Clerics: How Are they as a PC?

[Albromor]

Yeah, I know, I'm asking all kinds of questions, but as I said in an earlier post, I finally am able to load and find the time to play. I like clerics a lot, but I found BG1 to limit them as far as equipment goes, i.e., armor and especially weapons. Is this true for BG2? Has anybody played this class and what do you think from your experiences? Thanks.

Clerics become really good. And there stronghold is cool too. I think you'll be happy. Just give em some good armor, and a weapon, and you got a pretty good fighter (with some STR boosters, spells, girdles, etc). Then, combine that with some pretty awesome spells to cast, along with healing, and now picture it. Once the cleric uses up all offense spells, time to fight. Makes a great field medic, specially since you can cast without getting hit a lot due to a good AC. So by all means, play as one.

[fable]

Clerics can become pretty powerful, and in ToB acquire some really awe-inspiring spells. But if you want a character with more melee-oriented skills, consider one of the more aggressive priest kits, or a paladin, or a fighter/priest multiclass.

[Telchar of Nogrod]

I love clerics. They can use the most powerfull armor and shields in the game, eventually having better than -10 AC. You can give them the best weapon in SOA, the Crom Faeyr (eventually). The upgraded Mace of Disruption combined with the best anti-undead spells in the game, make them invincable against undead. With True Seeing up and the Mace, they are quite formidable against Liches (they are not invulnerable to Imprisiment, hint/warning). Even before the Crom Faeyr, Draw Upon Holy Might will give him strength above 18. The best combat protection spells in the game. Animate Dead vs. Mind Flayers (at 15th level, a nice surprise). Heal, Raise Dead, Reserection, great stuff. One of the best things I like is Bolt of Glory, it ignores ALL magic resistance and is best against Demons and Devils. Go Clerics!

[DrakenKorin]

Clerics have never appealed to me much...

Maybe its because mages are simply superior at higher levels.

Yes, clerics can wear armor and get low AC...

But mages can cast stoneskin and thus ignore a ton of melee attacks (granted, it only lasts for a certain amount of attacks, but still.)

Spells that ignore magic resistance?

Mages can do 20d10 /fire/ (not magic fire, just fire) damage to a number of targets.

So much for bolt of glory.

[Telchar of Nogrod]

What spell does fire damage that ignores MR? (not TOB)

[F. Gottwald]

i cannot comment on tob, but as far as soa goes a ranger dual-classed to cleric (probably around lvl 8) is one of the strongest characters in the game.
the one thing that keeps this char from perfect is their inability to wield the secondary weapons in the game (belm or kundane) so they aren´t really the fast killing machines fighter/mages can be... but they can tank with the best of them.
with access to both cleric and druid spells, the problem of both classes that some spell levels just don´t have any truly useful picks no longer exists and you have access to both the druids ironskin and impressive anti-caster arsenal (insect plage especially) and the clerics high-level offensive capabilities (gate, fire storm, flame strike).
in terms of casting, a ranger/cleric would be on par with or superior to a wizard if it wasn´t for the following:
- worse casting speed
- no sequencers
- no project image/simulacrum
tbh, those drawbacks ARE pretty hefty... but as i see it, project image and sequencers are so horribly overpowered as to make soa too easy.

if you don´t want gamebreaking abilities but a rock solid performer with a good variety of spells and excellent tank capability, i don´t think you can get better than a range/cleric.

[DrakenKorin]

Someone mentioned high levels I think, so I automatically thought of ToB.

Dragon's Breath is only in ToB, my apologies.

[Morgeruat]

hehe cleric mage is the best combination, a deadly array of the vast majority of spells in the game, plus with the robe of vecna you get rid of the casting time problems clerics have.