Well I thought someone was going to propose a build with the classes i've exposed. That didn't happen, but heres what I've been collecting, and my idea:
The data:
Dragons of Eberron LOREDRAKE(Page 31)
Magic flows through every dragon’s
blood. The loredrake devotes her life
to harnessing this power and
understanding the mysteries of magic.
The most accomplished priests of the
Dragon Gods and students of the
draconic Prophecy are typically
loredrakes, and it is the dragons of
this path that uncovered the greatest
mysteries of arcane magic. Most
dragons have great respect for
loredrakes, but not all loredrakes are
noble creatures. Darkness abides in
magic along with light, and a
loredrake must decide whether he
answers the call of the Shadow.
Sovereigns: Aureon, The Shadow.
Benefit: Spellcraft is added to the
list of class skills. Once the dragon
has the ability to cast spells, his
effective sorcerer level is increased
by two. For example, an adult gold
loredrake cast spells as a 9th-level
sorcerer. In exchange, the dragon’s
racial Hit Dice are reduced to d10s.
Kobolds: Playing to Their Strengths -
Web Enhacement
Kobold Ritual
The Draconic Rite of Passage (see page 43
of Races of the Dragon) is a ritual
that grants any kobold who completes
the rite a 1st-level sorcerer
spell-like ability of their choice,
usable once per day. To recharge this
ability, a kobold must complete the
Searching for the Dragon meditation
each day, which equates to same amount
of time a sorcerer must spend
concentrating to replenish their
spells. The following ritual (and
associated feat) are extensions of the
Draconic Rite of Passage. Greater
Draconic Rite of Passage The Greater
Draconic Rite of Passage is a powerful
ritual handed down from dragons to
kobolds as a reward for their undying
loyalty. In the same way that
chromatic and metallic dragons gain
integrated levels of sorcerer
spellcasting as they age, this ritual
allows kobolds to awaken a small
amount of their own arcane might.
Prerequisites: Only kobolds of 6 Hit
Dice or more, sorcerer level 1st, who
have successfully completed the
Draconic Rite of Passage, and taken
Draconic Reservoir (1) can undergo the
Greater Draconic Rite of Passage. A
kobold requires no one else to perform
the rite; it is a solitary activity.
(1) See below for feat description.
Benefit: Upon completing this rite, a
kobold gains new spells per day and an
increase in caster level (and spells
known) as if also gaining one level in
the sorcerer class. The kobold does
not, however, gain any other benefit a
sorcerer would have gained (familiar
abilities, and so on). The benefit of
this ritual is automatically factored
into the 15 minutes that a kobold
sorcerer spends concentrating to ready
their daily allotment of spells. No
kobold can benefit from this rite more
than once. Time: A kobold who
undergoes this rite must first endure
nine days of fasting (the equivalent
of three days for a kobold in a region
above 40 degrees F). Immediately
thereafter, the kobold must succeed on
a DC 20 Concentration check to enter a
deep trance that lasts for 24 hours.
If the check fails, the rite must
begin a new. Cost: This rite requires
sacrificing a gem of at least 1,000 gp
in value. The kobold also permanently
loses 3 hit points upon completion of
the rite, the price of unlocking
latent draconic energy within their
soul.
Slight Build: The physical stature of
kobolds lets them function in many
ways as if they were one size category
smaller. Whenever a kobold is subject
to a size modifier or special size
modifier for an opposed check (such as
Hide), the kobold is treated as one
size smaller if doing so is
advantageous to the character. A
kobold is also considered to be one
size smaller when "squeezing" through
a restrictive space. A kobold can use
weapons designed for a creature one
size smaller without penalty. However,
the space and reach of a kobold remain
those of a creature of their actual
size. The benefits of this racial
trait stack with the effects of
powers, abilities, and spells that
change the subject's size category.
Table 6–9: Kobold Fighter Racial Substitution Levels
lvl bab f r w Special
1st +1 +2 +0 +0 Spear focus, Dodge
2nd +2 +3 +0 +0 Constitution boost (Con +2)
4th +4 +4 +1 +1 Strength boost (Str +2)
Kobold Paragon (rotd)
Now my idea:
Sorcerer 1(+2 paragon)(+1 rite)(+2 Loredrake)/
Paragon 3/
Warrior 4/
SoulEater 2/
Haply Warrior 5
CL: 6
BaB: 2+4+2+4 = 12/7/2
TSBase:FRV=(002+133+411+333+144)= 9-11-13
Race: Earth Kobold(-2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Con)
Warrior Replace: +2 Str, +2 Con)
Great Wyrm Add (+3 Int, +3 Wis, +3 Cha)
Paragon Add (+2 Cha)
Characteristics:
Str+0 Dex+2 Con+0 Int+3 Wis+3 Cha+5
Feats: Dragonwrought, Alertness, Weapon Focus(Claw), Draconic reservoir
So, this way I would be using Soul Eater (BoVD) abilities as "luck stealing" in a necromantic kind of way
Still don't know how to resolve the "unluck aura" though...
Yes
You're correct. Due to the way orisons work a cleric or druid could alleviate the dangers of heat in the desert by casting "Create Water" repeatedly.
Just another reason to have one in your party!
Editing to take into account the question edit...
Heat isn't the only issue in the desert. The party could run into a sandstorm that could cause damage (and which also might even ruin the water from "create water" by essentially making it "create mud").
They are also sandpits/quicksand which could suck in party members who aren't careful.
Hostile local wildlife can be an issue. A highly venomous snake may decide to nest in the PC's gear overnight since it's warmer then the surrounding sand. Quite a surprise when they reach into their backpack to retrieve their map and get a snake bite.
It's also worth noting it gets very cold at night so a party may be geared up to handle the dry heat of a desert only to be surprised by the below freezing temps at night.
Mirages could disorient/deceive the party. It's also fair to note that deserts can be relatively featureless meaning it's much easier to get lost in the first place (tho this can depend greatly on your desert and its surroundings).
Best Answer
I like to think there are 3 main spell casting class variants (clerics,wizards,sorcerers). Other spell casting classes will have their own specific rules, but will have behavior similar to one of the main 3 (usually wizard):
Since you are building a cleric, ill start there by answering your specific questions:
Clerics get the entire cleric spell list as spells known.
The 3 0th means that they can have 3 level 0 spells prepared for the day.
The 1+1 1st level means they get to prepare any 1 spell of first level from the cleric spell list and 1 level 1 spell from one of their domain spell lists.
Now how do clerics compare to other casters?
wizards : like clerics they have to prepare the spells they want to use each day. Unlike clerics, they do not have the full spell list available to them. They can only prepare spells from the list of spells in their spell book. At each level they get to add spells to their spell book. (they can also learn them by copying other spell books & scrolls)
sorcerers: They learn new spells each level like a wizard. However, they do not have to prepare spells per day (spontaneous casters). They can use their spells slots per day on any spell they have learned of that level.