NihilsticBanana has found a way to roleplay this that fits the deity and doesn't (necessarily) conflict with the party.
I cannot stress this enough, no PC should actively try to derail the story. If you're playing a PC who "can (and perhaps should) easily derail the story" then you should pick a different PC. Again I feel like NihilsticBanana has this in hand, so no worries there.
Considering another deity or an Oracle might be worthwhile if you think you'll have trouble fitting in with the party, so this isn't bad advice either. The way I read the planned character this doesn't seem necessary, but it's something to think about. Maybe talk to the GM about your character concept and have this as a backup.
I can see madness in the face of oblivion turning someone into a positive outlook person. Knowing it all ends and little can be done about it so having a good time doesnt seem like its AGAINST the gods wishes. If anything he is acknowledging the power of inevitability. Groetus himself is an uncaring God either way. Granting positive energy to hurt undead so they took can meet the final end seems fine too.
I agree with MrCharisma. It's a fine choice and a great spin.
FWIW, one of the companion characters in the Pathfinder Kingmaker computer game is a chaotic neutral dwarven cleric of Groetus, who channels positive energy.
I know this is the 1E forum, but I really feel that Groetus' 2E anathema would not have been different if such a concept had been introduced in 1E:
Groetus Anathema wrote: Artificially extend something’s existence or lifespan, spread hope Ymmv, but I would think that magical healing is definitely included in this.
MrCharisma wrote: Groetus isn't working to end reality, he's simply waiting for the end so he can clean up. Again, 2E, but no real reason to discount it for 1E since it's not contradicted by any 1E text, but:
2E Gods & Magic, p61 wrote: He evinces little regard for anything but his singular aim: the dissolution of the universe. The end of things is an active goal for this deity. He's not just the roadie mopping up vomit after the gig.
Well 2E also lists his followers as CN or CE, while in 1E he can have CG Clerics (let alone followers who don't depend onhim for casting).
This is what I got from the wiki:
Overlooking all of Pharasma's Boneyard is another, lesser god. This is Groetus (pronounced GRO-tus),[1] the god of the End Times, a sentient and cruel moonlet that looks down upon the Boneyard and waits for the last living soul to die. According to the Concordance of Rivals, when Pharasma judges the last soul after the last living body dies on the Material Plane, Groetus will descend to the Boneyard to meet with Pharasma on her crumbling throne before he moves on to the Material Plane to "clean up" and pack the dust away for another reality.
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The god who waits and does nothing to futher his goals until the end of times... That must be the only god in pathfinder that does that.
I think the 2.edition description are better suited to Groetus and actually gives purpose to him having followers and clerics.
You mean besides Pharasma, who waits for souls to come to her to be judged?
Yes she furthers her own goals, but only when souos subvert the natural flow of things and escape death. I'm sure if Pharasma somehow sought to change her fate and subvert the end of time Groetus would act against her, but until she does he has nothing to worry about - everything is slowly moving toward his inevitable goal. He has no reason to hurry things along.
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MrCharisma wrote: You mean besides Pharasma, who waits for souls to come to her to be judged?
Yes she furthers her own goals, but only when souos subvert the natural flow of things and escape death. I'm sure if Pharasma somehow sought to change her fate and subvert the end of time Groetus would act against her, but until she does he has nothing to worry about - everything is slowly moving toward his inevitable goal. He has no reason to hurry things along.
Well at least she has the Judging to do while she waits...
But I agree that she is a very borring god to worship.
MrCharisma wrote: You mean besides Pharasma, who waits for souls to come to her to be judged? The goddess of death, birth and prophesy has far more than one, passive, job to do.
Even the judgement is an active thing.
A god of hanging around for something that will eventually happen is very different.
She waits for souls to come to her because the judgement is her job, not the harvest. (I've just finished reading Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett, so my view on Death is... influenced).
GNU Sir Pterry
MrCharisma wrote: Well 2E also lists his followers as CN or CE, while in 1E he can have CG Clerics (let alone followers who don't depend onhim for casting).
This is what I got from the wiki:
Overlooking all of Pharasma's Boneyard is another, lesser god. This is Groetus (pronounced GRO-tus),[1] the god of the End Times, a sentient and cruel moonlet that looks down upon the Boneyard and waits for the last living soul to die. According to the Concordance of Rivals, when Pharasma judges the last soul after the last living body dies on the Material Plane, Groetus will descend to the Boneyard to meet with Pharasma on her crumbling throne before he moves on to the Material Plane to "clean up" and pack the dust away for another reality.
Nothing in this implies neutrality. Only inevitability.
And one can be CG about the end without seeking to artificially delay it.
