The Quickstart Cleric Archer

8/7/2019 The Quickstart Cleric Archer

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The Quickstart Cleric Archer

by James Raviolos

Following the Quickstart Druid thread, this thread is going to give a fewpointers on ranged cleric builds. The ranged cleric is an old CO staple and,

even though it's not the best out there, it keeps a respectable damageoutput with minimal investment and maintains access to several spells thatcan benefit a party. This short guide will focus on weapons mainly and not

weapon-like spells or abilities (for example, a warlock's eldritch blast).

Let's talk weapons:

The cleric class provides access to all simple weapons. With simple weapons,


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you get the following ranged weapons: heavy and light crossbow, sling, dart,javelin. With the first three you will be unable to benefit from multiple

attacks, because they require a move or longer action to reload. Anexception to this rule is the rapid reload feat, only for the light crossbow.

Slings, darts and javelins are thrown weapons and thus you get your full

strength modifier on your damage roll, without the composite bow crap. Thedownside is that you need multiple weapons (probably with the returning

property) to make use of them. Obviously, if you want to use thrownweapons, you really have two choices: humans (medium size and bonus

feat) and strongheart halflings (bonus to dexterity and a bonus with thrown

weapons to attack, but lower damage due to size and strength penalty).

The cleric also provides access to the war domain, which gives us freemartial weapon proficiency and weapon focus with the favorite weapon of

our god. Now, if you find a god with favorite weapon longbow or shortbow,

there's your martial weapon, right there. The problem is that it's verydifficult to find deities (which aren't race-specific) that provide the war

domain and are associated with a bow as a favorite weapon. Using the oldcrystalkeep index I've only found "The Silver Flame - Knights Militant", which

is an Eberron deity. If you are an elf, there are two deities: Shevarash andSolonor Thelandira, which have longbow as a favorite weapon and war as a

domain, but unless you're using a weird elven subrace, you already have the

longbow as a weapon. However, we're not totally missing the point, as thereare options out there to help the cleric-archer-with-the-war-domain out,

even with overlapping proficiencies. At this point, I'll also mention the deityEhlonna, which has longbow as her favorite weapon, but does not grant

access to the war domain; she is mentioned, because of a beautiful magicitem located in the Magic Item Compendium, the Raptor Arrows.

Remember that while you don't have to be an actual elf to pick the elfdomain (which grants the point blank shot), almost all deities that offer it list

"elves" as their typical worshipers. According to the Revised Player's

Handbook, if the typical worshipers of a deity include the members of a race,a cleric must be of the indicated race to choose that deity as his own. As

such, in the rest of this guide, I'm going to assume that the elf domain istypically (barring DM permission, or a rule that I seem to have ignored)

open to elves, only.

Your race is also a great way to get proficiencies. This almost always means

elf, but that means that they come with the dreaded constitution penalty.There are several ways to overcome that, most of them come from the

Unearthed Arcana. Aquatic Elves are a useful alternative, since they losetheir gills and are thus able to act outside water for as long as they like; the

intelligence penalty is not a problem for the cleric class (plus Aquatic Elves


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are far superior to Painted Elves from Sandstorm). Arctic Elves and DesertElves from the same book have a strength penalty, which translates to

reduced damage output; remember that Desert Elves favor the shortbow,too. Snow Elves from Frostburn get a hit to charisma, which is not

recommended for a cleric. One exception to avoiding the constitution penalty

would probably be the Lesser Drow from Player's Guide to Faerun, becausethey provide us with the wonderful exotic weapon proficiency for hand

crossbows, which not only you can dual wield, but also reload as a freeaction using a feat from the Drow of the Underdark supplement (remember

to grab a Raptor's Mask, from Magic Item Compendium, which grants

immunity to blindness). Finally, an often overlooked elf-related race is thehalf-human elf, located in the Dungeon Master's Guide, page 173; they are

half-elves, but they receive the martial weapon proficiencies of an elf (half-human elves mix very well with Ehlonna and her raptor arrows).

Continuing talking races, there are other options than just going elf, but theyare somewhat questionable. The main argument is that an outsider is

proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as per Monster Manual, page313. However, it's almost impossible to find an outsider that has level

adjustment of 0. The only ones that I know of are Neraphims, in the racessection of Planar Handbook; they are frog-like creatures that reside in Limbo

and look a lot like the Slaadi. They have respectable racial features (+2

natural armor!) and even treat an exotic thrown weapon, the annulat, asmartial (which you will get anyway, since outsiders are proficient with

martial weapons anyway). An annulat-throwing Neraphim cleric would be aninteresting variation of the ranged cleric, probably using multiple annulats

with the returning property. If your Dungeon Master allows the LevelAdjustment Buyoff variant from Unearthed Arcana, additional outsideroptions will be available for you, the most notable examples are Aasimars

and Zenthyri (Zenthyri have racial stat adjustments of +2 str, +2 dex, +2wis, -2 cha). Remember that you actually need the outsider type, so just

taking the lesser planetouched version of the race will not work; rather, you

need to take the level adjusted race and buy the adjustment off.

