[CLASS BUILD] St. Gangrene - tiny Priest does mighty wounds

[Boeroer]

This build was created for a collaboration with @Aestus who runs the Youtube channel Aestus_RPG. This is build 1 of 3 from that collaboration. A link o the published videa will follow once it's out.
-----------------------------------------
This build is mainly meant for inspiration. You don't need to follow it in detail to have fun. If you understand the key features - the basic idea what makes this build special - you can usually deviate from non-core attribute-, skill-, gear- and ability selection and form the build to your own likings and ideas. 
-----------------------------------------
 

aldar G'Angreen was born amidst the wild and unpredictable landscapes of the Living Lands. 

Kaldar's clan, skilled hunters, had been living on some icy peaks of the Living Lands.

From an early age, Kaldar was drawn to the quiet, mystical side of the world. His family, though tough and pragmatic, were also devoted followers of Berath, the god of death and the cycles of life. His mother, a revered herbalist and healer, had taught him the ways of plants, potions and scrolls. She also instilled in him a respect for the natural cycles of death and rebirth. Kaldar was always intrigued by the balance that Berath governed—how life, death, and the passing of seasons were all intertwined in the endless flow of time.

In his youth, Kaldar began to serve as an acolyte in his clan’s small shrine to Berath. But while others focused on the priestly aspects of service, Kaldar felt a deep calling to combine his spirituality with the physical world. He spent time meditating on the inevitability of death and the necessity of killing for survival. While others saw death as a tragic end, Kaldar recognized that it was as much a part of nature as the birth of new life. For him, Berath was not a distant, abstract force, but an ever-present reminder of the cycles that governed his world.

One fateful day, Kaldar’s life took a tragic turn when his clan's valley was struck by a massive avalanche caused by the eruption of a nearby volcano. It surged through the valley, sweeping away homes and lives. Kaldar’s family was torn apart in the disaster, and though Kaldar survived, he lost many loved ones, including his parents. In the aftermath of the disaster, he found himself standing on the edge of the ruined valley, staring into the snow that had claimed so much. His grief was immense, yet it was here that Berath’s voice first spoke clearly to him.

Berath's words were not of comfort, but of purpose: "The cycle is not undone by mourning, but by accepting it." It was in this moment that Kaldar fully embraced his role as both priest and warrior. He vowed to honor the goddess by ensuring that the natural cycle of life and death continued, even in the face of chaos and destruction. His grief gave way to a profound understanding of the delicate balance of life, death, and rebirth, and he dedicated himself to both protecting his people and serving as a guide for those whose souls crossed into the afterlife.

Kaldar took up his greatsword, a weapon forged by his ancestors and passed down to him on the day he took his vows. While his spiritual power could heal the dying, offer prayers  and ease suffering, he knew that Berath’s will could sometimes only be carried out through action. His greatsword, capable of cleaving through the toughest of creatures, became a symbol of his devotion to the god of cycles. The sword now struck when Kaldar’s spells had done their work. After offering his prayers, he would pick up the weapon, his greatsword carving a path through enemies and ensuring that Berath’s will was done. Soon he was known as St. Gangrene.

Now, Kaldar travels beyond his homeland, drawn to the Dyrwood by rumors of imbalances in the cycle of life and death. He has heard whispers of unnatural occurrences - a plague that refuses to end, souls that do not pass to the newborn and deaths that seem wrong, as if they were taken before their time. Kaldar believes that Berath is calling him to right these wrongs, and he knows that his strength and his divine connection will be crucial to restoring balance. His true purpose lies in bringing death when necessary, but also ensuring that life flourishes where it is meant to. But mostly bringing death when necessary...

===================================
St. Gangrene
===================================
Difficulty: PotD
--------------------------------------------------------------
Class: Priest
--------------------------------------------------------------
Race: Dwarf (optional)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Background: The Living Lands - Colonist
--------------------------------------------------------------
Stats:
MIG: 21 (+1 Living Lands)
CON: 10
DEX: 15
PER: 14
INT: 15
RES: 03
--------------------------------------------------------------
Skills: Survival 8, Lore 10, Athletics 8
--------------------------------------------------------------

Talents (a=auto, r=recommended, !=important)
2: Inspiring Radiance®
4: The Pallid Hand®
6: Weapon Focus Soldier®
8: Aggrandizing Radiance®
10: Runner’s Wounding Shot
12: Two Handed Style
14: Apprentice's Sneak Attack
16: Savage Attack

