Advice/problem for a Cleric

Here's where all things related to Book II are being discussed!
Post Reply
MaximB
Senior Steward
Posts: 94
Joined: January 2nd, 2008, 4:05 am

Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by MaximB »

Hello !

So I've bought Book2 the day it was out for Linux.
As Book1 seems very easy to play as an Elemental fire shooting mage I've decided to try to play as a Cleric who specialize with swords and heavy armor at Book2.

At the first town there were no items for me to buy at all (no heavy armor, and no swords), so I couldn't even start doing the bloody quests.
At the second town I've finally bought a cheap sword (after running from 2 enemies to get there) and went to fight a wolf.

As I've saw the wold I've tried to bless myself, but the game won't let me, telling my I need to get rid of my armor and sword and something about my 14 str ?!

I have read the manual but still don't get it, how am I suppose to play a fighting/boosting/healing cleric if I cannot cast magic ?
Also note that as I am not specialize on anything (not a pure mage nor a pure fighter) I need to boost all my skills and cannot neglect many skills in favor of others like I could if I've played a pure mage for example.

Suggestions please...
User avatar
CrazyBernie
Captain Magnate
Captain Magnate
Posts: 1473
Joined: November 29th, 2007, 1:11 pm

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by CrazyBernie »

As a healer, if you want to play with heavy armor and melee weapons, you need more Strength (and/or Concentration). This will allow you to cast spells while burdened with heavy items in your hands.
MaximB
Senior Steward
Posts: 94
Joined: January 2nd, 2008, 4:05 am

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by MaximB »

CrazyBernie wrote:As a healer, if you want to play with heavy armor and melee weapons, you need more Strength (and/or Concentration). This will allow you to cast spells while burdened with heavy items in your hands.
But how is it possible to play such character (that is a good fighter that can heal and boost himself) with such low poll of points to distribute ?
I practically need to invest in all skills...
Farwalker
Officer [Silver Rank]
Officer [Silver Rank]
Posts: 382
Joined: June 30th, 2008, 8:50 pm

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by Farwalker »

It's very feasible to have a character with heavy armor able to cast at the same time. And you can do it without an overly heavy strength investment. The specific requirement is that the weight of gloves and anything held in your hands must be no more than your strength divided by three. (At least that's what it was in Book 1, I'm assuming it hasn't changed.)

So you want to look for lighter swords, and perhaps skip shield use if you don't want to invest a lot in strength.

Have fun!
:D
Krafen
Council Member
Posts: 163
Joined: January 25th, 2008, 11:34 am

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by Krafen »

Your problem is a good use for the equipment presets. Assign preset 1 to your fully equipped setup and then take enough weight out of your hands to cast spells. Assign that as preset 2. Then, you can quickly switch to preset 2, cast your spells, and switch back. It takes one turn per item that changes, so if you have enough strength for one or two of the three items, it will be faster.
User avatar
CrazyBernie
Captain Magnate
Captain Magnate
Posts: 1473
Joined: November 29th, 2007, 1:11 pm

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by CrazyBernie »

Here's a screenie of my cleric when he was Level 8 (the game stats and whatnot are there because this was back during beta). All those level 1 and 2 skills you see were learned by book/trainer. I started with Divination, Heavy Armor, and Bludgeoning (4, 1, and 5 skillpoints, respectively) I chose bludgeoning based on a AD&D style cleric, in addition to the fact that Bludgeon weapons have the highest durability in the game which makes them perfect for bashing through doors, chests, and skulls.

If you take your time leveling up and avoiding the more difficult areas to start, a cleric becomes an incredible force to be reckoned with. With spells like Bless, Orge's Strength, and Stoneskin, I've breezed through the first two-thirds of the game, and only recently have I had to worry about using more strategy and upgrading my armor/weapons. Currently I am working on getting my alchemy skill up high enough to enchant my armor.

