D&D 5E Why ever play a cleric?
- Thread starter krakistophales
- Start date
Rhenny
Adventurer
I love playing clerics especially with 5e. Being able to heal is only one aspect of the cleric. In most cases a cleric PC can be a leader and spiritual guide. 5e has added more diversity to the class which makes it interesting to try out different domain. I've found that they play quite differently and provide great support for roleplaying.
I've played a light cleric, a war cleric and a tempest cleric and have enjoyed each. Any cleric is provided with a number of choices on any given turn (including channel divinity, spells, attacks, many are capable with social interaction and exploration also). I think a cleric in 5e would appeal to players who like to think a lot and make choices.
Interestingly, as others have pointed out, often healing in combat is less effective than using other spells or powers (especially clerics that have offensive spells like fireball and fairie Fire, or classic spells like bless and spirit guardian).
I've played a light cleric, a war cleric and a tempest cleric and have enjoyed each. Any cleric is provided with a number of choices on any given turn (including channel divinity, spells, attacks, many are capable with social interaction and exploration also). I think a cleric in 5e would appeal to players who like to think a lot and make choices.
Interestingly, as others have pointed out, often healing in combat is less effective than using other spells or powers (especially clerics that have offensive spells like fireball and fairie Fire, or classic spells like bless and spirit guardian).
n0nym
Explorer
From a pure DPR point of view, any Cleric with Green-Flame Blade and Spiritual Weapon actually outdamages an Eldritch Knight in melee combat at pretty much any level.
At high level, you can dish 6d8+melee modifier AND another 4d8+wisdom modifier with a Bonus Action (Spiritual Weapon) to your primary target, while also dealing 3d8+wisdom modifier to another target. That's 50 damage to your primary target, assuming your melee modifier is 0, and another 18 to a secondary target.
Even with a two-handed sword and Haste an Eldritch Knight will struggle to keep up (unless you allow feats and the target's AC is really low).
At high level, you can dish 6d8+melee modifier AND another 4d8+wisdom modifier with a Bonus Action (Spiritual Weapon) to your primary target, while also dealing 3d8+wisdom modifier to another target. That's 50 damage to your primary target, assuming your melee modifier is 0, and another 18 to a secondary target.
Even with a two-handed sword and Haste an Eldritch Knight will struggle to keep up (unless you allow feats and the target's AC is really low).
L
lowkey13
Guest
*Deleted by user*
krakistophales
First Post
Is that a tempest or war domain cleric, and how did you arrive at those numbers?
Clerics are support casters. In addition to healing, they have a large array of protective spells, cures for various nasty effects (including death at higher levels), a nice set of divination tools, and a "get out of undead free" card. No other class can do support casting nearly as well as a cleric. So if you like playing that role, cleric is an obvious class pick.
Your domain choice determines your secondary role: Melee warrior (War), blaster (Light), skill monkey (Knowledge), etc. If what you really want is to be a melee warrior or blaster or skill monkey with a bit of support magic, then you're better off to play a paladin, sorcerer, arcane trickster, or what have you. But if you want to be mainly a support caster, cleric is the place to be.
Your domain choice determines your secondary role: Melee warrior (War), blaster (Light), skill monkey (Knowledge), etc. If what you really want is to be a melee warrior or blaster or skill monkey with a bit of support magic, then you're better off to play a paladin, sorcerer, arcane trickster, or what have you. But if you want to be mainly a support caster, cleric is the place to be.
NotActuallyTim
First Post
I believe the words 'any cleric' were used in that post.
Illithidbix
Explorer
Short answer: Some people just like playing them. Someone people don't.
As for a semi-reasoned breakdown.
Roleplaying a religious character
Some people very much enjoy roleplaying religious characters, it serves as a very useful hook, drive and characterization of behavior.
Of course you don't *have* to play a cleric to play a religious character... but it does put it at the core of the characters identity.
So "I want to play someone very religious = cleric" does make a lot of sense.
For those who greatly dislike Alignment, the tenets of the individual faiths of the world make a far more diverse and interesting moral compass for characters.
I actually find D&D clerics as Divine Magic a little too formulaic and insufficiently miraculous for my tastes, but that's down to how D&D magic works and has always worked. 5E's "Divine Intervention" is a nod, if a small one in the right direction for me.
Paladins are knights, not priests
I've got a friend who loves playing Paladins, but doesn't get clerics despite their apparent similarities.
And got other friends (and me) who are more the opposite.
For those more from 1E and 2E AD&D, Paladins tap into the "pure champion of chivalry" rather than "warrior of the faith" archetype.
3E drew them somewhat closer together and the distinction is still somewhat blurred.
These archetypes work more for some people than others.
They're Iconic. Being one of the "core 4 classes" for the 30ish years of the game
The iconic image of D&D is a formula that maintains a draw for many people.
Bards and Druids have even more baggage in many peoples heads
The other two primary healing classes.
Bards being associated in peoples heads as minstrels pratting around with lutes and druids being wussy hippies who whine when someone cuts down a tree.
