Some Cleric Rework Ideas to buff

[EvilDragon]

Note that I am a Korean so the text may not be that logically written, but whatevers.

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0. Why​

Clerics are not that attractive pick than FvS these days. Not gonna lie, It's a sin of Standing Stone Games, and favored soul will be always winning.
Clerics are good to be a standard healer, but they can't be a main healer in some end contents, even if they can access domain system.

• Hit Point: Favored Soul has more hit points. Cleric can cover it if they take Animal Domain, but it's a lose already.
• Spellpoints: Favored Soul has more spell points, of course...
• Spell slots: Clerics have more spells, but nowadays due to Epic Destiny spells, It's not that important FvS can't possess a lot of spells. Having more spells isn't an advantage anymore these days.
• Utilities: At least cleric might have won FvS, but most of those are underperforming, and FvS has much stronger abilities to cover cleric's.
• Warpriest v.s. Warsoul: Why the hell only does Warsoul have Wisdom based Divine Might? Why can't cleric have it??? These trees are 95% identical, but FvS version is much better, but why????
• Healing Aura v.s. Healing Wall: Healing Aura is powerful enough, but it costs a limited resource but also need to stand with people, while Healing wall has no issue with it. You might say healing wall being stationery for 30 seconds is a penalty enough, but funnily, 30 seconds is short enough to relocate its position. and 30 SP is hard to say costing a resource. a single attempt of turn is expensive more than it.
• Damage Potential: Thanks to Angel of Vengence... Even if Divine Disciple is slightly reworked, it isn't sufficient enough to win Favored Soul.

I know some cases where Cleric can win Favored Soul, but you would also agree it's an edge case, and need to prepare a lot more than what standard Favored souls have...
Eventually, what Cleric can do is what Favored Soul can do. That's the issue.

So, in this post, I'd like to suggest some cleric buffs, but more utility aligned. Ironically, I see Favored Soul is currently fine as is, but Cleric has no reason to use over Favored Soul.
Thus, Clerics should have some special mechanics not just by giving them stronger values, but with more utilities.
Cleric should have what Favored Souls can't do. (Well, they have, but it's underperforming, I said)

1. Domains​

It should provide actual spells to their known spells rather than SLAs
I am fine it doesn't provide the full 1~9 lvl spells, but still, it should provide some known spells.

i.e.) Fire domain provides: at 2-lvl burning hand, 3-lvl scorch, 4-lvl fireball (it's delayed by 2 levels when compared to how wizards learn those)
i.e.2) Water domain provides: at 2-lvl Coldray, 3-lvl Snowball Swarm... etc

Again, It's understandable that it doesn't provide all related spells, even any 9-level spells for that. The point is that still Clerics can get more options from domains, and make having more spell slots actually worthy.

but this section isn't the main thing to tell for what comes later.

2. "Infuse Divinity" (New concept)​

Infuse Divinity is a targeted version of Channel Divinity. It works like how you give a bard song to people.

• Infuse Divinity is available when you take 1-level Cleric (Dark Apostate too) or 1-level Sacred Fist, but it won't do anything as is alone.
  • Possessing Turn Undead doesn't give you this.
• Infuse Divinity is NOT Channel Divinity even if it costs a turn charge to activate, but it doesn't take any benefit from Channel Divinity-related abilities.
• Infuse Divinity takes Domain Bonus Effect from Channel Divinity, but only a single target, while the duration of the domain bonus effect is x2 of the original.
  Or... It should give a special buff that's only available to Infuse Divinity...
  Like "Fire Domain: Infuse Divinity also grants 1d6 fire damage per imbue dice for offensive spell castings and attacks for X seconds. Internal Cooldown 1 second." like this?? "Good domain: Infuse Divinity enchants the weapon of your target ally with good for a minute." like this??
• Infuse Divinity will also grant more buffs when you acquire these from your enhancements:
  • Divine Healing
    • This is now given with Infuse Divinity, not through its own active ability. The functionality is the same as before.
    • Making it cast Cure Critical Wounds upon granting will feel useful.
  • Divine Vitality
    • (RIP) The functionality is the same as before. This was removed though...
  • Divine Cleansing
    • Yes, It does the same thing...
    • Making it cast Panacea spell upon granting will be interesting too, or a (greater) restoration spell? Maybe it's too much.
  • Bliss
    • change: It should give temporary hp to nearby allies, not only to yourself.
    • Temporary hit points are tripled if it's used by Infuse Divinity. so, it does 9/12/15 per core.
    • Channel Divinity still uses 3/4/5.
    • Bliss also should get a buff too: "Temp hp is doubled in epic"
  • Purge dark magics
  • Positive Energy Shield
    • This doesn't need any buff if Infuse Divinity becomes a thing and Bliss gives more temp HP to your target.
  • Reactive Heal
    • I think it just should cast Heal spell, not the unique version.

