NWN: Character - Cleric

Of course, a Cleric will always be most notable as a healer. With cure wounds early, to curing maladies later (and ultimately death itself), no group wants to be without one. One shouldn't sell short their offensive spells either, including the ability to Turn Undead. With the new 3E rules on Spontaneous Casting (switching from any spell to one of healing/curing), it adds much more of an offensive capability to the class. This should play out well in NWN (for those who use this ability wisely).

Lets look at some specifics to the class.

• Alignment Restrictions: None
• Hit Die per Level: d8 (1-6)
• Armor Proficiencies: All plus Shields
• Weapon Proficiencies: All Simple Weapons
• Saving Throws: Fortitude & Will (primary), Reflex (secondary)
• Skill Points Per Level: 2+Int Modifier (x4 at 1st character level)
• Class Skills: Concentration, Diplomacy: Persuade, Heal, Hide, Lore, Parry, Spellcraft
• Class Features: Turn Undead, Divine Spellcasting, Domain Powers
• Class Kits: Default, Battle Priest, Dead Walker, Elementalist, Shaman

With d8 HPs, full use of armor and shields, and the aiding spells, the Cleric will make a pretty good tank or emergency tank in game. Saving throws are good, but the class is a little light on the skill points attained as well as being limited to simple weapons (unless multi-class, race, or feat grants more).

Kits: For the player who lacks a little knowledge on the game or seeing a kit they like the sound of, there are a few here that offer good possibilities. Default takes Sun and Healing domains making the Cleric stronger in healing and combat against undead. Battle Priest is one that embraces the War and Strength domains, focusing their energies in combat enhancement. Dead Walker goes with Death and Trickery domains which favors stealth and dark arts. Elementalist, with Fire and Earth domains, focus in on combat oriented spells relating. Finally, the Shaman is more of a nature cleric with Plant and Animal domains to go along with associated powers.

Skills: Skill points and available skills are both rather minimal, so the Cleric will want to take care in what he or she chooses to develop. With average intelligence, a human can max out 3 skills while a non-human Cleric can only max 2. Concentration is nearly a must, as the Cleric will often be in harm’s way, casting while in combat. Spellcraft is important for counterspells, if a Cleric wants to have that option available. Parry is a good skill for the Cleric who wants to hold the defensive fort down until stronger offensive help can come. Heal offers a break from having to use spells (or potions) to restore hit points all the time. Hide offers a chance to avoid notice while Diplomacy and Lore will be strong skills in role-play and story oriented settings. Most Clerics will probably want to have a little extra intelligence to ensure they have all the skills developed to favorable levels of skill.

Feats: Since the Cleric gets only the standard feats (at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th) that all classes get, careful selection of ones that they do get is important. Much of this is determined by the nature of the Cleric. Toughness is like getting +2 to Con as it grants +1 HPs/level so I think this one is worth considering. Combat Casting aids concentration checks in combat, an important feat for the Cleric who expects to be in the fray. In a world/campaign heavy with undead, Extra Turning could prove very valuable. Dodge gives a boost to AC, again important for a class that is often mix it up in melee. Metamagic feats (like Still Spell, Quicken Spell, and Empower Spell) offer nice boosts or emergency uses to spells.

Special Features: Turn Undead offers the chance to repel or even destroy the unloving with great ease, so is a very strong ability especially in campaigns where undead flourish. Divine spellcasting and Domain Powers are interrelated, tied into the Cleric’s worship of a higher power. Within that, the Cleric gains access to spells both helping and harming, carrying forth the cause of their religion. It is the reason to play a Cleric and the reason to welcome one into a group. A closer look at domain powers and cleric spells is further down below.

