For clarity, this is Exiled Kingdoms.
Clerics in EK are clearly designed to be in melee characters. EVERYTHING about them shows that detail.
Learning to navigate Companion / Summon AI will help sort out frustration with being caught going toe-to-toe with a boss.
ALSO,
Getting Gris as a 2-H weapon user will help. Early game, she does great as a 1-hand with shield, but by mid-game the extra damage from 2H weapons will do wonders. Plus, that stun chance is just impactful.
They don't need to use every staff, just those with Spirit and Fire elemental damage. Duel would be unfeasible, as it is useless from a distance and is exclusive to the Warriors' Guild, just like Bloodthirst, which despite being accessible to anyone, does not benefit ranged attacks. I'm not even going to discuss Heavy Hand, as it would be so useless in this build. I don't recommend Arcanist, to balance the game well, so being exclusively for Mages is a good idea. There would be plenty of Physical Development, but with so many spells and blessings consuming useful points, who would spend it? In the end, there would be a balanced support, with little resistance, as it would require considerable amounts of mana, only possible with light equipment with little armor and resistance, which would make the Cleric a paperweight, with a great possibility of keeping the group alive while attacking from a distance, balancing mana consumption between staffs and wands and their spells.
