D&D 5E Why ever play a cleric?

[procproc]

I actually think the War domain is a decent option, especially for an NPC.

War domain lets you have 3-5 extra attacks as bonus actions (depending on Wis modifier) per long rest. Discussing whether short and long rests are implemented right in 5e is a point of some contention; the designers assumed you'd have 2-3 short rests ever long rest, and 6-8 encounters every long rest, but my own experience has been that parties tend to take long rests every 3-4 encounters. With the smaller number, that means you're basically a fully-functional melee combatant with 2+ attacks per round somewhere between 25% and 33% of the time. The rest of the time, you're presumably providing buffs and healing. That seems not too unreasonable to me, if not amazing.

As an NPC, a war cleric makes a great leader for something like an orc warband. The cleric can wear heavy armor and buff the rest of the group with effects like Bless or heals, and still gets 2 swings with a greataxe (say) once the PC melee characters engage. And the NPC is likely to hit, given the channel divinity ability for war.

I'm not personally super excited to play a war domain cleric -- I think they probably should've just gotten an extra attack at lvl 5 like the fighters -- but they seem very reasonable to me.

 

[thehobb]

Why play a cleric?:
A) If you like being a strategist. Yes, you are in a lot of ways a support class, but through your support you often control the strategy of how the party goes about accomplishing a task, and are often a key element in its success. Being a second rank fighter means you aren't usually stuck up front holding down the BBEG, you can go up there if necessary but it's usually better for you to be the one to react to the changing conditions of the battlefield. You're concerned with the big picture, you keep watch over the party like a general watches over his troops as they execute an operation. When you see a problem, you make an adjustment - a strategically cast Sanctuary or Stone Shape can redirect threats, you can lend ranged combat support with spiritual weapon, close combat support with your mace and healing, whole party support with bless. You are not the tip of the spear but you are a force multiplier.

B) When the going gets tough, the tough call for a cleric. You're the guy adventurers call to save them, you're the one that the locals in town won't look upon with suspicion but instead automatic respect. If you like being the one people turn to when they get in trouble, flock to when they're scared, and look to for advice, there is no better class than the cleric.

C) Flexibility both in and out of combat. You're a decent fighter, decent spellcaster, and healer, plus you're particularly well equipped to deal with undead, and a lot of your spells are useful outside of combat. You're the one who will automatically have resources in town to call upon when you go to the local temple. There isn't a situation that comes along where you can't contribute in some way, which means you are never bored at the table.

D) You get to be holier than thou. Roleplaying opportunities are boundless with a cleric. You can talk down to people from your moral high ground, you can inspire with your strength of faith, and you can be hilarious when going over the top with your exaltations. Roleplaying a cleric is downright fun.

 

[krakistophales]

Also, as a bit of a subtopic, which would be the better caster overall, a light or arcana domain cleric?

 

[NotActuallyTim]

Also, as a bit of a subtopic, which would be the better caster overall, a light or arcana domain cleric?

A Trickster.

 

[Z. H. Darkstar]

Also, as a bit of a subtopic, which would be the better caster overall, a light or arcana domain cleric?

Depends on your playstyle. The Light domain is the better blaster, but the Arcana domain is better at control and can snag melee and ranged cantrips.

 

[TwoSix]

Also, as a bit of a subtopic, which would be the better caster overall, a light or arcana domain cleric?

Light is probably a better caster faster, because it gets better blasting, which is the sine qua non of arcane casters. Arcana feel more like Final Fantasy Red Mages to me. They get access to the Greenflame/Booming Blade combo right away with Wisdom added (and can dip Druid to grab Shillelagh for more Wisdom fun), and can grab some of the best arcane spells at higher level as needed. But they do lack the potent blasting of light in the early/mid game, which is a pretty big deal.

 

[krakistophales]

Depends on your playstyle. The Light domain is the better blaster, but the Arcana domain is better at control and can snag melee and ranged cantrips.

While light domain gets burning hands, scorching ray, fireball, and flame strike, what about arcana being able to snag higher level blasts like chain lightning/sunbeam/disintegrate/finger of death/sunburst/meteor swarm/etc? Is it simply a choice of getting better blasting early vs. investing for later level big blast power?

 

[Morrus]

Isn't the smiley censoring sufficient?

No.

 

[Sunseeker]

In many other editions, Cleric was the go-to choice for "divine" magic, and made a much better Paladin than the Paladin. In many cases you could even out Wizard the Wizard. So I think in many ways, it's a holdover from that time.

The Cleric does offer a different take on "holy warrior" than Paladin does, and it also offers the ability to basically be a holy Wizard.

 

[Z. H. Darkstar]

While light domain gets burning hands, scorching ray, fireball, and flame strike, what about arcana being able to snag higher level blasts like chain lightning/sunbeam/disintegrate/finger of death/sunburst/meteor swarm/etc? Is it simply a choice of getting better blasting early vs. investing for later level big blast power?

Also a valid point, but most games won't get high enough for the late level blasting to come into play. It's a better representation of actual play to base most comparisons at no higher than 10th-12th level.