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Why would we want this?​

These abilities are decent if used, but we know turn charges are expensive for those silly effects and even worse, some abilities aren't even performing properly.

• Divine Healing isn't even usable in heroics to epics due to its short duration and no healing power efficiency. It could have been a decent Cleric version of Vigor. (I remember it used to be useful in old times, especially the days around 2007.)
• Divine Vitality was useful enough, but it was removed...
• Divine Cleansing isn't that bad since it is kinda "Remove Curse + Heal", but you'd just cast a heal spell, and ask them to use a Curse Removal Pot.
• Bliss - We know temp HP 3/4/5 per core is too low. A triple bonus for a single target will be usable.
• Purge dark magics - I am even not sure which hostile spells it will remove. Costing 3 APs and a turn charge for what benefit you can't expect to get wouldn't be a wise decision.
• Positive Energy Shield is the worst ability, possibly worse than Divine Healing. You give temporary HP to your target and 10% healing bonus, but the healing bonus is only effective when they still have the temp HP. a case where they can get the benefit of 10% healing bonus means they actually need healing, not taking this temporary HP, and the temp HP value is not reasonably enough. This doesn't do anything.
• Reactive Heal is potentially good enough, but 3 minutes internal cooldown and no healing power efficiency is a big meh.
  Either of these two penalties is a strong disadvantage, but having two at the same time???
  But also, 250 healing is too low these days.

So, all of these abilities have serious issues why you don't want to expend your turn charge into these, but also you should consider which case you'd like to use these, but it's too costing when compared to standard spells.
Thus, if a single turn charge can make a lot of underperforming effects, it would do a thing.

3. "Relay Divinity" (New concept)​

Relay Divinity is a toggle buff that works like how Druid's crown buff works.
All channel divinity abilities that you can't have a target because it's automatic(self cast) or AoE will fall under this category for functionality. I mean, the targetable Channel Divinity abilities are now "Infuse Divinity"
So, you target a single ally, and they get the buff.

• Relay Divinity is only available from Radiant Servant Tree as a first core.
• When an ally has Relay Divinity, and you cast Channel Divinity...
  • Positive Healing Burst will be cast onto your target rather than you.
  • Positive Healing Aura will be given to them. If you toggle off or you die, they lose the aura.
  • Martyrdom toggle will explode from your target ally when they die. (I think this should cast Divine Wrath spell)
  • Turn Undead is only effective around your target rather than yourself.
• The target ally must be within 'ranged spell' range, nor it will be automatically off. If they're too far away, you have 10 seconds grace (loading forgiveness).
• You can only set Relay Divinity for a single ally, of course.
• You have two penalties:
  • All healing abilities through Relay Divinity will heal allies only 75% effectively (25% less healing).
  • When Relay Divinity is toggled on, your offensive spells' cooldown time is 1.30 times slower. (10 seconds cooldown becomes 13s)
• Maybe a new capstone? "Channel Divinity abilities through Relay Divinity is also relayed to yourself, but still 75% effective."

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Why would we want this?​

Heals have an issue that cleric should come closer to their desired targets, which means they risk some dangers, but healers wouldn't want to dare it, even Favored Souls wouldn't.
All AoE type Channel Divinity abilities have the same issue. If you want to make any effect, you should come closer and dare. Favored Soul's Cone healing abilities have the same issue slightly, but it doesn't need to be extremely close.

The idea might have been suggested, I believe, and SSG might have been worrying about Cleric being braindead class (or too powerful to be a nuker and healer at the same time - but FvS is being that already...) if the suggestion had been taken.
But the two disadvantages I suggested there (Range limitation, and cooldown penalty), I believe It wouldn't make them too braindead cherry picky class.

