Well, the early orders for PCs are in… Adam wants to play the Wizard, Greg wants to play the Dragonborn Paladin, and Nate wants to play the Rogue. I’ve still got to preview the Wizard and the Cleric, so let’s start with the cleric.

There is, in fact, errata to the cleric, which is included in this posting (thanks to ShinRyuRR of EN World for doing the transcription I’ve used); any other errors may have come from anywhere!

HALF-ELF CLERIC OF BAHAMUT
HP 26, Bloodied 13, Healing Surge 6, Surges Per Day 9
Initiative +0
AC 16, Fort 12, Ref 10, Will 15

[bm] Mace +3 vs. AC; 1d8+1
[br] Crossbow +2 vs. AC; 1d8

Normal stuff here, and the cleric is anything but impressive with its basic attacks.

RACIAL TRAITS
Height: 5’11”; Weight: 160 lb.; Size: Medium
Speed: 5 squares; Vision: Low-light
Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven; Alignment: Lawful Good

Skill Bonus: +2 Diplomacy, +2 Insight (already included)
Group Diplomacy: You grant allies within 10 squares of you a +1 racial bonus to Diplomacy checks.

Is that it? Well, actually the Half-Elf also gains an additional power – an “at will” power of any class, although they can only use it 1/encounter. It’s a little bit of multiclassing. It was left out on the official sheet, although the errata adds it back in. Note that Heavy Armour drops the speed to 5, not 4.

AT-WILL POWERS

Lance of Faith   Cleric Attack 1
A brilliant ray of light sears your foe with golden radiance. Sparkles of light linger around the trget, guiding your ally’s attack.
At-Will ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action   Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Attacks: +3 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d8 + 3 radiant damage, and one ally you can see gains a +2 power bonus to his or her next attack roll against the target.

Poor attack bonus, but Reflex defenses aren’t always that good, normally a few points below AC except for especially speedy creatures (like the Rogue). Indeed, there’s a 6 difference between AC and Ref defences for this cleric!

Sacred Flame   Cleric Attack 1
Sacred light shines from above, searing a single enemy with its radiance while at the same time aiding an ally with its beneficient power.
At-Will ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action   Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Attack: +3 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d6 + 3 radiant damage, and one ally you can see chooses either to gain 2 temporary hit points or to make a saving throw.

Radiant damage does more against undead… against the Bodak, for instance, it deals extra damage and also stops some of its powers from working! It’s also worth noting that both of these at-will powers are ranged; very interesting indeed. This is not a melee cleric!

ENCOUNTER POWERS

Bolstering Strike   Paladin Attack 1
You attack your foe without mercy or reprieve, and your accuracy is rewarded with a divine gift of vigor.
At-Will ✦ Divine, Weapon
Standard Action   Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: +5 vs. AC
Hit: 1d8 + 3 damage, and you gain 3 temporary hit points.

This is the extra power. It’s melee, unlike the at-will powers, but at least it has a better attack bonus! Temporary hit points do not stack; you just use the highest value.

Healing Strike   Cleric Attack 1
Divine radiance gleams from your weapon. When you smite your enemy, your deity bestows a minor blessing in the form of healing for you or one of your allies.
Encounter ✦ Divine, Healing, Radiant, Weapon
Standard Action   Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: +3 vs. AC
Hit: 2d8 + 1 radiant damage, and the target is marked until the end of your next turn. In addition, you or one ally within 5 squares of you can spend a healing surge.

What does the mark do? It allows other powers to function, although I can’t see any that the cleric would use! Is there an intrinsic benefit to marking an opponent? Allowing a healing surge is rather nice.

DAILY POWER

Beacon of Hope   Cleric Attack 1
A burst of divine energy harms your foes and heals your allies.
Daily ✦ Divine, Healing, Implement
Standard Action   Close burst 3
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: +3 vs. Will
Hit: The target is weakened until the end of its next turn.
Effect: You and all your allies in the burst regain 5 hit points, and your healing powers restore +5 hit points until the end of the encounter.

