Opinion wanted: playing a cleric using the druid's spell list

[Zurai]

The Cleric and Druid spell lists are, IMO, roughly equal. Clerics get earlier and better heals and better self-buffs; druids get earlier and better nukes and better party-buffs. Basically, again IMO, clerics are more defensively focused, while druids are more offensively focused, with regards to their spell lists only.

That being given, I'd say there's no reason to disallow swapping a cleric's list for a druid's list in their entirety. There are reasons to disallow cherry picking (PHB example: clerics get heal at level 5 vs 6 for druids, while druids get flame strike at level 4 vs 5 for clerics. If you allowed cherry-picking, you could have the same character with level 4 flame strike and level 5 heal. Of course, then there's Archivists... but they have a worse HD than either class and worse physical combat abilities).

 

[sniffles]

Have you considered swapping out individual spells instead of the whole list? You could also try altering whatever Cleric spells you are using to make them seem more nature oriented?

This is what I was thinking also. Instead of swapping the list wholesale, why not select some druid spells that fit your theme and just add those to the cleric spell list? Or possibly replace some spells from the cleric list with the new spells, so the spell list won't get any bigger than it already is.

I can sympathize with your frustration about suiting your character concept. I have had several character concepts for spellcasters that have been blunted by the fact that the best-suited spells for the concept are on the spell lists for other classes.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

The druid spell list is significantly weaker at lower levels. Therefore I would see no reason for a DM to disallow it.