4. Some changes to War Priest (And War Soul too)​

• Smite Foe(Core 1) activates Turn Undead for free when you hit a foe successfully. The effect area is nearby you, or your ally with Relay Divinity regardless of the attack is ranged. (Allies nearby you will also get domain bonus.)
  • War soul version would need to get another bonus than this.
    For example, "War Soul Smite Foe grants yourself with +1 Save sacred bonus and 20 temp hp per each core for some seconds"
    While War Priest provides buffs to allies, War Soul bonus is only limited to yourself.
• Sanctuary(Core 3 Active ability):
  • This is a bad ability because you should use this ability for an edge case. It's no longer an active ability.
  • Channel Divinity abilities provide +5 Sacred bonus to PRR to nearby allies for 20 seconds. No internal cooldown.
  • Infuse Divinity provides +10 Sacred bonus to the target ally. No internal cooldown for 20 seconds.
  • War Soul version: "You get +10 Sacred bonus to PRR when you wield a favored weapon."
• Core 4 - blur: It no longer gives a spell to Cleric. Channel Divinity abilities provide Blur buff to nearby allies for 6s per cleric level.
  • War Soul version still grants Blur spell.
• Core 5 - haste: It no longer gives a spell to Cleric. Channel Divinity abilities provide Haste buff to nearby allies for 6s per cleric level.
  • War Soul version still grants Haste spell
• Ameliorating Strike(T4) - a successful hit of your Smite Foe to an enemy will activate Infuse Divinity to yourself for free, using no turn charge. (Internal cooldown - 30 seconds)
  • War soul version would need to get another bonus like...
    "Smite Foe will also activate heal, regenerate, and greater restoration on yourself. (30 seconds internal cooldown as well)"
    The Same idea above. War Priest gives its goodness to allies, but War Soul gets it all only themselves, selfish.
  • It has internal cooldown, so this won't make them so powerful for sustaining themselves.
• Divine Intervention(T5) also activates Infuse Divinity to your target ally for free when the buff is worn off regardless it saved the ally or not. (doesn't cast Infuse Divinity upon granting)
  • War soul version would need to be like
    "When you activate the ability to yourself, the cooldown time is halved."

With this difference, these trees will not be 100% identical and have their own advantage over each other.

5. changes to Dark Apostate​

• Core 1: Channel Divinity abilities provide a buff to nearby allies:
  • Evil Infusion: Their next attack or offensive spell will deal 1d6+1 evil damage per 5 cleric level to their target enemy. Damage is scaled with 100% spellpower or 200% melee/ranged power of the cleric.
  • Taking each core will provide an additional stack of this buff. Taking 4th core means 4 attacks/4 offensive spells will trigger it 4 times. (1d3+1 x4 times)
  • Has 30 seconds internal cooldown
  • Maximum target: 5
  • Maximum potential dice are "6 stacks (6 cores) * 5 allies * 5 Cleric levels(1,5,10,15,20) = total 150d6+150". When considering it has 30 cooldown time, it's fairly strong but not broken.
  • Also, "Infuse Divinity" provides the same buff to a single target, but has no internal cooldown.
• Ward of Shadow(T5) also boosts Infuse Divinity. Your Infuse Divinity will grant this protection buff. The maximum protection value is increased to 180 when it's granted by Infuse Divinity.
• Benediction(T5) the maximum target of Evil Infusion is now 10. (not effective in party with fewer people, but effective in raids)
  If Evil Infusion is granted by Infuse Divinity, it provides double stacks.

Small connections to Divinity abilities... This will be good to combine with War Priest.

6. changes to Divine Disciple​

• Energy of the Disciple(T1), at rank 3, Your Infuse Divinity also restores a small amount of SP of your target. (Divine Vitality Returns!)
• Capstone(Core 6) - Channel Divinity abilities provide temporary spellpoints to nearby allies. No internal cooldown.

Small connections to Divinity abilities too, and Divine Vitality has returned!

7. Terms relations​

I just wrote this to make sure

• Upon expending a turn charge:
  • Channel Divinity: Has no target
    • Turn Undead
    • Positive Healing Burst
    • Positive Healing Aura
  • Toggle:
    • Martyrdom
      This should be Channel Divinity upon activation, but I don't know the ingame algorithm. It's a toggle ability anyway.
  • Infuse Divinity: Has a single target
    • Infuse Divinity is only an ability that uses a turn charge with not being under Channel Divinity
    • Infuse Divinity itself doesn't do anything.
    • Infuse Divinity is improved with enhancement you've taken.

Maybe I should have sorted it like this??

• Channel Divinity
  • Invoke Divinity
    • Turn Undead
    • Positive Healing Burst
    • Positive Healing Aura
  • Infuse Divinity

8. Conclusion​

The main thing I'd like suggest is having more mechanics to "Channel Divinity" and "Infuse Divinity" as you saw.
Clerics will be capable of providing some special things that Favored Soul can't provide, especially consistent Turn Undead buffs.
Domains will be seriously considered for what's to be picked more than before.
Even tho Favored Soul will be still powerful as is, and will still win Cleric in some aspects even if clerics get these.
But Clerics will be no longer shadowed by Favored Soul.

 

[The Blonde]

Good thread, clerics could definitely be helped.