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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Esker" data-source="post: 7628997" data-attributes="member: 6966824">It's funny, just last week I built a vuman cleric that took Magic Initiate (Druid), with shillelagh, magic stone, and goodberry. But it was for a very specific scenario. Outside that, I probably wouldn't have done it.The scenario was a one-shot at level 2, where I had no idea what the rest of the table would be playing. I was making a blasty light cleric, so medium armor, and some expectation of getting close in (I'd be relatively tanky with 18 AC and warding flare, plus I'd have spells and channel divinity that are based on being up in things). Stat priorities (after racial bonuses) were 16 WIS, 14 DEX, and preferably 16 CON. Using point buy that means I only have two points leftover, which I put into CHA.As the cleric, I was going to be expected to be able to heal, but I didn't want to use my precious three spell slots for that, so goodberry was a perfect way to be able to do some flexible healing (I have Marvin Gaye in my head now) while keeping my spell slots free for offensive use. I wanted to take Guidance and Thaumaturgy for sure, so that left only one offensive cantrip option. Since I didn't have martial weapon proficiency, my best shield-compatible attack options would be toll the dead or a dagger. Toll the dead is great, but it has some downsides: some creatures are resistant or immune to its damage type (and often those also resist nonmagical weapons), plus its damage is swingy, and at level 2 where you're facing a lot of creatures that can be killed in one decent attack, you'd rather be doing damage that is more likely to kill a goblin in one hit. Plus, if you have advantage or a bonus to-hit (b/c as a light cleric, maybe you cast faerie fire or bless), you'd rather be making attack rolls.Shillelagh gives 1d8+3 (average 7.5) magical bludgeoning in melee, and magic stone gives 1d6+3 (average 6.5) magical bludgeoning at range. Using the industry standard PKGOH metric (Probability-to-Kill-a-Goblin-in-One-Hit), they score 0.57 and 0.50 respectively, compared to a dagger's 0 (at least with my +2 DEX) and toll the dead's 0.42. Plus unlike toll the dead, they benefit from bless and from advantage.So in that specific context (most importantly, with very few spell slots, no bonus action competition, and no concern about what would happen at higher levels) it was a good option. Not necessarily the obvious best option (war caster would still be strong, as would swapping CON and DEX and taking Medium Armor Master -- the latter particularly if I might be the only party member with disadvantage to stealth), but I felt like it gave me the most room to play the character the way I was envisioning.</blockquote>

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