Cleric/Rogue/SD(maybe?)

[Drow4d20]

I made a cleric of Kiaransalee. She's a Drow. So far cleric 3, rogue 1. She is using a rapier, large shield, weapon finesse. Str 10, Dex 20, con 10, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16 so far. Trickery and Death domains though I cannot find on the website or in game how to change death to undeath considering Kiaransalee's domains. I would like to plan ahead to use divine might and divine AC boost if possible. Buff strength, dex, and cha using UMD and cleric spells. I am using leather armor, tumble, and large shield for AC. I will eventually try to put feats to make rapier use better. I'd like to combine sneak attacks with divine damage and eventually HIPS if I put levels into SD. I'm wondering the best way to make this awkward combination work. It's fun to summon shadows, be a trickery cleric, and be stealthy, skilled, and capable of spell casting. I am wondering the most effective way to address epic feats, how many levels to put into each class, and if I should put SD higher than cleric and just use cleric levels for buff spells and feats while relying more on epic SD summoning and skill sets. What do you guys think?

[Drow4d20]

I would like to put 3 level ability points into strength for divine might and all that later on. Then the rest on Dex if I go more SD or Wisdom if I go epic cleric and just leave SD at 5 levels. (Cleric 22, rogue 3, SD 5). If this build is not worth it, then maybe more levels into SD and less into cleric, but still take divine might and divine AC boost with the 13 str. I can use buffs and gear for CHA. Open to any suggestions.

[Commissar]

Howdy! I'm not 100% on cleric builds; but there's a couple of things to be aware of with the spread you're going for.

First, you won't have access to discipline; which makes you very vulnerable to knockdown - particularly if you plan to be running around with that rapier in close quarters. Something to be aware of. If you go reasonably heavily into shadowdancer, that won't be too much of a problem in PvE - your shadow'll be guarding you - but it won't save you in PvP.

Secondly, your resistance to dispels with 22 cleric levels will be subpar. You'll want to pick up Arcane Defence: Abjuration and its +2 to resist dispels to help you keep those buffs. But, looking at the spread you've got there, I'd be inclined to go more towards shadowdancer (and epic dodge!) and keep the few cleric levels there as flavor - you will have issues with dispels (and with AB, given you don't have any full BAB classes in the spread); purely because NWN uses your caster level (if you've ever cast a spell using that class) for potions/wands/etc.

This thread is a little older, but talks a little about trying to build a sort of character that might match what you're after.

[Drow4d20]

I had to rebuild due to realizing too many flaws in the build. And based on what i want to do SD and trickery is almost redundant. I realized Arelith doesn't enforce domains like Amia, likely because they don't use haks. I figure since Kiaransalee is a magic deity on this server I went with Magic and War domains. Now I have mage armor at level one and cat's grace at level 2. I've also decided to sacrifice epic cleric for epic SD. I will only use Cleric for RP, Some feats, and buff spells to make my SD more reliable. I will still use rogue levels to get more skills and things needed for SD. So now I'm thinking Rogue 3/SD 16/Cleric 11. 16 SD should get me the shadow summons and SD aspects I want. 11 Cleric will give me the buffs and feats I want. 3 rogue will help give me more rogue skills that I will need to take SD levels sooner. War helps with DEX which will replace the concept of Trickery better in the long run I feel. What do you think?

[Drow4d20]

Looking like maybe cleric 10/rogue 3/SD 17 is a better route for an extra SD feat. And since I'm really only using cleric for RP, feats, and some buffs I can get extend spell for the buffs I want and leave it at that.