Attributes: The Cleric’s primary attribute is Wisdom, as is tied into all aspects of spellcasting. From maximum spell level castable (Wisdom minus 10), Difficulty Class to Saves against offensive spells, and bonus spells, Wisdom is it for Clerics. Because the Cleric is often engaged in combat, Constitution can be important. Intelligence offers a boost to some skills and the number of skill points gained per level. Strength bolsters melee ability and Charisma is the key stat involved in turning undead. Because of their ability to wear the heaviest armors, the Cleric isn’t as needing of Dexterity as most classes. Here are some ideas on point allocation for a Cleric:

1. Str: 12, Dex: 12, Con: 14, Int: 14, Wis: 14, Cha: 12 (balanced)
2. Str: 12, Dex: 12, Con: 12, Int: 14, Wis: 16, Cha: 10 (healer)
3. Str: 14, Dex: 10, Con: 14, Int: 14, Wis: 15, Cha: 10 (combat cleric)
4. Str: 10, Dex: 10, Con: 14, Int: 15, Wis: 16, Cha: 10 (sage priest)
5. Str: 12, Dex: 10, Con: 12, Int: 12, Wis: 16, Cha: 14 (undead hunter)
6. Str: 12, Dex: 10, Con: 12, Int: 13, Wis: 17, Cha: 10 (divine caster)

Clerics can be designed in a lot of other ways, too. Hopefully, these offer some ideas to those who aren’t sure which way to go or where to start.

Race: Since no race has a penalty to Wisdom, all of them offer various roles to pursue with the class. Dwarves and Half-Orcs might not make great undead hunters (because of –2 to Charisma), but they each can make strong combat oriented Clerics who like to enter into melee or take abuse. Humans have their bonus feat and skill points, along with easy multi-classing rules. Elves make an excellent selection because they get racial features that mesh well with the class (but be weary of the –2 to Con). Half-Elves are a solid mix of multi-classing ability and racial features. Gnomes give a boost to Con (always a plus), though they lack some strength (which can be important for encumbrance). Perhaps the Halfling is the worst of all races, but even they could be solid as a Cleric.

Multi-class: Clerics will always be strongest if left pure or mostly pure as much of their strength is achieved through the advancement of spellcasting. However, mixing a little Fighter can really boost the combat cleric, so that is worth considering if the player is going down that road. As a secondary class, the Cleric offers a boost to characters want a little healing capability and bonuses from some Domain powers. There are some other class combinations that offer interesting possibilities for those looking for a different sort of role-play (like a sly cleric who has some Rogue or the spells master who take Wizard as well).

Conclusion: I have always enjoyed playing a cleric and suspect that people who give them a chance in the new world of 3E integrated into NWN will find them surprisingly fun to play and well received.

A Closer Look at Some Specifics:
Domains: A Cleric, upon creation, selects TWO domain in which their power is derived from. In 3E DnD (pen and paper), these domains were chosen based on the portfolio given to a selected god/deity. This list of available domains reflected the domains of control that the deity had influence in (thus the name). Since there’s no direct relationship in NWN, cleric players are free to choose them as they wish. A player who wants to role-play could look up the deities and their domains within their gaming world and make sure they are consistent with the intended rules by selecting domains associated with their chosen deity.\

The domains, their powers, and associated spells are as follows:

