Aside from my "normal dislike" of this class I ponder the usefullness of the Cleric. In all the games I played I took Viconia with me just because I wanted a cleric with me for party balance. The only real use of her was her ability to summon the undead. I didn't use the healing (lots of potions around and rind of regen helps...) or any other spells for that matter....Her melee abilities are very substandard (yes I used belts,crom faer etc etc on her) and she always got whacked causing her to used ranged attacks..
How do U guys out there make use of a cleric?
Clerics,what good are they for?
Well, it's a function of playstyle
I just recently played through the whole way from BG1 to ToB with a fighter/cleric so I can perhaps partially answer you. Undead summons are certainly nice, as are buffs and heals. Clerics in particular, and priests in general, do not get a large number of good offensive spells, so the spell lineup should focus on buffs(bless, chant defensive harmony), debuffs (like doom) and special function spells like negative plane protection. On the whole, I'd say clerics shift from mostly healing (at the start of BG1) to a variety of functions through BG1 (including Hold, silence, summons, etc.) to mostly buffs/debuffs with the odd summons at higher levels.
Reme,ber, the series was built to permit a solo player of any class to be able to play through, so you do not strictly require any class to complete. I suspect you're not Having Viconia use Draw Upon Holy Might before the bigger fights - with that and her already insanely good AC, Viconia ahould take little or no melee damage in most fights, unless you have her on the front line - which is bad.
Probably, my advice would be to drop her if you don't think she's pulling her weight. Have fun!
I just recently played through the whole way from BG1 to ToB with a fighter/cleric so I can perhaps partially answer you. Undead summons are certainly nice, as are buffs and heals. Clerics in particular, and priests in general, do not get a large number of good offensive spells, so the spell lineup should focus on buffs(bless, chant defensive harmony), debuffs (like doom) and special function spells like negative plane protection. On the whole, I'd say clerics shift from mostly healing (at the start of BG1) to a variety of functions through BG1 (including Hold, silence, summons, etc.) to mostly buffs/debuffs with the odd summons at higher levels.
Reme,ber, the series was built to permit a solo player of any class to be able to play through, so you do not strictly require any class to complete. I suspect you're not Having Viconia use Draw Upon Holy Might before the bigger fights - with that and her already insanely good AC, Viconia ahould take little or no melee damage in most fights, unless you have her on the front line - which is bad.
Probably, my advice would be to drop her if you don't think she's pulling her weight. Have fun!
I have given up all lesser evils as inadequate to my purpose.
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serjeLeBlade
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Odd, I always thought that they were obviously there to handle undead 
Doing the Umar hills quest could be a walk in the park if you have Viconia (she starts controlling Shadows quite soon) and by chapter six she can even control vampires!
And then there's False Dawn and Sunray for liches... there are a lot of undead in the game!
Other useful things are True Seeing (if you haven't got an Inquisitor), Chaotic Commands (one has never enough helms of charm protection/brine potions/Greenstone amulets for all the party...) and obviously, Lesser and greater restoration.
Remove curses and diseases is good too, and Resurrections, if it is for free!
Doing the Umar hills quest could be a walk in the park if you have Viconia (she starts controlling Shadows quite soon) and by chapter six she can even control vampires!
And then there's False Dawn and Sunray for liches... there are a lot of undead in the game!
Other useful things are True Seeing (if you haven't got an Inquisitor), Chaotic Commands (one has never enough helms of charm protection/brine potions/Greenstone amulets for all the party...) and obviously, Lesser and greater restoration.
Remove curses and diseases is good too, and Resurrections, if it is for free!
Where we came from, we don't know
Where we're going.... (even worse)
And about who we could be, we actually have trouble in clearly defining the term "to be" in the first place...
Where we're going.... (even worse)
And about who we could be, we actually have trouble in clearly defining the term "to be" in the first place...
Clerics can be used for a lot of things when soloing or just playing. Healing and buffing are good. But why I ask, why do you people insist on throwing away your clerics and keeping your potions? You don't get money from throwing away a cleric, so sell your potions, keep the cleric.
Evil clerics are funner than good ones. Sure, undead just explode with a good high level cleric, but if your evil, you just turn them and can use them against each other. And if you have ToB, try walking in to the Paladin Stronghold wile soloing through the game at a high level, and turn some paladins.
Evil clerics are funner than good ones. Sure, undead just explode with a good high level cleric, but if your evil, you just turn them and can use them against each other. And if you have ToB, try walking in to the Paladin Stronghold wile soloing through the game at a high level, and turn some paladins.
No probalo.
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UserUnfriendly
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try aerie, use her to chain and trigger cleric spells...like bolt of glory, demonkilling, and sunray...undead killing...i actually dislike all the other clerics in game, anoweenie in particular gives me the willies..viccy is ok, but aerie is a juggernaut...
but she isnt a real cleric, tho..she is better, cause she is also a mage..
but she isnt a real cleric, tho..she is better, cause she is also a mage..
They call me Darth...
Darth Gizka!
Muwahahahahhahahha!!!
Darth Gizka!
Muwahahahahhahahha!!!
The game becomes truer to ad&d or d&d for that matter if you have a cleric in your party and sell the potions instead of drinking them (unless you are soloing a non healer of course). Especially if you have been through the game before. Clerics are essential really!! Don't leave home without one. If someone dies, don't reaload or use the rod of resurrection, use a cleric or Jaheira. True AD&D!!
You can't handle the truth!
I couldn't imagine playing without a cleric. Partly because I they're one of my favorite class. A fighter/cleric is a force to be reckoned with for sure. I find their spells to be both equally good offensive and defensive. Bolt of glory, sunray, false dawn, etc are worth it alone imo... bolt of glory makes fighting demons or powerful undead much easier. I like to take Aerie along particularily so I can pair her healing abilities with the robe of vecna and amulet of power to get me out of a jam in a real pinch.
Personally i like clerics, allways have, aside from a crappy thac0 they can make half decent fighters. Yes the HP isnt too amazing but they are still allowed a nice selection of weapons (flails / morning stars / warhammers / maces in particular) and can cast their spells whilst using armor. Messing around with a custom party i used a cleric with a low AC as my tank, with everyone else concentrating on dishing out the damage .. well by that i mean no shields and points in single weapon style. (no good offhanders early on anyway).
Thats not taking into account the number of buffs you have as a cleric. All in all they are a nice class, every party i have allways has one (druids seem too frail). Think of a cleric as a mage that heals, but isnt totally and completely screwed if hes caught in melee.
Unfortunatly viccy has really crap str, which means without items armor is too heavy for her, but her dex is nice, so provided she has some str equipment she can be used like this.
Thats not taking into account the number of buffs you have as a cleric. All in all they are a nice class, every party i have allways has one (druids seem too frail). Think of a cleric as a mage that heals, but isnt totally and completely screwed if hes caught in melee.
Unfortunatly viccy has really crap str, which means without items armor is too heavy for her, but her dex is nice, so provided she has some str equipment she can be used like this.
What goes around's been around.
Implosion, Dispel Magic, Animate Dead, Wondrous Recall, Chaotic Commands, Free Action, Negative Plane Protection, Shield of the Archons and Draw Upon Holy Might are pretty nice, and Clerics get good amounts of them.
Viconia's magic resistance is totally uber.
Other than that, single-classed Clerics aren't much use.
Viconia's magic resistance is totally uber.
Other than that, single-classed Clerics aren't much use.
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