Syndeo's Guide to Being an Effective Cleric

Welcome to Syndeo's Guide to being an Effective Cleric. This page centers around the healing aspect of being a cleric in DDO, and not the build that is most commonly referred to as "Battle Cleric." Though I will make references to this kind of build, I have found it to not be as favorable by other characters as what many people desire clerics to be: healers.

To begin my guide I will first introduce what the cleric is in depth. A cleric in DDO is a class with many healing and buffing spells at their disposal to benefit the group in many ways. The cleric, in healing form, is considered mainly a "support character" that does not fight directly most times. The cleric is usually behind the main group or out of the way of harm and is focused on watching the party's hitpoints so that the fighters themselves do not have to worry about dying and can concentrate on killing the monsters. In a party, the cleric's relationship is mutual with the actively fighting characters: The cleric heals those who are battling while they protect the cleric from harm. In this way, the party is much more effective and can finish quests and dungeons much faster than a cleric can by themself or a party can without a healer. If you plan to choose this class, it is important to know that many players expect you to not participate in fighting most times, so unless you are ready to solo most of the time, be prepared to focus on healing and not fighting.

To see a broad overview of the Cleric class, please visit the Cleric page of the wiki. This Guide is more in-depth and will walk you through choosing a Race, Building your Cleric, and Gameplay.

This Guide is not Complete, and any experienced players are free to add beneficial knowlege, but I will continue to add more lists and pointers as time allows.

Getting Started- Races
I will first begin the actual gide from the beginning: Race choices

In the creation of a cleric, one must look at the pros and cons of each race and from there decide on which race to choose so that your cleric has the stat improvements and feats and enhancements you desire.

The base stats to keep in mind that affect Cleric ability are: Wisdom, Charisma,and Intelligence somewhat. Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are less important, though some points could be spent in Dex and Con for reflex saves and Hitpoints, respectively. As you read through each description of the race choices, keep in mind the necessary base stats needed to create a well-functioning cleric. I have only listed the Pros and Cons that are mainly directed around the building of a cleric. Each race has more than listed, and can be read in full by clicking on their name.

Warforged
Warforged are the non-flesh race of the DDO world and as such recieve many pluses and minuses

Pros +2 Constitution

Cons Since Warforged are not made of flesh, they recieve a -50% modifier to incoming healing spells (lessened to -20% by Healer's Friend feat) -2 Wisdom -2 Charisma Cleric Material? Definitely not. Both Wisdom and Charisma are essential in the Cleric build, and as such Warforged are not the most favorable in this class. If you still want a Warforged, consider a class more tank-like.

Human
Humans are the most level of the races and are good for any beginner to DDO as they can be adapted to any class.

Pros +4 Skill points at creation +1 skill point after every level past level 1 1 Bonus Feat at level 1

Cons Though Humans are balanced, they do not have any specialty in any one area.

Cleric Material? Humans are great for a first-time cleric as it allows someone to give more points to the areas that Clerics need, but more experienced players might want to experiment with other classes that have some Racial qualities that might benefit a cleric

Dwarf
These stout and rugged characters have many attributes and defenses unique to their kind

Pros +2 Constitution +4 Balance (As a cleric I hate being knocked down) +4 Dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the Giant Type

Cons -2 Charisma

Cleric Material? Possibly. The pros mentioned allow the Dwarf to be a stout character and able to stay alive longer than clerics of other races. The -2 CHA is a hinderance to the cleric, as it affects the Turn Undead access and ability, which a cleric will find out later that the ability is useful for a variety of Enhancements. With careful planning, a player could make a hardy cleric that is beneficial to themself and the party.

Elf
The Elves are the quick and fluid race that are not as stout as their dwarven rivals but with quicker reflexes.

Pros +2 Dexterity +2 Save against spells or Enchantments Immunity to sleep spells or effects

Cons -2 Constitution

Cleric Material? If the player is prepared to have less Hitpoints, then the Elf is a great race for clerics. The +2 DEX and Save as well as Immunity allow the Cleric to be out of harm's way and not worry about other monsters as much, but if a monster does happen to attack and land hits, they must rely on their party to save them. The self-healing aspect allows CON to not be a major factor as much.

Drow Elf
The Drows are the cousins of the Elves from far away, and bring many new bonuses and inhibitors that Elves do not possess.

