The Legend Green - Among the best choices for a particular section. Blue - While not necceasarily the best option out there, very much capable of contending. Purple - Situationally good. Not the best all the time, but has certain aspects that it will excel in. Black - Nothing particularly special. Not terrible but most likely something to avoid if there are other options. Red - One of the worst choices you could pick for a particular section.
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Welcome! I'm Garren and I'll be your designated villain for the evening.
Last edited by Garren_Windspear on Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:20 am, edited 5 times in total.
Joined: Oct 30, 2013 Posts: 7305 Location: England
Races
Player's Handbook
Spoiler
Dragonborn (CHA, STR/CON) Although the lack of a Wisdom bonus does hurt your build a little an innate bonus to both Strength and Charisma both lend themselves well to a battle cleric. The skill bonuses don't really provide much of an advantage but both Draconic Heritage and Dragonborn Fury provide decent bonuses for a character who expects to to take hits and deal damage themselves. Dragon Breath provides a way to deal some additional damage without giving up any of your healing or buffing potential as well as a being an excellent way to clear out groups of minions. Verdict: Impressive as Battle Clerics, otherwise average.
Dwarf (CON, STR/WIS) The option to gain a bonus to either Strength of Wisdom allows you to focus on either build with a decent degree of success and the bonus to Constitution is a side benefit. While the skill bonuses aren't really that useful to a cleric and the lower speed could potentially hurt you in the long run but the dwarves racial abilities are beneficial. Dwarvern Resilience grants you a way to heal in battle without using a charge of Healing Word and both Stand Your Ground and the bonus weapon proficiencies improve combat potential for battle clerics especially. Cast-Iron Stomach is still very situational however. Verdict: Impressive in almost any cleric build.
Eladrin (INT, DEX/CHA) Only the Charisma bonus really helps a cleric build and even then only as a tertiary ability. The skill bonuses, while not particularly useful, are both at least cleric class skills. Eladrin Education is always useful for picking up skills you would normally never have access too (Perception being a good general choice) and Fey Step is always useful. Eladrin Will is also very useful for leaders in particular as losing a turn due to daze or charm effects has an impact on the entire party. Verdict: Slightly above average as Devoted Clerics, poor for Battle Cleric
Elf (DEX, INT/WIS) A Wisdom bonus is always beneficial for a cleric though a reliance on heavy armour makes the Dexterity bonus rather pointless. The skill bonus to Perception and Group Awareness provide a nice passive bonus for both you and your allies and Elven Accuracy is a solid racial power for ensuring that buff will trigger when you need it most. Finally the bonus weapon proficiency is almost entirely worthless for a cleric as your powers near universally trigger of melee attacks. Verdict: Above average as a Devoted Cleric, average as a Battle Cleric
Half-Elf (CON, WIS/CHA) Wisdom is a primary ability for clerics and Constitution is never entirely useless. Both skill bonuses are in cleric class skills and useful ones at that, though Group Diplomacy is often a waste simple as few parties have more than one or two dedicated diplomats who could take advantage of the bonus. Finally Dilettante allows an elf to add a limit more versatility to his power options, albeit in a limited fashion. Verdict: Impressive as Devoted Clerics, above average as Battle Clerics.
Halfling (DEX, CON/CHA) Charisma is only a tertiary ability for a cleric and the Dexterity bonus is somewhat wasted. The skill bonus are in skills a cleric has no real reason to be taking and both Bold and Nimble Reaction are situationally useful at best. In addition being small greatly limits your options as far as weapons are concerned and this hurts Battle Cleric builds. Second Chance, while a useful power to have, doesn't really outweigh the other disadvantages. Verdict: Below average as a Devoted Cleric, poor as a Battle Cleric.
Human (ANY, NONE) Humans can excel at almost any class they are used for and cleric is no exception. Being able to choose your ability score bonus allows you to focus on either build and when combined with the bonus feat and at-will power can grants you a level of versatility few other races can match. With the innate defense bonus and bonus skill training (admittedly less useful due to the cleric's class skill list) and you have a very solid option for any given build. Verdict: Excellent as any build of cleric.
Tiefling (CHA, CON/INT) While a bonus to Charisma and Constitution aren't bad for a cleric the lack of a bonus to either primary statistic hurts the build. The skill bonuses to Bluff and Stealth are also almost entirely worthless to the class. Infernal Wrath is a nice addition to a Devoted Cleric's power list as you are certain to have a decent Charisma score to power it and Bloodhunt can be useful for pushing your attack over the top of a particularly tough enemies defenses. Fire Resistance, while a little dependent on what the DM throws at you, does provide a measure of protection to a fairly common damage type. Verdict: Average as a Devoted Cleric, below average as a Battle Cleric.
Player's Handbook II
Spoiler
Deva (WIS, INT/CHA) An innate bonus to both Wisdom and Charisma is exceptionally for a Devoted Cleric and your skill bonuses, while admittedly not the most useful of skills, are both part of the cleric trained skills list. Astral Mastery is a very reliable buff that will often effectively cancel out the bonuses many creatures gain for being bloodied though Astral Resistance is a a lot more situational as necrotic and radiant damage isn't nearly as common as other damage types. Finally Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes is a very versatile power which helps ensure that an important dice roll succeeds when needed. Verdict: Excellent as Devout Clerics, average as Battle Clerics.
Gnome (INT, DEX/CHA) While the bonus to Charisma can be useful the abilities provided by playing a Gnome are clearly intended to benefit a sneakier class than cleric. Trickster's Cunning provides a bonus against a surprisingly rare keyword and Master Trickster, while possessing more general application, is nothing to write home about. Reactive Stealth is also entirely worthless to a cleric. Finally Fade Away provides a useful power for mitigating damage in combat but it isn't really enough to make up for the lack of synergy from the rest of the racial abilities. Verdict: Poor as both Battle and Devoted Clerics.
Goliath (STR, CON/WIS) A bonus to both Strength and Wisdom is a much benefit to cleric as the ability to use powers from both cleric builds with some degree of success. The bonus to the Athletics skill is nice when combined with Powerful Athlete for giving a cleric a reliable way to succeed at such checks despite their heavy armour weighing them down. Mountain's Tenacity provides a relatively small bonus but one that is rather useful for leaders while Stone's Endurance is an excellent way to shrug off a decent amount of damage when surrounded by enemies (particularly useful for Battle Clerics who find themselves in such situations more often. Verdict: Exceptional as Battle Clerics, impressive as Devoted Clerics.
Half-Orc (DEX, STR/CON) Though the Strength bonus provides a notable buff to a Battle Cleric both the Dexterity bonus and your skill bonuses provide no real benefits for you. Furious Assault is a nice addition for added that little extra punch to your attacks (perfect for finishing of a already weakened enemy) and Half-Orc Resilience improves your survivability in combat a little which is rarely a bad thing. While Swift Charge is usually more useful for a dedicated combat class it can still be used in a pinch to allow you to cover that little extra ground to get where you are needed in a battle. Verdict:: Above average as a Battle Cleric, poor as Devoted Clerics.
Joined: Oct 30, 2013 Posts: 7305 Location: England
Abilities Scores
Skills
As a cleric, you'll be trained in four skills, one of which must be Religion. As Wisdom will be either your primary or second ability it is generally a good idea to take both Heal and Insight as trained skills as both can prove very useful to an adventuring party and even a Battle Cleric will boast an impressive rank in them. When deciding what final skill to train take into consideration the skills and abilities of your allies; there is, for example, little point in taking training in Arcana if your party contains a Wizard.
A more detailed look at each skill is listed below.
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