Zardnaar
Legend
Now the basic cleric is not actually that god at being a D&D cleric. That is even the war cleric is actually kind of bad being a traditional D&D cleric. This is assuming you are using the default array.Rolled sttas you can ignore this arguement.
The reason for this is MAD- multiple ability dependency. Consider a melee cleric probably wants strength (15+ if in heavy armor), wisdom, con, while dex may also be required if you are in medium armor especially if you can't use finesse weapons.
The other thing is ASIs, you get so few of them even if you went dex based cleric for example you are giving up ASIs to increase dexterity rather than wisdom.
This does not apply of course to characters with high rolled stats, ones that find gauntlets of ogre power etc. Its also doesn't apply to clerics that ey everything off wisomd and function more as a primary caster. That would be a light or arcana cleric for example and they can easily have a 1 wisdom, 14 dex/con and buff wisdom and be happy.
Now however there is a way around this. The Nature cleric can cast chillagh since it picks up a Druid cantrip. You can wear medium armor, soak up 1 less AC and similar to things like light and arcana clerics you can key everything off wisdom including your melee attacks. This matters latter on where the "melee" cleric should be using spiritual guardians, clerics that don;t basically stink at melee. This is also why I think nature clerics are better at melee than things like war and tempest clerics. The way a staff+ shillelagh interacts with polearm master is also funny. If you want a beat down cleric that is good at spells and spell buffing play a nature cleric in medium armor.
However if feats are used the variant human can have 16, 14, 14 with the default array and pick up a feat such as magic initiate taking shillagh, another cantrip and a level 1 Druid spell (faerie fire?). This means any cleric can now function like a nature cleric while a nature cleric takes pole arm master for staff based beatdown.
Now this means things like a spell buffed arcanac cleric using shillelagh+ green flame lade can actually put out very respectable damage. For example at level 8 you deal weapon damage wisdom damage X2 (shillagh+ lvl 8 arcana cleric), 1d8+ wisdom splash damage plus potentially 4d8 spiritual guardian damage. Spiritual guardians lasts 10 minutes and you can cast it 5 times/long rest. You can have an 18 wisdom+ warcaster for 1d8+8+ 1d8+4splash+ 4d8 15'.
War and tempest clerics may also be better off going staff and board and wearing metal armor and maxing out there wisdom score since they have spells+ class abilities keyed off wisdom. Death clerics get a fairly decent smite so once again pull out that staff.
So my arguement is should every cleric under the sun be using the magic initiate feat to pick up shillagh? At least from a min/max PoV.
Generally I don't see a lot of clerics being played, I am my parties healer (celestial warlock+ healer feat). Most people don't seem to know this cleric combo though.
The reason for this is MAD- multiple ability dependency. Consider a melee cleric probably wants strength (15+ if in heavy armor), wisdom, con, while dex may also be required if you are in medium armor especially if you can't use finesse weapons.
The other thing is ASIs, you get so few of them even if you went dex based cleric for example you are giving up ASIs to increase dexterity rather than wisdom.
This does not apply of course to characters with high rolled stats, ones that find gauntlets of ogre power etc. Its also doesn't apply to clerics that ey everything off wisomd and function more as a primary caster. That would be a light or arcana cleric for example and they can easily have a 1 wisdom, 14 dex/con and buff wisdom and be happy.
Now however there is a way around this. The Nature cleric can cast chillagh since it picks up a Druid cantrip. You can wear medium armor, soak up 1 less AC and similar to things like light and arcana clerics you can key everything off wisdom including your melee attacks. This matters latter on where the "melee" cleric should be using spiritual guardians, clerics that don;t basically stink at melee. This is also why I think nature clerics are better at melee than things like war and tempest clerics. The way a staff+ shillelagh interacts with polearm master is also funny. If you want a beat down cleric that is good at spells and spell buffing play a nature cleric in medium armor.
However if feats are used the variant human can have 16, 14, 14 with the default array and pick up a feat such as magic initiate taking shillagh, another cantrip and a level 1 Druid spell (faerie fire?). This means any cleric can now function like a nature cleric while a nature cleric takes pole arm master for staff based beatdown.
Now this means things like a spell buffed arcanac cleric using shillelagh+ green flame lade can actually put out very respectable damage. For example at level 8 you deal weapon damage wisdom damage X2 (shillagh+ lvl 8 arcana cleric), 1d8+ wisdom splash damage plus potentially 4d8 spiritual guardian damage. Spiritual guardians lasts 10 minutes and you can cast it 5 times/long rest. You can have an 18 wisdom+ warcaster for 1d8+8+ 1d8+4splash+ 4d8 15'.
War and tempest clerics may also be better off going staff and board and wearing metal armor and maxing out there wisdom score since they have spells+ class abilities keyed off wisdom. Death clerics get a fairly decent smite so once again pull out that staff.
So my arguement is should every cleric under the sun be using the magic initiate feat to pick up shillagh? At least from a min/max PoV.
Generally I don't see a lot of clerics being played, I am my parties healer (celestial warlock+ healer feat). Most people don't seem to know this cleric combo though.