Starter base stats for drow cleric/rogue/SD:
Str 12
Dex 18
Con 8
Wis 14
Int 12
Cha 16

Level progression plan thus far:
1-3 cleric - dodge, weapon finesse/magic & war domain
3-6 rogue - +1 dex, Extend spell
(It enforces 3 levels of each class I do believe. So I do have to take 3 of rogue right then and there, which should allow me to start taking SD levels, but I won't want to right away due to Cleric casting becoming a bit soft.)
7-9 Cleric - +1 strength at level 8 so I can take divine might at level 9. I feel divine might, war domain, and eventually divine AC boost will make up for lack of sneak attack. I will want cat's grace, bull's strength, and eagle's splendor extended and will have cat's grace from War domain.
10 SD - My remaining ability points will be distributed logically between Dex and Cha depending on what is needed. Dex will be more important than Cha as cha is an activated boost and dex will always beed needed. Ideally I should try and max dex if possible and eventually ditch armor. I think having 6 levels of cleric and 3 rogue with extend spell would be a safe time to start defining my SD levels. In fact I may only take 1 cleric level on my way to level 20 just to get the AC boost feat, divine armor or whatever.

If I can take any epic cleric feats worth having, I will. Otherwise I will take all SD epic feats. Ending with 17 SD/3 rogue/10 cleric depending on what feats are desired.

[Improv]

I think dispel spam is so constant here, you just can't really do a handful of levels as a cleric if you expect to keep your buffs.

Possibly if you took say 7 levels and wand crafting and occasionally went crazy making all the wands you needed, waited for the next reset then used them in lieu of spells. But that's a gimmicky way to play.

You might possibly be able to make rogue/SD/blackguard work? There's still some divine potential.

[Drow4d20]

I'm new to the server and didn't even consider dispel. This actually all started as trying to make a cleric that could use daggers for shits and giggles lol... The reason being is Lolth's and Kiaransalee's favored weapon is the dagger and trickery is a domain of a few Drow deities. I originally wanted to try and do something for RP. Rogue/cleric just doesn't seem to stand on it's own. Though maybe even just cleric/rogue would be better suited to deal with dispel and then there's the bonus of more sneak attacks and epic dodge. I want a sneaky drow cleric. It makes sense, but all too often drow clerics take a strength based, platemail build that doesn't seem to really match drow society much in my opinion.

[Drow4d20]

If divine might applied to dual weilding, and she were to equip 2 daggers, and both daggers got the divine might bonus, plus a little bonus sneak attack.... Maybe that would work? She wouldn't have HIPS though. And I no longer have trickery as a domain so no more invisibility. I really wish I could just snag HIPS without having to take SD levels so that it was easier to keep disappearing and using divine might. The idea is a sneaky cleric. I thought summoning shades would be cool, but as a cleric of kiaransalee I would be happy with undead summoning assuming I could make it useful. If I had a high level undead summon, enough cleric levels to not be dispelled, then I could possibly handle sneak attacking and divine might popping while enemies are distracted. This is not a practical PVP build, but she is not meant to be a high priestess, but a support/infiltration priestess.

[Improv]

A cleric rogue is a rough thing to pull off on this server with its house rules. I've tried.. It's rough.

For one thing you need a lot of skill points to be a sneak, more than a drow cleric can usually muster. Trickery and invis is a much more solid way to go. And a hasted (or quickened) invis is pretty darn close to HIPS for all intents and purposes if you know how to break line of sight.

You could possibly look at something like a crossbow using cleric/ranger with zen archery. There are ways to get close to what you want. Still this might be one of those cases where you just need to make a second character instead of one who does everything. Like a shadow mage with easy access to HIPS perhaps.

[Drow4d20]

It really is a difficult build. I considered trying a lawful evil build and throwing 3 monk in the mix for AC bonus, but with trying to even out starting stats I dumped some wisdom. In order to get full use of cleric class how many levels do I need in it to deal with dispel? Does the 10+1/level spell resistance do nothing against dispel? Ultimately I want a sneaky cleric, and with trickery and a dex build I think it'd possible. I can take or leave daggers, dual wield, or shield. War domain is good for dex build too. It's just I wish the domain feats were fixed like paladin's lay on hands, with a cooldown instead of resting.

