Cleric Guide for 5e D&D – The Good God Botherer

In our world, being a cleric is a pretty awesome job. You get to be a healer, a priest, and most importantly a Paladin! The problem is that there is very little guidance on how to become a Good God Botherer. I will guide you in becoming a Good God Botherer and what it takes to become one.

Clerics are some of the most popular D&D characters, and for good reason. They’re versatile, powerful, and easy to play. As clerics, we have the power and tools to manifest divine might on the battlefield, heal our allies, and even destroy our enemies with our divine powers.

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Most Clerics in D&D are just that: Clerics. They’re the party’s healer, support classes, and they’re more concerned with the divine than their characters. But not every cleric is the same. Some have a more scholarly or scholarly attitude, others are more militant in their beliefs. Some are more devoted to their deity than others. A cleric guide to help you better differentiate your cleric’s personality and traits to help you better play your character.

This page was last updated on the 16th of May, 2019.

Don’t take this Cleric guide on faith alone. 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons has different play styles for everybody. Below we’ve put together a guide taking into account the schisms of beliefs.

We also link to a full list of other great character optimisation guides for D&D.

Contents

God-bothering: The Cleric’s Soul

“The figures seemed to be human-like in appearance. They were also involved in religion. The blades told the story (murder isn’t murder if it’s for a god).” Small Gods, Terry Pratchett

The Cleric has existed from the dawn of time. Fighting-Man, Magic-User, and Cleric are all in the list.

With such a lengthy history, the Cleric has taken various forms, the most common of which is a combination of fighting and magic.

At first sight, you may believe that this class exists only to heal the party. There’s a lot more to a 5th Edition Cleric than that.

You’ll get a sense of the range of god botherers available when we look at the various Cleric sub-classes below.

From here on forward, the following color coding will be used:

Sky Blue = Best option; ponder this for a moment before rejecting them. Optimisation for clerics begins here.

Blue is a good option for Clerics, but not exceptional.

Black is a safe bet. Although there are better alternatives, this is more than enough. Purple indicates that the item is not of the highest quality. It may have a specialized use, but there are better alternatives available. Red denotes a mechanical flaw. If it suits your idea, go for it, but you’ll probably be less successful as a result.

Please keep in mind that this is an optimization guide. We’re looking at what’s powerful or effective for your devoted Cleric.

However, if you have a great character concept that isn’t based on the word “charop,” don’t be hesitant to put fun ahead of numbers.

After all, you know your game better than I do.

Stats:

• If you’re a Heavily-armoured or Lightly-armoured Cleric, you’ll pick between Str and Dex. Because they lose Dexterity, heavy-armored Clerics may afford greater Strength and are better prepared to survive in combat. Unless they also get proficiency with Rapiers, medium-armored Clerics may choose to drop Strength and stick to spell casting.
• Finesse or Trickster Clerics with light armour need Dexterity for their AC and weapons. Clerics with medium armour should aim for 14 to increase their AC. Clerics with heavy armour may reduce their Dexterity.
• Con: For a Cleric, hit points are typically second or third most essential. Who will help you get back up if you fall?
• Only if you’re a Knowledge Cleric is this helpful; everyone else may discard it.
• Wis: Depending on your domain, top priority or second priority. This is the characteristic that allows you to cast spells. You are able to harness divinity and get access to additional keys based on your knowledge.
• Unless you need to function as a Face, you can probably get rid of Charisma. However, someone else should ideally take the lead here.

Cleric Races to Avoid:

Wisdom is essential, but your other skills are determined by your physique and Divine Domain selection.

Because few races have more than +1 to Wisdom, you’ll have to make due with what you have. The stat boosts will be more helpful in the early game, but after a few levels and Ability Score Improvements, they will balance out.

Races in the Player’s Handbook

Your primary goal should be to find a race with a + to Wisdom.

• [+2 Con] For Moradin, Dwarf! Dwarves are tough and have attributes that are ideal for a Cleric.
  • [+2 Str] Mountain Dwarf The Strength boost may come in useful as a battle dwarf while swinging large weapons. Could be useful as a cleric in the War or Tempest Domains.
  • Dwarf of the Hill [Wis +1] That added knowledge and toughness make for a great Cleric match. He’s regarded as a competent Life Cleric.
  • [+1 Str] Duergar Con and some spell resistance, like the Mountain Dwarf, help keep you alive. [SCAG]

• [+2 Str, +1 Cha] Dragonborn Although the breath weapon is a decent AoE strike, there isn’t much here for you.
• [+2 Dex] Elf If you’re aiming for a light-armored Cleric, the only option is to go with a Wood elf. Other subraces of the Elf leave a lot to be desired.
  • [+1 Wis] Wood Elf The desired Wisdom increase, as well as some weapon proficiency, assist here. This gives you the ability to utilize your Dexterity with a Finesse weapon. If you spend a lot of time in strange weather conditions, the Mask of the Wild feature is helpful; however, this will depend on your DM and campaign.
  • [+1 Cha] Drow There isn’t anything helpful for the Cleric.
  • [+1 Int] High Elf Trance, competence with Perception tests, and a DEX bonus are all available to High Elves, as they are to all Elves. However, neither the INT nor the cantrip will be useful, and the weapon training will be useless.
  • [+1 Int] Eladrin A teleport spell cast by a High Elf. There isn’t anything helpful for the Cleric. [DMG]
• [+2 Int] Gnome There isn’t anything helpful for the Cleric.
  • Gnome Cunning is great, and you get a DEX boost, but INT is your dump stat, and you don’t get much use out of anything else. Forest Gnome [+1 Dex], Gnome Cunning is awesome, and you get a DEX boost, but INT is your dump stat, and you don’t get much use out of anything else.
  • [+ 1 Con] Rock Gnome There are no suitable stat boosts, and nothing about the character screams “cleric.”
  • [+1 Dex] Deep Gnome DEX is enough, and you may benefit from a variety of saves and stealth. INT, on the other hand, does nothing for you. Deep Gnomes, on the other hand, are much too pessimistic. [SCAG]
• [+2 Cha and +1 to???] Half-Elf You’re a nice mix of Human and Elf, although your CHA is largely wasted on you.
• [+2 STR] Half-Orc In a pinch, unwavering endurance may help keep the healer (You) alive. There’s nothing particularly helpful for the Cleric here, but STR-based War or Conquest Clerics may want to take a look.
• [+2 Dex] Halfling Another race that favors DEX Clerics is the Ghostwise halfling, which is the most important factor.
  • [+1 Con] Stout Halfling Similar to Lightfoot, but without the CHA increase. Still, Con isn’t all terrible, and neither is poison resistance.
  • Halflings with Lightfoot [Plus one Cha] There isn’t anything helpful for the Cleric. Luck is a wonderful thing. Brave is a fantastic character. Hide isn’t terrible, but you’re probably not very good at it.
  • Halflings who can see ghosts [Wis +1] This is where you’ll find the Wis you’re looking for, so if you’re going light armour, this may be the trickery race for you! [SCAG]
• [+1 to all scores] Human [+1 to all stats]? Some of this is squandered; see if Variant Human is accessible from your DM.
  • Human variant [+1 to Wis and a feat] If the Human Variant is permitted, you will still get a significant boost to your Wisdom and something else, as well as an amazing feat at level 1.
• [+1 Int, +2 Cha] Tiefling Neither of these items are beneficial to your health. There are a few new Tiefling kinds, although none of them are very useful.
  • [+1 Int and +2 Dex] Tiefling Variant This is an intriguing possibility, particularly when using wings. The Int is still a huge waste of time in our town. [SCAG]

Volo’s Monster Races Guide  

• Aasimar [+1 Wis & +2 Cha] Charisma doesn’t do much for a cleric, but the flavour works very well, and the Aasimar’s other racial traits and their sub-races work for a variety of cleric builds.
• [+2 WIS +1 STR] Firbolg Strong, intelligent, and endowed with a slew of active talents as well as natural spellcasting
• Goliath: There isn’t anything really helpful for the Cleric.
• Kenku: [+1 Wis and +2 DEX] Dexterity may be difficult for clerics to utilize, thus this might be an excellent trickery cleric.
• [+2 CON and +1 WIS] Lizardfolk Extra talents, durability, and a few other helpful characteristics. Perfect for any kind of cleric.
• Tabaxi: The Cleric will find nothing helpful.
• Triton: The Cleric will find nothing helpful.