To dexterity or not to dexterity: Unless you're going for very aspecialized build, you can just grab Zen Archery as your level three feat

(because it requires +1 BAB) and almost forget about dexterity (becausesome archery-related feats, like rapid shot, have a minimum dexterityrequirement - here elves and their racial bonuses come in pretty handy).

Cloistered Cleric: The cloistered cleric is a very good alternative class if

you want to play a ranged character. The biggest loss is that of your mediumbase attack bonus (you get the worst progression of the three) and your hit

points, but even without them, the seer amount of skill points you'll receive


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(remember that Intelligence is a dump stat for you) and the additionaldomain (which you can trade for the knowledge devotion feat - a feat that

translates knowledge checks to damage) make up for it. You can receiveextra attacks by casting Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, the Rapid Shot feat,

a Haste spell from an allied arcane spellcaster (or Boots of Speed) or the

Splitting enhancement from the sourcebook Champions of Ruin. In any case,one less attack due to your base attack bonus won't really be an issue,

especially after your 7th level, since around that caster level you'll haveaccess to the Divine Power spell (which is a great candidate for Persistent or

Quicken Spell, coupled with Divine Metamagic), which gives you a full base

attack progression (like that of a Fighter) and a large bonus to strength.

Feats:

Point Blank Shot: Point blank shot is a necessary evil somewhat. The

benefits are marginal at best; +1 to your attack roll and your damageroll with ranged weapons, if your opponent is within 30ft of you. At

least the bonuses are untyped, which result in reliable damage. Youneed this feat, because most of the archery-related feats (such as

Rapid Shot and Precise Shot) list it as a requirement. The Elf Domain

gives you the Point Blank Shot feat for free.

Precise Shot: Generally a requirement for archery builds, barring

degenerate examples of parties with no melee characters. The -4bonus is a lot, especially at low levels, however, later it is not going to

hurt you that much. Scouts, rogues and swift hunters want to use this,

because if they are not able to use their weapon effectively, they can'tapply their precision-based damage with it, but that's not the case for

the ranged cleric. The Splitting weapon enhancement from Championsof Ruin (a +3 weapon enhancement) requires that you have the

precise shot to use it effectively. The Precise weapon enhancement (a+1 enhancement) effectively provides you with the Precise Shot feat

and you don't have to possess the Point Blank Shot feat to use your

weapon.

Rapid Shot: Rapid Shot requires that you possess the Point Blank

Shot and a mediocre dexterity score. This feat is a fine pick at lowlevels (before you gain access to Divine Power), since it will grant you

a second attack; however all your attacks are going to receive a -2penalty. Later, after spells and items become more and more a reliablesource of additional attacks, you can retrain this to something more

appropriate, like setting up the components for Divine Metamagic(Persistent). Even if you don't retrain it, additional attacks are

welcome at all levels.


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Holy WarriorCC: The Holy Warrior reserve feat is a must have as your9th level feat (typically) if you have selected the War Domain. You

gain a flat scalable bonus to your weapon damage rolls, as long as youdon't expend your highest-level War spell; the wording is somewhat

weird, it doesn't mention domain slot, but "War spell", which probably

means that if you memorize a war domain spell in one of your normalspell slots (if it appears on the cleric spell list, too, of course, like

Divine Power), you get the bonus normally. The +1 caster level toforce spells is just the icing on the cake.

Zen ArcheryCW: This is going to be your 3rd level feat almost always.

It's just too good to pass and effectively makes your SAD, if you ruleout constitution.

Knowledge DevotionCC: Note: This feat is blue-rated, only if you canswap the additional Knowledge Domain the Cloistered Cleric receives

for it. Otherwise, it's probably not worth it. This is a place to sink your

skill points, of course, after maxing concentration and havingrespectable scores in any other necessary skills (diplomacy, listen,

spot, spellcraft). If your Dungeon Master rules that you lose theknowledges the Cloistered Cleric receives (due to losing the Knowledge

Domain), don't worry; having high enough skill checks in knowledge(arcana), knowledge (religion) and knowledge (the planes) (the

knowledges the cleric normally gets) will provide bonuses to a great

deal of enemies: dragons, elementals, outsiders, undead and more.Plus, Knowledge Devotion provides you with an extra knowledge,

which should probably be knowledge (nature), because that isassosiated with a high amount of creature types. Finally, if your god is

assosiated with the Knowledge Domain, consider the Lore of the Gods(can be persisted, too) spell from Complete Champion, which will giveyou a +10 bonus to your knowledge skill checks. Don't forget about

the Collector of Stories skill trick, which arguably works with the feat.

