The aim of this build is to create a Pure single class, which seems to be a popular trend these days. The primary focus of this character is to focus on spell casting ability and to be used within a Party as far as possible. No doubt, this character could survive solo pretty comfortably, through the huge array of spells available, but that is not the aim here. A reasonable CHA score has been ensured to assist the characters Turn Undead ability and increase the base duration of the Battle Mastery ability, this is truly an awesome buff in this instance as it is maxed giving a bonus of 9 points to DEX, CON, Attack and Damage Rolls, as well as Damage Reduction also for a duration of 7 rounds before any CHA buffs.
Intelligence doesn't need to be any higher as class skills are limited. You could of course increase to 12 to cross-class into Discipline, but I don't see that to be a great benefit for the result to be fair, bearing in mind this is not a front line caster.
Fully buffed this hits the +20 cap to AB and +6 STR easily.
Implosion DC for all those that love that spell lies at a mediocre 46!
Offensive Spells with no Save (plenty available)
2 Melf's Acid Arrow 3d6 first round, then 1d6 every round for 13 rounds (Empower, Silent) 3 Searing Light (Empower, Silent) 5 Ice Storm 3d6 bludgeon, 15d6 cold damage (Empower, Silent) 6 Harm (Silent) 6 Heal (Silent) 8 Mass Heal (Silent)
Other Key Spells
Hammer of Gods (Silent & Empower - 5d8 Divine Damage before Will save for stun (DC 32 pre-WIS buff)) Slay Living (Empower & Silent - Death or 3d6+40 Negative Energy Damage if Fort save is made (DC 33 pre-WIS buff)) Flame Strike (Empower & Silent - 15d6 fire/ divine damage (DC 33 pre-WIS buff)) Blade Barrier (Empower 20d6 x 1.5 for 40 rounds (DC 34 pre-WIS buff) - what isn't there to like?)) Destruction (Silent & Empower - 10d6 damage minimum if Fort save is made (DC 35 pre-WIS buff)) Fire Storm (Silent - 20d6 fire/ divine damage (DC 36 pre-WIS buff))
not to mention Storm of Vengeance, Energy Drain, Earthquake and Sunbeam.
Party buffs
Ultravision (for your sneaks to use when you cast Darkness (80 rounds Extd!) in battle) Aura of Vitality Prayer Battletide GMW Darkfire Bless Aid Heal/ Mass Heal
It is worth noting that an investment of Cure Minor Wounds in your Cantrips could pay dividends, if you want to dispose of Undead using Heals, the reason being is that undead are reduced to 1d4 HP if a Heal lands on them and Cure Minor Wounds has no save and delivers exactly 4 hp damage on a successful touch attack, thereby destroying them. Always handy as backup, if your melee weapon is not touching them.
Turn Undead Ability 42+2d6 HD
AC
Unbuffed Base 10 Dex 0 Tumble 4 Full Plate 8 Tower Shield 3 25
Not the greatest, but then again you are a spellcaster first and melee presence last. Having said that unbuffed HP is 400, which is reasonable, considering it is human. Fully Buffed this hits 640 no problem.
CONS
No Discipline - you would seriously need some KD immune item if solo Low AC - even with max items, you will suffer unless you rely on party or summons
PROS
Quickened casting in armor - with two very high spell foci Numerous spells that deal damge with no save or if a save is made Self Healing, Party buffing
Comments anyone? Feedback is always necessary.
Edited By griphook on 01/26/06 13:19
Nicely done. One of the few things Id try to work in are the melee feats wf/ewf/prowess just to give you alittle backup to spells. Is it necessary to take 2 foci? Or is it necessary to take quicken? Maybe take still spell (to give a slot higher for Heals) and take those feats epic.
The other thing is Trickery. It would be SOOOO hard to pass up on such a nice contribution to a party that open lock/disable traps would give (from a lv 40 cleri ) Also, improved invis is practically a necessity IMHO. For the other domain, IF perma-haste is absent, Id take Travel! An extended lv 40 cleric Haste spell!! WOOOT
I want to say that it takes a brave soul to post a lv 40 build because they are so subjective. I know we like to think of them as Iconic, but what is that? from the above, we see the I.. plays the cleric very much as a supporter. I choose to play them more as a HERO/support type, being a rusher into combat to take out the enemy, but to also be the support when needed (as per my suggestions of the melee feats vs focii and quicken).
Nice build overall.
Peace
Good points avado and I had wanted WF, EWF and EP in there as well, but without taking CoT 10 and Cleric 30, this was impossible.
Fully buffed AB is 52 (STR+6 and Cap of +20), which is ok'ish. A cleric is never going to get 4 attacks per round without using Divine Power, but that should suffice for most encounters, where you may have to stand toe-to-toe with their enemy. WF, EWF, EP are just too expensive in this build.
Quicken has been taken to overcome the penalty incurred, due to no CC or ICC, ie. preventing AoO's occurring during casting, and also no Haste! Still spell is unnecessary as Cleric's are divine based rather than arcane, A Cleric can already cast in full plate and shield. The point made with Heal's/ Harm's/ Mass Heal's has been taken care of by taking Silent Spell, which has far more use, particularly against those tricky beggars who silence themselves before stepping up to whack you.