Volo’s Monstrous Races are a series of monstrous races created by Volo. 

• [+2 STR and +1 DEX] Bugbear You’d want one of these increases, but not both.
• [+2 DEX and +1 CON] Goblin This isn’t a good option at all.
• [+2 CON and +1 INT] Hobgoblin Continue your search.
• [+2 DEX and -2 STR] Kobold I’d want to see it performed, but it won’t be perfect in any way.
• [+2 STR, +1 CON, -2 INT] Orc You won’t be harmed by the INT penalty, but there are better options.
• [+2 CHA and +1 INT] Yuan-Ti Pureblood This is where you’ll find everything you don’t need.

Evil Elemental Races

• [+2 Dex] Aarakocra For a light-armored Cleric, dexterity and a smidgeon of wisdom are ideal, and flying is always excellent.
• Genasi: [+2 Con] Genasi have the same Constitution bonus as Dwarves, but no additional basic racial abilities.
  • [+1 Dex] Air Genasi The Constitution bonus is the same as the Dwarf’s, but the Genasi have no additional racial attributes.
  • [+1 Str] Earth Genasi Nothing that is particularly beneficial to the Cleric.
  • [+1 Int] Genasi of Fire There isn’t anything helpful for the Cleric.
  • [+1 Wis] Water Genasi A little Wisdom, as well as the ability to Shape Water, which is one of my favorite Cantrips.

Races of Eberron

• [+2 CHA +1 DEX/INT] Changeling As a Lore or Whispers Bard, shape-shifting offers you incredible possibilities.
• [+1 WIS and +1 CHA] Kalashtar
• [+1 DEX] Shifters These shifts are more physically demanding races. Perception is an important ability to master right away.
  • [+2 CON] Beasthide Shifter The AC, CON, and DEX benefits make this a good light armoured choice.
  • [+2 STR] Longtooth Shifter If you’re aiming for STR, DEX is a waste of time. So, it’s not perfect.
  • [+1 DEX and +1 CHA] Swiftstride Shifter With a +2 attack, it’s all DEX. It’s not terrible.
  • [+2 WIS] Wildhunt Shifter The + WIS is very significant. The rest of the tracking is situational.
• [+1 CON] Warforged
  • [+1 two stats] Envoy Obtain the +WIS and turn your integrated tool into a doctor’s kit.
  • [+2 STR] Juggernaut
  • [+2 DEX] Skirmisher

There’s a lot more to think about when it comes to Cleric Races.

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s the deal with racial abilities: They won’t be as important later in the game. That +1 to your stat has less of an effect on overall performance at 15th level.

The change is considerably more apparent at lower levels. At a low level, 5e is clearly a more difficult game than either 3.x or 4e. It is less forgiving, and it is very simple to be dropped.

When you’re looking at races, keep it in mind. While certain races may lack the “oomph” when it comes to doing damage, the survival benefits that they do have will come in useful during those tough low levels.

Characteristics of the Cleric Class

• Hit Dice: An average of d8 hit points is used. If you’re standing back and performing spells, it’s not that terrible. This is a bit low for a church front-line fighter.
• Armour Proficiency: For most Clerics, medium armour is enough. With a shield, you’ll have enough AC.
• Weapon Expertise: You aren’t here to acquire fancy… Military weaponry may be obtained in a variety of ways. After a time, your spells will outscaling your weapons regardless.
• Saving Throws: Wisdom and Charisma are excellent saves to master. These saves cover some of the game’s most crippling consequences.
• The group won’t be looking to you for skills, therefore you’ll just have two.
• Clerics do not get any tools. That isn’t a bad thing.
• Spellcasting: The Cleric casts Wisdom-based spells. You don’t have to use the same spells every day; with the awakening of the dawn, you may pick and choose from the Cleric’s spell repertoire. This is particularly useful if you just have a day or two to prepare.
• You’ll get more ‘free’ prepared spells depending on your Divine Domain, which opens up a whole new manner of playing. The Cleric spell list covers the full range of healing, affliction, control, and buffs.
• Ritual Casting: This ability allows you to cast a variety of utility spells without having to use any slots. Unlike the Wizard, though, you must have the spells prepared.
• Channel Divinity: This is the sort of divine power they write scriptures about in a campaign where Undead are a feature. Your Divine Domain option will also provide you with additional Channel Divinity usage.
• Undead Destroy: (5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th Level) This, too, is dependent on how many Undead your DM throws at you. Undead, on the other hand, are quite frequent, and when they appear, you’ll have the ideal tool.
• Intervention of the Divine: (10th, 20th Level) This ability is a bit risky in terms of chance, but it provides excellent narrative and clutch situations. Consult your DM to determine what to anticipate from Divine Intervention; if your DM is willing to experiment, this may result in amazing moments that are both flavorful and crunchy.
• Improvement in Ability Scores (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th Levels): Obviously beneficial for obvious reasons.

Divine Domains – Cleric Subclasses

[SCAG] Arcana Cleric Domain

• Thank you, Mystra! There’s a lot of Wizard flavor in the Arcana Domain for good measure. Borrowing a few spells from the Arcane spellcasters to improve your usefulness in the party. A fantastic support spellcaster.
• Spells in the Domain: You’re receiving some of the finest choices since you’re borrowing from the Wizard. It’s mostly utilitarian gear, although there are a few excellent damage dealers thrown in for good measure.
  1. 1st-Level [magic missile, detect magic]: Magic Detection is helpful in nearly every campaign. Magic Missile does consistent damage, but it’s never thrilling.
  2. 3rd-Level [magic weapon, Nystul’s magic aura]: Magic Weapon is useful in the short gap between when you require magical weapons to harm enemies and when everyone has one. Political intrigue campaigns may benefit from the mystical atmosphere.
  3. [dispel magic, magic circle] 5th-Level: Remove the enchantment will always come in handy, particularly when you encounter more dangerous magical dungeons. Casting a The Circle of Magic takes some time, but it’s a good method to keep certain opponent kinds at bay.
  4. 7th-Level [arcane eye, Leomund’s hidden chest]: Arcane Eye is fantastic at scanning places and keeping you safe, but this is something that a familiar would usually do. In intrigue games, when adversaries are seeking your goods or the DM continues attempting to disarm you before entering the king’s court, a secret chest is more useful.
  5. 9th-Level [planar binding, teleportation circle]: Planar binding is fantastic if you can persuade the monster to stay motionless for an hour. You can use a teleportation circle to go to fixed teleport circles by busting open a mini-gate. If you have a home base or magical allies, this is ideal. Both of these things are very dependent on the campaign you’re running.
• Arcane Initiate [1st level]: You’ll need the Arcana skill if you’re the ‘Arcane’ one. Two more cantrips from the wizard list won’t hurt either, increasing your lower-level utility.
• Arcane Abjuration: Channel Divinity [2nd, 5th level]: Turning a creature (Celestials, Elementals, Fey, and Fiends) is a strong ability, and this section of the monster handbook covers a lot of ground. Use this on the largest, baddest object in the room first, then deal with the others. This banishes a monster back to whence they came from at 5th level.
• If you’re using Words of Healing, Spell Breaker [6th level] is a great method to remove debuffs as a Bonus Action (and you should).
• Potent Spellcasting [8th level]: Boosting cantrips with bonuses is usually a good idea. This means you’ll apply your Wisdom modifier to both your Cleric and Wizard cantrips.
• Arcane Mastery [17th level]: This unlocks a plethora of possibilities. Look through a Wizard Guide to discover what choices you have.

