A Guide to Cleric Enhancements I

By Zed

This guide will focus purely on the Enhancements available to a cleric as she progresses through the ranks.  Each player gains Enhancements as she increases in ranks; however, she can only have a maximum of 4 active Enhancements at anyone point. These are drawn from a list of both class and racial Enhancements that increase as the character increases in ranks.

We will take a look at the enhancements available to clerics, focusing on the 8th, 9th and 10th level versions of the Enhancements but noting the progression as needed. Each Enhancement is given a useful rating of 1-5 (with 5 being the most useful). The notes will state why this rating is given as such.

Author's note: The writer wishes it to be known that his opinion of the usefulness of each Enhancement is purely based on his knowledge, use and testing of the Enhancements.

Clerics Charisma I – II Text (II): Grants a +2 increase to Charisma score. Comments: A good addition to a Turn Undead-based Cleric. However, without further testing its unclear if the increase to Charisma will improve the number of Turn Undead available to the cleric as currently +Cha items do not. A +1 to Diplomacy that this ability would give you doesn't warrant the spending of the Enhancement. Therefore, it's of low value to clerics, especially those who are not Turn Undead-based. Rating: 3

Cleric's Wisdom I–III Text (III): Grants a +3 increase to Wisdom score. Comments: +3 to the cleric's primary stat! ‘Nuff said'. Increases the total number of spell points, raises the DC of any spell saves for any debuff or crowd control spell. Most of my builds would incorporate this Enhancement. The Enhancement stacks with the human wisdom Enhancement and also any + Wis item. Most clerics should give this serious consideration. Rating: 5

Divine Cleansing I–III Text: Activate this ability to grant another character a morale bonus on fortitude saves for a short time. Consumes a use of Turn Undead for the day. Comments: I have never used this. The usefulness would be limited to a buff/heal cleric where Turn Undead is plentiful. A bonus to fortitude could be welcomed to classes with a traditionally low Constitution when facing Poison, Slay Living and Disintegrate spells. However the overall usefulness of the Enhancement is dubious when looking at other available choices. Rating: 1

Devotion I - V Text (V): Grants a 20% increase to the effectiveness of your 5th level and lower healing spells. Comments: With a better return using a Cure Serious Wounds as a 3rd level spell with a Greater Devotion, this becomes limited in value even for the healing cleric. The Greater devotion line is the better option. Rating: 3

Divine Healing I – III Text: Activate this ability to give another character healing that persists over several seconds. Consumes a use of Turn Undead for the day. Comments: Useful or the healing/buff cleric who has a large number of Turn Undeads available. Good to boost characters to full health from ¾ health and upwards instead of spending valuable spell points on the healing. However, I only really used this during Beta and find its usefulness to be dependant on the build of the cleric. Rating: 2

Divine Light III Text (III): Activate this ability to deal 4d6 points of light damage to the targeted undead creature instead of attempting to turn it. Consumes a use of Turn Undead for the day. Comments: This is really only useful if your building a specific Turn Undead cleric build. With a high number of Turn Undeads per rest period, this allows you to hit the likes of the vampire with high damage, especially since the cool down of the ability is only 2 seconds. It's useful in the interim time between level 8 and 10 when you may be fighting the Vampire, running Delera's tomb on hard and elite and venturing into the caverns of Korromar. I would consider replacing this with a higher Enhancement once you hit level 10. Rating: 1

Divine Vitality I - III Text: Activate this ability to restore a small amount of spell casting energy to another character. Consumes a use of Turn Undead for the day. Comments: Perhaps one of the most ‘hated' Enhancements being labelled by many as overpowered. The usefulness of DV cannot be overstated. Being able to restore the wizard or sorcerer or even another cleric's spell points is a boon, but it really shines (and perhaps seems overpowered) if you create a Turn Undead cleric build (like this one or a DV build cleric) and have around 16 Turn Undead uses—and therefore 16 DVs—available. This can restore upwards of 700 spell points to a single target, enough to bump most sorcerers or wizards to around 3/4 full without having to rest. Rating: 5

Energy of the Zealot I - X Text: Grants a 20-110 point increase to spell points. Comments: Another Enhancement that is an almost must-have. Energy of the Zealot stacks with Wizardry and Power items as well as the elf racial Enhancement that also boosts spell points. If you want higher than base spell points, this is a must-have choice. Rating: 1

Extra Turing I – III Text (III): You gain the ability to perform 6 additional turn undead attempts before resting. Comments: Adding +6 turns per rest is a nice boon to both the DV cleric and the turn undead cleric. A base CHA 16 Cleric with this enhancement can top 16 turn undead per rest period. For the combat cleric this would be wasted. Rating: 3

Greater Devotion I – III Text (III): Grants a 40% increase to the effectiveness of your 3rd level and lower healing spells. Comment: For the healing-based cleric, the Devotion range is a good option to increase your efficiency at healing. Even a combat cleric would benefit from this by maximizing the amount healed with the lowest expense of spell points possible. A 40% increase to a 3rd level spell equates to an increase between 5 –  14 approx. hit points returned, the equivalent of a Cure Light Wounds spell and 10 spell points. Rating: 4

Greater Nullification I – III Text (III): Grants a 40% increase to the damage of your 3rd level and lower negative spells. Comments: Unless your building a cleric around the Inflict Wounds line of spells, you are very limited in the use of this spell. Rating: 1

Improved Devotion I – IV Text (IV): Grants a 30% increase to the effectiveness of your 4th level and lower healing spells. Comments: With a better return using a Cure Serious Wounds as a 3rd level spell with a Greater Devotion, this becomes limited in value even for the healing cleric. The Greater Devotion line is the better selection. Rating: 3

Improved Empowered Healing I – III Text: Using Empower Heal Feat costs you fewer spell points for each spell cast while in that mode. Comments: This is an essential Enhancement for the healing cleric who chooses the Empowered Healing Feat. It reduces the number of spells points to maximize and improve the amount of healing given. Coupled with the Greater Devotion line of Enhancements this should be the staple of the healing cleric. Rating: 4

Improved Nullification I – IV Text (IV): Grants a 30% increase to the damage of your 4th level and lower negative spells. Comments: Unless you're building a cleric around the Inflict Wounds line of spells, you are very limited in the use of this spell. Rating: 1

Nullification I – V Text: (V) Grants a 20% increase to the damage of your 5th level and lower negative spells. Comments: Unless you're building a cleric around the Inflict Wounds line of spells, you are very limited in the use of this spell. Rating: 1

Skill Recovery I – V Text (V): Grants a +7 bonus to Heal and Repair skills. Comments: Another build-dependant Enhancement. The only use I see for this is a buff cleric who purely relies on healing and buffing and does little else. The boost to the already maxed heal skill would be useful to guarantee you bring back to life any character who is down on -1 to -9 hit points. However, I have yet to really make use of the Heal skill after about level 3 or 4 when a cleric's spell point totals start to approach the 300s. Rating: 2

Skill Tactics I – V Text (V): Grants a +7 bonus to Diplomacy and Concentration skills. Comments: I see this as another build-dependant Enhancement. The boost to Concentration is very useful; however, with the limited class Skills of a cleric, you should have Concentration as close to maximum as possible anyway. It will compensate for low Constitution scores and give a valued bonus to Clerics who may find themselves in the front lines fighting and needing to throw out healing as required without interruption. Rating: 3

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