Interesting. But what do you mean by “prayer double stack”?
the prayer healing stacks when it is a sub synergy to another aura, also from the highest single source of prayer aura, and also if there are multiple prayer auras that are the same skill level as long as they are also not overwritten by a single higher skill level prayer aura.
So you can get prayer stacking from meditation, cleanse, and prayer in different combinations to get some really strong healing ticks. Healing ticks both you and your merc and party members receive.
Also any replenish life or health regen tick separately from prayer, so you can get some pretty comical healing.
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This is the type of drunk debate I needed. Not sure which of or both you are trolling but I’m got to try the first build out and just enjoy as a different FoH build. Other than the Cham it sounds pretty budget for a CS farmer. With the new patch FoH feels like the quickest budget and most fun CS build.
Reason I’m going for the first build too is that’s it’s not meta.
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This is a man who understands and is a deep critical thinker. Prayer is life prayer is love no one likes curses. Please dont use conviction ever guys its trash on foh. Those were the old times like the op said you all need to evolve to the next level.
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Wise one,
I read this and multiple other Foh guides, thought I had my S together. “No way this makes a good Foh, I’ve been doing this for years…blah blah blah.”
And finally my Respec token started staring at me intensely. just try it it said.
foolish thoughts kept passing through my head like; How will I manage without conviction? I’m not taking any Holy Shock synergy? Will my Merc be weak sauce? I have to give up Hoto, griffens, etc?
This.changed.my.world.
Hesitation at first…
Defensive aura? Ewww. Wrong.
More defensive auras? Weak sauce. Wait, am I double stacking health synergies?
Plague rune word for a caster? Psh, this guy is trolling me! OMG a perfect roll and I now I’m triple stacking heals.
+2 defensive fcr anmy with huge mana boost. Bolts take down undead and demons like God himself is melting ants with a magnifying glass. Merc cuts the remaining enemies down like a weed Wacker. Sometime we just sit in the middle of champion packs and have a cup of tea while our health, mana, and defense make us nearly unbreakable. I’m Yawning during boss fights now.
I inducted my perfect hand of blessed light with 5/5 lite facet into the OG hall of fame and removed it from my mind. Gave my Hoto to my barb for war cries. Still stacking ~500 mf with specific gear and haven’t lost an ounce of utility.
I feel like I dropped a bad habit or got out of a abusive relationship. No, sorcs you can’t get conviction! You can have unlimited mana and health and be happy with it! I’m standing up for myself and I deserve to be satisfied and safe too!
I’ve made a couple tweaks to fit my style, but this is seriously the S. I was so lost before. Thank you for enlightening me.
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unlimited power.
Heh nice one.
I made a Cleric this Ladder and although I dislike Animal/Beast foes while playing it, this slays Undead/Demon hardcore on P1-3. At higher Playercount, the Magic damage indeed doesn’t match what Blessed Hammer can do. Despite that… the firepower and defensive utility attributes of this build is nothing short of fun.
Build is as follows:
20 FoH
20 Holy Bolt
20 Prayer
20 Meditation
20 Holy Shield
8 Prerequisites
108/110 Skills used, hence done at level 97
Gear:
Shako(Um)
Enigma(Teleport)
Plague(Mythical Sword for Melee situations… yields Cleansing)
45 All Res Spirit(Sacred Targe or Rondache for Block, need 35 FCR for breakpoint)
Aldur Boots(Fire Resistance)
Trang Gloves(Cold Resistance + %Poison Damage for Plague)
Spider
Seraph Hymn
2 x SOJ
Torch/Anni + Defensive Aura GC’s(optional but CHEAP since who favors that?)
CTA/Spirit Switch
Mercenary: Act 5 Frenzy w/ Grief/Lawbringer(PB), Arreats(Cham’d) + Fortitude
Yields: +18 Paladin Skills when BO’d. Prayer/Meditation floor is level 40(up to level 49 with 9 GC’s). Level 40 Prayer yields +77 Life per tick, hence 154 via Meditation + Cleansing. One thing I’ve noted though is that Meditation doesn’t apply to my A5 Mercenary(Cleansing does though, ditto Prayer). Whether that’s an oversight, a bug or due to Mercenaries not having “mana” I do not know. Resistance comes in around ~45-65 depending on Torch/Anni roll. Few charms can boost you to the cap. Mercenary sole job is to KO Animal/Beast. Nothing more, nothing less. You can also roll with an A2 Prayer Merc for even more healing but go with Doom(Polearm) for some nice CC and to benefit from its +2 Skills.
Has anyone in this thread checked out the times of yore, when there was a mythical Abbott??
This is the build I’m trying to make whole in today’s world, also the reason I keep campaigning for “Plague” to be possible in Paladin scepters… can you imagine? Wouldn’t be crazy DPS, but your survivability would be the shiz, errrr, it would be gracious indeed, I pray thee.
I love prayer, and wish it could receive more players trying it, instead of just… well you know, being followers.
It is my understanding, the actual prayer aura will stack as many times as there are occurrences. So for example, if 8 paladins all ran prayer, they would all stack and everyone would be healing like no tomorrow. Cleansing and meditation, however, will cancel each other out.
My idea is to be able to run plague on a fully synergized prayer tree, with a merc using insight and also using prayer. Your self aura could be prayer as well. Or you could even use “Cure” and use insight yourself for 3x fully maxed instances of prayer all coming from you. Only thing is you get no shield.