Cleric of the Death Domain [DMG]

• It’s time to go on the attack. Grab a scythe and begin slashing at your foes. You gain martial weapon proficiency and additional choices for delivering damage to a single target when you join the Death Domain. Your friends may wonder why you’re not healing them, but if they die, you can always raise them as an undead thrall.
• Domain Spells: There are a few good choices here, and some of them aren’t on most Cleric lists. Third-Level spells are a little lackluster, but they can’t all be winners.
  • 1st-Level [false life, beam of sickness]: This is similar to the term “healing,” but it is not true healing. You’re a bit more difficult to kill, but killing an opponent or putting them at a disadvantage will benefit the team more. Ray of Sickness does good damage, but it’s the true winner when it comes to inflicting the Poisoned condition on an opponent. Take note of whether opponents are poison-resistant or immune.
  • 3rd-Level [enfeeblement ray, blindness/deafness] The Death Domain is at its most vulnerable here. When creeping about, blindness and deafness may be useful, although both spells are likely to be short-lived. These aren’t dependable debuffs unless you can virtually ensure that the victim will fail their save.
  • 5th-Level [animate dead, vampiric touch]: Dead Animate allows you to summon an undead companion. It needs daily recasting, but you may prepare it for free. The opponent has health, and you need it. Vampiric Touch addresses both issues at once.
  • [blight, death ward] at 7th level: Blight is a good source of damage, particularly against plants (and perhaps water elementals), but it doesn’t scale well. You may grant the Half-Orc the power to escape death once by using Ward of Death.
  • [antilife shell, cloudkill] 9th-Level: Anti-life Shell is an excellent method of defense. Cloudkill is a powerful control spell with a large radius and range.
• Bonus Proficiency: Martial weapons are a good boost, but if you don’t have Heavy Armour, you may want to go closer or have a shield nearby. Consider purchasing a Halberd and renaming it the “Reaper’s Scythe.”
• Chill Touch, Please save the dying., and Toll of the Dead are the only options for now. If you want to do extra damage, either Chill Touch or Toll of the Dead are excellent options.
• Touch of Death (Channel Divinity): This doesn’t do much damage, but it improves your weapon hits.
• Inescapable Destruction: If you’re following the Necrotic theme, you’ll note that this is an often withstood damage kind. Because many creatures are immune to Necrotic damage, this solves the issue. You’ll still have trouble with monsters who are immune to Necrotic damage outright, but that’s a lot less common.
• Divine Strike: Increased weapon damage is always a bonus, particularly for you. Because you may now deal more irresistible Necrotic damage once each round, your attacks should scale with your cantrips.
• Improved Reaper: Normally, you’d be concentrating on single-target spells like Blight or Animate Dead. You’ve just doubled their impact in virtually every single target spell you cast with Improved Reaper.

[XGtE] Forge Cleric:

Theme-wise, it’s fantastic, and the spell list is excellent.

You’re a half-tank with the capacity to manufacture and modify equipment. You bring great support utility to the table, and you can defend with the best of them.

You’ll be welcomed with open arms by your guests. Forge Domain Clerics are excellent Defenders, and they do a lot of damage.

• Domain Spells: Burn the embers! The Forge Domain’s spell list is generating a lot of buzz. I really like how they fit into the Forge conceptually. There aren’t many duds in your domain list since you’re a skilled craftsman who knows how to heat metal.
  • 1st-Level [identify, searing smite]: When your DM places magical objects in your way, the party will request that the Forge Master/Mistress investigate. To your strikes, Searing Smite adds some much-loved fire damage. This isn’t only for Paladins anymore. It’s still a cheap and dependable damage increase for your weapon strikes at high levels.
  • Heat Metal is excellent against armoured opponents, while Magic Weapon fits a nice niche of boosting yourself or an ally, but it loses steam if everyone gets magic items.
  • Elemental weapon is only a minor boost on magic weapon, but the extra damage is useful if your enemy is weak to an element. 5th-Level [elemental weapon, protection from energy]: Elemental weapon is only a minor boost on magic weapon, but the extra damage is helpful if your enemy is weak to an element. When you’re up against a dragon, energy protection may save your bacon, thus this is a good spell to have.
  • 7th-Level [fabricate, wall of fire]: Situational, particularly with Artisan’s Blessing. This might be a lot better if you use your creativity. Bring an army of magical statues to life at 9th level [animate things, creation]. Play chess with a life-size wizard. There are so many choices. Both spells are incredible.
• Bonus Proficiency: It’s great to have Heavy Armour, and if you approach your DM politely, you may be able to acquire full Plate for a lot less money.
• Blessing of the Forge [1st level]: This is much more powerful in a game with minimal magic items. There are just a few more methods to increase AC, thus the Plate-wearing Paladin will become your new closest buddy. Give it to the member of your party who makes the most attacks each round as an alternative.
• [2nd Level] Channel Divinity: Artisan’s Blessing: Here, you’re just limited by your creativity (and the cost of 100g). Begin reading “Equipment” in Chapter 5 of the Players Handbook. Create a tool that is appropriate for the circumstance.
• Fire resistance is great and all, but the primary thing we appreciate about Soul of the Forge [6th level] is the fixed increase to AC, which is an incredibly uncommon benefit in 5e.
• No action is needed for Divine Strike [8th level], and you get free extra fire damage. You should have picked up on the theme by now. This spell pairs nicely with Searing Smite.
• When wearing your Heavy Armour, you gain immunity to fire and resistance to non-magical attacks as a Saint of Forge and Fire [17th level]. You’re never going to take it off again!

