I'm looking for tips regarding two different builds.

The first one is the assassin, the fighters and knights seem straightforward enough. But i don't quite get how sneaking works in combat and i'm wondering what a good starting build for an assassin type character would work and if possible i'd like it to use bows.

The starting build i've come up with so far is as follows:

Attributes: +2 Finesse, +1 Con.

Abilities: +1 Scoundrel, +1 Thievery, +1 Polymorph

Skills: Backlash, Throwing Knife(Or Adrenaline Rush, not sure), and Chameleon Cloak.

Talents i'm thinking Guerilla to start with.

The second one is more of a question regarding the cleric. I was overjoyed to see that i could be a cleric and the armor shown off in the character creation is exactly how i envision a cleric, but then when it comes to the abilities. Hydrosophist, alright. Nechromancy?! Nechromancy is literally as far from the cleric theme as you can possible go and it just doesn't click for me, i get that you can play some sort of dark cleric but that is not the type of cleric i'm interested in. I'm interested in more of a traditional cleric who can heal with holy magic but also uses a hammer and heavy armor. Kind of like a paladin. I'm not interested in playing a waterbender blood mage who draws pentagrams and sucks pools of blood from the floor. Is it possible to play such a cleric?

In general i'm kind of interested in a heavy armor melee healer hybrid more so than an assassin or a ranger but they are my second choice. What i thought may work for a Paladin build would probably be knight starting class, Warfare and Hydro with crippling blow, Battle stomp and restoration or crippling blow/battle stomp and then frost armor and restoration.

I'm open for any build advice, what i'm most interested in is the Cleric/paladin followed by a ranger/assassin!