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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jester David" data-source="post: 6254640" data-attributes="member: 37579">There's a similar spell in Pathfinder which manages to not break that game while also being a cantrip. Really, this is a two part problem. Spare the dying isn't broken or a problem in itself, as it's a touch spell so you need to get close enough to use the spell. Which isn't so bad in 5e due to the lack of opportunity attacks and the like. And without a firm grid, it's often easy to get those extra 5-10 feet and cast the spell. There's also the dying rules which, like in 4e, almost always give you two or three rounds of hanging onto life. Autodeath is rare, especially at higher levels where you have to take a staggering amount of damage in a single hit to die. So the cleric always has at least two rounds to cross the battlefield. Change the dynamic of any of the factors involved and it's significantly less problematic. If it's easy to be killed outright, or die faster, or harder to get to the fallen, or risker to cast the spare the dying becomes less an issue.Clerics also only get three cantrips. Out of the current list of 6 that's not a hard choice, but I imagine we'll see more. If the group really doesn't want to die then the cleric can take that spell and it's a choice. If being able to do other things is more important the cleric might opt for thaumaturgy or sacred flame.</blockquote>