Cleric

Reading time: 12 – 19 minutes

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Cleric

  A stand alone cleric is a very limiting choice in the game, since they can reach a max of level 6.  Since they hit the cap at 27,501 EXP, that means they can reach max level in just 1 combat in town, except of course for the one level at a time rule, meaning a total of 5 fights are needed to bring him to max level.

  The advantage to using a standalone cleric vs. a multi-classed one means you can reach level 6, while a multi-class cleric has a max of level 5.  The difference is just  one extra 3^rd level spell, so there’s not much point to having a single-classed cleric.  It also allows them to turn the only vampire in the game, but since it just makes him flee combat while he’s right next to a wall, it’s not exactly helpful.

  Single-classed clerics also have a limited access to weapons; the best that I’ve seen for them was a mace+2, but I wasn’t exactly looking for cleric items.  Since clerics cannot use slings, and there’re no staff slings in this game, the only ranged weapon they have are hammers, thrown weapons with a limited use at best.  The best weapon for them is a flail; it does the same damage as a mace vs. man-sized opponents, and slightly better against larger-than man-sized.  The flail averages 4.5/5 (Man-sized/Larger than man-sized), while a mace is 4.5/3.5.  A hammer is 3.5/2.5.  Compare these to a fighter, where a morning star does 5/4.5, a two-handed sword does 5.5/10.5, and a bow for ranged attacks do 3.5/3.5.

  Another issue with a single-classed cleric is strength.  A cleric does not gain the strength bonus that a fighter gains, they have a max of 18 for strength.  This means lower damage and higher (Worse) THAC0 ratings, tied in with the already lower THAC0 due to their class.

Spell casting

  The cleric does now have the firepower of the magic user.  In this game, since only low-level spells are available, the only healing spell they have access to is cure light wounds.  The cleric has no damaging spells of any value, and only weak protective spells.  The hold person spell is very nice, but other than that, their spells are almost not worth the trouble in the game (Almost; I still recommend using them).

Cure light wounds

  This spell cures 1-8 hp, and is the only healing spell in the game.  Because of the lower HP values in this game than in the others, this isn’t that low of a healing value.  Still not something you should bother using in combat unless things are looking bad.

Bless\Protection from evil

  Bless gives everyone a +1 THAC0, or 5% more chance to hit.  Protection from Evil raises your AC by 2 against evil, or a 10% better chance that they will miss hitting you.  Bless hits everyone in the party, but Protection has to be cast on each member separately.  These are not the most powerful of protection spells, but nice to cast before a major encounter.  If everyone can cast cleric spells in your party, have everyone memorize one Protection from Evil, and have one person memorize a single bless.

Resist Cold\Resist Fire

  The only fire attacks I’ve seen are fireball spells cast by driders, and the spells would wear off before you fought them.  You can also find rings that do the same thing.  The resist cold spells are worse, I can think of nothing that uses cold attacks.

Hold Person

  The best offensive spell for a priest, it will cause a target to save or “die”.  They don’t actually die, but become helpless, not able to fight, and you can then kill them with one hit.  The effect lasts 4 rounds, plus one round per level, so you have at least seven rounds to kill them in, so no rush.  This spell is actually stronger than true death spells, such as the slay living spell that can only hit one person, these hit three.  Or you can cast it on just one target; t causes them to save with a -2 penalty.

Animate Dead

  This spell is nothing like how it works in the pen and paper game.  In combat, it brings people who have died back to life in the battle field, with full HP and powers\abilities.  They function like charmed monsters, and will fight for the party.  The number of people it brings back seems random, I’ve seen it bring back one low-level monster, and seen it bring back 5 aides, and 1 8^th level fighter.  It’s also nice to cast after a fireball has blown up some low-level monsters, since the living foes now have to worry about the dead ones, and will stop attacking you as much.

  The spell also works in camp!  This form of the spell is completely unbalanced; it brings back dead party members.  They stay in the party, but are now computer controlled.  The status of the target says “ok”, but if you encamp and go to magic, display, you will see the animate dead status.  Very nice spell, you can only use it in this game.

Dispel Magic

  This spell breaks most magic effects, in case you are held or the like.  I recommend having 3-6 people having one of these spells memorized, but really, I’ve never had to use this spell in pool. 

Prayer

  A better bless spell, prayer raises THAC0 and saving throws by 1, and reduces THAC0\Saving throws of monsters by 1.  I think to reduce their THAC0 it hast to be cast in combat, meaning you shouldn’t bother with that part of the spell.  It affects all party members, and does NOT stack with bless, so you may pick one or the other; prayer raises saving throws, but eats up an extra animate dead. 

Turn Undead

  Not an actual spell, this ability causes undead to run away from you almost like a fear spell.  At level 6, you can destroy skeletons and zombies.  In general, you have X amount of chance out of 20 to turn undead, at 1^st level you have 1:20 chance to affect a wight, but 10:20 chance to affect a skeleton.  If you do turn the undead, it affects 1-12.  You can turn a Mummy at level 4 (1:20 at level  4, 5:20 at 5, 8:20 at level  6),  a spectre at level 5 (1:20, 5:20 at level 6), and you have a whole 1:20 chance to turn a vampire at level 6.  This isn’t that great of an ability in pool for the most part, but is very nice in one section of the game.

  Evil clerics can have a charm-like effect on undead; this may actually be preferred for your play style.   

  Vs. Other classes

  Now it’s time to stack the clerics up to the other classes. 

