D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook reveal: "New Cleric"

[Charlaquin]

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To be fair, spiritual weapon never required concentration in the 2014 rules, so for that spell at least, this is a nerf in disguise.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Can you explain a little more about the revised Trickery cleric? I haven't followed the revisions.

I have always loved the idea of a trickery cleric, but I found the execution in 5e (2014) to be so underwhelming I never played one.

How does the new trickery cleric measure up to the other revised domains?

Haven't had a chance to playtest the other domains. Last I saw, Life hadn't been changed much at all, which worries me, but they could be carried by the new healing spells.

In the Playtest, Trickery could use their Channel Divinity as a bonus action, and got multiple benefits:

• When you created your illusory double, and as a bonus action on each of your turns, you could teleport as a bonus action, switching places with your duplicate. This is after you move the illusion with a bonus action as well.
• You can cast through your duplicate, but must use your own senses.
• Standing next to your duplicate grants you advantage on attack rolls.

The change in the 2024 PHB is that the teleportation aspect of the lv 3 ability is being moved to level 6. Which, to be fair, I have used my duplicate for teleportation much more than for the advantage on attacks, so it makes sense.

I will also say, I have yet to find a use for Divine Spark. The damage is too low to be worth it, compared to just casting a damaging spell. The healing is worse than Cure Wounds, better than Healing Word, and while it is at a distance, it is an action. I suspect that it will be a rarely used ability, simply because most other channel divinities in the 2024 book are better uses for the resource. But, in theory, if I was ever in a situation to take a short rest while not missing any, I could see using it before getting it back for a bit of spot healing.

Other than that, the ability to use Blessing on myself has been useful for letting my character take the role of rogue, alongside invisibility and pass without a trace. Which was useful as our group didn't have a stealth specialist.

We have only made it to level 5 though, so I never got to test out more.

 

[Chaosmancer]

It might be more of "well someone has to play a Cleric" even though Bards and Druids can very much fill in on the healing if needed.

Properly built clerics have been consistently high damage output characters in games I've been in, alongside their use of heavy armor and healing and buffing. They are an INCREDIBLY powerful and versatile class.

 

[Minigiant]

oh they do, they do. They just want them to come back

5.5e is the "If..no When you TPK, that 200% on you." Edition.

 

[Charlaquin]

One thing Ive noticed about all of these previews (and im sure this is a shock to no one) is they never say something like "This was to powerful so we scaled it back." It's all "Here's several upgrades and new powers."

Were people really having that hard a time with base 5E? Was this AD&D difficult and I just didn't notice?

There have been some nerfs, some of which have even been called out in these videos. They just try to downplay them, because nerfs are the opposite of good advertising. And the buffs have largely been to things that were behind the curve in 2014. The power ceiling hasn’t really changed much with the revision, the floor has just been brought much closer to it, and a few places where an unintended interaction allowed savvy players to push past the ceiling have been fixed.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I feel there's a distinction between drawing upon divine power through faith and specifically worshiping a deity.

They can be one and the same, but I don't feel they have to be.

In traditional D&D lore Divine Spellcasters got spells from the Gods not simply faith in random things.

 

[Chaosmancer]

That feels like an interesting way to resolve some conflicts with methods other than a fight.

Also now fit for some wonderful RP of divine wrath.

 

[Garmel]

Does the life clerics new "harm" spells only work on undead or do they work on everyone?

 

[Charlaquin]

I will also say, I have yet to find a use for Divine Spark. The damage is too low to be worth it, compared to just casting a damaging spell. The healing is worse than Cure Wounds, better than Healing Word, and while it is at a distance, it is an action. I suspect that it will be a rarely used ability, simply because most other channel divinities in the 2024 book are better uses for the resource. But, in theory, if I was ever in a situation to take a short rest while not missing any, I could see using it before getting it back for a bit of spot healing.

I do think that spot healing is going to be the main use for it. Similar to the fighter’s Second Wind, which in 2014 was free to use right before a short rest if you still had it available, making it functionally similar to regaining one hit die every short rest. Divine Spark basically allows you to turn any unused Channels into bonus hit dice that you can spend on yourself or an ally. Don’t really see a use case for the damage option though; even if you need to do damage and are out of spell slots, it’s likely less damage than a cantrip.

 

[Charlaquin]

Does the life clerics new "harm" spells only work on undead or do they work on everyone?

Not sure what new harm spells you’re referring to. What they said is that healing spells all work regardless of the target’s creature type now (as opposed to not being able to work on undead and constructs), and that some specific monsters that are made of negative energy will have a trait that causes healing to deal damage to them.