Travel & trickery cleric 24/monk 3/rogue 3? And if I took this route would it be best to ditch hide and move silently and just cast invisibility and haste like you mentioned? That way I can maximize tumble, use magic device, and use other useful wis based skills like spot or something and just cast improved invisibility and haste. buff strength, cha, and dex (dex will be done using UMD). Divine might and divine shield. dual weild daggers with focus and crit range increase. only 2d6 sneaks, but divine might and strength buffs should make up for that. Solid?

[Drow4d20]

Right now I'm looking at a base ability of:

Str 14
Dex 18
Con 8
Int 12
Wis 14
Cha 14

Rogues kind of suck at lower levels and do not mix with cleric build it seems. 6 rogue/24 cleric almost seems pointless outside of snagging a few rogue skills like unlock, disable device, tumble and UMD. Then there's the 3d6 sneak attack and the uncanny dodge II... So maybe for a level progression I could go cleric 3, rogue 3, then not put anymore onto rogue until after level 20. My current build uses magic and war domains, but from the sound of things I may as well ditch hide and move silently and put those points onto UMD, unlock, disable device, tumble.

Magic domain gives mage armor at level 1, and stoneskin at level 4. War gives cat's grace at level 2. From what you said it sounds better to switch to Trickery and travel for the improved invisibility and haste. If i do so and ditch hide and move silently will i still be an effective sneak? Would move silently alone aid my improved invisibility so that I could use that spell instead of hide? Thank you for all the help, man. I really appreciate it. I want to make this work so bad haha... Icewind Dale had a cleric/rogue

[Drow4d20]

I take that back. Hide, move silently, AND invisibility is necessary for this build. I can get UMD for scrolls like cat's grace. Hide, move silently, tumble, invisibility, buffs to abilities, divine might and divine shield will be the foundation of the build. I think I'm just going to shoot for it. I'll put all leveling ability points into dex and use items to make wisdom and charisma more effective. I will likely save the last 3 rogue levels for epic rogue feats and try at getting some sort of epic cleric summon if possible. Though I think more base wisdom is required for epic cleric feats so I may try at all epic rogue feats. My spell casting should still be good right? 24 cleric/6 rogue

[Frostaspella]

Why don't you go Bard/SD? If all you want from cleric is the Buffs the go Bard... Maybe splash some COT for your Divine Might and Shield. Only issue I see is you might not get all the epic feats you want since you can only go to level 30. Just a thought...

[Drow4d20]

It's a matter of personal RP preference. Drow should be sneaky and priestess's are highly respected. I'm going to do 24 cleric/6 rogue in the end and try to make it work with Trickery and Travel domains. I also pulled out an old character with a backstory that fits this a lot better than my kiaransalee toon who has pretty much always been rolled as a wizard or sorceress.

[Frostaspella]

If I rember correctly Epic Spells require spell craft skill as well. Do not quote me on that might want to check the NWN book.

[Drow4d20]

With the cleric levels I will try and max concentration, heal, and spellcraft as much as possible. With Rogue levels I will take hide, move silently, tumble, and UMD. Other rogue skills can be dealt with using Trickery domain feat if i need to unlock or disable something. I will be taking minimum levels of cleric needed for 9th level spells (17) and then some epic feats if I can get them. Otherwise I will dump the rest into rogue and try and get skills, sneak attack, and epic rogue skills. Never got a cleric past level 20 or so and I don't remember the epic feats or know where to look that stuff up.

[Drow4d20]

This is not a class ideal for soloing. It is a class ideal for infiltration, spying, buffing, and support damage (and healing if necessary, but not really what I'm going for.) It is also an ideal build for a Cleric of Vhaeraun RP-wise.

[Frostaspella]

nwn.wikia.com

That link is to the nwn wikia. I use it to look stuff up all the time.

