Tempest or Life Cleric

[Captain Panda]

Honestly I'm of the opinion that clerics aren't actually that great at healing. I also don't think 'healer' is a role that is super important, though having multiple people who heals that do other useful stuff is nice.

 

[Zardnaar]

Honestly I'm of the opinion that clerics aren't actually that great at healing. I also don't think 'healer' is a role that is super important, though having multiple people who heals that do other useful stuff is nice.

Well they're not that great just better than the other classes.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Life cleric is not overrated. It is underrated.
Life cleric increases healing to an amount that makes it worthwhile to use in combat. Double good because whenever you heal someone you not only heal him but also yourself. You have a channel divinity that puts lay on hands to shame (its lay on hands on short rest basis essentially).
A tempest cleric is offensively also very strong. A maximized lightning bolt does 48 damage which makes it really strong but sometimes healing damage is better than more offense. Sonetimes 48 damage is only a fraction of what the fighter can do if he does not go down.

So it really depends on what you want. Both clerics are equally viable.

 

[FrogReaver]

True but a light cleric is even better. Tempest cleric isn't that good at melee or blowing stuff up.

But I’m comparing tempest to life.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Definitely Tempest. Life is healing overkill, especially with a paladin in the party.

 

[Captain Panda]

Well they're not that great just better than the other classes.

Better than the classes that don't get heals. Bards typically heal better after a certain point (assuming they are building towards it, to a degree), druids heal better (out of combat, at least) pretty much from 1 to 20. Druids and rangers are so great at out of combat healing DMs often complain about it and want to nerf healing spirit. But even without healing spirit, using yesterday's spell slots for healing (goodberries) is just fantastic.

 

[Zardnaar]

Better than the classes that don't get heals. Bards typically heal better after a certain point (assuming they are building towards it, to a degree), druids heal better (out of combat, at least) pretty much from 1 to 20. Druids and rangers are so great at out of combat healing DMs often complain about it and want to nerf healing spirit. But even without healing spirit, using yesterday's spell slots for healing (goodberries) is just fantastic.

Other classes don't tend to get the other stuff a healer uses. Raise deads, restoration things like that.

Healing Spirit is a bit out of whack and IDK if everyone uses it but yes with that spell Druids are competitive/better. I was mostly talking about the PHB.

Bards don't have enough focus on healing and would have to spend to many spells known IMHO.