Anyone ever follow that wiki link provided by Cha Guy above? There are lots of key nuggets tossed all over. Here's my take from the wiki as a whole:
1. Groetus is... inevitable: at least as far as the wiki goes (2e may contradict this) Groetus is literally the monster at the end of the book. Beings fear/respect him not in the way you would an unkillable monster though, but more like the way you fear the drop at the top of the roller coaster. The wiki suggests he isn't actively trying to eat the entire universe, that's Rovagug's thing; Groetus is there to watch it all happen and be the last thing any being in the universe sees before it's all gone
2. Groetus will remain: the wiki goes on to draw a parallel between Groetus and Pharasma. The Lady of Graves is actually a holdover from the last universe who joined the divinities that helped manifest the current one. She was there to witness the birth of the current universe and will judge the last soul of this one as it all ends. And then... like Pharasma, Groetus will endure through the oblivion, supposedly to survive into the next iteration.
3. It may not even know it has worshippers: cultists or devotees of the god sense that they're communing with Groetus, but they are also largely afflicted with some form of madness. Their worship seems to be little more than doomsaying and prophesying the end of the world. The wiki doesn't suggest they're speaking GROETUS' will, but rather talking about the conditions that will bring about the deity's ultimate manifestation. This, the wiki further notes, suggests that Groetus may not indeed be aware of or care that he has worshippers since the very oblivion that serves their god's needs MUST inevitably erase these worshippers as well.
4. Some of his worshippers seek to hasten the apocalypse: as an act of worship to their god, some cultists try to trigger the oblivion the deity waits for. Again, there's no indication that Groetus is instructing them to do this. These actions are more the will of the worshippers, at least so far as the wiki suggests.
5. The Dooms: Groetus has 3 Dooms, or interpretations of what Groetus' actual, final role will be when oblivion occurs. Following the links from all three of these on the wiki, there is NO description of these Dooms or the factions that follow them. All we have is their names:
Mouth of the Apocalypse followed by the Teeth of Oblivion cultists
Portal of Incarnation followed by the Heralds of the Incarnate Moon cultists
Sign of the Destroyer followed by the Followers of the Gray Sign cultists
Now, anything I say about any of these Dooms or their cults would be wild speculation and non-cannon, so here's a warning that this is just my opinion: I think that the meaning of the 3 Dooms are hinted at throughout the rest of the wiki.
6. Doom - Mouth of the Apocalypse: Groetus and Rovagug are not rivals, nor are they seen as allies; rather, the wiki suggests that Rovagug will devour all of the matter of the universe while Groetus will devour the energy. My theory is that the Mouth of Apocalypse Doom is simply that - all of the energy of every soul will be devoured and stored within Groetus in the face of oblivion
7. Doom - Portal of Incarnation: this takes the Mouth of the Apocalypse one step further. As Pharasma was a holdover from the last universe who helped birth the new one, so too will Groetus in this Doom. He will either digest or regurgitate the energies he's consumed as the new universe comes into being, thus becoming a being of duality like Pharasma before him
8. Doom - Sign of the Destroyer: this one is... a bit of a reach, even I'll admit that. Here's my theory: Groetus' form, Realm, and universal place in the cosmos is as a bloated moon hanging over the Boneyard. The wiki suggests that this moon is also a "... shell separating the Great Beyond from its end." My own theory is that this last Doom suggests that Groetus' final manifestation in the existing universe will dissolve that shell, keeping back the Great Beyond. As Rovagug consumes everything that defines the "Inner Sphere" or the stuff in the cosmology that ISN'T considered part of the Great Beyond, Groetus' final manifestation. In this Doom, the current universe is utterly, and irrevocably destroyed
So... Groetus is literally just waiting around for the end. It is unknowable and those who make contact with it through some form of communion usually go insane. Even Pharasma placates the entity known as Groetus, keeping it at bay by feeding it some of the souls of atheists.
Unlike Rovagug, who is actively ravenous and constantly gnawing on the universe, Groetus keeps his hunger a bit more in check. He is waiting for the final buffet to open. In the meantime his very presence is a symbol of the impending finality of this reality.
Ironically this deity DOES acquire servants though it doesn't seem to seek them out to recruit them. These minions do a more insane, maniacal form of what they've always done after making contact with Groetus, they just do it in HIS name instead of for their own glory now.
With all of this laid out it suggests more questions than answers. If he's the deity of the end of everything, why doesn't he actively bring it on? How is Groetus the buffer between the Inner Sphere and the Great Beyond? If it IS supposed to eat all the souls and energy of the current universe in the end, what will it do then?
