Cleric or Druid?

[Calico_Jack73]

Damn it! These class or class topics are still too general. I personally like playing Druids. The lack of spontaneous healing magic helps keep the druid from becoming nothing more than a party medic. If the party wants me to heal them they can cough up the dough for a Cure Light Wounds wand. I REALLY like Wild Shape and the Animal Companion which are the reasons I voted for the Druid. Then again, I like combat and I personally think the Druid is better suited for it.

 

[jgsugden]

Both can serve well, but I lean towards the less uber, yet more resourceful druid.

Adding a druid gives you an animal companion to help on the front line and a druid to add spell and melee support.

In melee intensive battles, the party now has 4 front liners (fighter, rogue, animal companion, druid) and 1 spellcaster. Heck, with their summoning ailities on the fly, the druid can provide a massive front line army on very short notice.

In spell casting intensive situations, the PCs now have 2 ranged spellcasters (druid and wizard). Once that druid hits 7th level and gets access to flamestrike, he can serve the party almost as well as the wizard in the spell hurling department.

Although clerics are strong in their way, their benefits tend to be a bit redundant at higher levels. Shield of faith is nice until you get your hands on rings of protection. Prayer is nice until you get your hands on a lucky magic item that grants the luck bonus. I'm not saying that these types of spell are completely useless at higher levels. I'm just saying that they lose a lot of utility. The bonuses from the druid tend to hold onto their value a while longer. Barkskin is a real winner for most druids throughout their entire career.

With regards to healing, it is more difficult for a druid, but not excessively so. The best way to see to healing for a party like this is via wands and staffs. When you have a lot of time between battles, it is fairly easy to use a CLW wand to slowly heal up the party. It may cost a few coins, but not a significant amount ... During battle, a scroll or staff of the approprate spell can get the job done. The cleric is better at this type of thing, but a druid can definitely get the job done well.

 

[Epametheus]

Personally, I'd play a druid.

But a cleric would probably be more useful, so I voted cleric.

 

[Quasqueton]

To address the issue of these polls being too narrow or the setting too open:

I'm thinking in terms of the long-range campaign. A "standard" D&D campaign tends to cover a lot of types. Look at the Adventure Path series -- Sunless Citadel was a dungeon crawl; Forge of Fury was another dungeon crawl; Speaker in Dreams was city-based; Standing Stone was wilderness; Nightfang Spire was a dungeon crawl against undead; Deep Horizon was a dungeon crawl spread out over a wide area (underdark); Iron Fortess was planes-hopping with "outdoor" and dungeon adventure; Bastion of Broken Souls was more planes-hopping.

Most extended campaigns don't stay centered on one type of adventure. PCs might be in the forest during one adventure, a city for the next, a mountain fortress, then a on a ship, then a flying castle, then the Abyss. When answering these polls, consider a full campaign setting -- not just one adventure.

Quasqueton

 

[Dimwhit]

If you absolutely need a party healer, Cleric. In all other cases, Druid. I've found them to be much more versatile. They can be a back-of-the-party spellcaster or a front-line tank (much more so than clerics), especially when they get to the mid levels (beyond, say, 7th).

 

[Nifft]

Why even bother asking? The standard party is Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Wizard for a reason -- it's how the designers made the game. Of course modules are balanced for those four -- it's how the designers tested the modules.

Now, in a homebrew world, or a different setting, things may be different -- depending on how the designers made the setting.

It's very simple, really.

-- N

 

[Calim]

what you take is cleric with plant and animal domains then take the feat that wizards posted online to get the animal companion
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a

and all you are missing is wildshape

 

[Rleonardh]

Tank: Cleric
Divine: Druid
Skill: Rouge possible Bard
Arcane: Wizard
Support or 5th: Cleric,Druid,Sorcerer

This gives you all 4 roles, that can handle many smaller El counters a few same level El and maybe a +4 El without rest. Lower levels you still got tanks healers high DP and arcane at higher levels the party strengths can handle even more before rest.

With that being said it's up to the Dm to make campaigns, one shots or whatever so all classes can shine.
The only thing that you may consider is replace rouge later, unfortunately in 3.5e there alot of monsters immune to sneak attack damage...

 

[Fenris-77]

Cleric, Druids are a pain in the rear. I also like wearing armour.

 

[TerraDave]

We skipped 2 editions!

Clerics and Druids were both really good in 3e. They are both good in 5e. Not as dominant, but still good.

In each edition cleric is a little more general.