Cleric of Gradius

From RoH Wiki

Derlith's dwarves all follow the god Gradius: he is their god of mining, metallurgy, earth, and creation. Gradius is a jovial god, known as the best drinker and carouser in the heavens. Yet, he fuels the war against evil humanoids such as orcs, goblins, ogres, trolls, and giants, making a cleric of Gradius second in warfare only to a cleric of Ares.

General Information

Close ties to the realm of earth allow Gradius clerics the ability to call forth earthen critters to assist them in combat. Not only do these conjures have many earth spells, but they also come with useful skills such as circle and smother.
A cleric of Gradius that has proven his dedication will be granted the ability to smother opponents with the power of earth.
Gradius is a neutral god, and thus clerics of Gradius are held to the same standards. Yet, this alignment is less troublesome to maintain since Gradius will positively reward any killing of vile races.
- If a Gradius cleric becomes moderately misaligned (bluish/reddish), healing abilities worsen and lose smother. If he strays far into the extremities of aura, he will lose the ability to conjure.

Armor type: Plate
Restrictions: Must maintain a neutral alignment for optimal performance. Will only conjure earth realm pets.
Summary of Skills: conjure, pray, teach, smother (level 10).

See here for a quick comparison of how their pets are compared to others.

Benefits from Stats

Gradius clerics are very versatile, and can be statted a few ways. Because they are given an immense amount of MP and are able to wear heavy armor, you may play them as a caster with INT or just a heavy duty battlecleric by going with STR+CON.

Piety: Like any other conjuring class (aside from druid), PTY dictates the length of your pet's stay. Since Gradius clerics are dependent on the aid of these elementals for damage, it is best to make this a primary stat. It also plays a role in the success of smother attacks.
Strength: While clerics will not receive an enormous attack power bonus anyway, extra damage with weapons is always useful and makes a little difference.
Constitution: While clerics of Gradius are fairly adept at healing, the fact that they allowed to wear plate armor makes them very durable in a fight. You may choose to put points in CON for more survivability. The extra HP gained is surprising, and may buy you extra time during battle.
Intelligence: Gradius clerics may quickly excel in the arts of magic if they are supported with the stats to do so. They have moderate casting time and gain INT quickly. This stat may be a good option for additional damage via magical attacks.
Dexterity: Both, dwarves and clerics, have never been reputable in the skills of stealth. And thus, a cleric of Gradius should never ever need any points in DEX. There is no point to waste points and try to improve dodge, especially with the ability to absorb damage with plate and heal.