Trickery and Travel Domains were considered (Extd Haste, Imp Invis are always great), but the offensive casting you achieve with Magic Domain, makes the Cleric a far more versatile spellchucker. Ice Storm (3d6 bludgeon and 15d6 cold damage) and Melf's Acid Arrow (3d6 1st round, then 1d6 for 13 rounds) have no save after all, not to mention Negative Energy BUrst (1d8+40 Negative Energy Damage and -10 STR if unprotected against level/ ability drain) which has a WIll save for 1/2 damage DC 31 (pre-WIS buff). With a Spell Res Penetration or 40 +1d20, you should be looking to take advantage of that.
A cleric after all is a buff machine, with some offensive power (Implosion, Destruction, Fire Storm, Storm of Vengeance). The aid they can lend to a party is quite phenomenal, just using Battletide, Prayer, Aura of Vitality, PFE, MCE, AvA, Undeath's Eternal Foe - 7 spells to boost defense and offense that can be cast rapidly due to Quicken.
The two spell foci are necessary I feel to take advantage of the majority of offensive spells that cleric's can use. Originally I wanted Conjuration as well to increase the DC on Storm of Vengeance. But 3 feats to improve the dc on one spell was too much.
Base Class notes of a cleric "Clerics act as intermediaries between the earthly and the divine (or infernal) worlds." A cleric is not a fighter, but they sure can buff to become similar.
Thanks for the comments, but believe me I had wrestled with myself on these very points already!
Oh, also a minor correction I found (Griphook, if you could edit sometime please)
Daily Spells Level (Quantity) [WIS Buffed Quantity] 0 (6) [6] not [11] as it is shown. griphook...Done
Thanks
Edited By griphook on 01/26/06 13:20
AC 61 with "exploiting" UEF, meaning 46 AC with only the single cast of UEF. This spell still only lasts 40 rounds though so it isn't too useful in long battles (besides taking most your other 9th level slots) _________________ Inactive for a while
good point well made. Guess you had better hunt for some decent items to improve ac.
Base Class notes of a cleric "Clerics act as intermediaries between the earthly and the divine (or infernal) worlds." A cleric is not a fighter, but they sure can buff to become similar.
Thanks for the comments, but believe me I had wrestled with myself on these very points already!
It appears that it is a GOOD thing I did not post my Iconic cleric! It appears that even though i really only play clerics, i have made the error that a cleric was a warrior caster! Opps! Your reasoning was very thorough and I thank you for the education.
Peace
How does Implosion work in party PvP setting? Will it hit teammates and/or yourself?
Quite nice to know with that spell DC.
Until next patch it hits even the caster, so you'd better aim it well and not on foes who are running towards you, or otherwise have rocket high saves.
Oh, the dangers of tearing the fabric of reality apart _________________ Dilegua notte Tramontate stelle Tramontate stelle All'alba vinceṛ Vinceṛ Vinceṛ
personally I have found it works best on archers, spellcasters and opposing clerics - for precisely that reason - they don't run toward you when casting or firing arrows, added to which their fort save sucks.
I killed myself in full PvP setting with it once. I had good enough saves(was warrior/cleric) but NwN gives you a 1.... The HiPSter stood there laughing his behinds off. He, of course made it... That was why I wondered.
You make some great build, Samphus, I would like to try my own cleric once too, see how one can fare.
For AC / DR, doesn't the Magic domain get Stoneskin at level 4? Or does that get pretty useless at Epic levels? At least useful on the way up when playing 1 - 40....
Level 4 is correct, I don't find it useless, unless you are using it in high magic areas (ie. +6 and greater items). If the highest gear available is +5, then you're laughing really (see below):
This spell grants the target creature damage reduction 10/+5. The spell absorbs 10 points of melee damage per caster level, to a maximum of 100, before collapsing. · Level 7 70 points absorbtion · Level 8 80 points absorbtion · Level 9 90 points absorbtion · Level 10+ 100 points absorbtion
Shame it caps at 100 points really, and in this instance it would last 40 hours (Unextended)
Btw Thanks for the kind words Grim
Edited By I...Samphus on 02/01/06 07:38
A +5 weapon cuts through 10/+5 DR like it's nothing (10/+5 means you need a +5 OR higher, so, in fact, it IS nothing ). _________________ Fanget av begravelsen pines vi av guds godhet ingen flammer, intet hat de hadde rett vi kom til Helvete...
Level 4 is correct, I don't find it useless, unless you are using it in high magic areas (ie. +6 and greater items). If the highest gear available is +5, then you're laughing really
He he, second dude to make this mistake in days. The one who wielded the +5 weapon would be left laughing, since he penetrates stoneskin, greater and all...... ?/+5 means you need +5 to penetrate, not that it blocks up to +5. Otherwise, 100 extra hp's from a lvl 4 spell is good.
*edit: Damn, Finn, move to America so I'm the only one awake at this hour. Beat me to it. (And Burzum? Not very advanced..... Me no like )
Edited By Grimnir77 on 02/01/06 09:49
Grr.. my bad - had only been awake 10 minutes when I posted about the stoneskin. I thought something was wrong when I posted!
Of course you are both quite right, I feel suitably chastised
lies at a mediocre 46! 
) Also, improved invis is practically a necessity IMHO. For the other domain, IF perma-haste is absent, Id take Travel! An extended lv 40 cleric Haste spell!! WOOOT
).