So, ranged combat is pretty much out, as are spells that mess up vision (so no invisibility, fog, etc); this is due to the arena rules. What's already present can't really be changed. Dragon Mag is out, as is Tome of Magic and Tome of Battle. The book not only has to be 3.5 edition WotC, but it also has to have been printed after 3.0 ended, currently (Savage Species, etc, is no good). We only get a single round to buff up, so DMM: Peristent is less valuable than DMM: Quicken, and I'll be going with those later. We can retrain as per the PHB2.
Evil Human Cleric 3
Domains: Time, Death <-Death will get retrained to Envy domain soon
1 Death Devotion, Profane Lifeleech, Improved Initiative <-Profane Lifeleech will get retrained for Quicken later
3 ? <-I took Shield Specialization, as its a prereq for Shield Ward, and I can use the AC immediately; I still welcome any other advice. This will get retrained for Law Devotion (thanks!)
Spells
0 Summon Holy Symbol, Mend, Cure Minor Wounds, Virtue
1 Incite, Impede, Doom, True Strike (Domain)
2 Curse of Ill Fortune, Owl's Wisdom, Cause Fear (Domain)
I've defeated a meathead, and a pretty well-prepared caster (almost entirely by luck - I made 6 saves in a row). Here's the sheet, but I don't think there's anything else relevant:
http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=248408What would you pick with that 3rd feat? I'm torn between "right now" and "prepare for later". I'm thinking about either shield specialization or zen archery.
Also, alchemical items are allowed, as are one-shot items, all at double cost. I've got about 1500 gp left to burn through after armor and weapon, etc. I've got a tanglefoot bag and some universal solvent, but what other items are out there in terms of similar power and cost?