• AIR: Elemental Turning: Able to turn elementals as if they were undead. Spells: (3rd) Call Lightning, (6th) Chain Lightning
• ANIMAL: Clerics who take the Animal domain are able summon more powerful allies. Spells: (2nd) Cat's Grace, (3rd) True Seeing, (5th) Polymorph Self
• DEATH: Negative Plane Avatar: Able to summon a shadow that scales according to the cleric's level. Spells: (4th) Phantasmal Killer, (5th) Enervation
• DESTRUCTION: Weaken Constructs: Able to damage constructs while using the turn ability. Spells: (3rd) Stinking Cloud, (6th) Acid Fog
• EARTH: Turn Elementals: Able to turn elementals as if they were undead. Spells: (4th) Stoneskin, (5th) Energy Buffer
• EVIL: Turn Outsiders: Able to turn outsiders as if they were undead. Spells: (1st) Negative Energy Ray, (3rd) Negative Energy Burst, (5th) Enervation
• FIRE: Turn Elementals: Able to turn elementals as if they were undead. Spells: (4th) Wall of Fire, (5th) Energy Buffer
• GOOD: Turn Outsider: Able to turn outsiders as if they were undead. Spells: (4th) Stoneskin, (5th) Lesser Planar Binding
• HEALING: Empower Healing: The following healing spells are cast as if Empowered by the feat: Cure Light Wounds, Cure Moderate Wounds, Cure Serious Wounds, Cure Critical Wounds. Spells: (2nd) Cure Serious Wounds, (5th) Heal
• KNOWLEDGE: Extra spells. Spells: (1st) Identify, (2nd) Knock, (3rd) Clairaudience and Clairvoyance, (4th) True Seeing, (5th) Legend Lore
• MAGIC: Extra spells. Spells: (1st) Mage Armor, (2nd) Melf's Acid Arrow, (3rd) Negative Energy Burst, (4th) Stoneskin, (5th) Ice Storm
• PLANT: Turn Vermin: Able to turn vermin as if they were undead. Spells: (2nd) Barkskin, (7th) Creeping Doom
• PROTECTION: Divine Protection: Available to Clerics of the Protection Domain. The cleric is able to cast an improved form of Sanctuary that sets the save DC at 10 + Charisma Modifier + Clerical Level. The effect has a duration of 1 round per caster level + Charisma modifier. Spells: (4th) Minor Globe of Invulnerability, (5th) Energy Buffer
• STRENGTH: Divine Strength: The cleric gains a bonus to Strength equal to 2 +1 per 3 cleric levels. The effect lasts for 5 rounds + Charisma modifier. Spells: (3rd) Divine Power, (5th) Stoneskin
• SUN: Exceptional Turning: Add 1d6 to all turning checks to determine the maximum HD of undead turned. Also add 1d4 to the number of undead Hit Dice turned. Spells: (2nd) Searing Light, (7th) Sunbeam
• TRAVEL: Extra spells. Spells: (1st) Entangle, (2nd) Web, (3rd) Freedom of Movement, (4th) Slow, (5th) Haste
• TRICKERY: Divine Trickery: Bonus to Hide, Persuade, Search, Disable Trap, Move Silently, Open Lock, and Pick Pockets checks equal to 1 per 2 levels. This effect lasts for 5 turns + the cleric's Charisma modifier. Spells: (2nd) Invisibility, (3rd) Invisibility Sphere, (5th) Improved Invisibility
• WAR: Battle Master: The clerics gains a bonus of 1 + 1 per 5 levels to Dexterity, Constitution, Attack Rolls and Damage. As well this bonus modifier is used to grant the cleric damage reduction in the same amount. The effect will last for 5 rounds + Charisma modifier. Spells: (2nd) Cat's Grace, (7th) Aura of Vitality
• WATER: Turn Elementals: Able to turn elementals as if they were undead. Spells: (3rd) Poison, (5th) Ice Storm

Notes: Much of this will be more clearly understood once their effect is seen in game, however there are a few things worth thinking about early on. The Healing domain’s ability to cast those spells with 50% more effectiveness is quite nice. War looks to offer a great boost to the combat cleric and coupled with Strength, the player could have quite a strong combatant. Other domains I am interested in trying out myself because they all offer fascinating possibilities.

Spells Castable per Day by Level:
Per Day 0/1st/2nd/3rd/4th/5th/6th/7th/8th/9th
1st Level 3/2
2nd Level 4/3
3rd Level 4/3/2
4th Level 5/4/3
5th Level 5/4/3/2
6th Level 5/4/4/3
7th Level 6/5/4/3/2
8th Level 6/5/4/4/3
9th Level 6/5/5/4/3/2
10th Level 6/5/5/4/4/3
11th Level 6/6/5/5/4/3/2
12th Level 6/6/5/5/4/4/3
13th Level 6/6/6/5/5/4/3/2
14th Level 6/6/6/5/5/4/4/3
15th Level 6/6/6/6/5/5/4/3/2
16th Level 6/6/6/6/5/5/4/4/3
17th Level 6/6/6/6/6/5/5/4/3/2
18th Level 6/6/6/6/6/5/5/4/4/3
19th Level 6/6/6/6/6/6/5/5/4/4
20th Level 6/6/6/6/6/6/5/5/5/5

