Cleric Training Basics

[Neparr]

Well after being away since 1999 I have decided to try my hand at GS again. It looks as though quite a few things have changed while i was away. The first of which is clerics and training patterns. I have another couple weeks on my 30 days and wanted to make sure i was getting the right idea. At the moment i am playing around with training and moving it at my whim.

Ideally i want to go pure caster using Bane to hunt.

I am planning on investing 8 points per lvl to maximize DS using a Runestaff.
I will probably skip spell aiming as it can only be single trained? And as levels increase quickly the bolt spell will no longer be effective enough without double training spell aiming.

I will get cleric spells at lvl +21 as fast as i can then single train it to maintain the bonus and work on the other spell circles to get utility spells.

Armor training to 8 ranks for double leather and stop there.

Train in spiritual lore 1 time per lvl? Still a little muddy on that one.

Physical Training 1 time per lvl, is that for life or is there a cap I need to get to?

I will also be working on my climbing and swimming to get them to an acceptable lvl, 25 trainings or so in both I think will be ok.

I plan on going CoL for the free mana refills.

Thoughts, concerns, suggestions?

Any help for a returning player would be appreciated.

[Neparr]

An additional question is starting stats. I plan on reoptimizing around say lvl 50 or so, what is a solid place to start for a Half Elven cleric?

[Fallen]

Well after being away since 1999 I have decided to try my hand at GS again. It looks as though quite a few things have changed while i was away. The first of which is clerics and training patterns. I have another couple weeks on my 30 days and wanted to make sure i was getting the right idea. At the moment i am playing around with training and moving it at my whim.

Welcome back . You're right, Clerics have received a TON of work, so you will have a lot of new shiny toys to play with, with atleast 1 more on the way, 340.


Ideally i want to go pure caster using Bane to hunt.

You will need to align to a Lornon Arkati for Bane.


I am planning on investing 8 points per lvl to maximize DS using a Runestaff.

Without outside spells via MIU/Arcane Symbols this likely wont be sufficient. Consider going higher.


I will probably skip spell aiming as it can only be single trained? And as levels increase quickly the bolt spell will no longer be effective enough without double training spell aiming.

All pures, including Clerics, can 2x Spell Aiming. Holy Bolt is a very useful spell, but aside from 111 and 118, it is your only bolt spell. Still, it would give you options if you wanted to effectively hunt the undead. You could also use wands.


I will get cleric spells at lvl +21 as fast as i can then single train it to maintain the bonus and work on the other spell circles to get utility spells.

This will be costly, but if all you want to do is cast Bane you will manage. You'll lose out on a lot of utility in terms of lores and tertiary skills.


Armor training to 8 ranks for double leather and stop there.

Sounds good to me, though as a long-term goal you may want to consider going higher. Clerics can effectively wear chain at min hindrance if they don't mind lose a cast every now and then. This is a massive advantage at later levels of the game.


Train in spiritual lore 1 time per lvl? Still a little muddy on that one.

You should study the effects of lore on your spells in order to decide which lore you want to train, and how much. I will see if I can find a link to Carrabelle's lore chart for you.


Physical Training 1 time per lvl, is that for life or is there a cap I need to get to?

1x per level is the max clerics can do. Physical Fitness aids against maneuver attacks, like Roa'ter burrows, but at a very minimum, you should figure out how many ranks you will need for max health, which will vary based on your race and Constitution stat.


I will also be working on my climbing and swimming to get them to an acceptable lvl, 25 trainings or so in both I think will be ok.

For most areas this will be fine. There are a few exceptions, but you have a long ways until you need to worry about that.


I plan on going CoL for the free mana refills.

Blessed are the Gifts of the Council.

[Fallen]

http://carabele.com/odds/LoreBenefits.htm

Take a look at that chart and see what benefits would help you the most in terms of lores.

[DrZaius]

EDIT: Well don't I feel foolish.

Just so this isn't a wasted space, you could consider GoS if you're going to go with Bane. Probably not mechanically advantageous as COL, but does have many handy extras, such as temporary damage padding.

