Clerical Guidance

[War Angel]

I have recently started a cleric, and tried reading over on the officials, but since they have no search function, and I really dont wanna read 3,000 posts I was wondering if someone could explain something to me.

What causes the mana gain when using 302 (smite) against undead? I randomly picked up 20 mana after a cast (level 5) while hunting for .. whatever reason? Not a pulse.

Any other tips/hints as far as clerics go will be appreciated, as this is my first cleric, and I really don't know the ins and outs yet.

(Runestaff using smite cleric)

Thanks in advance. :)

[Lassiter 506]

Check out gemstone's website - under 302 (Smite), you'll see that mana infusions occur, amplying the damage (a piddly amount), with the frequency of such occurences determined by Spirit Lore- Religion.

The best advice I can give about a smite cleric is, that I hope you had a good initial experience RP'ing your young cleric. Getting a handle on the spells will be quick, and the RP is the most interesting part of the profession that can be sustained.

As far as basic advice, I hate the number games with stats, so I'll let someone else chime in. Overall, as a runestaff cleric, try to maintain 2.5x spells if you plan on warding. If you plan on bolting, 2x spell aim, or don't train in it. Most clerics I've seen don't bolt until well after CAP, or fixskills out of spell aiming once they hit ~60, because the CS spells are potent enough.
Other than that, welcome to the profession.

[War Angel]

Thanks for the reply. I did see that the spell description for smite says,
"there is a chance the Cleric may be able to infuse more mana into the cast of Smite/Bane amplifying the damage considerably. Also, both spells harbor the ability to instantly kill a target."
however, thats putting more mana INTO the spell, so why did I receive mana back afterwards?
Im casting, not channeling.

On the RP side of things, I am in Plat, so I get the added benefit of developing my character as I go, I'd just like to get a firmer grasp on the spells and their usefulness, to maximize my RP.
Thanks for the welcome.

[Snapp]

I've never gotten mana back from 302, that I've noticed.

[War Angel]

Oddly enough, I just gained 20 mana again, this time while hunting, but not after casting 302. Weird. I guess it isn't tied into 302, but something else. Well, at least that clears up my thought of 302 somehow giving mana back.

[Lassiter 506]

"so why did I receive mana back afterwards"

Possibly a pulse after the cast. Clerics have been begging for a mana returning spell on the forums a few months back - that said, smite definitely isn't it. If you got 20 mana back, it was more likely from a pulse. If it's happeneing after you cast smite several times, bug it in game - or share the magic with those of us in prime who would really dig it.

Decribing the rest of the cleric spells, is probably something that can wait. For the first 30 trains of your clerics training, unless he/she bolts, your cleric is going to be using smite exclusively for a long while.

The other three attack spells, Fervent Reproach, Divine Fury, and Divine Wrath are all really well described, so there is nothing I can add that already isn't there.

The only spell that is more complicated than others is 325 (Holy Receptacle). If you are the type that likes figuring stuff out on your own, this is a good one. It's fun to figure out, but not too frustrating.

[GuildRat]

"so why did I receive mana back afterwards"


Decribing the rest of the cleric spells, is probably something that can wait. For the first 30 trains of your clerics training, unless he/she bolts, your cleric is going to be using smite exclusively for a long while.



Spell aiming...double it and learn to love it. My cleric had to defalut to wands for lack of mana, and never had to come back not fried. MIU is cheap for clerics and spell aiming is a relatively cheap magic skill for a runestaff user. With signs, or 117...bolt AS should be sufficient to pummel critters 2-3 trains over your head, unless your Dex blows, and when you're dealing with critters that vine and you can't ward them with 302....a fireball in the face usually does the job nicely....that and it looks cool.

[Lassiter 506]

Bah, wands are for wizards. prep/cast 316, incant 240, channel at anything that's twitching. lootlootloot.

[GuildRat]

Bah, wands are for wizards. prep/cast 316, incant 240, channel at anything that's twitching. lootlootloot.


That's fine when you have the mana to do that. I doubt many 42 train clerics are gonna have the spell 240, and the mana to use that in conjunction with 316 and be able to kill enough to get a head full of learning.

111 is 5x cheaper, hits multiple critters, and tends to stun or knock them down. Which in trali, for a caster, is a good thing.

[Lassiter 506]

My statement with the wands was more in jest - I'd prefer my cleric to use his deity's granted power to defeat his foes, and that's more his avenue as far as RP goes. My clerics have never used wands, but I've helped younger clerics by blessing 302 in diamonds for backup once they are mana depleted. I find this to be a very efficient alternative to wands.

And I'll challenge the statement that a train 42 cleric not being able to fry in trali using 240 and 316 - I helped a train 41 cleric re-entering the game fixskills into a pure caster. With a good sense of when to use 240 and 302 (3 or more creatures in a room, or in adjacent rooms), the train 41 cleric was able to fry quite easily. However, it's important to note that he was a COL bane cleric, 2.75x in spells.