[XGtE] Grave Cleric:

• For the cleric who places a high emphasis on casting spells. The Grave domain isn’t entirely Death or Life; it has a foot on both sides of the fence. If you like, you may put one foot in the grave. This indicates your spell repertoire has a good mix of damaging and healing spells.
• Domain Spells: This is where the balance of life and death may be seen. In any campaign, each Grave Domain spell will almost certainly be used.
  • This is a strong barrier against death unless you have additional sources of temporary hit points. If someone has the Inspiring Leader feat, false life becomes less valuable. Bane is an anti-inspiration spell; you’ll want to use it on creatures with low Charisma, and a -d4 isn’t great, but it may be a game changer if you’re preparing friends for other spells.
  • 3rd-Level: Depending on your campaign, the usefulness of Relaxed Pose is debatable. It may assist you bring someone to a temple to be raised from the dead in the early stages. The ray of enfeeblement is extremely situational and only works against powerful monsters that wield weapons.
  • 5th-Level: Since you were almost certainly going to take Revivify anyway, receiving it for free isn’t a bad deal. If you run out of level 3 spell slots while an ally dies, Gentle Repose may come in useful. Vampiric Touch is a fantastic mix of healing and damage, with the caveat that you must be within melee range to use it.
  • 7th-Level: Blight is a wonderful way for you and Death Clerics to do a lot of damage. Death Ward is a powerful boost that prevents an ally from being killed by an overwhelming attack. Giving them the Half-Orc feature for the first time.
  • Antilife Shell is a fantastic 9th-level spell if you’re always fighting Undead or Constructs. Anything to keep melee opponents away from you while you destroy soft friends with distance strikes. Although Raise the dead. is enjoyable, you might have done so after a lengthy break. The 10 day time limit may be considerably longer, especially with Gentle Repose, decreasing the urgency.
• Circle of Mortality: While some Clerics may see Healing Word as a quick method to resurrect an ally, Heal Wounds should be your first choice. Allies may wonder why you’re waiting for them to die before healing them, but that’s simply optimisation at work.
• Eyes of the Grave: Use a ping to detect zombies in the same way as sonar does. Depending on the campaign and the layout of where you are, it is quite situational.
• If you can set up a one-two combination ahead of a sneak attack, your party’s Rogue will enjoy Channel Divinity: Path to the Grave.
• Sentinel at Death’s Door: The amount of harm avoided is much higher than the amount of damage repaired. There aren’t many other methods to decrease critical hit damage, thus this is a big advantage.
• Potent Spellcasting: This one goes to all the awesome Clerics. Of course, if you’ve maxed up Wisdom and use Cantrips often, this is much more helpful.
• Keeper of Souls: Acts in the same way as a response would, but without using up your reaction. While this does not provide a significant amount of healing, it is an excellent ‘always on’ feature. Any custom opponents your DM is running will need to have hit dice calculated. Also, since this is an off-turn heal, you may be able to revive an ally after your turn but before theirs, avoiding the requirement for a death save.

Cleric of Wisdom:

• For the cleric who knows everything. Secrets and the multiverse are the domains of knowledge. You’re very useful when it comes to collecting information and building up your squad. Depending on your campaign, this may make your life and the party’s life lot simpler.
• The Knowledge Cleric excels in more intrigue and puzzle situations, although the spell repertoire may be insufficient in a strictly combat environment.
• Domain Spells: Divination spells that allow you to see in both the physical and the arcane realms.
  • 1st-Level: Command is helpful if you can use your words cleverly, but Identify is only useful when the DM tosses magic objects at you.
  • 3rd-Level: I’ve seen Suggestion completely deconstruct a challenge and pervert it to the whims of the party. There are some particular limitations, so talk to your DM about what they believe to be “reasonable.” Another DM-dependent spell that can be a lot of fun at the table is Augury. Although the information it provides is ambiguous, it may be a useful tool for preventing a group from fighting about the next course of action. A bit meta, but isn’t saving time the true optimization?
  • If you’re playing an intrigue game or a murder mystery, 5th-Level: Speak with the Dead is a bit insane. Though your DM may be short and obscure, try to prepare your questions ahead of time. Nondetection is only useful if you are aware that an NPC is attempting to scry you or a particular item. In most campaigns, it isn’t mentioned.
  • Confusion is a bit too random for my liking at 7th level. This may weaken an opponent if you know they’ll fail a Wisdom save at the conclusion of each round. If no one has an unseen familiar, arcane eye is an excellent way to scout an area.
  • 9th-Level: You receive some situational use for 5th-Level spells. Depending on your DM, you can usually get away with a History check. Lore of Legend will cover you if something is a bit more elusive. Scrying is excellent for a social/intrigue campaign, and it may also help you find the Big Bad.
• Languages are enjoyable, but they are contingent on your campaign. It’s great to be able to add double proficiency to any check by using two Knowledge skills.
• When you need to pick a lock or create something and can’t wait for a Rogue or Blacksmith, channel Divinity: Knowledge of the Ages. For 10 minutes, become proficient in a skill or tool.
• When you don’t want to be tortured, Channel Divinity: Read Thoughts is a good option (but is mind reading still a big violation?). The free suggestion, another Knowledge Domain element that lends itself to an intrigue campaign, may be a game changer.
• Powerful Spellcasting: Hopefully, you’ve been working on increasing your Wisdom modifier. Your Cleric Cantrips should now easily outscale your weapon attacks.
• Visions of the Past: At this point in the game, your DM has most likely filled out your world’s Lore to the point that understanding what happened in the past is useful. You may nearly become Sherlock Holmes at a crime scene with Object Reading and Area Reading.

Cleric of Life:

• If your party asks you to heal them, the Life Domain will make you the greatest at it. Your healing abilities are unrivaled, making it difficult for opponents to take down your team. When smarter animals attempt to take down the heal bot, you’ll be hardy and difficult to kill thanks to the addition of hefty armour.
• Domain Spells: The lower level spells are incredible, and your party may be almost unstoppable in comparison to other parties. As you go through the levels, the spells become less and less helpful.
  • 1st-Level: Bless gives up to three creatures a small bonus to all attacks and saving throws. With the additional 1d4 and constrained accuracy, you may make your party very strong early on. Cure Wounds was something you were going to take anyhow, and now you’re taking it every day.
  • 3rd-Level: Long-lasting conditions are rare, but when they occur, you’ll be happy you have Restoration of a Lower Quality on hand. Additionally, your friends will appreciate it if you prevent their turn from being squandered due to paralysis. Weapon of the Spirit allows you to avoid having to deal with Strength. Plus, since Force is seldom resisted, it’s excellent against creatures with resistances.
  • 5th-Level: a ray of hope is the Raid Buff you require when you need to max up ALL healing. When everyone wants to use healing potions, second wind, or other healing spells, here is the place to be. It only lasts a minute, so ask your DM if you may use it during a short rest to get the most out of your hit dice. Given that you were probably going to take Revivify anyway, receiving it for free isn’t a bad deal.
  • Death Ward is a 7th-level spell that prevents allies from dying. It’s important to remember that they’re just as effective at 1 hit point as they are at full health (usually). Faith’s defender has an 8-hour duration but only does 60 damage. It’d be great to know whether that’s just 60 basic damage, or if it’s 120 effective against undead.
  • 9th-Level: Wounds in the Masses is a skill that allows you to heal up to six individuals at once for a large amount of healing. It’s not often that everyone takes a lot of heat, but when they do, it’s great. Raise Dead is helpful on occasion, but not every day. So, similar to the Grave Cleric part, this isn’t as effective as it seems.
• Bonus Proficiency: This isn’t a priest who wears a robe. Physical assaults are difficult to hit because of your heavy armour and shield. This means you’ll feel right at home among the Fighter, Barbarian, and Paladin on the front lines. The increased AC means you’ll (hopefully) need to heal yourself less, particularly now that Blessed Healer is active.
• While this does not provide a large quantity of healing, it does assist lesser healers such as Word of Healing. If you’re a multiclass Druid, this goes nicely with Goodberry since each goodberry eaten counts as a separate restoration of hit points.
• When the Paladin Lay On Hands looked excellent and you wanted to go one better, you used Channel Divinity: Preserve Life. This is a fantastic AoE heal for your whole party, bringing everyone from 0 to half health.
• Blessed Healer: This is the point at which you should ideally cease healing yourself and start focusing on allies. Throughout the battle, you’ll get healing drops to keep you topped up.
• Divine Strike: Because you’ll only be striking once per turn (if at all), you may now deal some radiant damage on hit with Divine Strike. Unfortunately, due to the wording, this will not function on opportunity attacks and may not scale as well as your divine cantrips.
• Who needs dice when you have Supreme Healing? Normally, scaling up spells and adding additional dice would simply raise the average. You’ve now set your sights on the ceiling.

