Cleric or Druid?

[Quasqueton]

Setting is a "standard" D&D campaign. The party already has a fighter, wizard, and rogue. Which would be the better 4th member of the team: a cleric or a druid?

Quasqueton

 

[diaglo]

outdoor or indoor?

high amounts of undead?


i've seen both played well.

 

[Wombat]

Druid is a specialist that works in particular instances, but outside of a wildlife setting is far more hampered.

Straightforward clerics, as shown in many threads, is the uberclass. It fights well. It has enough skills. It has decent saves. It has magic. It can heal, heal, heal. It can turn/rebuke undead.

Yep, cleric, hands down.

 

[Arnwyn]

Cleric. I, personally, have never seen anything compete.

 

[irdeggman]

I have a problem making a choice here, it is not an either or. There is room for both, depending on the setting style. For a standard dungeon crawl - the cleric is the obvious choice. For an outdoors adventure - the druid shines. For a Celtic-based setting druids are the way to go.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

High level druids can be nasty with those long-distance wide-range spells (at least compared to a cleric).

But for a standard dungeon crawl, nothing beast spontaneous heals. The cleric simply has more tools available to him because the druid is going to have to allocate spell slots specifically to healing and being able to change into an ocelot isn't going to win the day.

 

[milotha]

Cleric

General D&D setting usually involve dungeon crawls and city adventures in addition to outdoors adventures. The cleric shines over the druid in dungeon crawls and city settings. The druids spell list just isn't as generically useful. The ability to spontaneously cure is more beneficial/useful to the party than the ability to summon animals, since no one wants their injured character to die. Plus, undead can be some of the nastiest monsters in the game with level/ability draining, and the clerics turn can really save the day.

Druids are great, but I've seen far more clerics in my campaigns than druids.

 

[Crothian]

Druid...because no one knows who they were or what they were doing

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

I have a problem making a choice here, it is not an either or. There is room for both, depending on the setting style. For a standard dungeon crawl - the cleric is the obvious choice. For an outdoors adventure - the druid shines. For a Celtic-based setting druids are the way to go.

Ditto. I am playing a druid right now, and it worked because there were druids in the area, although we are moving towards cities now. But if you are in a big city or something, and druids are scarce, it might be hard explaining why this druid happened along. Also, if you spend a lot of time in cities it might be hard for a druid to fit in or really get to use their abilities. I find it best when we are in an outdoor setting (our campaign has a little of both).

My character's background is that she has no idea who she is. She was found in the woods as a small child and taken in and cared for by druids. Now she is out on her own trying to figure out which path in her life to take, and was hooked up with our party by a mentor type who set her up with this group because they needed a "moral compass" . I find that she is very fun to play, however in certain situations, she seems out of place and not very useful aside for her healing spells.

I've never played a cleric, but I would think they would be easier to work into a pre-existing plot.

I think either can be good, but it really depends on your campaign.

 

[Zappo]

In a "standard" D&D campaign, a cleric is ... well, more likely to be better. But it depends, really. A druid is better in outdoors situations and when there are other sources of healing.