-DrZ

[Ryvicke]

You can 2x in spell aiming as a cleric--some people think it's worth it to break up the endless 302 monotony but some don't. 302 is a pretty great spell for mashing stuff up.

You've pretty much got it all figured here, a straight-warding cleric running to lvl+21 as quickly as possible can pretty much take the meager remaining points and do what you will. Some people push hard to get all the appropriate chrism lores by level 25, if you choose to do this you've got even less wiggle room than before.

The standard is pretty much:

8 AU for doubles
1x AS
1x MIU
1x SMC (pushed to 24 by level 18 for raising, then chilled)
1x HP (some people do more, you probably won't have a lot of excess points to spare)
1x+ lores (chrism at 25 will push you close to 2x)
PT to max HP
First aid (some clerics dig it, the points aren't available for awhile)
Climb/swim when you can

Spells: push cleric hard of course, I think lvl+21 is doable by 18 or 19. I personally went to 103, then 203, then all the way to 120 before I pushed 200's up any further, at which point I went up to 219 before making the push to 130/225.

The cons here are that points for tertiary skills are very sparse for a long time and you're pretty much stuck 302'ing for awhile until you have enough mana to pepper in some 312/317. The absolute pro's to this plan are that you have the best version of 318 very quickly, you can bless magical metals very quickly and if you push the lores you can fully chrism at level 25.

Gaining access to these cleric services very early, as well as being a pretty pwnzish warding hunter is why lvl+21 has become so popular.

You start with a fixskills and if you really pump levels quick you'll get the other on 5/20. So after you get to a certain point you can flip over to a 2x spell aim build and play around with 306 and 111 and some wands and then switch back.

Anyhow, have fun! Clerics, although kind of mega-boring to hunt early on, are insanely good to RP, and the hunting does open up a little later.

[Neparr]

So the following account for the 8x min training per level required for the runstaff DS bonus?

AS
MIU
SA
HP
SMC
Lore

Do spell training ranks count as well?

So i read on Krakiipedia that 8x per level is required while Fallen said more would be needed?

I think for the damage bonus I will look at religion, it also shows that it unlocks tier 4 Chrism at 25 ranks which would work out nicely at 1x per level since i cant officially cast 325 until then anyway. Since the lore thing and Chrism is obviously new to me do you just need enough to make the tier 4 or does it need some of the modifiers such as from the Blessings line?

[Riltus]

So the following account for the 8x min training per level required for the runstaff DS bonus?

AS
MIU
SA
HP
SMC
Lore

Do spell training ranks count as well?

So i read on Krakiipedia that 8x per level is required while Fallen said more would be needed?

I think for the damage bonus I will look at religion, it also shows that it unlocks tier 4 Chrism at 25 ranks which would work out nicely at 1x per level since i cant officially cast 325 until then anyway. Since the lore thing and Chrism is obviously new to me do you just need enough to make the tier 4 or does it need some of the modifiers such as from the Blessings line?

There is no minimum REQUIRED for runestaff DS. Eight ranks per level is recommended. Any magic ranks, including spell ranks, will provide parry DS while holding a runestaff. Many pures will have 10-12 ranks or more per level, but you could certainly survive with less than 8 ranks per level depending on equipment, outside spells etc.

Mark

[Ryvicke]

So the following account for the 8x min training per level required for the runstaff DS bonus?

AS
MIU
SA
HP
SMC
Lore

Do spell training ranks count as well?

So i read on Krakiipedia that 8x per level is required while Fallen said more would be needed?

I think for the damage bonus I will look at religion, it also shows that it unlocks tier 4 Chrism at 25 ranks which would work out nicely at 1x per level since i cant officially cast 325 until then anyway. Since the lore thing and Chrism is obviously new to me do you just need enough to make the tier 4 or does it need some of the modifiers such as from the Blessings line?