Fighter

  When up against a fighter, their HP is lower, 10/Level max with 18 CON score vs. 14/Level max for a fighter (15/Level for a dwarf).  This results in max difference of 60 HP for the cleric vs. 112 HP for a human fighter, or 60 vs.  120 for a dwarf.

   A cleric is the second best weapon user in the game; that’s not saying much.  A cleric’s THAC0 is worse than a fighter, 20 for half his adventuring life, then dropping down to 18.  While a Cleric can only have an 18 for a strength score, vs. 18(00) for a fighter, they can use gauntlets of ogre strength to boost it to 18(00), same level as a fighter.   A max level fighter with 18(00) has a THAC0 of 10 without any gauntlets, while a maxed level cleric is 17 with an 18 strength, meaning the cleric has a 35% higher chance to miss in combat.  Using their best weapons and gauntlets, a cleric’s THAC0 can drop down to 12, but a fighter with a +5 long sword has a THAC0 of 5.

  A cleric also does not gain more than one attack per round, while a fighter can do three attacks every two rounds at higher levels.  Clerics also cannot use bows, while a fighter can.  Bows grant a rate of fire of two attacks per round. 

Summary:

Cons:

1. Half the HP of a dwarf fighter, almost as much vs. a human fighter.
2. 35% less chance to hit than a fighter, even with magic to raise strength.
3. Max damage is 9.5 with 18 STR and + 3 Mace, gauntlets raise this to 13.5.  A fighter can do 15.5/attack with a Long sword + 5.  Add in the 35% higher chance THAC0, and the three attacks every two rounds, damage looks closer to 13.5/Round vs. 31.3875 relative damage.
4. Very poor ranged attack (Throwing hammer)
5. Stops improving long before a fighter

Pros:

1. Spell casting
2. Turn undead

Thief

  A cleric blows a thief out of the water in all areas of combat; except for the thief’s backstab abilities, and weapons.  Backstabs give a bonus to hit and damage, but only work on humanoid opponents.  The problem with that is a hold person spell works on most of the same opponents.  The Hold spell will take out anyone, no matter their HP, while a thief’s backstab does 2x damage at low levels, and 3x at max level in the game.  This means that even as a fighter/thief combo, damage will not be on par with the power of a hold person spell.  A thief can also use a long sword, giving them a slight edge.

  Thanks to very poor armor selection, and low HP, a pure thief cannot last in any real combat.  If you want a thief in your party, you have to use multi-classed thief.

Summary:

Cons:

1. No thief abilities for story line (Find traps and mansion, gain one of the gauntlets of strength)
2. No backstab
3. Slightly worse weapons
4. Stops improving long before a thief

Pros:

1. Higher HP (10/Level vs. 8/Level)
2. Spells
3. Turn undead
4. Better THAC0
5. Better Armor

Magic-User

  This is spell caster vs. spell caster, and looks like the cleric forgot to bring anything of use.  The cleric’s best spell in this game is hold person, a second level spell that holds 1-3 people.  A magic-user has a second level spell, stinking cloud; that can do the same for 1-4, and affects more than just people, including dragons.  Also, please never mind the raw power of fireball or a lightning bolt bounced off a wall, the cleric just cannot compete. 

  The cleric, however, can survive in a fist fight, and also better in a sword fight.  A magic-user has no armor, and the lowest HP values.  With proper bracers, rings, and cloaks, they can get their AC to be as low as a fighter using a bow, but they lack the ability to use one of those nice shields+2 that’s all the rage these days.  And with the worst weapons in the game, a single class magic-user cannot help much in combat except for his spells.

  Like a cleric, a single-class magic user runs into the level limit of 6 to soon.  Unlike the cleric, a multiclass mage does not stop at level 5, and can reach the game max level of 6.

Cons:

1. Weak attack spells vs. magic-users

Pros:

1. Healing spells, plus animate dead
2. Hold person works better against humanoids than stinking cloud
3. Better THAC0
4. Better Armor
5. Better Weapons
6. Better HP
7. Turn undead

 

Tables

 

Level	EXP	Max HP	THAC0	Spells	Notes
1	0	10	20	3
2	1,501	20	20	4
3	3,001	30	20	4/3
4	6,001	40	18	5/4
5	13,001	50	18	5/5/2	Max level half-elf
6	27,501	60	18	5/5/3

•  Level – This is the level you will reach one you’ve hit the required EXP values, and have trained in a training hall, if your race can reach this level (i.e., a half-elf can never reach level 6)
• EXP – Amount of experience points needed to get to this level.  This table is for single-classed clerics, so true and class experiences are the same.
• Max HP – The max HP you can have for that level, with a CON score of 18.
• Spells – Number of spells for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd levels, with a WIS score of 18

Saves:

Level	Para/Pois/Death	Wand	Petrification	Breath	Spell
1	10	14	13	16	15
2	10	14	13	16	15
3	10	14	13	16	15
4	9	13	12	15	14
5	9	13	12	15	14
6	9	13	12	15	14

 

• P/P/D – Saving throw for paralyzation, poison, death magic.  This means death spells, and hold person spells fall under here.  Not 100% sure if a Wand of Paralyzation is a PPD save, or a Rod, Staff, Wand (RSW) save, I think it’s a PPD.  It works the same as THAC0, the lower, the better chance you will save.
• Wand – Saving throw for Rod, Staff, or Wands.  This has a little known affect in games, a spell cast from a wand will generally have a better save than the cast spell.
• Petrification – Petrification or polymorph, this would be gazes from medusa and the basilisk.
• Breath – Breath weapons, such as dragons and, umm…. yea, dragons.  Not many breath attacks in this game.
• Spells – Any magic that does not fall under the above is a spell save.

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