Cleric of Light:

• The Light Cleric Domain adds heat to the battlefield by controlling it and doing damage. To supplement their Divine armament, the Light Cleric specializes in Fire damage spells, keeping with the motif of light and heat. You make up for your lack of single target damage with crowd management and the ability to handle waves of minion. The Light Cleric is an excellent option if your party expects to face Vampires, Trolls, or other creatures who are weak to Light and Fire.
• Domain Spells: This category includes everything with a light theme. AoE damaging spells are combined with some great lighting and utility spells.
  • 1st-Level: You’ll be happy you always have Faerie Fire on hand the first time you notice an opponent perform invisibility. Your rogue in the party will adore you for it. Burning Hands is an excellent AoE striker spell during the early game. Its true strength lies in masses, therefore don’t use it on less than three foes.
  • Flaming Sphere is a 3rd-level spell that is more of a battlefield management spell than a straight damaging spell. Use it to close up passageways and compel opponents to pass through. Scorching Ray does good damage to single targets across a wide range.
  • 5th-Level:
    • When battling Drow or Vampires, the Daylight spell comes in useful. Anything that is sensitive to daylight or depends on darkness is rendered useless. (See Argo’s remark in the comments section.) Daylight is not the same as Sunlight. For additional information, see

Each spell’s description will state whether or not the spell counts as Sunlight for the purposes of creatures that are vulnerable to it.

From page 279 of the Players Handbook, here are two instances of a few spells that ARE Sunlight (PHB).

Sunbeam: Your hand shoots forth a bright ray of light….. The Undead and Oozes are at a disadvantage…… A speck of bright light glows in your palm throughout the duration. It emits Bright Light for 30 feet and Dim Light for another 30 feet. The light is that of the sun.

Sunburst: Brilliant sunlight bursts in a 60-foot radius around a chosen spot….. Oozes and Undead have a disadvantage…..

–https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/57642/does-the-daylight-spell-hurt-vampires

• • • The capacity of Fireball to rid a room of any biomass is the basis for its fame.
  • 7th-Level: Guardian of Faith provides some control by penalizing foes that approach the guardian too closely. A similar function is claimed by Wall of Fire, which may be fashioned in a variety of ways.
  • As an orbital type laser from the skies, Strike of the Flames does Radiant AND Fire damage. Because you already have Fireball, it’s less spectacular. Scrying’s use depends on the kind of campaign you’re in, as described in the Knowledge Domain.
• Bonus Cantrip: Due to the large number of races who have Darkvision, it isn’t always essential to use light. But, if you couldn’t throw light, what type of Light Cleric would you be?
• Warding Flare: [1st Level]: This is a great feature to use your response on. Each long rest, you’ll gain a number of uses equal to your Wisdom modifier. Use this against opponents who do a lot of damage.
• [2nd Level]: Channel Divinity: Radiance of the Dawn: Radiance of the Dawn provides guaranteed radiant damage without requiring the use of a spell slot. As you assault the darkness (and any hostile creature within 30 feet), don’t anticipate a lot of damage, but it will scale with your Cleric level to some extent.
• Improved Flare: [6th level]: Warding flare gets a boost here. Because harm avoided is preferable than damage repaired, it’s ideal for defending soft friends.
• Many Cleric domains gain this at 8th level, and it helps reduce the floor of the Cantrip damage you’re dealing since your Wisdom should be 20 (or near) by now.
• Corona of Light: [17th level]: Enemies suffer a significant disadvantage, although it only applies to spells that inflict fire or radiant damage. If there’s a wizard in the party who loves fire spells, it’ll be much more appealing.

Cleric of Nature:

• Nature is for those Clerics who don’t willing to give up their armour in favor of animal skins. This Domain provides you with a spell list that is both themed and lacking in quality. If you know you’ll be visiting the Faewild and other natural places, this might be a great Cleric Domain to join. Unfortunately, the majority of the characteristics bestowed by nature are very limited in scope.
• T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T, T There isn’t anything here that sticks out. Many of the spells seem to have been selected for thematic rather than technical reasons.
  • 1st-Level: Animal friendship and speaking with animals are campaign-dependent, particularly since that Channel Divinity allows you to enchant animals at level 2.
  • Barkskin isn’t worth casting on yourself at 3rd level since you have Heavy Armour. It’s also doubtful that you’ll want to spend the focus on an ally. Spike Growth is considerably more flexible and can shut off an opponent from getting to you or your friends.
  • Plant Growth is a 5th-level control spell with a deceptively large region of effect. This is also useful if you have a vineyard as part of your fortress. Wind walls are less striking at first glance and will need some smart thought and the proper conditions to be effective.
  • 7th-Level: BDominate Beast allows you to command an animal companion; if you couldn’t make it your friend, you may now compel it to obey your commands. Grasping Vine is an excellent forced movement spell for opponents with low Dexterity. However, since it does not restrict them, they will most likely walk 30 feet away next round, putting them out of range.
  • Plague of Insects summons bugs and locusts to help control a group of foes at 9th level. Tree Stride is a game that allows you to utilize trees as portals. I’m not sure when you’ll need the entire range of the 500ft range, since it’s larger than most combats.
• [1st Level] Acolyte of Nature It’s great fun to go over the Druid cantrip list, even if you only receive one. The bonus talent is useful, particularly if you plan on charming any animals.
• [2nd Level] Bonus Proficiency You may work in the front lines as well as any Fighter with substantial armour and a shield. Improved AC will also aid in reducing the need to heal yourself rather than heal or assist your friends.
• [2nd Level] Channel Divinity: Charm Animals and Plants This is fantastic if you interact with Plants and Animals often (particularly in large groupings). It’s not particularly interesting outside of those precise situations.
• [6th Level] Dampen Elements This is a fantastic method to lessen the impact of damage. It functions similarly to the Paladin of Ancients Aura, except it only affects one target at a time.
• [8th Level] Divine Strike With a variety of energy kinds, you may increase the damage of your weapon strike. This gives the Nature Cleric some much-needed flexibility.
• [17th Level] Master of Nature It works nicely with Channel Divinity and scales according to how many animals you can enchant. Command a fuzzy army… until they are damaged and the enchantment is broken.