We're seeing breaking out into BATTLE SCALDS! SWASHBUCKLERS! Into the gamer mindset and people who turn into BEARS and laugh at the idea that nature needs "protecting" when it can crush civilization like a bug. But the stereotypes still persist.
The various domains offer a good degree of flexibility with character design
7 domains in the PHB (Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery, War), plus Death Domain in the DMG provides a broad depths of variety to customise a character mechanically. More than all other classes have subclasses.
Almost on par with the 8 Arcane traditions of the wizard and I would argue that the differences in domains is substantially more than with the Arcane Traditions
A POWERFUL SPELLCASTER!
Unlike the Paladin and the Eldritch Knight, the Cleric is a primary spellcaster with full spell progression. In terms of being a TRUE GISH, it is *arguably* the best starting point.
And (at least some domains) get to wear heavy armour and/or use martial weapons, the only primary spellcaster to do so.
They are a prepared spellcaster, so tend to have both more spells to hand and more flexibility than known spellcasters like the Bard and Sorcerer. (A flaw in my opinin)
The spell list for Paladins is quite restrictive, and Eldritch Knights know very few spells.
Wizards with Arcane Recovery and Land Druids with Natural Recovery do get a notch more spells/day, but channel divinity can arguably compensate for this.
As for a semi-reasoned breakdown.
Roleplaying a religious character
Some people very much enjoy roleplaying religious characters, it serves as a very useful hook, drive and characterization of behavior.
Of course you don't *have* to play a cleric to play a religious character... but it does put it at the core of the characters identity.
So "I want to play someone very religious = cleric" does make a lot of sense.
For those who greatly dislike Alignment, the tenets of the individual faiths of the world make a far more diverse and interesting moral compass for characters.
I actually find D&D clerics as Divine Magic a little too formulaic and insufficiently miraculous for my tastes, but that's down to how D&D magic works and has always worked. 5E's "Divine Intervention" is a nod, if a small one in the right direction for me.
Paladins are knights, not priests
I've got a friend who loves playing Paladins, but doesn't get clerics despite their apparent similarities.
And got other friends (and me) who are more the opposite.
For those more from 1E and 2E AD&D, Paladins tap into the "pure champion of chivalry" rather than "warrior of the faith" archetype.
3E drew them somewhat closer together and the distinction is still somewhat blurred.
These archetypes work more for some people than others.
They're Iconic. Being one of the "core 4 classes" for the 30ish years of the game
The iconic image of D&D is a formula that maintains a draw for many people.
Bards and Druids have even more baggage in many peoples heads
The other two primary healing classes.
Bards being associated in peoples heads as minstrels pratting around with lutes and druids being wussy hippies who whine when someone cuts down a tree.
We're seeing breaking out into BATTLE SCALDS! SWASHBUCKLERS! Into the gamer mindset and people who turn into BEARS and laugh at the idea that nature needs "protecting" when it can crush civilization like a bug. But the stereotypes still persist.
The various domains offer a good degree of flexibility with character design
7 domains in the PHB (Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery, War), plus Death Domain in the DMG provides a broad depths of variety to customise a character mechanically. More than all other classes have subclasses.
Almost on par with the 8 Arcane traditions of the wizard and I would argue that the differences in domains is substantially more than with the Arcane Traditions
A POWERFUL SPELLCASTER!
Unlike the Paladin and the Eldritch Knight, the Cleric is a primary spellcaster with full spell progression. In terms of being a TRUE GISH, it is *arguably* the best starting point.
And (at least some domains) get to wear heavy armour and/or use martial weapons, the only primary spellcaster to do so.
They are a prepared spellcaster, so tend to have both more spells to hand and more flexibility than known spellcasters like the Bard and Sorcerer. (A flaw in my opinin)
The spell list for Paladins is quite restrictive, and Eldritch Knights know very few spells.
Wizards with Arcane Recovery and Land Druids with Natural Recovery do get a notch more spells/day, but channel divinity can arguably compensate for this.
n0nym
Explorer
It's actually any cleric with... a few conditions.
Access to Green-Flame Blade (thanks to the Magic Initiate feat) and the additional damage feature at level 8 and 14 (which means Life, Nature, Tempest, Trickery and War domains).The numbers are as follow :
Weapon : 1d8+melee modifier (or Wisdom modifier if you have Shillelagh, Nature Cleric only)
Green-Flame Blade cantrip : 1d8 at level 5, up to 3d8 at level 17
Damage feature : 1d8 at level 8, 2d8 at level 14
Then you use Spiritual Weapon, that allows you to make a Melee spell attack with a Bonus Action :
Spiritual weapon : 1d8+wisdom modifier at level 3, up to 4d8+wisdom modifier at level 15 with an 8th level spell-slot.
Edit : I don't have Scag but I assume the Arcane Domain has the "add ability modifier on cantrips" at level 8 instead of the "add 1d8 damage once per turn", so Arcane is out ! ^^
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