Spells: Like the Wizard, the Cleric has to choose their spells daily that they wish to cast. However, the special ability to Spontaneously cast cure/healing spells instead of the spell their had previously selected for casting at the appropriate level. This is quite an advantage and means that a Cleric never has to select the curative spells but can switch to them on the fly. This gives even a healing oriented cleric a chance to still have other spells and options available to them while not forsaking the need to cast those spells that often save lives.

• 0-level spells: Cure Minor Wounds, Light, Resistance, Virtue
  Comments: Cure Minor Wounds will be a nice quick life-saver. Light is always useful in dark settings (subterranean or at night) for races without darkvision. Resistance is useful in limited situations. Virtue gives a small boost to HPs temporarily.
• 1st-level spells: Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Doom, Endure Elements, Remove Fear, Sanctuary, Scare, Summon Creature I
  Comments: Cure Light Wounds will be oft used early on. Sanctuary is much more useful than many people usually believe as it can protect a player from harm for quite a while. Summon Creature I will offer a nice, long-lasting companion to the Cleric. Bless helps saves and in combat. Endure Elements helps in harsh environments and situations. Doom and Scare causes opponents to weaken if they fail a save, making them easier to deal with.
• 2nd-level spells: Aid, Bull's Strength, Cure Moderate Wounds, Darkness, Eagle Splendor, Endurance, Find Traps, Foxs Cunning, Hold Person, Lesser Dispel, Lesser Restoration, Negative Energy Ray, Owls Wisdom, Remove Paralysis, Resist Elements, Silence, Sound Burst, Summon Creature II, Ultravision
  Comments: This level has a lot of enhancement spells available to augment the Cleric or others. Cure Moderate Wounds is the next in the line of cure/healing spells. Summon Creature II offers a long lasting summoned companion that’s better than the first. Hold Person has always been a good spell. Negative Energy Ray is a good attack spell. Silence can put an enemy spellcaster in a world of hurt.
• 3rd-level spells: Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Blindness and Deafness, Clarity, Contagion, Cure Serious Wounds, Dispel Magic, Invisibility Purge, Magic Circle against Alignment, Negative Energy Protection, Prayer, Protection from Elements, Remove Blindness and Deafness, Remove Curse, Remove Disease, Searing Light, Summon Creature III
  Comments: This level offers a number of curative spells making it a strong one for the grouping cleric. It also has protection, purging, and aiding spells of note. There are a few offensive spells to slow down or inhibit enemies, along with Animate Dead and Summon III for companions.
• 4th-level spells: Cure Critical Wounds, Death Ward, Dismissal, Divine Power, Freedom of Movement, Hammer of the Gods, Neutralize Poison, Poison, Restoration, Summon Creature IV
  Comments: More good curative/healing spells here along with some other spells that look interesting, but going to reserve final comments/recommendations until I see their in-game implement.
• 5th-level spells: Circle of Doom, Flame Strike, Healing Circle, Raise Dead, Slay Living, Spell Resistance, Summon Creature V, True Seeing
  Comments: Going to reserve comments on higher level spells upon testing them.
• 6th-level spells: Blade Barrier, Control Undead, Create Undead, Greater Dispelling, Harm, Heal, Summon Creature VI
  Comments: Harm and Heal. Enough said. 
• 7th-level spells: Destruction, Greater Restoration, Regenerate, Resurrection, Summon Creature VII, Word of Faith
  Comments: Obviously some good ones here. 
• 8th-level spells: Aura versus Alignment, Create Greater Undead, Fire Storm, Mass Heal, Summon Creature VIII, Sunbeam
• 9th-level spells: Energy Drain, Gate, Implosion, Storm of Vengeance, Summon Creature IX