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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 4460400" data-attributes="member: 7635">Wargame roots.Fighting-man: InfantryMagic-user: ArtilleryCleric: MedicalAs stated, they were originally "religious knights" who learned to emulate various religious miracles (fun fact: until AD&D 1e, clerics got their first spell at 2nd level. They had no spells at first.) The first miracle they got was Turn Undead (vaguely based on the idea of a cross repelling a vampire) and then they got spells used to represent the miracles.Supposedly, the ideas was a cleric waded into melee like a fighter, but used his spells after a battle to heal and aid (vs. a m-u, who was expected to use his spells in combat). The balancing factor for a cleric gaining spells was the limit to blunt weapons (most of which capped a 1d6, vs 1d8 or 1d10 for most swords) and the fact they had little or no combat-ready spells (excluding cause/inflict X wounds). Ironically, While being one of the original classes, its perhaps the most-often removed class for exactly why you say. Much like thieves, many believe clerics exist solely because of a fake/useless divide in the magic system in D&D (and later emulated in everything from Final Fantasy to Magic: The Gathering) and the game would suffer none for their ultimate removal/combining with the other spellcaster class. (Much like how thieves could be removed by simply allowing everyone chances at thief-like maneuvers and spells).</blockquote>