Cleric with a Staff?

[Animation]

All,

I am wondering if it makes any kind of sense for a Cleric to use a quarterstaff as a primary weapon? Or if it is self defeating? Or in the middle? Are there any decent builds based on using one

I often unfortunately build characters around how i want them to look. I say unfortunate because usually min maxing or even just common sense build wisdom will show the stuff i want to do to be a bad idea, in terms of mechanics.

I bring this up in case someone raises the question of what i want the character to do. I want the character to use a staff. And be a full cleric. Because it looks cool.

Help and advice apprecated.

Thanks!

[bfobar]

Well, you're probably not going to want to wear full plate either if you're going for iconic looks, so you're going to lose both high weapon damage and high armor classes.

You could go wis/dex and basically play as a wizard or sorcerer with a few more hit points and maybe a chain shirt under your vestments.

The quarterstaff master feat allows you to wield the staff one handed so you have your other hand free for touch attacks. Your lack of feats will hurt for two weapon fighting or the quarterstaff chain of feats.

The evangelist archtype with some summoning spells could work, but I think standard cleric would be better.

[LazarX]

Animation wrote:

All,

I am wondering if it makes any kind of sense for a Cleric to use a quarterstaff as a primary weapon? Or if it is self defeating? Or in the middle? Are there any decent builds based on using one

I often unfortunately build characters around how i want them to look. I say unfortunate because usually min maxing or even just common sense build wisdom will show the stuff i want to do to be a bad idea, in terms of mechanics.

I bring this up in case someone raises the question of what i want the character to do. I want the character to use a staff. And be a full cleric. Because it looks cool.

Help and advice apprecated.

Thanks!

Consider this concept. Don't try to build the character as melee, because I really don't see that in that visual image you're building up. Let him be anything but melee, there's no shortage of cleric options that can go quite well with that iconic image. A cleric of a god of Magic would be perfect for this image. Prophecy, Lore, Healing, there are plenty of iconic cleric archetypes that go with this option.

Work with the character with spell casting as the primary keel of his theme and you should do fine.

[Animation]

Due to being an old GURPS player as well as an old Elder Scrolls player, to me a priest or wizard in full plate casting massive destruction spells, healing spells, and killing things with a staff or spear in melee all fits together just fine.

And visually i do like the look/feel/concept of platemail cleric doing melee with a staff (or staff and shield using the quarterstaff master feat).

However, i dont specifically have that in mind either. I am fine with a caster approach ... Though i do wish i could deliver touch spells with the staff for style points.

If i did have something in mind, and in a way it is forming just by listening to you guys and expanding on my thoughts, it would be something like the knights from Tenchi Muyo Universe. They were really more like clerics than warriors, in that while they did some block and parry and thrust, and were definitely more martial than a wizard (and no i dont want a Staff Magus) ... they were really divine spell casters with a bit of martial flavor.

But really, as long as full cleric + quarterstaff is viable and not too gimp, I am satisfied. I do like the idea of taking Quarterstaff mastery, just to keep a hand free.

Thanks for the replies so far, and any that may come later, if any. :)

[Crosswind]

You're fine. If you take a domain that grants shillelagh, you'll even kick some ass for a few levels.

Melee clerics, even when optimized, are pretty mediocre, so by going non-optimized you're not losing much. Your real power is in your full caster status. =)

-Cross

[Kazaan]

It could be feasible to be a hybrid cleric that relies on spells and AoO, but Quarterstaff, as a double weapon, isn't very conducive to that as you can't two-weapon fight for AoO. It all comes down to the economy of the standard action. If you're using a standard or full-round action to attack, you've sacrificed your spell for that round. If you cast a spell, though, you can still make AoO. You're better off just using a longspear.

[AtomicGamer]

A cleric with a staff is going to have to make sure to keep them out of harms way of course.

But even aside from their vulnerability in a fight (he might want to just have them stay back at his base and handle ever-day stuff), he'll have to make sure they have adequate pay and benefits, or they might form a union and maybe not show up for work one day.

[Animation]

I refuse to get that joke. :)

Thanks!

[Kalridian]

Just talk about it with your GM and use the values of some other wepon, simply fluffed as a Quarterstaff. I allow this in all of my games, as long as the damage type is consistent, because I hate it, when my players have a vision of their character and then end up changing it for optimisations sake. Want a sword-and-board fighter who goes for the crit-line? Go ahead, give him a longsword or an axe if you feel like it, and just use the values of the scimitar. IMHO you shouldn't have to pay for fluff by sacrificing build-effectiveness, that only leads to repetitive characters. (Scimitar wielding dervish dance magus anyone?)

[ngc7293]

Here is something that you would have to work out with the GM, a masterwork bladed staff that works like a switch blade. You could even invest money into the staff with scrollwork and it becomes an "artifact" of your church.

The built in sword becomes a measure of protection when a weighted staff just won't do.

[Byronus]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd chime in for any future players looking into playing a Cleric. I mean, that's how I got here. ;)

People have been focusing on the Quarterstaff as a double weapon, and it's application with a Two-Weapon Fighting build. Remember that the Quarterstaff can also be wielded as a two-HANDED weapon, swung like a bat, utilizing one end alone, where each end can be enchanted differently.

I'd say an Axiomatic/Anarchic staff would be in order, swung with the malice of a Power Attack at -1/+3 ratio. :)