Pros +2 Dexterity +2 Intelligence +2 Charisma +2 Will Save against spells or Enchantments Spell Resistance: 11

Cons -2 Constitution Limited to 28 point build, even if bought/earned

Cleric Material? In my experience and opinion, the Drow is the best race for clerics. They have bonuses to important stats and inherent spell resistance that allow them to resist enemy spellcasters and focus on healing the party. Like their elf counterparts they are not as fortified as other races, but is a small matter in a party as they will (or at least, should,) protect you and you can heal yourself.

Halfling
These small characters have hidden surprises and can stand up to even the biggest giant

Pros +2 Dexterity +1 size bonus to Armor Class +2 Jump +1 Racial bonus on Saving Throws

Cons Lifting and Carrying limits are 3/4 the size of Medium-sized characters

Cleric Material? Although there is no direct bonus to any Cleric-oriented skill, it is possible to build an effective cleric with Halflings, though not my first choice in race. There is a -2 STR I did not mention, but with clerics it is unimportant.

Building Your Cleric- Stats and Paths
After you choose your race it is now time to build your character

Beginners may choose to take a path, that is a pre-selection of base stats, which are Warpriest of Siberys (Battle Cleric), The Font of Healing (Healer), and The Scourge of the Undead (Shawn of the Dead in Cleric form)

Those wishing to not specify in any one area or would like to pick and choose what they want and don't want can read below.

Base Stats
As stated before, the 6 main stats are Wisdom, Charisma, Intelligence, Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Keep in mind that your Race has inherent stat additions/negatives that affect the base number of all these named.

1. A Cleric must first invest in Wisdom. This affects spell ability and spell points. The more spell points a cleric has, the more healing spells they can dish out to their party, and as you level up you can access higher power spells. THIS STAT IS A MUST. A Cleric without Wisdom is like Han Solo without Chewbacca.

2. Charisma is the next stat to be considered. This affects the Turn Undead Ability and access. a higher Charisma allows the Cleric to turn (meaning destroy or scare) undead of higher levels and give the cleric more turning per rest. As the Cleric levels up, they gain access to powerful enhancements that use a Turn Undead point, such as the Positive Energy Aura and Divine Vitality. In my experience as a Cleric, the Turn Undead points that are not always used for turning have been beneficial to myself and the party.

3. Any points left over can be attributed to the 4 remaining stats, importance being from most important to least: INT, CON, DEX, and last STR. INT gives more access to skill points, CON with Hitpoints, DEX with Reflex Saves, and finally STR with hitting power.

A good build should allow the cleric to have a high spell point count, turning ability, and some points for increasing additional skills, explained below.

Skill Points
Skill Points are used to increase skills that are affected by Base Stats but have their own unique use. At Creation, everyone gets 28 inherent skill points, no matter your race. (You can buy/earn the 32-point champion build, but keep in mind that drow are always 28-point builds no matter what)

These Skills are important for an Effective Cleric:

Concentration - used during spellcasting, if a monster is attacking you a high concentration allows you to cast the spell without interruption. Failure to do so will spend the spell points but will not give the desired effect

Heal - A High heal skill allows the cleric to (obviously) heal their party. At a rest shrine, if a cleric with a high Heal skill is next to someone resting (non-Warforged), they will gain back more Hitpoints than the cleric not being next to them or a person with a lower heal skill next to them.

Diplomacy - This skill, when activated, deters monsters from attacking you. since clerics are passive characters, this skill helps with keeping the aggro off yourself. In my experience, I have honestly only used diplomacy rarely, and feel as if it is optional if the cleric wants to invest points in this skill.

Some extra Skills that are recommended by me:

Jump - Helps with keeping up with the group and avoiding nasty pitfalls

Tumble - Don't diplo the monsters away, barrel roll to safety!

Balance - Falling down means you can't heal the group, and then the group dies. It has happened to me on more than one occasion.

Haggle - Buy stuff cheaper and sell stuff pricier! Helps if the cleric has a high CHA

UMD - (Use Magic Device) can overcome racial/alignment restrictions. If you really really want that shield thats meant for the halfling, invest in this!


 * Note - Investing in the Swim skill is not important because of the Waterbreathing Spell that clerics learn later on.

You may not be able to invest points in all of these skills because of how many and some are cross-class (cost 2 skill points for 1 higher skill level) but whatever your preference is all these listed are useful.