THIS, in my opinion, is why Groetus is associated with madness. Its very existence causes so much fear and mania, leads to so many questions and doubts and anxieties that mortal minds simply can't comprehend it all. They succumb to madness in the face of their deity, their fate, their real, ultimate judge: Groetus.
So.. with all that exposition and my opinions out there, you can all come up with all the reasons I'm wrong or other, personal interpretations. The OP suggests that, by making a NG character, their form of worship of Groetus is to celebrate every day as if it were their last, because the end is inevitable.
Based solely on the wiki, I don't think Groetus would have an issue or even care about this interpretation of its dogma. If the OP's character is going out and destroying villains, thus releasing soul energy into the universe, their own actions are hastening the end of the universe even as the mortal works to do "good" and thus keep the world spinning.
Divine Paragon Cleric
1. Aura (Good)
... Divine Brand
1. Devoted Domain
...
... Sentinel Boons
1. Domain Power
...
1. Domain Spells
...
1. Channel Energy 1D6
1. Orisons
1. Spontaneous Casting
1. Spells
1(class): Deific Obedience
1(level:
2.
3. Domain Spells
...
3. Channel Energy 2D6
3(level):
4.
5. Domain Power
... 1st Sentinel Boon (Endbringer)
...... 3/day True Strike, or
...... 2/day Death Knell, or
...... 1/day Keen Edge
5. Domain Spells
...
5. Channel Energy 3D6
5(level):
Evangelist PrC
6. Skilled
...
...
7. Protective Grace +1
7(level):
8. Divine Boon
... 1st Evangelist Boon (Doomsayer)
...... 3/day Doom, or
...... 2/day Augury, or
...... 1/day Bestow Curse
8. Domain Spells
...
8. Channel Energy 4D6
9. Gift of Tongues
...
9. Domain Power
...
9(level):
10. Multitude of Talents +4
10. Domain Spells
...
10. Channel Energy 5D6
11. Divine Boon
... 2nd Evangelist Boon
...... 1/day Consume Essence
11(level): Divine Interference
12. Protective Grace +2
12. Domain Power
... 2nd Sentinel Boon
...... 1/day Visions of the End
12. Domain Spells
...
12. Channel Energy 6D6
13. Gift of Tongues
...
13(level):
14. Divine Boon
... 3rd Evangelist Boon
...... 1/day Whispers of Insanity
14. Domain Spells
...
14. Channel Energy 7D6
15. Spiritual Form
... 10/min per day
15. Domain Power
... 3rd Sentinel Boon
...... Frightful Presence
15(level):
BAB +10/+5
Base Saves +7/+6/+7
CL 14, 7th level spells
VoodistMonk wrote: Divine Paragon for 5 levels,
All 10 levels of the Evangelist PrC...
You get 6 boons, extra languages and skills, only miss out on 1 level of spellcasting/Channel. It is the epitome of the Cleric class.
Looking into Divine paragon it seems that it requires you to be the same exact alignment as your diety as part of the "Devoted Domain" part of it if I'm not mistaken. Groetus is a chaotic neutral god which means if I went the Divine paragon route I'd be chaotic neutral myself no? While sure I could make that mechanical change wouldn't that be a bit weird with how I plan to play this character? I might be missing something but idk.
Also the more I look into a cleric the more confused I get really as just how to equip these guys, Are they supposed to be squishy or what? How do I keep myself from dying? I'm at a loss for how to handle the armor situation, It seems to me that I'll never have an overwhelming amount of dex which means that I need to make the choice between medium armor that my dex will never fully capitalize on or if I should burn a feat to get heavy armor. My diety's weapon is a heavy flail so that's a two-handed weapon, I think that takes shield use out of the equation... Surely as the healer, I'd want to be able to keep myself alive? Do I even want to be using my diety's weapon? I guess I could use a simple weapon instead so I can get a shield but I'm not sure if that's the right call or not.
Getting my wisdom up to 20 seems like the right call I think and I think I want my charisma decent for my channel, Which... Maybe is my main source of healing? Not sure. Negative energy looks appealing though when I look at it but that's just me being more used to being a damage dealer as opposed to the healer so I'm staying away from that.
Ability scores and equipment are really my hangups though currently, Anyone have any tips on how to handle those?
My human cleric is a high-strength reach built using a longspear.
Feats:
1. Toughness
1. Combat Reflexes
3. Heavy Armor Proficiency
5. Power Attack
This particular game is using rolled stats, but with a 20 point buy I would go with:
Str 16+2
Dex 12
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 8
Human Cleric you look like your planning on going combat cleric route. With that you only really need a Wis of 14. You can use a Wis item to cover the higher level spells. As for channeling unless you plan to focus on it. Something you can do to great effect. But not something you should do if your going to focus on combat. Not because of ability scores but due to limited number of feats.