Cleric of the Tempest:

• When you informed the group you were playing a Cleric, they may not have realized how powerful the Tempest Domain’s offensive abilities are. As the eye of a cyclone, you’ll be wading into the midst of a battlestorm and commanding the battlefield. Tempest provides you with the armor benefits and utility you need to remain alive while doing respectable damage. You’re most effective in sea-based operations with plenty of open space and big bodies of water.
• Domain Spells:
  • 1st-Level: The simple Fog cloud may seem little, but it’s a fantastic smoke bomb-style weapon that may aid escapes or prevent ranged attackers from getting shots in. When you’ve gone thigh deep into opponents and need some breathing space, use Thunder-wave.
  • 3rd-Level: Gust of Wind is situational, but once you get it, you’ll want to use it to drive opponents over ledges and blow away the Rogue’s dense vape clouds. In the proper situation, Shatter is a fantastic spell. It’s great when you’re battling Golems or need to shatter glass, but it’ll go unused most of the time.
  • 5th-Level: Call Lightning is a fantastic themed spell that may be used to start a battle. Then fry everything with low Dexterity saves for the next 10 minutes. All from the convenience of a single spell slot. If you can summon the storm gods to provide you stormy circumstances to cast this in, you’ll get bonus points (and damage). Sleet storm is a nice control spell, but it lacks the thrill of Call Lightning.
  • Control at the seventh level If there is a lot of water around, water has a number of fascinating uses. In a Waterborne/Pirate campaign, I can see you accomplishing amazing things. With Ice Storm, opponents with a low Dex score may be bludgeoned and chilled. Tempest Cleric seems to be a popular target.
  • 9th-Level: Destructive Wave, which combines Thunder and Radiant/Necrotic, is at the top of the heap (Your choice). If you time it correctly in the initiative to offer allies advantage, knocking them prone is a benefit. With some mild concealed and area control, Insect Plague is an acceptable amount of damage.
• [1st Level] Bonus Proficiency You’ve evolved into the kind of Cleric who now wears Heavy Armour. With Martial weapons and the ability to punish those who attack you, you’re nearly at the Paladin end of the spectrum.
• [1st Level] Wrath of the Storm This is a good method to keep opponents from attacking you. It may even kill your attacker early on, but it does compete for your response time.
• [2nd Level] Channel Divinity: Destructive Wrath Using Channel Divinity to increase lightning or thunder damage to maximum. Thunder Wave or Shatter is looking fantastic right now.
• [6th Level] Thunderbolt Strike You can fling someone up to 10 feet away when they contact you and are zapped by Wrath of the Storm. This is a fantastic method to keep boarders off your ship. It seems to stack with other push effects like Thunder Wave as stated.
• [8th Level] Divine Strike In accordance with other Cleric Domains that concentrate on Melee attacks, this Cleric Domain provides a significant damage increase. This additional Thunder damage is useful since Thunder is seldom resisted. However, it would be great if this was lightning for additional knockbacks.
• [17th Level] Stormborn Fly above the decks and strike the Kraken with lightning bolts. Permanent flying while outside is incredible, and it emphasizes my previous remark about this character’s power in the wide water.

Cleric of Deception:

• I’m a huge lover of charm and deception, something the Trickery Cleric excels at. Much of what makes this Domain flexible is dependent on your imagination. Outside of battle, you may be asked to be the party’s ‘Face,’ the one who performs the talking and deceit. It’s a lot of fun thematically, but it’s more about perplexing opponents than really befriending them.
• Domain Spells: With all the vanishing tricks you’ll be able to do, you might easily acquire a Vegas show.
  • Charm is the first level. A person can turn a bad situation around, but keep in mind that it only lasts an hour, and charm isn’t the same as control. Disguise Self is a mystical method to change your look, and when combined with Invoke Duplicity, you may wreak havoc.
  • Because you’ll most certainly have a low AC, 3rd-Level: Mirror Image is an excellent defensive tool. Pass Without Trace isn’t exactly group invisibility, but with a +10 boost to Stealth checks, it’ll get you very close.
  • Blink is a difficult spell to be on the receiving end of at 5th level. You’re out of danger around half of the time, which provides you a lot of breathing space if you’re paying attention. The effectiveness of Dispel Magic is determined by how often the DM uses magical spells in front of you.
  • Dimension on the 7th level The use of a door is situational, but it is extremely effective. Polymorph is one of the most flexible effects in the game, and with the proper beast shape, you can solve a broad range of issues.
  • 9th-Level: Change Memory is situational, but Dominate Person is a wonderful method to temporarily transform a strong opponent into a delightful companion.
• The Trickster’s Blessing: [First Level] The disadvantage is that you can’t use it on yourself. It has the ability to turn your Rogue into a Super Stealthy boi or to stop the Paladin Girl from clanking about in her Heavy Armour.
• Channel Divinity: Invoke Duplicity: This ability may be used in a variety of ways that I won’t be able to cover here. Bend your mind in the Trickster’s ways, disguise yourself, hide in the shadows as your Illusion approaches, or even run in different directions to elude pursuit. Run it past your opponents to provoke attacks of opportunity and waste their time.
• Cloak of Shadows: Channel Divinity: Does your replica become invisible if you’re invisible? After all, it’s an exact replica… anything to talk to your DM about
• Poison isn’t the most effective damage kind, but a little additional damage is always welcome.
• Duplicity has improved: it’s now a madhouse of clones. You could almost create your own basketball team if you combine this with Mirror Image. You may even have clones near your friends so you can cast touch spells on them.

Cleric of War:

• In their dedication to combat, War Clerics have borrowed some pages from the Paladin’s book. Clerics that choose the War Domain will aim to cast a spell and maintain concentration while attacking in their following rounds. This means you’ll have a lot of choices, but you won’t be able to combine many of them since you can only focus on one spell at a time.
• Domain Spells: Almost all of these spells are fantastic and should be used on a regular basis. While it’s wonderful to have them all memorized, you’ll discover that many of them demand focus, which is where War Caster will come in in.
  • 1st-Level: [divine favor, faith shield] Divine Favor has a good start, particularly against undead and fiends, but it won’t last beyond the first few levels. Faith’s Shield is a game-changing boost that may be used on yourself or an ally. This spell will come in handy due to 5e’s “bounded accuracy” and how tough it is to obtain a stacking AC boost. Just keep in mind that it does require Concentration, which limits when you may break it out.
  • [Magic weapon, spiritual weapon] at 3rd level Magic Weapon is even better in a low-magic scenario, since you’ll start to come across beasties who are resistant to non-magical weapons. Because it requires concentration, you’ll probably use it early on and then forget about it once you acquire ‘real’ magic weapons. Spiritual Weapon isn’t a concentration spell that lets you deal force damage every round as a bonus action. Brilliant!
  • Crusader’s Mantle is the group counterpart of Divine Favor, a spell that the whole party may benefit from. Helps friends who are subjected to numerous weapon assaults each round, but the harm is minor. When deployed properly, Guardians of the Spirits, or Spirit Blender as we call them at my table, may devastate a battlefield. Even if they make their wisdom save and everything within 15 feet is shredded, guaranteed damage (radiant or necrotic). If you have a controller that can keep opponents trapped within this holy woodchipper, you’ll get bonus points.
  • 7th-Level: [movement freedom, stoneskin] When you require freedom of movement, and you’re unlikely to predict when you’ll need it, it’s wonderful; nevertheless, it’s situational. Stoneskin costs 100g each cast and provides a significant boost. Gives you or an ally comparable Barbarian Rage resistance. This is another another spell that is vying for your attention.
  • [flame strike, hold monster] at 9th level Flame Strike’s damage is a combination of Radiant and Fire, which is fantastic. Hold Monster removes an opponent from the battle so you may concentrate on their allies. The action economy balances a combat in such a manner that eliminating an opponent has a significant effect on the conflict.
• [1st Level] Bonus Proficiency You receive the powerful gear as a standard combat Cleric with Heavy Armour and Martial Weapons.
• [1st Level] War Priest There are just too many spells vying for your Bonus Action to make this worthwhile. It’s also not very thrilling to have up to five additional assaults each day.
• [2nd Level] Channel Divinity: Guided Strike When you use Great Weapon Master, the -5 penalty is mitigated, giving you a greater chance of getting the +10 damage. Otherwise, it’s debatable if burning a Channel Divinity is necessary to land a single hit.
• Divinity: War (Channel Divinity) [6th Level] God’s Blessing This is where you use Channel Divinity to boost certain friends. You could use this to boost yourself, but it’s preferable to give it to a Rogue, Fighter, or Ranger who depends on making that critical strike. Even more so if they’re employing Sharpshooter or Great Weapon Master and are willing to take the -hit penalty in exchange for greater damage.
• [8th, 14th Level] Divine Strike In line with the other Cleric Domains that are mostly concerned with weaponry. Divine Strike for the War Cleric has the same kind of damage as your current weapon. If you switch weapons, you’ll switch damage types, which may leave you stranded if enemies are resistant to what you’re presently carrying.
• [17th Level] Avatar of Battle You’re no longer in need of Stoneskin. These are the most frequent non-magical weapon or monster damage kinds.