[Drow4d20]

Thank you. That's the site I've been using to get ideas. But the class builds all end at 20. I did finally just search epic feat though and found the list after looking at this site past 2 days rebuilding the same character 5 times lol... So thank you again

[Frostaspella]

Lol can't wait to RP with it! Good luck!

[Drow4d20]

I am seeing why this class combination clashes.

So since I am relying on combinations of feats and spells to create balance, I will do cleric 3> rogue 3> cleric 15 (epic mummy dust @ 21st level)> Rogue 9

I need Improved evasion, defensive roll, and +7 to dex all done by level 30. Is it even possible to do that with 12 rogue levels? If I take improved evasion at rogue level 10, can I take defensive roll as my rogue level 11, and then epic dodge at rogue level 12/character level 30? Can I do this and still take epic mummy dust at level 21? If I need to start with more DEX to pull this off I can sacrifice strength on my base scores and just use items and spells to buff it.

[Drow4d20]

I would need to start with these ability scores in order for me to get Epic Dodge and Epic Mummy dust with my Trickery and Travel Cleric 18/Rogue 12 I think. If I'm wrong please someone tell me!

Strength 10
Dex 19
Con 8
Wis 14
Int 10
Cha 15

This way by level 30 I had 25 DEX, I should be able to take the rogue feats required for epic dodge. I would have to take epic mummy dust as a rogue level at 21st character level and hold my last cleric level until level 30. Both are general epic feats so this should be possible. With 14 as my wisdom base will I for sure get 9th circle spells at level 17? The entire build would rely on that one thing. By level 30 I could have epic dodge and epic mummy dust.

If this all works, I successfully built a cleric/rogue with this system and damn it I'm happy and think I can sleep now lol...

[Drow4d20]

because defensive roll and improved evasion are class feats, but the epic feats I want are not, can I just do 17 cleric/rogue 13, but plan it out so that epic mummy dust is taken as a rogue feat? Then at level 30 I'll take my 13th rogue level and will that allow for me to take 1 last rogue specific feat that will open up epic dodge? Just like when a fighter takes power attack and cleave feats in 1 level. Will it work!? I gotta know!? *eye twitches* Lol... 3 cleric>3 rogue>14 cleric>10 rogue should work.

[Opustus]

Clerk17 is still a dreadfully low CL and will make you vulnerable to Dispel, and your build lacks Discipline as well and Knockdown is commonplace in both PvM and PvP.

You can make a suboptimal Clerk build where Clerk is a pocket buff for tough spawns. I've found that in most of my PvM career, the vast majority of spawns before the boss fight is relatively easy, so you could, in theory, play your character as mainly a Rogue/Fighter with levels sprinkled in Clerk for mayhem.

Cleric12 gets you +4 divine favor, a full BAB extra attack with Divine Power, enables Divine Might, and some other buffs. You could even go Healer as a DEX build wielding a dagger, which is a simple weapon.

Therefore, Clerk12 for pocket buffs to unleash a round of maximum damage from Stealth/Invis/Greater Sanctuary, is a gimmick but it arguably has its highlights. Otherwise you'll be a dispellable suboptimal Rogue/Fighter build, but you should manage if you finesse it with care and anything can survive with a proper party.

I'd start with full Cleric12 into Cleric12/Rogue7/Fighter1 into Cleric12/Rogue13/Fighter5.

The build gets respectable stats at full buffs, Epic Dodge, Divine Might and Shield with some difficulty if you want, but in the end, about 95% of the time, performs as a strictly worse Rogue/Fighter build. However, I think it fits the theme you want to play and I've played it before on another server very much like Arelith; the people here are more protective of you in general, they want to ensure you don't play anything that makes you want to pull out your hair.

EDIT: If this is something you might consider, we can look at the feats and stats together and hear other people's warnings and comments. Now I'm late for something and gotta scoot, byeehh!

[Maladus]

You need at least 19 Wisdom to cast 9th level spells.