Infamous 1e Class Guide: Clerics

Introduction

In 1st edition AD&D, Clerics carry a fundamental aspect of any team, as they are the primary support class for the game. They have access to a wide range of defensive and counter offensive spells that are cast and learned through the Wisdom ability score of the Cleric. Spells that heal, prevent, negate, disarm, detect, and disrupt fall within the Cleric's specialty. They are holy warriors carrying their weapons into battle, although never a sharp or pointed weapon as those are prohibited by their faith. But an Infamous Cleric is an even bigger asset to a successful party. The biggest advantage to having a Cleric on the team in Infamous, is they are one of the only unique assets to the adventurers of good alignment. In fact, they might even be of greater value to a team than a Paladin or Ranger. The Cleric isn't exactly restricted to good alignment, as in Infamous the basic four classes do not have any sort of restriction, though the spells in a Clerics employ are subject to the alignment of the character.

Good & Evil Clerics

The most fundamental part of playing a Cleric is the spells you can choose from. Clerics, though they are not good by requirement, have certain spell restrictions in addition to their spell list dependent on the Cleric's alignment. For example, good Clerics cannot take the spell Animate Dead, as the raising of dead creatures as undead servants goes against the doctrines of good Clerics, all of whom are assumed to worship the Living God, conjuror of the planes. Likewise, evil Clerics have restrictions of their own. They play more necromantic characters, who almost always use the reverse of a spell on the Clerical spell list. They utilize spells such as Inflict Wounds, Bestow Curse, Continual Darkness, and so on and so forth. Other Clerical deities might have differing advantages and disadvantages, such as additional weapon proficiencies or additional spells, while preventing certain spells from being used.

Holy Symbols

A Cleric's holy symbol is just as important as any Magic-User's spellbook, as they are what allows them to perform their magic. In Infamous, the type of holy symbol the Cleric uses could drastically affect their performance, so when it comes time to split the reward, be thinking about potential holy symbol upgrades. The following table is for Clerical holy symbols, and it should give you an idea of what can be done at what price. A holy symbol may be purchased or provided by a church in the area. You cannot use a holy symbol of another religion.

• Crude Holy Symbol: Cost: 0. Lose 1 spell slot of highest level possible. Opponents have +1 on saving throws against your spells. -2 to your Turn Undead roll.
• Wooden Holy Symbol: Cost: 10 SP.   
• Stone Holy Symbol:     Cost: 2 GP. +1 on your Turn Undead roll.
• Bronze/Iron Holy Symbol: Cost: 15 GP. +1 on your Turn Undead roll. +1 on saving throws against magic.
• Silver Holy Symbol: Cost: 30 GP. +2 on your Turn Undead roll. +1 on saving throws against magic.
• Gold Holy Symbol: Cost: 50 GP. Cleric is treated as 1 level higher for the sake of Turn Undead. +1 on your Turn Undead roll. +1 on saving throws against magic. 

Clerical Spellcasting

Cleric's cast spells in a slightly unique way when compared to the arcane spellcasters. Their divine spellcasting nature comes almost directly from prayer to a specific deity. This deity can be virtually any source of power strong enough to the point where it can be used in the Cleric's employ. A Cleric is treated as a catalyst of sorts for this incredible source of power, being a simple lens from which they can have limited control over what can be done in any given situation. It is worth noting that should an evil Cleric be played, an evil deity is not likely to allow the player much freedom in what is allowed to be done in any given situation, as they are most likely only using the Cleric as a means to a nefarious end.