Last Thoughts: The Cleric Domain you pick is mostly determined by the role you want to play. The Life Domain is a must-visit if you want to buff up and keep the party alive. The Forge Domain offers a lot of utility and boosting potential.

Cleric Spells at Their Finest (In Progress)

 Cantrips

• Guidance
• Light
• Mending
• Resistance
• The Sacred Fire
• Spare the Dying
• Thaumaturgy
• [XGE] Toll of the Dead
• [XGE] Word of Radiance

Spells of the First Level

• Bane
• Bless
• [XGE] Ceremonies
• Command
• Water may either be used to create something or it can be used to destroy something.
• Cure Wounds
• Identify the Evil and the Good
• Detect Magic
• Poison and Disease Detection
• Bolt of Guidance
• Healing Word
• Inflict Wounds is a game where you may inflict wounds on
• Protection from both Good and Evil
• Cleanse Your Food and Drink
• Sanctuary
• Shield of Faith

 Spells of the Second Level

• Aid
• Augury
• Blindness/Deafness
• Emotions of Calm
• Flame that never goes out
• Enhance your abilities
• Locate Traps
• Gentle Repose
• Person to be held
• Lesser Restoration
• Find the Object
• A Healing Prayer
• Defend yourself against poison
• Silence
• Spiritual Weapon
• Bond Protection
• The Truth Zone

 Spells of the Third Level

• Animate Dead
• Beacon of Hope
• Possess Curse
• Clairvoyance
• Produce both food and water
• Daylight
• Dispel Magic
• Pretend to be dead
• Glyph of Protection
• [XGE] Life Transference
• Magic Circle
• The Healing Word for the Masses
• Convert to Stone
• Defense Against Energy
• Curse will be removed.
• Revivify
• Sending
• Speak with the Deceased
• Spirit Guardians
• Tongues
• A Walk in the Water

 Spells of the 4th Level

• Banishment
• Water Management
• Death Ward
• Divination
• The Right to Move
• Guardian of Faith
• Find the Creature
• Shape of a Stone

 Spells of the 5th Level

• Commune
• Contagion
• [XGE] Dawn
• Good and Evil are banished.
• Flame Strike
• Geas
• Enhanced Regeneration
• Hallow
• [XGE] Holy Weapon
• Insect Plague
• Legend Lore
• Mass Cure Wounds
• Binding on a Plane
• Raise Dead
• Scrying

 Spells of the 6th Level

• Blade Shield
• Make your own undead.
• Locate the Route
• Forbiddance
• Harm
• Heal
• Feast of the Heroes
• Ally Planar
• True Observation
• Reminiscence

 Spells of the 7th Level

• Invoke the gods of the sky.
• Word of God
• Etherealness
• Storm of Fire
• Shift Plane
• Regenerate
• Resurrection
• Symbol

 Spells of the 8th Level

• Field of Antimagic
• Weather Control
• Earthquake
• Aura of the Holy Spirit

Spells of the Ninth Level

• Projection into the Astral Plane
• Gate
• Heal the Whole World
• Resurrection that is true

Skills & Backgrounds:

Backgrounds:

Clerics need abilities to go along with their high Wisdom, thus Insight and Perception are your bread and butter.

Other abilities and perks, on the other hand, may fit within your character idea. Don’t put too much emphasis on background optimization.

Your background usually grants you two talents, maybe two languages, possibly two tools, a particular benefit, and a modest quantity of goods/gold.

Keep in mind that if a background grants you a talent that you already have from your class or race, you may replace it with any other skill (including a non-class skill).

• [insight/religion] Acolyte: This is the standard Cleric backdrop. The Cleric benefits much from insight, and religion seems to be self-evident, despite the fact that it is founded on intelligence (likely your dump stat). Bonus languages are useful at low levels if you have a large number of unbelievers to convert.
• [deception/sleight of hand] Charlatan: This is for clerics who use dexterity in their work. You can get some cool skills that aren’t on the main list if you invest enough points into Charisma. Plus, depending on the campaign, you’ll gain skill in a handful of items that may be useful or worthless.
• [deception/stealth] City Watch/Criminal Athletics is difficult for Clerics since they do not have a high Strength score.
• Cloistered Scholar: Could be useful in the Knowledge area, but others may find it difficult to justify.
• If you get stuck playing the Face, Courtier: Insight and Persuasion are excellent options, and the extra languages will tide you over until you can utilize Tongues.
• A Trickery Cleric with decent Dexterity might utilize this to partly replace a Rogue in the party.
• Entertainer: [acrobatics/performance] This may work if you want to be agile and battle with dexterity.
• Faction Agent: Insight is fantastic, and the free mental talent will allow you to take up Perception or any other skill you need. Until you can utilize Tongues, the extra languages will be quite useful.
• Far Traveller: You have perfect abilities and a free language, but you don’t have any game equipment or instruments.
• [Animal handling/survival] is a folk hero. There are two talents that aren’t on your list but that you should have. A collection of Artisan’s tools and vehicles. It’s not terrible.
• [insight/persuasion] Guild Artisan Not a terrible option, however Artisan’s tools aren’t really helpful, thus Acolyte is a better option.
• [medicine/religion] Hermit Medicine isn’t perfect, but it may be useful. Medicine and Insight both benefit from your Wisdom, and the Herbalism Kit enables you to create therapeutic potions.
• [history/persuasion] Noble: Persuasion and a language are great, but half of the background information is squandered.
• [athletics/survival] Outlander This is the first decent backdrop for clerics who want to bash things up with a large weapon. Athletics and Survival will be useful abilities for you as you gain strength.
• [arcana/history] Sage: Most Clerics struggle with knowledge skills, but if you invest enough resources in Intelligence, you can obtain four knowledge abilities.
• Sailor: [athletics/perception] This is an excellent backdrop for a strong cleric, particularly a Tempest Cleric. Both athletics and perception will be beneficial to you.
• A Trickery Cleric with good Dexterity might utilize this to partly replace a Rogue in the party. Criminal and Urchin are likely to be superior.
• Urchin: [sleight of hand/stealth] This may be used by a Trickery Cleric with good Dexterity to partly replace a Rogue in the party.

Feats of the Cleric:

There won’t be much space for achievements if you have two stats that you want to be top-notch.

More feats are available to the Nature cleric, who may become single-stat reliant. If you’re utilizing a point purchase, most clerics won’t earn more than two feats at most.

