How to treat your cleric

The cleric is a sensitive creature who thrives on making others feeling healthier/happier in exchange of appreciation. Gianna, creator of TheNoob comic, puts it well: the cleric is a "co-dependent" personality - at least 9 times out of 10.

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Dictionary definition of "codependent" is: A person who is unfulfilled, constantly in relationships, is indirect, unassertive when they have a need; the person will also exhibit symptoms such as controlling behavior, intimacy problems and is a caretaker of others.

Wikipedia definition of "codependency": Codependency is a tendency to behave in overly passive or excessively caretaking ways that negatively impact one's relationships and quality of life. It also often involves putting one's needs at a lower priority than others while being excessively preoccupied with the needs of others. Codependency can occur in any type of relationship, including in families, at work, in friendships, and also in romantic, peer or community relationships.

For best results, keep your clerics out of direct 
sunlight and hand wash them with lukewarm water. 

The definitions above do sound like the average cleric. As the comic implies, the cleric:

• is insecure and needs recognition, 
• will avoid direct confrontation, 
• needs a group to lvl, 
• prefers praise over loots,
• is a caretaker of others.

One of the rare care labels delivered with each new cleric.

4 ways to make your cleric happy (and train him to follow you):

1. Reward him with a praise, each time he does something you like.
2. Do not shout at him, especially in the midst of the battle - chances are it will have a negative impact on his moral and consecutively on his performance.  In general, he is easily hurt by disapproval.
3. Make him feel useful and needed. Give him an endless supply of problems to solve. Prefer problems pertaining to you, friends, legion. Let him help you. Be truthful, he will know if you do not mean it. Make sure you spell out, often enough, that he is needed.
4. Offer him love and support. Since your cleric values love and support, he will appreciate your gesture. He won't ask you to prove any of those, so you can easily fool him.

Caution: the cleric is not an idiot, nor a masochism. Although usually his loyalty towards friends and legion is increased, he will eventually move on to a new environment if his needs are not met, if he thinks you are taking advantage of him, or simply if he is not having a good time with you.



Information on co-dependence:

• Codependency article in wikipedia
• Narcissists article in wikipedia NB: Narcissists are a natural magnet for codependents.
• Codependence article in About.com Health's Disease and Condition
• Dependent personality disorder in NIH's Medline. NB: A codependent person does not necessarily have a dependent personality disorder.
• 'Cluster C Personality Disorders', in: Diagnostical and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV, Washington: American Psychiatric Association, 4th ed. 1994, ISBN 0-89042-062-9, 662-673.
• 'Schema Therapy, A Practitioner's Guide', by J. Young, J. Klosko, M. Eishaar, Guilford Press 2006, ISBN 978-1593853723