Survivability: Going madness domain gives you a touch attack that inflicts a heavy penalty to hit. So your AC is not as important as you first though. Another good option is Darkness. Just make sure to get darkvision, or fog cutter lenses. Both give a domain ability that can mitigate damage.
Mobility: I don't recommend going with heavy armor. What I do recommend is going with mithral medium armor. This will give you battle field mobility. This in my experience is far more important. You want to be the first one to act with the most damaging attack possible. With that in mind I recommend going with the Divine Strategist Archtype. By far one of my favorite, but I play a lot of dwarfs and dump Cha to a 5.
Damage: I recommend you going with the Destruction domain. Then all you need is a few feats. Power Attack, Improved Over Run, Charage Though and any combat feat that help damage.
Healing: Reach Metamagic feat will go along way to healing in combat with out having to move from your current location. As you can sacrifice any spell to cast cure. Just note that when you do this the casting time changes to a full round action. So it takes both the move and standard action to cast.
If you do go Divine Strategist I would recommend the Darkness domain as you only get one. An it is the most versatile, with the best spells list.
Yes, to be a Divine Paragon your alignment has to match... not just be within one step. I figured that CN gives you the most freedom to play your character as you please, but I am not one to care much about alignments. If it's a deal-breaker, then forget my suggestion.
I focused on the wrong aspect of your post, I suppose. Groetus followers always seemed like the people holding up "the end is near" signs... it's like Y2K, every day. The boons offered by Groetus dedinitely fit the theme and seemed fun, possibly even useful. Having a personal optimistic twist just seems like something your character could do regardless of alignment.
I like the thought of creating essentially a divine herald. Getting 6 boons instead of 3 definitely puts you head and shoulders above any other followers of Groetus you may encounter. They be but posers compared to the magnitude of your faith and devotion. Nobody clerics like a Divine Paragon/Evangelist clerics... assuming "cleric" can be used as a verb.
As for socializing, you already get Diplomacy and Sense Motive, you could grab Intimidate and Know:Local from Evangelist, or UMD, or literally any two skills you may desire. Intimidate would fit thematically with the 3rd Sentinel boon (Frightful Presence)... but Know:Local and UMD would probably be more useful overall.
Humans have alternative racial features like History of Terrors and Imposter Wary that both could fit this theme/build... although I prefer the Fey one for low-light vision.
calagnar wrote: Mobility: I don't recommend going with heavy armor. What I do recommend is going with mithral medium armor. This will give you battle field mobility. The Travel Domain (which Groetus lacks) is what makes heavy armor really attractive (+10 movement speed from the domain plus another +10 from Longstrider).
Cleric is both boring enough by itself and requires so few feats that you could VMC Oracle, choose Battle and gain:
Proficency in H. Armor/M. Weapons;
Weapon Focus/Imp.Crit./Great WF;
Combat Healer (or whatever)...
Or choose any other available Mystery. Or any other VMC, for that matter. Clerics are BORING. Life is short. Spice it up when you can.
Be a Divine Scourge Cleric VMC Witch. It's a fun combination, might work for this character. I will tinker around with it...
Your new catchphrase:
"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die!".
With 30 points to spend, skills won't be a problem. Use Diplomacy to encourage parties. Use the Ceremony to host parties with benefits. [Holiday Fete and Void have nice benefits.]
A possibility is to be a Cleric(Evangelist) and become more Bard like with inspiration which gives great combat help to the whole party. I made one that was set up with a reach build, and he worked fine. I only had a 15-point character so your 30-point one would rock.
/cevah
You have a 30 point buy; being squishy will not be an issue. Prioritizing even just a 14 into Con and playing a Human will guarantee you start with 11 HP. From there you're getting an average of 7.5 HP/level, more than enough to stay ahead of average high damage by attack, by CR, for several levels. Your biggest weakness is Saves.
As a cleric you've got decent Fort and Will saves, but your Ref save will always be low. If the GM tosses an enemy blaster-type spellcaster on the board, all their damage will require Ref saves. An optimized blaster enemy with a Fireball could ruin your whole day.
There's a couple mitigation tactics. The obvious one is gear. Cloak of Resistance, Guardian weapon property and so on are good choices to shore up saves. Another one is good spell scroll selection. Face a lot of Evil alignment foes? For the cost of 25 GP, one Move action and one Standard action, your PC is reading a simple scroll of Protection from Evil, giving the PC a +2 Deflection bonus to AC AND a +2 Resistance bonus to all saves for a minute.