Weakened = target deals 1/2 damage, IIRC. This is a really, really good daily power, with the Effect (which occurs whether you hit or miss) being very good.

CLASS FEATURES

Channel Divinity: You can use one of these special divine powers once per encounter.
Healer’s Lore: When you grant healing with one of your cleric powers that has the Healing keyword, add +3 to the number of restored hit points.
Healing Word: Twice per encounter as a minor action, you can use the healing word power.

Healing Word   Cleric Feature
You whisper a brief prayer as divine light washes over your target, helping to mend its wounds.
Encounter (Special) ✦ Divine, Healing
Special: You can use this power twice per encounter, but only once per round.
Minor Action   Close burst 5
Target: You or one ally
Effect: The target can spend a healing surge and regain an additional 1d6 + 3 hit points.

Note: healing as minor action, which is a ranged ability. Also note how it expends healing surges of the target!

Channel Divinity: Divine Fortune   Cleric Feature
In the face of peril, you hold true to your faith and receive a special boon.
Encounter ✦ Divine
Free Action   Personal
Effect: You gain a +1 bonus to your next attack roll or saving throw before the end of your next turn.

Channel Divinity: Turn Undead   Cleric Feature
You sear undead foes, push them back, and root them in place.
Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action   Close burst 2
Target: Each undead creature in burst
Attack: +3 vs. Will
Hit: 1d10 + 3 radiant damage, and you push the target 6 squares. The target is immobilized until the end of your next turn.
Miss: Half damage, and the target is not pushed or immobilized

Channel Divinity: Armor of Bahamut  Cleric Feature
Bahamut protects you or a friend from devastating harm.
Encounter ✦ Divine
Immediate Interrupt    Ranged 5
Trigger: An enemy scores a critical hit on you or an ally
Effect: Turn a critical hit against you or an ally within range into a normal hit.

ABILITY SCORES
Str 13 [+1], Con 14 [+2], Dex 11 [+0], Int 10 [+0], Wis 16 [+3], Cha 16 [+3]

SKILLS
Arcana +5, Diplomacy +5, Heal +8, History +5, Insight +5, Religion +5.

FEAT
Channel Divinity: Armor of Bahamut: You can invoke the power of your deity to use the armor of Bahamut power.

GEAR
Armor: Chain mail.
Weapon: Mace, crossbow, crossbow bolts (20). Your crossbow has a range of 15/30.
Adventurer’s Kit: This kit includes: a backpack, a bedroll, flint and steel, a belt pouch, two sunrods, ten days worth of trail rations, 50 feet of hempen rope, and a waterskin.
Holy symbol of Bahamut
Gold: 10 gp

2ND LEVEL
At 2nd level, you gain the following:

Hit Points: Increase to 31; Bloodied: Increase to 15; Healing Surge: Increase to 7.

Level Modifier: Because your new level is an even number, everything that includes one-half your level gets better. Increase your attacks, defenses, initiative, and skill check modifiers by 1 point.
Feat: Group Insight: You grant allies withing 10 squares of you a +1 racial bonus to Insight checks and initiative checks.

I’m unsure of how annoying the “Group” feats are going to be. Are you going to remember the bonuses?

Cure Light Wounds   Cleric Utility 2
You utter a simple prayer and gain the power to instantly heal wounds, and your touch momentarily suffuses you or a wounded creature with a dim silver light
Daily ✦ Divine, Healing
Standard Action   Melee touch
Target: You or one creature
Effect: The target regains hit points as if it had spent a healing surge.

Note well: this doesn’t use a healing surge!

3RD LEVEL
At 3rd level, you gain the following:

Hit Points: Increase to 36; Bloodied: Increase to 18; Healing Surge: Increase to 9.

Daunting Light   Cleric Attack 3
A burning column of light engulfs your foe, its brilliance burns an hinders your foe’s defense for a short time
Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action   Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: +4 vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d10 + 3 radiant damage
Effect: One ally you can see gains combat advantage against the target until the end of your next turn

Combat Advantage I described in the last article – this is a good teamwork ability with the Rogue. 4e has a lot of teamwork powers in it…