D&D 5E Why ever play a cleric?

[GX.Sigma]

I'm not trying to be inflammatory here, I just simply cant wrap my head around why someone would play a cleric other than filling the healing role in a party. I understand domains help them specialize and give them interesting options, but why choose a cleric with a certain domain over a class that functions the same way, just better?

If you want to be a capable warrior with divine magic, go paladin.
If you want to be a capable caster, why go light domain cleric over, say, warlock/sorcerer/wizard?
If you want to be a gish, like tempest or war domain clerics, why not just go eldritch knight?

I look forward to being enlightened and perhaps converted to actually trying a cleric one of these days.

Just because nobody mentioned it yet, I'd like to point out that we have a whole subforum for discussing min-maxing: http://www.enworld.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?363-Character-Builds-amp-Optimization

This thread probably would have had less hostility if it was posted there, because then the people who don't like min-maxing (e.g. me) wouldn't see it. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

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.

Not to quibble, but failing Int saves scares me more than Wis saves. Failing Int saves tends to lead to things like losing your spellcasting ability to Feeblemind or permanently becoming an Intellect Devourer's meat puppet.

 

[ccs]

OK makes sense. Now are we talking in combat healing or out of combat healing? In 3.5 healing in combat was often useless

Whatever your edition, if your in-combat healings are useless - then your likely doing something wrong.
The trick is to heal people JUST ENOUGH, at the right time.

 

[Giant2005]

The only downside to playing a Cleric is the fact that your friends expect you to waste your spell slots healing them.
Other than that you have great damage, great defense, and enough spell slots to eventually be able to sustain it all for a reasonable amount of time. Other than a few great gems (that make the class worth playing), the spell list really sucks though.

 

[Zardnaar]

That's a cool concept, just as an aside, have you thought about a warforged storm sorcerer or did you want to go the heavily armoured route?




Rangers were able to wear heavy armour in 2e, but if they wore higher than studded leather then they suffered the standard penalties to two-weapon fighting rather than none. Probably also penalised their ability to move silently and hide in shadows, but I'm not too sure on point.

Might be right there but since TWF was about the only thing 2E rangers had going for them it may as well have been a hard restriction.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Because, for those of us of a certain age...

(1) Kick-ass


And

(2) Screw you, dragon, you ain't all that

 

[Herobizkit]

For myself, anyway, stating that I want to play the Cleric is the way I tell my DM a few things:

a) The God/dess I choose will be one that I would like to be represented in your world. If you have custom deities, I want to represent one in your world and help to make it more prevalent.

b) I noticed the party does not have one and/or the Bard is already taken.

c) I prefer supporting a group, but just as equally, I enjoy being the mouthpiece and/or the lore-monkey. Clerics are a nice blend of several different flavors, all of which I enjoy.

Clerics CAN heal; that's not all they can do. In most cases, in-combat healing doesn't save the day - killing your foes as quickly as possible does. (Except in 4e - in-combat healing is rad.)

 

[krakistophales]

The only downside to playing a Cleric is the fact that your friends expect you to waste your spell slots healing them.
Other than that you have great damage, great defense, and enough spell slots to eventually be able to sustain it all for a reasonable amount of time. Other than a few great gems (that make the class worth playing), the spell list really sucks though.

I thought so too, so combined with that and the fact that the domains only augment the base class, that was why I wondered in the first place why ever play one. However, I'm gonna try a light domain cleric...seems like a blaster caster with buff/debuff/healing as well, all with 18 AC. Yum.

 

[mellored]

All the cleric spells tend to be slightly weaker versions. Sacred flame for instance does d8, while Firebolt and Eldritch blast do d10. Conjure celestial is higher level then Conjure fey. Flame strike has a smaller radius. Etc.

So it's not that they can't do things other then heal, but they just don't do them as well as other classes that don't have healing. Which is fair considering how potent bringing some back from the dead is, even if you rarely use it.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

All the cleric spells tend to be slightly weaker versions. Sacred flame for instance does d8, while Firebolt and Eldritch blast do d10. Conjure celestial is higher level then Conjure fey. Flame strike has a smaller radius. Etc.


So it's not that they can't do things other then heal, but they just don't do them as well as other classes that don't have healing. Which is fair considering how potent bringing some back from the dead is, even if you rarely use it.

Conjure Celestial looks bad on paper until you actually look at what a CR 4 Couatl's stats are. Then yum. Polymorph, constriction, non-magical weapon immunity, high AC, built-in Shield spell, free Greater Restorations, and a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember off the top of my head. All for one hour with concentration, out of a 7th level spell slot.

Conjure Fey may only be 6th level, but Conjure Celestial completely outclasses it, judging by MM monsters.