Abilities
9: Spell Mastery: Blessing
11: Spell Mastery: Holy Power®, retrain to Instill Doubt at lvl 15 bc. of Apprentice’s Sneak Attack
13: Spell Mastery: Dire Blessing
15: Spell Mastery: Devotions for the Faithful®
Story Talents:
- The Merciless Hand
- Dungeon Delver
- Song of the Heavens
- Galawain's Boon (+1 MIG)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Items (!=important, r=recommended):
Weapon Set 1: Tidefall (!) (for hitting foes, legendary, Corrosive Lash)
Weapon Set 2: Abydon’s Hammer® (more Might for casting spells)
Boots: Shod in Faith®
Head: Maegfolc Skull
Armor: Angio’s Gambeson, Vengiatta Rugia
Neck: Cloak of Comfort
Belt: Girdle of the Driving Wave®
Rings: Seal of Faith, Ring of Protection
Hands: Gauntlets of Puissant Melee, Celebrant's Gloves
---------------------------------------------------------------
 

Hi!

Another late build for PoE - I was invited for a second interview by @Aestus again, this time for PoE. And since I talked about some PoE build ideas in the forum but never posted them, we thought this was a good opportunity to do so.

St. Gangrene is a Priest of Berath who wants to hit enemies with a great sword - once all the casting is done. To do that we combine very high Might and combine it with the unique great sword Tidefall - and of course high Might is great for healing as well as damaging spells... and Holy Radiance's damage gainst vessels, too (it actually scales extremely well with MIGH in combination with tha Priest's favored dispositions, one-shotting most vessels at some point)! Later we can even use Abydon's Hammer for some extra Might when we are casting damaging or healing spells.

The reason why high Might works very well with Tidefall: its wounding enchantment is a 25% raw lash, but unlike other lashes it scales with Might. More Might means higher lash damage. Higher Might also means higher weapon damage, which in turn raises the lash damage as well: win-win. You can then add some melee dmg bonuses with Savage Attack, Two-Handed Style ad Apprentice's Sneak Attack, which raises the damage further.

In order to achieve ridiculos Might we maxize it during character creation (Dwarf or Aumaua, Human also works, Living Lands) and then always use the best +MIG item we can find until we get the Maegfolc Skull (+4). If combined with Holy Power, later Champion's Boon or Minor Avatar (+8 to everything) and Aggrandizing Radiance (+2 to everything, stacks) the Might score slowly grows towards 40 points. Use the Blighthollow Resting in Caed Nua for +3 extra Might, it lasts for 3 rests in the wilderness. ~40 Might means +90% damage and healing - and it turns the 25% wounding lash into a 48% lash - so to speak. Combine with a 25% elemental lash and the melee damage is pretty impressive - outright outrageous for a Priest.

The healing bonus even works for healing that affects health: Wound Binding for example (you might consider taking it, it can prevent frequent resting because of los health) but also potions of Infuse with Vital Essence. If you drink such a potion before the combat ends it can restore quite some health for you.    

All that Might is also benefical for the second nice enchantment the weapon has: draining. With draining you'll add a portion of the damage you deal to your endurance, healing you. Lots of great sword damage = lots of healing.  

A Priest of Berath (starting ACC of 20 only) can use the talent "the Pallid Hand" to get +10 accuracy with great swords, which lifts him on the level of Fighters (30 base ACC). Add Weapon Focus Soldier and the usual accuracy buffs a Priest has (Blessing, Devotions, Minor Avatar etc.) and you can see that hitting enemies will not be a problem at all.

It's still a Priest so the main focus is on the spells - but often, once you are finished with your spells or want to spare spells for later, you want to do something mundane with your Priest. This one can. It's also great to be able to whack some sense into backline rushers who think they can just annoy your casters. 

To make the melee combat more fun and interesting I added Runner's Wounding Shot (the 80% DoT stacks with Wounding) and the Girdle of the Driving Wave (which gives you Knockdown 1/encounter which can be super useful against rushers) - so you will have two special melee attacks per encounter at least. If you want to get even more you can pick up Envenomed Strikes instead of Savage Attack or Apprentice's Sneak Attack. It's 3/rest - but very strong if you take it early - and its damage scales well with Might, too. Remember: you can always retrain... Also Gatecrasher Gloves can be fun: Clear Out with high MIG and good INT is no joke. 

Cheers and have fun!

 

  
 

Edited December 11 by Boeroer