Help a noob Cleric

[Keldar]

Its been well over a year since I had a chance to play D&D, now I'm going to jump into a 4th Ed game with my old group.  An edition I only have the most general ideas about, so I come to the masters of optimization for help.

The group has a strong aversion to Clerics, that seemingly has spread to include all Leaders in 4e, so I've decided to go with Cleric.  Unfortunately what few guides I could find are out of date, and none really include builds.  The DM is the only one who has attempted a Cleric so far, and he admitted to having bungled it.  As he was the one that helped me make this character on the Character Builder, there are bound to be mistakes.  I'd like some help avoiding any issues that can't be rectified at a later date, and some help planning a basic advancement path for the character.

The game starts at 3rd level, and all material currently in the Character Builder is fair game (though I only have the free trial version).  The only house rule is that Dragonmarks are limited by race as in 3e.  The campaign is in Eberron, and all characters are survivors of the Day of Mourning (thus the background choice, with the handy Perception bonus).

The character:
[spoiler]
Cleric 3 (BattlePriest), Dol Dorn
Longtooth Shifter, Good
Background: Thousand Yard Stare (+2 Perception)
Str 18, Con 14. Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 11
AC 18, Fort 16, Ref 11, Will 17
Trained Skills: Diplomacy 6, Insight 9, Heal 9, Religion 6
Other of note: Athletics 6, Endurance 4, Nature 4, Perception 6
Class Features: Standard Cleric
Feats: Ritual Caster [Cleric], Weapon Expertise (Mace)[1st], Durable[3rd]
At Will Powers: Priest's Shield, Righteous Brand
Encounter Powers: Longtooth Shifting, Divine fortune, Turn Undead, Healing word, Healing Strike, Daunting Light
Daily Powers: Cascade of Light
Utility Powers: Cure Light Wounds
Equipment: Communal Morningstar +1, Distance Crossbow +1, Whiteflame Chainmail +1, Amulet of Mental Resolve +1, Ritual Book, Adventurer's Kit, Holy Symbol, Crossbow Bolts (20), Crowbar, Grappling Hook, Traveler's Papers, Identification Papers with Portrait, Empty Flask (2), Candle (4)  [I suspect we did something wrong and I have too much equipment]
Rituals: Gentle Repose, Brew Potion, Tenser's Floating Disk
[/spoiler]

After looking things over, I'm fairly sure I made some dumb choices, but I have no clue where to go with it.  About all I'm sure I'm sticking with is Cleric, and probably the Thousand Yard Stare Background.
So does anyone have advice for me on my first foray into 4th Ed?

[PhoenixInferno]

Priest's Shield isn't great - I'd consider trading it out for Sacred Flames, despite being a STR-Cleric.  Granting saving throws is very useful - it will really get the Leader-haters to appreciate your role better.  That frees up your crossbow to become a Holy Symbol, although you won't have the best range.  Still for most low-to-mid level encounters, that should be sufficient.

[CaptainKarzak]

I'm new to 4th edition too, so I'll just touch on the obvious points.

(1) You have a high strength and righteous brand. Your group is going to LOVE having you around.

(2) I strongly agree with PhoenixInferno's assessment of Sacred Flames >> Priest Shield. The ability to grant extra saving throws with an
     at-will power (that targets reflex) is full of win. My party right now is level 10 and this power still sounds awesome! I wish we had a cleric.
     You're really making it *much* harder for enemies to cripple key party members via status effects.

(3) Pay a LOT of attention to what kind of action (minor, move, standard) a power requires. New players like myself and my teammates tend to
     cheat ourselves out of actions because we assumed all our powers were standard actions. A lot of healing powers only require a minor
     actions, so you can get a lot of things done in a round in addition to healing.

(4) With regards to your background feat - you could get 4 more hit points by picking "born under a bad sign" or "auspicious birth"
      Or, if you put a high premium on the value of the perception skill, then you could pick one of the numerous Eberron background feats
      that allows you to train perception rather than just getting a +2 bonus: ex Caravan Scout, Lyrandar Airship Sailor

[lotofsnow]

I know Cascade of Light seems really tempting, but as a Strength Cleric, you might want to skip it.  There's nothing that sucks worse than missing with your daily powers, and you will miss a lot with only a 16 Wisdom. Avenging Flame is a good power (unfortunately it is fire) that punishes your enemy if he decides to attack, and it keys off your primary attack stat. Beacon of Hope is another decent power. Its most useful effect is the hit point regain on your allies that doesn't require an attack roll and also benefits from the cleric's Healer's Lore class feature.

Also, I'd skip Durable in favor of Toughness if you're hoping to enhance your longevity. Toughness increases both your total health and your healing surge value. Durable is only really useful at this level if you plan on doing more than the usual number of encounters per day.

As an aside, I don't understand how a group can dislike leaders. I'm actually hoping my current character gets bumped off so I can play an artificer. Are you saying they dislike the leader on principle in 4e or just have an aversion to actually playing that role?

[CaptainKarzak]

As Anomalousman sagaciously explained to me, the one thing you really can't afford to screw up is your stat allocation. 4th ed will let you retrain your powers and your feats, but you are not going to get another chance to reset your stats. And your stats play a very big role in determining what feats you can choose and, obviously,  how effective key powers will be.

With that in mind, Keldar, do you have any inkling as to what Paragon Path or Epic Destiny you want your character to pursue? That will help other board members narrow down what feats and powers your stat allocation must support.

So just like with 3.X, you must have the end in mind when you start building your character.

[Keldar]

Thanks for the fast and helpful replies.  I'll certainly be swapping out those powers.

As to plans, I've got nothing.  I have no clue what is good and what Admiral Ackbar would warn me off from.
Any suggestions for good build plans for melee clerics?  I haven't the foggiest what is out there.

[PhoenixInferno]

Building STR Clerics isn't rocket science.  Basically, look for powers that use STR as the attack stat.  There's only 1 or 2 per level.  The utilities are the ones you have to think about, but they're mostly pretty solid.

[lotofsnow]

PI is correct. You also might consider upgrading your weapon to a heavy blade (for the +3 bonus) or a greatspear (for the +3 and reach). Since you are in the front lines, Armor Proficiency Scale might be a good idea.

[Endarire]

My inspiration was a Fast ZAP! from the heavens.