Divine MetamagicCD: On Quicken Spell or Persistent Spell. This is

probably the best feat a Cleric is able to pick and the Cleric Archer

archetype is not an exception. You use this with typical buffs: DivinePower, Divine Favor, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful either to keep

them on all day or to cast them as swift action as needed. PersistentSpell requires Extend Spell, which will make your build feat starved,

while Quicken Spell saves some feats and consumes your Turn Undeadattempts per day at a fairly lower rate, but it needs you to memorizemultiples of the same spell, assuming you're preparing for multiple

encounters in a given day. Generally, the Persistent Spell route isconsidered the most optimal version, assuming you can fit everything

in. The Cleric's Handbook mistakenly suggests that you don't have topossess the feat to apply Divine Metamagic, as per Complete Divine

errata.
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=420.0http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=420.0


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per hit and because elemental damage becomes highly unreliable asyou gain levels. Also note that Collision damage gets multiplied in

criticals.

Speed: You can just cast Righteous Wrath of the Faithful or get a

Haste effect from an allied spellcaster.

SplittingCoR: Essentially double your damage output. This is anexpensive property, more appropriate for high level play. Requires

Precise Shot to work.

Precise MIC: Forget about the Precise Shot feat, this +1 enhancement

effectively provides it for you, almost free.

ForceMIC: Very good enhancement at +2, which enables you tobypass any damage reduction automatically and suffer no miss chance

when attacking incorporeal targets. The only downside is that yourweapon will not be able to deal any damage against targets that are

immune to force effects.

Other Items:

Bracers of Archery, Lesser: You get a free proficiency with all bows,

eat your heart out.

Gauntlets of War CC: As written, arguably works with any favored

weapon, even if your deity favors a ranged one.

Gloves of the Balanced Hand MIC: Gives you Improved Two-Weapon

Fighting for free, useful if you're going to use thrown weapons.

Gloves of Endless JavelinsMIC: Provides you with endless +1 force

javelins and you can activate as many times as you want per round,because it's a free action, which means that you can even two-weaponfull attack. You apply your full strength bonus to thrown weapons, so

buff your strength to insane amounts and fire away. These gloves are

a very cheap alternative (they cost 7.000gp) for any cleric, even thosethat are primarly melee and just wish to have a reliable ranged attack.

Belt of BattleMIC: Bonus to initiative and extra actions by spendingrenewable charges. It's considered an important item to any caster.

Boots of Speed: A little pricey, but a nice alternative if you don'thave haste available (or if you don't want to persist Righteous Wrath

of the Faithful for some reason).

Raptor ArrowsMIC: Get some raptor arrows and you will never needammunition ever again. You only need to get one for each attack you

can make per round. They are particularly worth it if you worshipEhlonna, since by permanently sacrificing one 4th level slot each fired

arrow will automatically acquire the bane property against its target.

That means that your fired arrows will have a +2 bonus to their


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enhancement and deal an additional 2d6 points of damage against allenemies, which is nothing to scoff at.

Build Stabs:

Iconic Cleric Archer

Neutral Good Aquatic Elf Cloistered Cleric of Ehlonna 8 (32 point buy, 2

flaws, no traits)

Medium Humanoid (Elf, Aquatic)

Hit Dice: 8d6 + 16 + 8 temporary

Initiative: +0 (+4 sign)

Speed: 40ft, Swim 40ftBase Attack: 4 (8 buffed)

Attack: 8 BAB + 3 (Raptor Arrow enhancement bonus) + 6 (wis modifier) +

at least 1 (Knowledge Devotion)

Damage: 1d8 + 3 (str modifier) + 3 (Raptor Arrow enhancement) + 2d6

(Bane property) + at least 1 (Knowledge Devotion)

Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft

Saves: +8/+2/+12, immunity to magic sleep effects, +2 vs enchantment

spells or effects.

Abilities: Str 16 (+6 Divine Power), Dex 10, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 22 (+2level +2 item), Cha 12.

Skills: Concentration +13, Knowledge(Religion), +11, Knowledge(Arcana)

+10, Knowledge(The Planes) +10, Knowledge(Nature) +10,

Knowledge(Dungeoneering) +1, Spot +8, Listen +8, Search +2, Spellcraft

+11, Collector of Stories trick.

Feats: Point Blank Shot 1st retrained to Extend Spell, Precise

Shot Flaw retrained to Persistent Spell, Extra Turning Flaw, Knowledge

Devotion Bonus, Zen Archery 3rd, Divine Metamagic (Persistent) 6th

Domains: Plant, Celerity. Spontaneous Domain ACF on Plant Domain.Senses: Superior Low-Light Vision, Hidden Portals.

Languages Spoken: Common, Elven.

Level Adjustment: +0.

Notable Possessions: +1 Precise Longbow (+3 bonus), 2x Raptor Arrows

(with relic power unlocked), Reliquary Holy Symbol, Periaph of Wisdom +2.

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The Quickstart Cleric Archer