CLERIC

A Cleric is a very valuable member of a formation. They usually will need to
be protected so that they are free to heal the rest of the form. For this
reason, it is usually best to place them as far back and behind as many
people as possible. Clerics have the ability to cast spells and have about
the same hitpoints as a thief, but begin the game with a wisdom level of
16. Due to the religious training of a cleric to a Deity, they are not
permitted to use bladed weapons, such as daggers and swords; therefore
clerics should concentrate their powers on healing more than fighting.

For more information on how to play a cleric, read on!

FORMATION                                                       CLERIC
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When in formation, its usually best to keep the cleric in the back row so
that they can concentrate on healing. A cleric can heal another member of
the formation, or any player for that matter, the full amount that the
heal spell will allow the cleric. When a cleric heals him or herself, that
player will only be able to heal at about 66 percent of what the amount of
heal is worth. This means, if the heal is worth 100 hitpoints, the cleric
can heal him or herself for 66 hitpoints while healing other players for
100 hitpoints. It is more benefical to a form if the cleric gets hit less
because it means that they are using the full powers of their heals on the
rest of the form and not his or herself.

The exception to this is if a cleric is a multiclass player. The prior
class and current statistics would then depend on where the cleric should
be placed.

The first priority of the cleric is to heal the members of the formation,
not to fight the mobs. Only if they have the time and the mana between
heals to use fight spells should they use them to help kill the mobs.
Remember, the cleric is the one that can keep the form alive using those
healing spells.

Clerics should be responsible for healing and using sanctuary on the
members of the formation. They may also be needed to cast things such as
armor and bless upon the members of the form.

SOLOING                                                         CLERIC
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Its not easy to solo as a cleric. Forming with a tank, someone who can
take the hits from mobs, is the best way for a cleric to level. If you do
not form, do not forget sanctuary when you are able to use it. You are
able to get much more experience in a form as a cleric than if you are to
solo because you will be responsible for healing, while the rest of the
form will be responsible for killing the mob.

If you do solo, it may be more beneficial to find a zone that is created
for slightly under your current level because you will have to switch
between healing yourself and killing the mob.

Another hint is to make sure you set your wimpy command. This is the
command that helps you to flee if you reach a certain hitpoint level. See
help WIMPY for more information.

PRACTICING                                                      CLERIC
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Clerics are mainly spellcasters, therefore, they have the ability to
practice spells and not skills. Help SPELLS lists all the spells and at
what level you will be able to practice them. You receive a certain amount
of practice points when starting the game with a character, and again each
time you level.

To practice, you must first find the correct guild for your class. As a
cleric, you need to find the clerics guild. Take note of where you are
when you log in a character for the first time because you will start in
the guild for your class.

When practicing, you have many spells you can practice, but they might not
all be beneficial to you. Read each individual help file for each spell to
find out what each do before you practice them. Some spells you may not
wish to use practices on. For instance, there are 4 kinds of healing
spells: cure light, cure serious, cure critical and heal. Each of the
spells are a little stronger than the one before, but will you REALLY need
4 different healing spells in the long run? Consider each of the spells
before you use valueable practices on them.

On a final note, even though the spells you practice might say they cost a
small amount of mana in the help files, that may not be true as you first
practice them. When you first learn spells, most will cost 50 mana each
time they are used. As you get more experienced in them, the cost of mana
will be less with each level. For example, at level 7 you can practice
tremor, but every time you use it at level 7, it will cost you 50 mana. At
level 8, casting tremor will cost you 33 mana. The amount will go down to
18 within a few levels, which is what the help file for tremor says.

EQUIPMENT                                                       CLERIC
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The best equipment for a cleric is mana equipment. Second best is hitpoint
equipment. Since the main attacks of clerics are from spells, the more
mana the better. Just because this is so, do not let your hitpoints get
too low. No matter where you are in a formation, you will get hit. If you
are in back, it is just not as likely that you will get hit often. The
donation room in many of the main cities may have some decent mana
equipment for your use. Some other mana equipment that you can start out
with are things such as: emerald rings, glowing medallion of an ancient
god, gypsy tarot cards, and a jewel-studded barrette. These items have a
level restriction up to level 10 and may be difficult for a player to get
alone within the first couple of levels. As stated before, it is usually
easier for a cleric to form, especially after the first couple of levels.

See also:  PRACTICE, TRAIN, CAST, SPELLS