Like Riltus said, I believe 8 magical ranks per level give you the DS equivalent of a 2x-trained TWH user. It's just a recommendation. Runestaff defense, including the enchant of the runestaff, is also heavily dependent on stance. The exact formulas are still somewhat unknown, there are threads here that go over the most excruciating details in length with the testing.

That all said, you should be fine with the above training. It's very near 8 with the 2.5x+ spells.

These are the lores required to make chrism gems:
Spiritual Lore, Blessings: 10 ranks (50 skill)
Spiritual Lore, Summoning: 15 ranks (70 skill)
Spiritual Lore, Religion: 25 ranks (105 skill)

That's 50 ranks of lore by level 25. It's definitely doable if it's something you're interested in doing as soon as you get the spell.

[Danical]

Like Riltus said, I believe 8 magical ranks per level give you the DS equivalent of a 2x-trained TWH user. It's just a recommendation. Runestaff defense, including the enchant of the runestaff, is also heavily dependent on stance. The exact formulas are still somewhat unknown, there are threads here that go over the most excruciating details in length with the testing.

That all said, you should be fine with the above training. It's very near 8 with the 2.5x+ spells.

These are the lores required to make chrism gems:
Spiritual Lore, Blessings: 10 ranks (50 skill)
Spiritual Lore, Summoning: 15 ranks (70 skill)
Spiritual Lore, Religion: 25 ranks (105 skill)

That's 50 ranks of lore by level 25. It's definitely doable if it's something you're interested in doing as soon as you get the spell.

8 ranks = 1x THW not 2x

[TheLastShamurai]

You will need to align to a Lornon Arkati for Bane

Or Charl.

[BriarFox]

Or Charl.

Huntress, too.

[ViridianAsp]

Huntress, too.

Gosaena is also bane, she's neutral.

[Ryvicke]

8 ranks = 1x THW not 2x

Thanks for the correction. That's tough.

EDIT per bane/smite convert conversation: and Fash gives smite.

[Riltus]

Eight magic ranks per level is equal to exactly 1x THW training. But, runestaff users also receive a bonus of 10 additional ranks. A level 20 runestaff user with 160 magic ranks would have the equivalent of 30 THW ranks.

Mark

[Neparr]

Thank for the info. This should be a great help!

[Neparr]

Of course i just made him a day or so ago. With still getting used to the game again and all. However, this i think is a good start and this pattern until level +21 on the cleric list should treat him well.

Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 25 5
Physical Fitness...................| 25 5
Arcane Symbols.....................| 25 5
Magic Item Use.....................| 25 5
Harness Power......................| 25 5
Spirit Mana Control................| 25 5
Spiritual Lore - Blessings.........| 30 6

Spell Lists
Cleric.............................| 11

[Asrial]

I will get cleric spells at lvl +21 as fast as i can then single train it to maintain the bonus and work on the other spell circles to get utility spells.You don't need to do it as fast as you can. In fact, you can get away with single training spells. The "level +21" is when you reach a point that you want to, and can, make your cleric CS more efficient.

[Neparr]

Just a quick question on starting stats. I had only a little chance to play over the weekend what with all the paintballing!

However, This is the current stat placement i have right now and I am curious if this is fairly acceptable or should i modify this before i start some serious time investment?

Race: Half-Elf Profession: Cleric (not shown)
Gender: Male Age: 0 Expr: 30941 Level: 5
Normal (Bonus) ... Enhanced (Bonus)
Strength (STR): 71 (10) ... 71 (10)
Constitution (CON): 52 (1) ... 52 (1)
Dexterity (DEX): 51 (5) ... 51 (5)
Agility (AGI): 52 (11) ... 52 (11)
Discipline (DIS): 62 (1) ... 62 (1)
Aura (AUR): 90 (20) ... 90 (20)
Logic (LOG): 62 (6) ... 62 (6)
Intuition (INT): 91 (20) ... 91 (20)
Wisdom (WIS): 91 (20) ... 91 (20)
Influence (INF): 52 (6) ... 52 (6)