Rescuing Cleric

Rescuing Clerics are clerics that focus on the skills needed to fetch corpses back the wilds where they have fallen. Typically, these clerics focus their initial training on the spells and skills necessary to do this quickly and efficiently, as well as the ability to tend wounds and raise the dead.

Stat Placement and Race Selection

The Rescuing Cleric, as a rule, is not the entire purpose of a cleric, but rather a template that is applied to a normal Cleric, Melee Cleric, or Warding Cleric to help them fill a useful niche. As such, it is recommended that stats and race be chosen based on that.

For a cleric that intends to use First Aid to TEND a great deal (as opposed to finding an Empath or using POURable herbs and potions) when field raising, the Dexterity stat helps reduce roundtime when TENDing.

General Training Suggestions

As above, most skill training should be directed towards the general type of cleric that you desire. However, there are a few areas that a Rescuing Cleric should consider diverting some additional effort. For a 'career' rescuer, DS and TD are both vitally important, as sometimes a rescuer is tempted to seek corpses in areas that might cause them to join the rescuee. Other secondary skills make the rescuer more versatile, or more readily able to aid a corpse.

Magical Skills

If the cleric uses a Runestaff for defense, heavy training in the magical skills is valuable for survivability in hostile areas. A few skills in particular can be of special import.

Spiritual Mana Control

In order to raise the dead without fear of spell failure that would result in the spirit death of the corpse, a cleric should have 24 ranks of SMC before attempting to raise the dead. Further training in this skill will aid the cleric's mana regeneration, aid with the effectiveness of Divine Wrath, and allow more efficient mana transfer to others with the same skill (such as Empaths, whose healing spells are generally more mana-intensive than a cleric's).

Spiritual Lore

While Lores are an excellent way for any cleric to customize themselves, with sufficient ranks of certain lores, the Fourth Tier of the Holy Receptacle spell, Chrism, permits a cleric to create a chrism gem that will accelerate the rate at which a newly-restored character recovers from Death's Sting if used before casting Raise Dead. To create a Chrism gem, the cleric must have:

• Spiritual Lore, Summoning - 15 ranks / 70 skill
• Spiritual Lore, Blessings - 10 ranks / 50 skill
• Spiritual Lore, Religion - 20 ranks / 90 skill

Secondary Skills

Sundry skills make a rescuer more adept. The collection of healing herbs for a newly-arisen character can mean the difference between speedy recovery and a drawn-out convalescence, while skill at applying bandages allows a cleric to 'field raise' a corpse with still-bleeding wounds.

Climbing and Swimming

Many hunting areas in GemStone are accessible only by swimming through water or scaling difficult trails. When a cleric is unable to [[Transference {225)|teleport]] to the victim, their only choice is to hoof it to them. A skilled rescuer should be an adept swimmer as well as an expert mountaineer if they seek to aid the fallen wherever they may be.

First Aid

A skill of great importance to the rescuer, it allows the cleric to TEND bleeding wounds. Increased skill will allow the cleric to staunch the flow from more significant wounds, and to treat lesser wounds with greater felicity. This skill also helps when foraging for herbs, and reduces the roundtime incurred when eating herbs.

Perception

Sneaky creatures have been known to find the taste of adventurers so appealing that they hide them away, presumably to eat them later! Training in Perception helps a cleric find a hidden character, forage for herbs, spot thieves, or find hidden pathways.

Spell Training

Beyond any skill in tending wounds or finding herbs, there is one thing that makes a Rescuing Cleric what they are - the ability to find, retrieve, and restore a fallen adventurer. It is the magic of the cleric that permits this, manifested in a few important spells. These spells are listed below in the order they are generally acquired.

Preservation (305)

Without timely intervention, the spirit of a fallen adventurer will depart, resulting in decay of the body. Since a cleric requires time to work, the prayer of preservation will bind the spirit more firmly to the body, buying time to restore the fallen to life.

Well of Life (308)

Allows a cleric to link to a corpse prior to casting Raise Dead, as well as permits a transfer of spirit from one character to another. Especially useful during invasions when clerics able to raise the dead are few; less-experienced clerics can assist by sending spirit to help.

Minor Sanctuary (213)

In the thick of battle, field surgery can be difficult. In order to lessen the peril of the rescuer, the Cleric can call upon the spirits to induce a sense of calm that will permit time to make an organized escape, or perform a field raise. Major Sanctuary (220) is sometimes also used for this purpose, particularly for field raises in dangerous environments, such as areas with strong winds or cold.

Locate Person (116)

It's hard to rescue what you can't find. With this spell, a cleric can find the location of a corpse, either to walk there or to verify it is safe to teleport in. A good general-purpose spell as well, when seeking someone out.

Raise Dead (318)

One of the most profession-defining spells available to Clerics, the ability to raise the dead is the cornerstone of a Rescuing Cleric's repertoire. This spell allows the cleric to restore the dead to life at a cost of their own spirit points, based on the maximum spirit of the corpse and the number of ranks of Cleric Base spell ranks the cleric has.

• At 18 ranks, the spell is Raise Dead and costs 75% of the target's maximum spirit, and restores them to 1 health and spirit.
• At 25 ranks, the spell is Life Restoration and costs 50% of the target's maximum spirit. This stronger version of Raise Dead grants the newly-arisen 10% of maximum health and spirit.
• At 40 ranks, the spell is Ressurection and costs 25% of the target's maximum spirit, and restores the target to 50% of maximum health.

Transference (225)

The last of the fundamental rescuing spells, Transference allows the cleric to teleport themselves to the location of any non-hidden, visible character in the same realm not in a no-teleportation area or Unpresenced.

Spirit Guide (130)

While not necessary per se, this spell is excellent for transporting a cleric and his or her group to a place of relative safety. Use of this spell can incur severe nausea to the point of incapacitation... and sometimes "safety" is a relative thing!

Advanced Training

This section is still forthcoming.