D&D 5E How is the Cleric in Actual Play?
iserith
Magic Wordsmith
The player pool in our Eberron campaign has 3 clerics (two light, one war). Given half a chance, I play a cleric when I'm in someone else's game. I'm a fan. You can hold your own, often have neat domain tricks, and a selection of spells for any job (not just healing).
Spiritual Weapon plus Spirit Guardians. Can't go wrong. My favorite cleric is a light cleric named Wanda Curelight. She kicks ass.
Spiritual Weapon plus Spirit Guardians. Can't go wrong. My favorite cleric is a light cleric named Wanda Curelight. She kicks ass.
Sacrosanct
Legend
I played a Dragonborn tempest cleric all the way through HotDQ campaign up to level 15. I was probably the second most combat effective in the whole group, and I was a frontline tank. Don’t underestimate the ability to maximize and push targets with your abilities as a tempest cleric. Between spirit guardians and maximizing thunder/lightning spells, I was wrecking havoc.
What do you mean by "strong"? What is it you want to get out of it? Straight damage output? Then maybe it isn't your class.
I'm having great fun with a cleric right now, but (though I am a War cleric) I'm not worried about how many points of damage I do, or how many things I personally kill I care about *getting the job of violence done*. And at that, the character is excellent.
I think the Cleric is the best designed 5e class, and as a result I've played more clerics than anything else this edition.
The feel of the Domains are all very distinct, and the one I have tried all play well. You don't need to act as a healer, but you have that ability cornered if you want it. You'll never be the greatest damage dealer, but you can be consistent and reliable.
Unlike other classes, there's a flexibility, so you can make a strong, capable cleric with Strength, Dex, or Wisdom as your main attribute.
Level 2 spells I've had good use with include Spiritual Weapon and Blindness, and at Level 3 Spirit Guardians is your friend. (Inflict Wounds at level 1 has come in handy often as well).
My only substantial complaint about Clerics, and this does affect play, is that your attack cantrips are all saves rather that rolls to hit. This is great for avoiding cover, but you miss out on the 20-sided die in your hand, which (for me) is a big thing. The Arcane Domain got around it by letting you use 2 wizard cantrips with your wisdom.
Hope this helps.
The feel of the Domains are all very distinct, and the one I have tried all play well. You don't need to act as a healer, but you have that ability cornered if you want it. You'll never be the greatest damage dealer, but you can be consistent and reliable.
Unlike other classes, there's a flexibility, so you can make a strong, capable cleric with Strength, Dex, or Wisdom as your main attribute.
Level 2 spells I've had good use with include Spiritual Weapon and Blindness, and at Level 3 Spirit Guardians is your friend. (Inflict Wounds at level 1 has come in handy often as well).
My only substantial complaint about Clerics, and this does affect play, is that your attack cantrips are all saves rather that rolls to hit. This is great for avoiding cover, but you miss out on the 20-sided die in your hand, which (for me) is a big thing. The Arcane Domain got around it by letting you use 2 wizard cantrips with your wisdom.
Hope this helps.
Li Shenron
Legend
No character class sucks in 5e, and even though I haven't played the game at high level yet, I have never seen an issue with the Cleric specifically.
Rather than "healer", I would call the Cleric a "support" character. Every Cleric has spells since the start which help others' attacks and defenses, as well as out-of-combat tasks. Of course the Cleric can fight too, magically (with cantrips) or using weapons, and it's quite decent even tho it again feels more like a support compared to the most combat-oriented characters.
I can understand that some gamers do not like seeing themselves as "support". But then what? Other players don't like being a fighting-type or a spellcaster, where's the problem? When we started our D&D family game, one of my kids immediately wanted to be "the character who is always there to help her friends" when I described the Cleric, and the 5e version of it does its job quite well.
Rather than "healer", I would call the Cleric a "support" character. Every Cleric has spells since the start which help others' attacks and defenses, as well as out-of-combat tasks. Of course the Cleric can fight too, magically (with cantrips) or using weapons, and it's quite decent even tho it again feels more like a support compared to the most combat-oriented characters.
I can understand that some gamers do not like seeing themselves as "support". But then what? Other players don't like being a fighting-type or a spellcaster, where's the problem? When we started our D&D family game, one of my kids immediately wanted to be "the character who is always there to help her friends" when I described the Cleric, and the 5e version of it does its job quite well.
cbwjm
Seb-wejem
I haven't played many high level characters but the 6th level life cleric seemed quite powerful. I spiritual weapon granted me a second attack and spirit guardians helped carve up the enemies that I was close to. It was pretty mean. I don't think I needed to use my channel divinity much but that was going to be my main heal with cure wounds as back up.
I was a high elf cleric in light armour using dexterity rather than a heavy armour cleric which seemed to work well.
I was a high elf cleric in light armour using dexterity rather than a heavy armour cleric which seemed to work well.
In the games I have played in and ran, clerics have been great. They are not every9ne's cup of tea but no class is.
Mechanically the class performs well and the domains enable a wide array of variations.
But its biggest strength in my experience (and biggest weakness) is in its direct built-in ties to the setting through its religion. It's one of if not the biggest "comes with baggage by dint of class" and is married " for better or worse (hopefully better)" to what typically is a big deal in the campaign.
For the games I run and most all the games I have played in, it was definitely a big deal and mostly for better (a little for worse when appropriare) but I can see in some games that could be seen as not a big deal or even a detriment.
Mechanically the class performs well and the domains enable a wide array of variations.
But its biggest strength in my experience (and biggest weakness) is in its direct built-in ties to the setting through its religion. It's one of if not the biggest "comes with baggage by dint of class" and is married " for better or worse (hopefully better)" to what typically is a big deal in the campaign.
For the games I run and most all the games I have played in, it was definitely a big deal and mostly for better (a little for worse when appropriare) but I can see in some games that could be seen as not a big deal or even a detriment.
jgsugden
Legend
They're fine.
Rd 1: Spirit Guardians.
Rd 2: Spiritual Weapon and a melee attack.
Assuming a one handed weapon, each round you're still dealing 5d8 + wis + dex/str to one target (about 30), and 3d8 (about 14) to other targets in your radius. That is a solid little 'bread and butter' combo using 2 slots. Given the duration of Spirit Guardians, you can often already have it cast before combat.
There was a Trickery Cleric X / Hexblade 1 that used to wade into battle with Armor of Agathys upcast with a higher level slot, Spirit Guardians and Spiritual Weapon. He was considered overpowered by the DM as he did everything for the party - he was the Face of the group, did fairly high damage for the party, and had a bunch of spell slots left over for fun extras. He did not do a lot of healing, but did provide it in key stiuations.
There are a lot of ways to do clerics - and they're all pretty solid and fun.
Rd 1: Spirit Guardians.
Rd 2: Spiritual Weapon and a melee attack.
Assuming a one handed weapon, each round you're still dealing 5d8 + wis + dex/str to one target (about 30), and 3d8 (about 14) to other targets in your radius. That is a solid little 'bread and butter' combo using 2 slots. Given the duration of Spirit Guardians, you can often already have it cast before combat.
There was a Trickery Cleric X / Hexblade 1 that used to wade into battle with Armor of Agathys upcast with a higher level slot, Spirit Guardians and Spiritual Weapon. He was considered overpowered by the DM as he did everything for the party - he was the Face of the group, did fairly high damage for the party, and had a bunch of spell slots left over for fun extras. He did not do a lot of healing, but did provide it in key stiuations.
There are a lot of ways to do clerics - and they're all pretty solid and fun.
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