D&D 5E Why ever play a cleric?

[krakistophales]

You might as well ask besides all that spellcasting why would you play a wizard over a fighter, since the wizard doesn't get as many good attacks.

That isn't the same thing. I'm not comparing a fighter vs. a wizard because they do completely different things, but it's fair to compare a caster class that gives you an entire domain based on melee against dedicated caster and melee classes.

 

[krakistophales]

Our D&D games cover a lot more than just melee combat. Who cares if the EK can do more DPR per attack over the long run. That's not what I want to do. All the other abilities more than make up for it in the exploration and interaction pillars of the game. Even in combat, with the aforementioned spirit guardians and nova spells, I am more than keeping up with the EK or paladin. A 12th level EK isn't going to have nearly the access to spells like my 12th level cleric does.

So in that case the selling point becomes utility/versatility for a minimal loss in combat capability/DPR?

 

[GrumpyGamer]

From a mechanical standpoint, which seems to be what the OP is concerned with, the Cleric has a caster stat of Wis which is superior from a defensive standpoint to Int/Cha of most other casters. Cleric's also have the best buffs/debuffs in the game.

From a non-mechanical standpoint being a cleric of a deity offers a lot of role playing and story options.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

One of my favourite ever characters was a half-elf cleric in ad&d.

She was a healer, yes, but an argumentative one, and I just liked the roleplaying aspect of being what, in real world terms, would be a miracle worker.

She died, in the end, at the hands of a mimic because the 'chest' was a container of holy relics (or so she thought), "so get your dirty pilfering hands off, Mr Thief"...

D'oh!

 

[ccooke]

Because they provide an archetype and roleplaying option that the other classes do not. Just like all the classes.

The deities in D&D are vitally important to the cosmology and culture of most settings, and the cleric is the only class that gives you an option for a non-martial servant of the gods.

 

[Ganymede81]

If you want to be a gish, like tempest or war domain clerics, why not just go eldritch knight?

An Eldritch Knight is primarily a warrior with some extra magical goodies thrown in. A Tempest or War Cleric is primarily a divine spellcaster with some extra melee goodies thrown in. It seems natural to assume that someone interested in playing such a cleric prefers that particular balance of divine magic to combat prowess.

You should also consider checking out the Cleric spell list, and note how its spells differ from those of other casters.

 

[Kite474]

Basically to give the answer you probably want. Clerics are useful for having a very VERSATILE tool kit. They may not be able to pull larger numbers in areas of specific expertise,but they do well enough to where they can pull their weight at anytime. Also WIS is objectively the best casting stat. Because failing WIS saves tends to spell doom and/or worse.

EDIT: Also they come in backed by their entire spell list. Needless to say this is a BIG advantage. Another thing to remember is that versatility is its own power. In 3.F its the reason wizards were tier 1

 

[Sacrosanct]

So in that case the selling point becomes utility/versatility for a minimal loss in combat capability/DPR?

I think the big disconnect is that you seem to be viewing classes, and the level of appeal to play them, based solely on a mechanical reason. for most of us, that's a non or minor factor. Classes are more than just a number; that's why they have several paragraphs in the class description of what they are like before you even get to the mechanical bits. In a role playing game, the role playing aspect shouldn't be ignored.

But let's set aside that for a moment and talk just about the mechanical bits. You seem to assume that there is a loss of DPR compared to an EK or paladin, but you're only looking at melee combat. There are a million different scenarios where combat comes up, and melee is only a small part. Not all of your opponents are going be lined up in a neat row for you to attack, rinse, repeat.

for Example:

* when outside and opponents all over the place, some over 100 ft away, I can hit them each round with a call lightning while the EK or paladin has to break out a bow, and God forbid if they spec'd STR like you mentioned above, or they're going to be spending their actions running around, not attacking squat

* Even if my one attack roll does only 2d8+X damage compared to an EK or paladin's 1d8+X (x3 attacks), I'm also doing 3d8 damage to 2 or more attackers who happen to be within a 15ft radius of me due to spirit guardians (I've hit up to 6 opponents with this spell in a single round before).

* The paladin can add a few extra D8 when he novas with divine smite? Big deal. I'll drop a destructive wrath, max out the thunder damage with my channel divinity, for way more damage to EVERY creature within 30ft that I want.

* for Sh*s and giggles, I can drop a flame strike, insect plague, storm sphere, or whatever else I want.


So no, in actual play, I don't feel like I'm giving up any combat capability. In fact, I think I'm more capable in combat because not every combat round can the EK or paladin do what they want because the enemy isn't in perfect position, while I have many options to always hit the bad guys where it hurts. I think you really need to look at what schools of magic a EK can cast from, and how many spells at what level they get too. You might get one or two 3rd level spells while I'm dropping level 5 and 6 spells a lot more often, on top of being good at melee combat as well with just that one spell (spirit guardians)

 

[NotActuallyTim]

The primary reason to play a cleric is to lie to peasants and tell them they need to hand over 9/10s of their worldly possessions to the church, so that the gods will let them into heaven.

And if they don't believe you, smite one.

More seriously, Tempest Domain clerics get free flight at level 17, and before that they get all sorts of neat goodies from their domain, plus the best healing in the game from the Cleric class on top of it all! And the Knowledge Domain used to a regular discussion at the 'What is OP?' threads on a few forums.

 

[aarduini]

Clerics heal. That's been their role in all of D&D. That's still their primary role in 5e.

Domains let you do healing + other stuff (or healing + more healing for life cleric).
Clerics get armor and shields. Making them the most tanky caster.
And Wis is the best casting stat.
And never discount RP reasons.

If you want heal + warrior, then yes, be a paladin.
Warlock/sorcerer/wizard cannot heal. Light clerics can blast, and then cure diseases.
EK cannot heal, and gets much less magic. Tempest can hit someone, and bring someone back to life.

Bards and druids are the most direct competitors.

I have some issues with this statement, and it doesn't match my play style or experience.

A cleric is so much more than a Healer; in fact, my clerics taking healing as a secondary role. My other characters rarely rely on the cleric to heal them.

Cleric vs Paladin - Clerics have one less attack per round than a paladin, but can make up for that with spells like spiritual weapon and Spirit Guardians. Where paladins can smite evil, Clerics can banish them, turn them or summon creatures to fight them. Paladins can somewhat do this too, but not near as well.

Cleric vs Wizard/Warlock/Sorcere - While clerics aren't as effective blasters as the mentioned classes, they do have decent blast spells. Also, they can use radiant damage which is not as resisted as the spells Arcane spell casters use, and they can blast and cast from the front ranks.

Clieric vs EK - The eldritch knight gets its money by casting cantrips then attacking. Their arcane spell progression is so slow its almost not worth mentioning. An arcane cleric with spirit guardians and spiritual weapon going can almost outshine an eldritch knight by using Booming blade or Greemflame blade as their arcane cantrips, and War Clerics are just Awesome!

Clerics are much much more than healers.