The spells in question used by Clerics are primarily defensive and supportive spells, performing incredibly well when there is a party that can take up offensive measures for you. The good Cleric's ability to heal characters as early as level 1 is an incredible ability, as it allows for a party to quickly recuperate after a hard fight, and it gives fighters a significantly longer lifespan during combat. But contrary to what is considered customary, Clerics are not simply dedicated healers. They have their own wide variety of spells that they can use for many other purposes. For instance, at first level a Cleric may choose to take Command or Remove Fear for combat, or perhaps Detect Evil or Detect Magic as an out of combat spell. These two detection spells in particular are incredibly useful, and are highly valuable from first level all the way until the latest of adventures. Purify Food & Drink is also well worth taking, as it can turn what would normally be a dire situation for a party into a massive success, as wilderness adventures can very often prove the most difficult of journeys. Useful second level spells might include Know Alignment and Speak With Animals for incredible information gathering capability, as well as Find Traps and Slow Poison for more tactical adventures such as dungeon delving, and dealing with the enemy Thieves and Assassins. Silence 15' Radius and Hold Person are both outstanding spells for combat utility, and if you just can't quite figure something out or have a bad feeling about something, Augury is an excellent choice for any adventure. There are several others, some of which may be addressed in a later expanded Cleric guide, while others deserve guides all on their own, but in short, there's more than one way to play a Cleric.

Non-Spellcasting Abilities

Now, Clerics do have one innate ability that can be used quite well outside of combat, though it is an ability that applies in very specific circumstances. A good Cleric at any point has the option of attempting to Turn the Undead. This is done by making an attack like roll on a table in the Dungeon Master's Guide specifically for the ability of Turning Undead. These undead creatures, once turned by a good Cleric will be subject to turn and run in a direction away from the Cleric, as the name of this ability suggests. Evil Clerics have their own twisted version of  this ability, where instead of turning undead a Cleric of evil alignment rolls to control undead, in which case the undead are under the control of the evil Cleric and subject to whatever commands the Cleric gives.

Clerics have other potentials as well as their spells and Turn Undead ability. They are allowed the same armor and shielding as fighters, though they cannot use all the same weapons. Any pointed or edged weapon that sheds blood, (swords, spears, halberds, etc.) cannot be used unless the Cleric has acquired some other class that can use such weapons. This leaves them with a few options, being slings, staves, clubs, maces, flails, hammers, though not the Lucern Hammer. This makes the Bec de Corbin the strongest weapon at the Cleric's disposal, a mighty hammer of war designed to punch through plate armor easily. In addition, they also may make quite excellent use of Jo Sticks, as this weapon allows them to potentially deal serious damage to opposing Longsword users.

 They have several nonweapon proficiencies which benefit them greatly as well. Taking first aid skills up to +++Healing or +++Surgery is often recommended, though virtually any Wisdom proficiency will do. Weather Sense and Direction Sense are both incredibly valuable skills to have in a wilderness adventure as well.

Infamous Cleric: Divine Doctrines

Divine doctrines are a special late-game ability granted to the Infamous Cleric. This ability pertains to the Cleric's knowledge of the faith, using it as a platform from which additional discovery and research is possible. This is a form of spell research, and should it be so wished by the Cleric, the creation of spells and Clerical classes is possible. The prices for such creation of spells is steep however, as 50 gold pieces are required per level of the created spell in the form of materials consumed during perfection of the spell in question. Spell creation also takes extensive time and the proper place, as it will take a minimum of two weeks time to research and perfect a spell, and this creation of the spell must be done in a well established church of the Clerics faith. The creation of Clerical classes is only possible once 12th level has been reached. After this point, the creation of Clerical classes is still achievable only after a powerful artifact of Clerical significance has been obtained. Even then, much practice and gold must be spent to complete the creation of a class. These spells and classes can't simply be anything desired either, as the Gamemaster will determine what is and is not allowed in the creation of such features.

Cleric Summary

In summary, the Cleric is a class that very well represents the backbone of the party. Clerics have the capacity to heal the party of almost all evils, from fear to poison. They have a multitude of detection spells that provide information to the party when its needed. They have the ability to feed the party, keeping them alive in the wilderness. All in all, Clerics are an incredibly important class that can be well suited to most situations in AD&D, with their wide array of helpful spells that can steer the party in the direction they need to go. With their incredible ability to negate the effects of the opposition, any party's effectiveness grows dramatically when a Cleric is present. Use the tools you have to keep death at bay, and keep your party alive.