• You won’t be shocked if you get a +5 to initiative. Going first isn’t always necessary, but it does assist.
• Athlete : You receive several excellent mobility skills, and regardless of which one you pick, it boosts your attack stat.
• Trickery Clerics may get some mileage as an actor, which is usually saved for the party face.
• If you’re not in range yet, you have spells to sling.
• Crossbow Expert : This may be useful for a Dexterity combat cleric who wants to battle with two hand crossbows. Nothing else on the Cleric’s list should catch your attention since the majority of the assault spells are saves.
• Most Clerics avoid using the Finesse keyword on their weapons as a defensive duelist. Also, using a response to boost your AC only works once each round.
• Dual Wielder: When dual wielding, you get a permanent +1 to AC, although you won’t be using your action to strike very frequently.
• Dungeon Delver: This is intriguing when combined with your presumably high Perception skill; nevertheless, a Rogue or Ranger should be on the lookout for this.
• Durable: You typically have a variety of options for self-healing. If you’re having trouble with spell slots, this will help you.
• Elemental Adept: Unfortunately, the Cleric damage kinds of Radiant and Necrotic Damage are not covered by this. However, if your domain, like the Storm domain, receives unique flavors of spells, you may want to think about it.
• Grappler: Grappler is a fairly specialized build that Clerics aren’t very good at.
• Master of Weapons: This might be tempting if you have a two-handed maul and want to cave in some skulls. You should evaluate if you’ll be using melee attacks often enough to make this helpful.
• Healer: If your DM allows you to use Healer’s Kits often, it’s essentially the same as spending money for a few additional first-level spells each day. Although not always required, it is worth considering for some.
• Heavy Armoured: If you’re looking for heavy armour, there’s a domain for that.
• Heavy Armour Master: For those of you who are familiar with heavy armour, this is a good one to take up. The War domain people are an exception. Because you add modifiers to damage before halving it, your 17th level feature actually makes it worse.
• Inspiring Leader: You’re unlikely to have enough Charisma to make this useful; maybe a Bard or Paladin can help. A fantastic way to ensure your party’s survival.
• Leave it to the Wizards, Keen Mind… and even then, it’s possible that it won’t be enough.
• Lightly armed: You already have this.
• Linguist: Another boost in intellect. You also have Tongues and Comprehend Languages.
• Getting advantage three times a day (or putting an opponent at a disadvantage) might be detrimental.
• Mage Slayer: This has some appeal if you’re battling a lot of spellcasters, but it’s too situational.
• Magic Initiate: You already have a plethora of spells and cantrips. Consider a domain that allows you to pinch from another spell list if you really want to.
• Martial Adept: This isn’t worth it unless you already have or intend to acquire additional superiority dice.
• Medium Armour Master: For Clerics with good dexterity who want to remain with Medium Armour but don’t want to lose out on Stealth checks. This is a pretty specific situation.
• Mobile: You don’t always need to be on the go. You have alternative choices if you are not in range.
• This is already in your kit. Moderately armoured: This is already in your kit.
• Mounted Combat: It’s difficult to play a mounted character without some kind of unique mount ability.
• Observant: Passive perception’s utility is determined by your DM. As a Cleric, you’ll already have a high Wisdom score and may wish to add a +1 to balance things out, so extra Perception is a perfect choice.
• Polearm Master: This is a must-have for anybody who uses martial weapons or is a Nature Druid. Others are free to go.
• To become skilled at con saves, you must be resilient. If you cast a lot of concentration spells, this may be something you desire.
• The one advantage you have is that you can perform rituals for spells that aren’t in your spell list. (You have the option of taking a different class.) There are much superior alternatives.
• Savage Attacker: The larger your damage dice, the better. Even then, rerolling a d12 or 2d6 once each round is the maximum limit.
• Sentinel: If you’re going to be on the front lines, this may come in in, particularly if you’re trying to keep attackers away from your squishy friends. Your opportunity attacks may start to harm if you get additional skills like Divine Strike. There are, however, better options among the few accomplishments available.
• Sharpshooter: Clerics aren’t known for carrying bows.
• Shield Master: Despite the fact that you have a shield, you’ll probably save your Bonus Actions to perform spells. Regular melee attacks will become less effective as you acquire more spell slots.
• Other courses are on the lookout for skilled individuals. You have spells that help you avoid having to learn new abilities.
• Skulker: I’ve never heard of a Cleric attacking from the shadows with ranged weapons.
• Spell Sniper: You’ll be employing a lot of spells that don’t use attack rolls and instead rely on saving throws.
• Tavern Brawler: Why would you use a homemade weapon when you can conjure a heavenly one?
• Tough: Unless you’re worried about the DM focusing on the healer, this shouldn’t be an issue. You may regain your health in other ways; a larger pool isn’t required.
• War Caster is a spell that most Clerics will want to think about. Especially if you’re in the middle of a fight and know you’ll get struck. As you attempt to retain focus, constitution saves will be your enemy; having advantage reduces the risk of losing whatever tide-turning impact you began.
• Weapon Master: The Cleric already has this ability.

Multi-classing:

I’d want to take a short look at a few possibilities here, as well as the idea of a “dip” to get some goods from another class.

However, I’m going to leave some of the finer aspects of multi-classing up to the player, particularly anything that detracts from the character’s majority Cleric status.

While there is a color grade in this area, keep in mind that other choices, such as character idea, may come under your character concept rather than true optimization.

• Barbarian : This is a terrible choice for a caster since he can’t cast. When we created our Barbarian Guide, we found that you may utilize finesse weapons when raged.
• Bard: You don’t need the Bard spells since Charisma is your dump stat. Stick to conversing with Gods rather than mankind.
• WIS is a spellcasting ability shared by Druids. Depending on your DM, dipping in for Goodberry as a Life Cleric may be a bit of a mess.
• Fighter: Depending on your build, a level or two of fighter may be a decent option. Fighting Style is usually a good choice, and Second Wind lets you heal yourself without taking up any spell slots. Action Surge is particularly appealing since it allows you to cast two spells in the same round. Remember that if you cast a bonus action spell, you can only perform cantrips with your remaining actions, so be sure to cast two spells with a 1 action casting time in a round when you intend to utilize Action Surge.
• Monk: This is a great option for a Dex build since it enables you to utilize Dex for Domains such as Life or Nature that would usually go to Str.
• Paladin: Because CHA is a spellcasting ability, this is a bad match. This is an excellent method to learn martial arts weapons and a fighting technique, but not as good as Fighter.
• Ranger: It’s possible… However, I believe you would be better off taking a Fighter level and naming it a Ranger.
• Rogue: Starting with a few of Rogue levels is one of the few ways to make Trickery Domain viable. However, there isn’t much else to choose from. If you want to learn more, check out our 5E Rogue tutorial.
• Sorcerer: If you don’t have anything else to do, one level of Draconic Resilience may be acceptable for a Dex build, but you’re definitely better off with Monk.
• Warlock: It’s definitely better to avoid this one unless you’re looking for anything particular.
• Wizard: You don’t have a lot of INT. Some Wizard spells may be obtained in other ways.

Regards,

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you use cleric 5e?

The cleric is a divine spellcaster that uses prayer and divine magic to heal the living and fight the undead. Clerics are usually members of one of the major religions, such as Christianity, Islam, or Judaism.

Is cleric good in 5e?

Clerics are good in 5e.

How do you make a good cleric in D&D?

A good cleric is someone who has a high Wisdom score, and can cast spells from the Cleric spell list.

Corey Holmes

Graphic Designer and Blogger

Indiana - based graphic designer for more than 6 years. Creator of multiple awesome print and web designs. Interested in blogging as a second addiction since 2019. 100% animal lover.