Cleric Guide

## Role

\*\*\*Damage: An ok selection of spells for damage. Channeling can be a good tool as well

\*\*\*Debuff: plenty of spells for debuffing opponents

\*\*\*\*Support:helpful spells for days, channeling to pick up the slack

\*\*\*Utility: lots of useful spells but lacking in the skills

\*\*Tank\*\*\*\*: to be honest, they have a great *ability* to tank, but their supportive abilities are so great that it’s just a bad idea, once the cleric goes down your team is in bad shape. 4 stars objectively, 2 in context

## Ability Scores

Some changes might be necessitated by your specific deity

\*\*Power: You certainly don’t *need* it, but if you want to be on the front line you can and should get some power.

\*\*Finesse: good for ranged touch attacks, low initiative isn’t the worst for a support either

\*\*Grace: Who needs Grace when you have armor?

\*\*\*\*Vitality: Crank it up, you need to stay alive as long as you can

\*\*Stature: same with power, can be good for some extra HP

\*Intellect: You don’t need many skills and int doesn’t add to many of your abilities

\*\*\*\*Acumen: Extra Spells are good

\*\*\*\*Resolve: Spell DC’s are great, pump for offensive casting

\*\*\*\*Ego: Good for channeling

\*Charm: Not needed for any of your abilities, unless you’re trying to prosthelytize.

## Basics

\*\*D6 HD: At least you’re not a wizard. Use healing regularly on yourself guilt free, they need you

\*2+I Skill Points: You won’t have many, but you’ll have enough to get by

\*Class Skills: Kinda lame. Keep a bard or brigand around

\*\*\*\*Good Resistances: Now that’s better, these will keep you from failing some nasty resists

\*\*\*Proficiencies: Pretty Good, medium should do fine but spending a feat to get some plate mail or \*\*\*\*\*Dwarven Stone isn’t a horrible idea

\*\*CB: Pretty lame. By the time it makes a huge difference you wont need it though

\*\*\*\*MB: Fullcaster full-throttle and plenty of spells to swing

## Features

\*\*\*\*Spellcasting: Powerful and always useful. Your spontaneous abilities (healing AND invoke) make sure you don’t waste any spell slots, so don’t be afraid to prep spells that might be more situational.

\*\*\*Devotion: Alignment restrictions aren’t too bad, and I won’t complain about a free language and weapon proficiency (or possibly feat). Even if you have no ranks in religion you’ll still know what you’re talking about.

\*\*\*\*Channel: AOE damage or AOE healing are both great, I just wish you didn’t have to choose. (against undead you don’t). Take \*\*\*\*Selective Channel so you don’t heal enemies or harm your buds.

\*\*\*\*Channel Essence: Customize your channel. Great for offense and defense. Don't be afraid to take Extra Class Feature (Essence)

\*\*Aligned\*\*\*\*: Really great if you’re a one alignment party, and fight the other alignment

\*\*Atemporal: Situational, but cool way to stall bad effects

\*\*\*Boom: Nice debuff

\*\*\*Caustic: 1.5 damage is sweet

\*\*Damning: Awesome if you fight a lot of undead

\*\*\*Elemental: They are all worse than holy, but the unlocks it gives are cool

\*\*\*Fifing: Cool buff, like a bard in a can

\*\*\*Fortitudinous: These come up a lot, and can suckto fail

\*\*\*\*Freezing: Brutal debuff. PR paralyze is harsh

\*\*\*Guarding: AC boost is cool, but vanishes quick

\*\*\*Healing: tiny healing boost

\*\*Hexing: low DC, short duration, but effect is good

\*\*\*\*Igniting: *on fire* is so debilitating, and lots of creature have low FRs

\*\*\*Jaded: a safe bet, but kinda boring

\*\*\*Kinetic: fun to push people around, with no resistance! (5ft)

\*\*\*\*Lightning: Longest range thing a cleric can get (except *Rain*, but whatever)

\*\*Mechanical: so situational, unless you plan on taking \*\*\*Forge Golem and having an army. Nvm this is great just very stupid

\*\*\*\*Nonfocal: Very handy if you don’t want Selective channel, or need more range. Combine with \*\*\*\*Lightning for some funky angles

\*\*\*Noxious: decent debuff

\*\*Ominous: shaken is nice i guess

\*\*\*Painful: nice multi-round effect

\*\*\*\*Quickening: Awesome free buffs

\*\*\*Restorative: pretty cool to remove debuffs, situational but strong

\*\*\*Self-Serving: nice survivability, but hugely reduced utility

\*\*Septic: not very useful, can be greatly silly

\*\*\*Tenacious: Interesting. Best used with other essences which require a failure.

\*\*\*Terrifying: frightened is a much better effect

\*\*\*Threap: fun debuff, but not the best condition

\*\*\*\*Toothless: interesting debuff, effectively gives DR

\*\*Underhanded\*\*\*\*: effectiveness depends on other essences or situation

\*\*\*\*Valiant: fear effects are so common this is great

\*\*\*Weakening: ok debuff, nothing crazy

\*\*\*\*Wondrous: AoE Resurrection is kinda crazy, but I hope you don’t need it

\*\*\*\*Xyresic: Bleed is awesome. AoE bleed is better

\*\*\*Yielding: Great defensive ability, stay alive so you can use those heals

\*\*\*\*Zealous: combine with self serving to become a god

\*\*Cleric’s Oath: Free trait I guess. Usually a neat little bonus but nothing crazy.

\*\*\*Oath of Worship, Service, Devotion: Nice flavor bonuses, effectiveness depends on deity.

\*\*\*\*High Priest: A good reason to read the fine print of what your deity is about. Sling those invokes and become half a spontaneous caster

## Species

\*\*\*\*Human: +2s where you need em, or take that +3R, a solid choice

\*\*\*\*\*Dwarf: +2 to your top three stats, great defensive abilities and don’t worry about your speed under armor, fantastic.

\*\*Elf: stats you don’t need, squishy. Wood elf is ok.

\*\*Half-Elf:ok stats, but not the most helpful. Some abilities will come in handy

\*\*\*Half-Orc: if you want to be that warrior priest here’s an option, not bad. Brutish tanky build is decent

\*\*Halfling: no real bonus where you need them, but nice traits

\*\*\*Gnome: better defensive abilities than halflings, decently helpful traits

\*Goblin: a funny idea if you’re trying to make things hard for yourself. But no.

##### Easy Build:

Species: Dwarf. Take Thick-Skinned and Low Profile

Ability Scores: R > A > V > S > G > E > I > C > P > F

Feats: Heavy Armor Proficiency, Armor Focus(Dwarven Stone), Healer, Improved Healer, Greater Healer, Master Healer, Selective Channel, Rapid Channel, Swift Channel, Full-Round Channel

Traits: Armor Expert, Healer Initiate, Nerd, Fearless, Rugged, Practiced

Deity: Hadrus

Essences: Nonfocal, Self-Serving, Tenacious,Quickening

Equipment: Dwarven Stone, Tower Shield

Playstyle: Defensive as you can, focus on healing with either spells of channeling. With your shield and armor, expect an AC of around 30, which helps a lot at low levels. Stay close to allies, even if they go into melee.