D&D 5E (2014) Cleric domains: is there a power gamers choice?

[Minsc]

The only one that stands out to me is "Nature."

Heavy armor, and with shillelagh as your Druid cantrip, you never need a high STR.

Make your character a hill dwarf with an 8 STR and you can walk around unencumbered in full plate.

I only played a cleric once in a 1st level one-shot game. What else stands out?

 

[DaveDash]

Trickster/Rogue is quite strong.

Pure Light/Tempest Clerics are quite strong.

Life Cleric 1/Lots of other classes make good combos (Druid, Lore Bard, etc).

I rolled a War Cleric way back when I was starting 5e, and I've since realised War by itself is weak (too much MAD) so I am going War 9/Fighter11. Is it strong? Don't know yet, but it will likely be better than pure war.

 

[Paraxis]

Remember that if you don't meet the strength minimum your speed is reduced by 10'. Personally I find it hard enough to close into melee without being able to charge using 30' of movement, I have no desire to make a melee character with only 20'.

As far as optimization, I like tempest clerics with polearm mastery. The bonus action attack let's you have a second chance of getting a hit for divine strike, once someone closes into melee with you and hits the combination of wrath of storm and thunderous strike sends them 10' back meaning they have to provoke another AoO when they come back for seconds.

For spellcasting I like light clerics, burning hands and fireball is great. The second level ability to do 2d10+lvl damage to every enemy within 30' of you is crazy good early on, and by that I mean it can just end an entire encounter.

Obviously healing optimization go with life cleric they are the best healers in the game.

 

[Minsc]

Remember that if you don't meet the strength minimum your speed is reduced by 10'. Personally I find it hard enough to close into melee without being able to charge using 30' of movement, I have no desire to make a melee character with only 20'.

remember that Dwarves' speed is not reduced by heavy armor.

 

[DaveDash]

Yeah Polearm master works good with Clerics, because they can add in divine strike into the mix. It ups their damage considerably.

The problem I usually find however is that it's a tossup between Resilient (Con) and Polearm Master.

 

[Minsc]

What makes the Trickster so good?

I was thinking the fact that you can essentially ignore two stats (STR & DEX)would boost the dwarf nature cleric.

 

[Tormyr]

We had a War Cleric at our table, and he regularly was a strong contributor at the table. Divine Favor + War Priest + Channel Divinity meant he could bring the pain. Spirit Guardians regularly saved the party.

What I have learned from my experience so far with 5e is that there really is not a bad choice. We have a Paladin with an 8 Charisma. Most of the time he spends his spell slots with smites, healing, and bless.

So unless you really want the strongest possible character, just play what looks like it would be the most fun for you.

 

[Psikerlord#]

I always found the nature cleric annoying. Play a druid if you want a nature bent!

 

[PnPgamer]

Not everyone who wishes to have a nature flavored character wish to play a druid. Maybe they dont like wild shape, nor the fact that their use of armor is very limited. Maybe they still want to be able to turn undead.

 

[Zardnaar]

The Light and life clerics seem the best. War is not as good as you think it is, Nature is not that good shillelagh is kind of cute but most clerics do not deal that much damage. Most of the cleircs are similar in power except maybe trickster and knowledge with light and life being the stand outs.

Life cleric seems the best MC combo for a healer with a level dip for the land Druid and Lore bard 6+/cleric one and the Lore Bard takes aura of vitality, good berry and the healer feat. Such a bard can use all its spell slots to go nuts.