So you stack as much PDR as you possibly can with max block and you are not dying. 
Sometimes, I just like to actually have fun with my character regardless of kill speed. Watching enemies tickle you is fun, at least for me. What say ye?
Inspired by this thread I’ve created my version:
https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner/he010nhg
It’s a hybrid, FoH + Hammer on switch. Works really well on P8, however as I’ve find out paladins don’t work well with quick cast, because using a spell as quick cast disables aura set on right slot 
(EDIT: By clicking left skill slot you can bind skills like FoH, bolt, hammer etc to be quick casted using the left slot, leaving your aura intact.)
Anyway, to make the build really shine you need to setup main skills like:
- LMB - Fist of Heavens
- RMB - Prayer
- Teleport, Holy Bolt - some quick cast. These are used in situations where full HP regen potential is not required; while teleporting we don’t attack, and bolt is used against single targets, usually at distance.
- Blessed Hammer - another quick cast; used against some survivors when there is a mixed group of demons/undead + animals.
This way Prayer will be kept active all the time when needed the most.
On switch things become more spicy. Except usual Call to Arms stuff you can transit to almost 100% Hammerdin. Skills need to be set like
- LMB - Blessed Hammer
- RMB - Concentration
- Some quick casts for Battle Command, Battle Orders and Holy Shield.
It’s important to get a scepter base with Holy Shield and Concentration, that’d save few points which can be spent on synergies for hammer.
They really need to allow different keyboard binding set for weapon switch like on controllers.
A month ago I created a Foher and tried to find the best aura to use since Conviction seemed indeed useless. I wanted to open a topic asking for advice when I fell right in this thread.
I can confirm, what Bravata says is valid. I made some testings and came up with some further interesting results. I am going to upload the video today once I am done with the edits.
Testings made in the video:
-
Prayer alone from Merc (for comparison with the rest testings)
-
Prayer from Merc + Prayer from Character (same level) - STACKS
-
Prayer from Merc + Prayer Synergised Skill (same level) STACKS
-
Prayer from Merc + Higher Level Prayer - DOESN’T STACK
-
Prayer from Merc + Synergised Skill WITH A Higher Level Prayer - STACKS
-
Prayer from Merc + Plauge + Meditation WITH A Higher Level Prayer - STACKS
So the only correction I have to add in Bravata’s post is that if you are using a Synergized skill of Prayer like Meditation or Cleansing, Prayer doesn’t have to be the same level, it will still stack and with a greater effect!
Edit: Added the video below but it doesn’t allow me to edit it and add more info.
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i think the highest i got while testing was 299 healing per tick. 99.9% sure this is max solo.
GUIDE UPDATE: SEASON STARTER
optimized extreme budget build using spirit+spirit+cure+skin of the viper+eye of etlich, and nothing else, with merc wearing insight+cure+treachery, will heal 137 per tick which is very good for a season starter jumping into hell CS farming asap. And it only goes up the more +skills you add via torch, anni, charms, gear.
max
foth
holy bolt
then
prayer
then
and enough points to get meditation to 17 or to match mercs insight aura, you’ll be using meditation to stack with merc’s insight getting 5 total stacks of prayer source healing. like in the pic below, you have 6 points left over, have holy shield, and can smite/bolt down uber diablo the first time you get him for anni. Quick gear swap and you can get your torch pretty easily without respecing, after you farm CS a little bit for the gear.
you can start towards this build as early as 35 (run prayer equal to merc’s prayer until you have maxed holy bolt and foth), that’s Cure’s level requirement and a good level to farm NM countess for the runes, by 75 you’re able to reach max build power and healing.
https://i.imgur.com/lbxKnaF.jpeg
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Mention that Battle Command, while not affecting the merc’s Meditation, does affect the player’s. Plan to use one less than needed if also planning to buff. I spaced the aura was from weapon when I skilled out and put in one too many. Not a big deal but someone else might make the same mistake.
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The build I’ve been using for the last couple of seasons:
20 FoH
20 Holy Bolt
20 Holy Shock
20 Holy Freeze
cure+insight+prayer merc.
Main aura is holy freeze. 30 holy freeze hits things off the screen.
All I can say is test it out. Holy Freeze is the way.
Sanctuary and holy bolt for killing big D.
Your build recommendations are interesting, but for the record, I run almost exclusively with a Blizzard / Fireball sorceress and so far at least, her -45% cold resist via Cold Mastery + my -95% resist all via Conviction, is simply melting everything and anything foolish enough to confront us.
BTW, there is another aspect to high-level Conviction that I don’t think you acknowledged – namely, the huge reduction in monster defences means that your mercenary (I use an A5 Frenzy barbarian) hits far more often. Since this affects how much leech (and procs) that the merc will get, it is an important factor to consider.
I do however support your observations about Cleansing – I couldn’t live without that ability. It is the only thing that keeps my merc alive when he gets cursed… which, as you know, happens a LOT in D2R.
Only works with act 2 merc. Leech doesn’t matter much with the heals he gets and if he does drop, a couple holy bolts tops him off. Where the FoH pally can go he melts anything before the merc is in danger or his dps is needed.
Conviction doesn’t matter at all to this character.