Yet another thing to think about is Feats. Clerics don't get a lot so use them wisely. Lightning Reflexes would pump up your Ref save, while Toughness would just give you 1 more HP/level (long term) to survive those pesky Fireballs with in the first place.
You specifically asked about gear and stats though. That depends entirely on which way you intend to build. To me it looks like you're going for a melee combat type, but in the OP you also mention being the party's healer and having good social skills. This means, presumably, that you want a decent Cha.
People sometime poop on Channel Energy, but let's really see what we can do with this ability.
Worried about being squishy? Channeled Shield Wall is a Swift action, once you hit 3d6 channeling damage, to grant yourself a +2 Deflection bonus while using your shield for 1 minute/cleric level. Also, bonus... any ally adjacent to you while the effect is still running, when that adjacent ally uses a shield, they ALSO gain the benefit of the +2 Deflection bonus.
Channel Smite is the obvious combat application, if you plan to fight a significant amount of Undead. Delivering extra D6s worth of damage by spending a Swift action is kinda nice.
Quick Channel gives you the ability to spend 2 channel uses in order to deliver a Channel Energy effect as a Move action. This could come in pretty handy; Swift action Channeled Shield Wall, Move action to damage the undead creature you're fighting with Positive energy, then Standard action attack said undead creature with your Smite running for even MORE Positive energy damage.
Depending on what you think you might be encountering a lot of, you might take a feat to include Outsiders or Elementals on your list of creatures affected by your Channel Energy. Taking a feat to get an extra 2 channels/day could be useful.
Then there's Reactive Healing. If you're worried about being squishy, have a lot of focus on Channel Energy and have already picked up Quick Channel, this is a handy way to keep yourself in the fight. If a hit drops you to 0 HP or fewer, this feat gives you one use of Channel Energy as an Immediate action to heal only yourself. By the time you're getting Quick Channel you're likely a level 5 Cleric, so a quick 3d6 or more HP isn't game-winning, but it buys you another round on your feet to deal with the threat in front of you.
If you chose to focus on Channel Energy, the other no-brainer is to get a Grayflame weapon when you can. Swift action to empower it with one use of your Channel Energy ability; when empowered the effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the number of D6s worth of damage you usually channel. During that time your weapon is an extra +1 Enhancement, it deals +1d6 damage as if with the Flame Strike spell, and glows like a torch. The weapon is also considered both a Good and Silver weapon during that time as well.
Thing is, a cleric only gets 10 Feats over the course of 20 levels. If you're going to focus on channeling, you're likely focusing a LOT on channeling. This might not be the direction you want to go with your character.
Here's a hilarious idea: play a Blossoming Light cleric of Groteus.
You get no armor, shields or weapons; using them at all cancels all of your class abilities. Also you have to be Good aligned and never commit an Evil act or you lose your class abilities. Finally, you don't get Domain Spell slots, though you do get access to the spells themselves and other Domain abilities.
Those are the downside. The upside is that you get a bonus = to 1/2 Blossoming Light level to Diplomacy checks made with Good creatures or to influence Evil creatures to do something against their evil nature. You also get a number of uses of Channel Energy equal to 5 +Cha Mod/day. What's more, at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter you get 1 additional use/day.
Once you hit 3rd level in Blossoming Light when you channel to harm undead you not only affect Undead with your Channel Energy. You also affect Chaotic Evil Outsiders, worshippers of evil deities and evil creatures with Light Sensitivity or Light Blindness. Surrounded by kobolds? They all save or take 2d6 Positive Energy damage. Think there might be an invisible Quasit nearby? It saves or takes 2d6 Positive Energy damage.
Now, you'd still get your normal Cleric spells, so I'd advise a high Wis. Also having either Scribe Scroll or Craft Wand, also Craft Wondrous Items, and outfitting yourself in as many spell scrolls, wands and Wondrous Items for defense that you can afford. Between spells, this gear, high Dex and a lot of luck you probably stay alive long enough to be a powerful Channel Energy beacon.
Mark Hoover 330 wrote: You have a 30 point buy; being squishy will not be an issue. Prioritizing even just a 14 into Con and playing a Human will guarantee you start with 11 HP. From there you're getting an average of 7.5 HP/level, more than enough to stay ahead of average high damage by attack, by CR, for several levels. Agreed.
Quote: Your biggest weakness is Saves.
As a cleric you've got decent Fort and Will saves, but your Ref save will always be low. If the GM tosses an enemy blaster-type spellcaster on the board, all their damage will require Ref saves. An optimized blaster enemy with a Fireball could ruin your whole day.
Uh ... I don't think I've ever seen this be a problem for a Cleric, in my experience it's THE OTHER WAY ROUND.
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