Right now I have to swap out my shield for spell casting, unless I predict a fight will happen and buff up before running into the baddies.
Attachments
ClericL8.jpg
ClericL8.jpg (212.42 KiB) Viewed 9023 times
Farwalker
Officer [Silver Rank]
Officer [Silver Rank]
Posts: 382
Joined: June 30th, 2008, 8:50 pm

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by Farwalker »

Regarding presets: for one thing they are great if you just want to heal up between battles, the delay is not such a big deal then.
You can also use the presets to change just one item in combat - for example put sword down, pick sword back up (or in CrazyBernie's example above swap the shield in and out). This is good, for example, if you want to use casting for ranged attacks. You only lose one round this way when you switch, so when they have almost reached you just plan for the extra time to draw your sword/shield again for melee.
Later when you have more points to invest you can increase your strength and/or find lighter equipment to avoid the equipment shuffle entirely.
User avatar
KillingMoon
Officer [Gold Rank]
Officer [Gold Rank]
Posts: 460
Joined: December 10th, 2009, 6:34 pm
Location: NW Europe

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by KillingMoon »

MaximB wrote:At the first town there were no items for me to buy at all (no heavy armor, and no swords), so I couldn't even start doing the bloody quests.
It's best finding ways to get equipment for free, there's enough lying about, and you'll need the money to pay for trainers later on.
It's indeed a bit tougher if you're not finding an offensive spell somewhere at your starting map, because just melee fighting means you'll go through your hitpoints quickly.
Randomizer
Captain Magnate
Captain Magnate
Posts: 1469
Joined: December 11th, 2007, 6:51 am
Location: Wandering the Rift

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by Randomizer »

Best thing to do is race to Eastwillow (first town) and buy the flesh boil scroll. Then go out and kill monsters.

After a few levels you won't even notice the lack of armor and soon you will be finding it as loot.
MaximB
Senior Steward
Posts: 94
Joined: January 2nd, 2008, 4:05 am

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by MaximB »

@CrazyBernie : what were the stats you started with (if you recall) ?
I would like to avoid switching between sets as much as possible.

What str/speed/concen/wis is good to start with as a cleric ?
(I just don't know if it's too low or too high).

(first series (book1+2) I know that uses this rule)

My stats :
Str : 14
Dex : 7
End : 11
Speed : 14
Int : 7
Wis : 18
Per : 18
Con : 14

Also I've chosen many skills : Divination, Heavy Armor, Cart, Meditation, Repair, Swords.

What do you say ?
User avatar
CrazyBernie
Captain Magnate
Captain Magnate
Posts: 1473
Joined: November 29th, 2007, 1:11 pm

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by CrazyBernie »

I can do more than recall, I can show. :mrgreen:

I started him out as a capable fighter, with a 20 str, 15 end and 5 skill points in bludgeoning... that way I wouldn't have to worry about being low on mana early on. IIRC, when I hit level 2 I brought Dex and Speed up to 15 each, to increase my armor/damage. Then I alternated between Str, Per, and Con. I'm thinking I should have stopped putting points into Str and focused more on Con for the carry capacity and ToHit, but at least my damage has gone up steadily.

I also went with Virtuous as my Axiom for free/early access to the Bless spell. I was able to cast it at level 2 (or 3?) to start with my Divination skill @ 4. Just need to watch out for those cursed undead...

I only use armor presets for switching between my combat/casual gear. My "casual" gear includes foraging, repair, alchemy and mercantile boosting items. I don't mind manually swapping my shield in and out when I need to cast buffs during combat.

The exra skills are handy to have (although meditation probably won't pay off right away) but it means your core skills may not be high enough to start. Additionally, you might be tempted to put points in those extra skills instead of concentrating on the important ones. For the first few levels, you should really concentrate on Swords, Armor, and Divination.
Attachments
ClericStart.jpg
ClericStart.jpg (39.36 KiB) Viewed 8963 times
User avatar
Buckets
Council Member
Posts: 184
Joined: February 15th, 2010, 3:42 pm
Location: Vancouver, Canada

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by Buckets »

You can also get an idea of a good starting cleric by selecting the preset healer using the right F key at the character creation screen. That one is set up to be able to be both a decent spell caster and fighter.
MaximB
Senior Steward
Posts: 94
Joined: January 2nd, 2008, 4:05 am

Re: Advice/problem for a Cleric

Post by MaximB »

Thanks,
I've started anew and improved Cleric based on CrazyBernie character, but a bit different (not nearly as much Intelligence, clerics don't use it anyways).
I've neglected the swords skill to bludgeoning and left all my other skills as they were.

I've found the repair skill to be a must skill for any fighter (specially the one who doesn't have the "lock-pick" skill/related spell and must use his weapons to bash chests).

So far this character is pretty much successful, although I always need more money to buy the spells I want.
It's difficult to get a good loot with the "no random items" difficulty option.

Also this type of character needs to have all his skills pretty high (except Int), so he can never be the "best" at something.

But I like it.
Post Reply