D&D 5E How important is party balance in Next? (iow, how necessary are clerics?)

[Mercurius]

We'll be making characters in a couple days and I'm trying to ascertain whether I'm going to need to strong-arm someone into being a cleric. One of the nice things about 4E is that you didn't "have to" have a cleric like in other editions, except of course if it was an undead-heavy campaign, then being a cleric is super fun. But what about Next? Is a cleric necessary? Anything else I should think about?

There are six players, and my guess is that in any given session someone won't be able to make it. I'm going to push for a variety of classes, but I tend to prefer when players pick what they want to play, not what they think is necessary to fill things out.

 

[Mistwell]

All characters get Hit Dice, which they can spend during a short rest to regain hit points. In addition, you regain all hit points with an 8 hour rest. Also, healing potions are one of the few magic items which are intended to be bought, and at a relatively inexpensive price. They're also a common magic item.

So, given that, you don't need a Cleric if: 1) the DM doesn't hit the party with frequent wandering monsters during a short rest/long rest, and 2) the party doesn't need a lot of in-combat healing beyond what healing potions can offer.

 

[Mercurius]

All characters get Hit Dice, which they can spend during a short rest to regain hit points. In addition, you regain all hit points with an 8 hour rest. Also, healing potions are one of the few magic items which are intended to be bought, and at a relatively inexpensive price. They're also a common magic item.

So, given that, you don't need a Cleric if: 1) the DM doesn't hit the party with frequent wandering monsters during a short rest/long rest, and 2) the party doesn't need a lot of in-combat healing beyond what healing potions can offer.

Thanks, Mistwell. I wasn't exactly sure how Hit Dice worked (sounds like healing surges, but more random and without the second wind).

Sounds like Next handles healing potions like I've always done, although I've imagined them as akin to little ginseng bottles or herbal tinctures that can be stored in little slots on a belt for "quick action."

 

[xazil]

Just to add a few notes:

A tool pick of Herbalism will let any class craft half price healing potions with your control being access to the herbs used to craft them.

A druid can heal as much as a non-life cleric.

A paladin can also provide a surprising amount of combat healing with his 5hp/level of lay on hands and spells.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Most classes in the game can cast healing spells. Healing potions are really cheap (and show up a lot on the random treasure charts). Anyone can stabilize a dying ally. Hit Dice can let characters heal during short rests.

But Clerics can cast spare the dying,​ which basically makes it so no one can ever die.

So it's not so much that Clerics are "necessary," it's more that they "distort the gameplay experience by having a ludicrously overpowered ability."

 

[Jester David]

We'll be making characters in a couple days and I'm trying to ascertain whether I'm going to need to strong-arm someone into being a cleric. One of the nice things about 4E is that you didn't "have to" have a cleric like in other editions, except of course if it was an undead-heavy campaign, then being a cleric is super fun. But what about Next? Is a cleric necessary? Anything else I should think about?

There are six players, and my guess is that in any given session someone won't be able to make it. I'm going to push for a variety of classes, but I tend to prefer when players pick what they want to play, not what they think is necessary to fill things out.

While 4e made a cleric less essential, it made a leader more essential.

I played a lot of Living Greyhawk and having a cleric always felt like a bonus. But someone able to use wands of cure light wounds always needed.

With Hit Dice I think a cleric is even less necessary than 3e. Cleric extend an adventuring day but you have a fair pool of hitpoints. And using wands is easier and you don't need to buy as many wands.

 

[Mistwell]

Most classes in the game can cast healing spells.

Well, that's not true.

But Clerics can cast spare the dying,​ which basically makes it so no one can ever die.

And that's not true either.

So it's not so much that Clerics are "necessary," it's more that they "distort the gameplay experience by having a ludicrously overpowered ability."

And that's just silly.

 

[Mistwell]

While 4e made a cleric less essential, it made a leader more essential.

I played a lot of Living Greyhawk and having a cleric always felt like a bonus. But someone able to use wands of cure light wounds always needed.

With Hit Dice I think a cleric is even less necessary than 3e. Cleric extend an adventuring day but you have a fair pool of hitpoints. And using wands is easier and you don't need to buy as many wands.

Psst. He's asking about 5e. I don't think you will be buying wands of healing in 5e.

 

[Jester David]

Psst. He's asking about 5e. I don't think you will be buying wands of healing in 5e.

If the DM wants wand stores there can be wand stores. And if there's no cleric the party can find a wand early. While wands have fewer total charges they recharge over time (handy).

It's also super easy to adjust the amount of hit dice a character has.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Most classes in the game can cast healing spells.

5 out of the 10 classes, so close.