D&D (2024) Best cleric for a skirmishing party?
- Thread starter mellored
- Start date
Trickster cleric will absolutely do what you need:
Light cleric is strong for range between 10 and 30'.
Scribe and Wayfarer backgrounds let you have stealth and useful skills, including Stealth. Wayfarer also lets you be Lucky; Scribe gives you Calligrapher's tools for making scrolls. Both allow bonuses to Dex and Wis.
For either option, Magic Initiate (Wizard) or Elf lets you choose an attack cantrip that can be keyed to Wisdom, for a "laser cleric" build.
There's very little taxing your Bonus action, so Telekinetic at level 4 is reasonable, and gives you a bonus action shove with your wisdom.
- bonus for the worst in the party at Stealthing
- regular advantage in melee
- option for heavy/reach weapon (but no masteries unless you dip)
- also works with a crossbow build
Light cleric is strong for range between 10 and 30'.
Scribe and Wayfarer backgrounds let you have stealth and useful skills, including Stealth. Wayfarer also lets you be Lucky; Scribe gives you Calligrapher's tools for making scrolls. Both allow bonuses to Dex and Wis.
For either option, Magic Initiate (Wizard) or Elf lets you choose an attack cantrip that can be keyed to Wisdom, for a "laser cleric" build.
There's very little taxing your Bonus action, so Telekinetic at level 4 is reasonable, and gives you a bonus action shove with your wisdom.
mellored
Legend
*Stealth is useful, but doesn't directly help with the keep away.
* advantage in melee isn't. The goal is to say away.
*without masteries I don't see much benefit with weapons over sacred flame.
*or crossbows.
But the teleport away and extra spell range is useful.
What about war? If they get weapons mastery and a crossbow for bonus action push. Plus help allies land their push?
That's a bit short range.
That's a good idea.
mellored
Legend
What about any pre 2024 subclasses?
Stealth is only useful if everyone can do it. Trickster cleric is unique in being able to make someone else bettr at sneaking without having to use a second-level spell slot.
you wanted skirmisher/movement control.
A heavy weapon at reach allows skirmishing.
The player gets to roll to hit, as opposed to the victim requiring a save. Plus, at higher levels the benefits of rolling to hit increase, whereas they don't with saves.
Ah. So you don't want melee weapons, and you don't want ranged weapons, and you want to skirmish...
...at a range greater than 30'.
I think we fundamentally have different ideas about what skirmishing is. I'm not sure my advice will help you.
jgsugden
Legend
Your party wants to move and bounce around to avoid being hit. The techniques I'd use to support that in a cleric style role would be:
Blaster: Light Cleric. If the allies want to stay out of the way, you may get more bang for your buck out of fireballs. I'd also consider going Land Druid here - Wildshape gives you some mobility options to keep up and the spell selection allows you to do a lot of different things.
Decoy: If they want to be fast and avoid being hit, you can do a lot by creating an anchor that keeps the enemy from moving around too much. Focus on defense, auras and spells that slow enemies with difficult terrain, etc... I suggest the Trickery Melee build for this cleric.
Buffer: You're not going to use your concentration to be offensive or defensive, but to buff allies. For a cleric I'd go with Life just to augment the healing options, but I'd also consider going for a sorcerer or wizard instead as they can do more dramatic buffing of allies. Feats can be used to gain access to a few good 1st level non-concentration buffs that are not on the lists....
Blaster: Light Cleric. If the allies want to stay out of the way, you may get more bang for your buck out of fireballs. I'd also consider going Land Druid here - Wildshape gives you some mobility options to keep up and the spell selection allows you to do a lot of different things.
Decoy: If they want to be fast and avoid being hit, you can do a lot by creating an anchor that keeps the enemy from moving around too much. Focus on defense, auras and spells that slow enemies with difficult terrain, etc... I suggest the Trickery Melee build for this cleric.
Buffer: You're not going to use your concentration to be offensive or defensive, but to buff allies. For a cleric I'd go with Life just to augment the healing options, but I'd also consider going for a sorcerer or wizard instead as they can do more dramatic buffing of allies. Feats can be used to gain access to a few good 1st level non-concentration buffs that are not on the lists....
mellored
Legend
Compared to 60' cantrips?
Not sure how that makes a difference.
And your using Str over Wis, so any control spells (command) is less likely to land.
I don't have a problem with ranged weapons. Or reach. Other party members do that.
Archer battlemaster and a wild hear barbarian with pike + polearm master do a good job slowing and pushing.
I just don't see how a cleric using a weapon is better than a Sacred Flame which works in melee or range, and keeps your DC higher by buffing Wis.
Telekinetic also buffs Wis. Definitely taking that suggestion.
Hit and run, keeping distance to prevent them from hitting you back. Using a combination of movement control and mobility.
Perhaps Kiting would be a better term for what I have i mind.
If everyone backs 40' away and the light cleric moves in to use their channel divinity, then gets surrounded.
mellored
Legend
It's already a cleric.
But yea. Druids would work well with this too.
True.
Less slots on healing allows for more on Bless, would means more hits and more push/slows.
The best control Cleric is probably an Order Cleric with Fey Touched-Tasha's Laughter and Shdow Touched-Cause Fear.
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