D&D 5E Zard's S Tier Archetypes

[Zardnaar]

Those numbers are based on how often those resistances appear in the MM, not on how often those creatures are typically encountered. The typical adventurer fights lots of undead, and a lot of undead are at least resistant to necrotic damage. And many of the monsters with cold resistance are rarely encountered.

Certainly psychic, radiant and force damage are good, but so is Thunder, and (people forget this) magical s/p/b.

Yeah my group defaults to thunder with things like chromatic orb.

Undead not that common and even if they are it's dead easy to use radiance as a cleric anyway (or just turn them).

Undead you encounter them at some point probably but getting hit with say fire.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yeah my group defaults to thunder with things like chromatic orb.

Undead not that common and even if they are it's dead easy to use radiance as a cleric anyway (or just turn them).

Undead you encounter them at some point probably but getting hit with say fire.

YMMV. In our games undead and constructs are extremely common, after enemies with no immunities.

Turn Undead is great against a bunch of zombies, but against one ghost - it saves and your turn is wasted.

 

[Aldarc]

Yeah my group defaults to thunder with things like chromatic orb.

Undead not that common and even if they are it's dead easy to use radiance as a cleric anyway (or just turn them).

Undead you encounter them at some point probably but getting hit with say fire.

This is a popular misconception, but most undead are not actually vulnerable to Radiant damage. Between the MM, Volo's, and MToFs, there are only 2 monsters vulnerable to Radiant damage.

 

[Zardnaar]

YMMV. In our games undead and constructs are extremely common, after enemies with no immunities.

Turn Undead is great against a bunch of zombies, but against one ghost - it saves and your turn is wasted.

Don't see turn undead used that much. I use undead and have in current game but it's been a couple of levels. You will encounter them at some point.

Worst case scenario death cleric it's really not hard to deal with them.

Undead themed I wouldn't run death cleric.

 

[Zardnaar]

This is a popular misconception, but most undead are not actually vulnerable to Radiant damage. Between the MM, Volo's, and MToFs, there are only 2 monsters vulnerable to Radiant damage.

It's not because they're vulnerable but not resistant or immune either.

Not generally anyway. Sacred flame, guiding Bolt, spirit guardians, spiritual weapon will deal with them and you should have some of those spells anyway.

 

[Aldarc]

It's not because they're vulnerable but not resistant or immune either.

Not generally anyway. Sacred flame, guiding Bolt, spirit guardians, spiritual weapon will deal with them and you should have some of those spells anyway.

Also it seems a bit weird to me to laud the great things that a Light Cleric gets, which includes a LOT of fire spells (6 of 10), while docking the Forge Cleric down for a ribbon ability that provides bonus fire damage alongside their regular attack.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Don't see turn undead used that much. I use undead and have in current game but it's been a couple of levels.

Wheras in our Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign practically every difficult encounter the party has faced so far has been against undead. Just reached Level 4, and they have already faced a wisp, an undead NPC, two ghosts, a banshee and three coldlight walkers.

 

[Zardnaar]

Wheras in our Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign practically every difficult encounter the party has faced so far has been against undead. Just reached Level 4, and they have already faced a wisp, an undead NPC, a ghost, a banshee and three coldlight walkers.

Sure some adventures are undead heavy.
You're still a cleric.....

 

[Zardnaar]

Also it seems a bit weird to me to laud the great things that a Light Cleric gets, which includes a LOT of fire spells (6 of 10), while docking the Forge Cleric down for a ribbon ability that provides bonus fire damage alongside their regular attack.

Light cleric gets potent cantrip, has radiance of the dawn, the flare ability and is still a cleric.

I rate potent cantrip and the new Tasha's ability over divine strike.
I've seen light clerics cope fine on the elemental plane of fire and forge cleric does get fireball.

Light clerics really good blaster, good at nova, good if it's 6-8 encounters etc.

Basically it runs rings around the forge cleric imho.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Sure some adventures are undead heavy.
You're still a cleric.....

Thing is, I wouldn't rate RotFM as exceptionally undead heavy. And yes, there was a Twilight cleric, who did fine, despite having failed on all her turn attempts so far. But a death cleric would have had to really on non-themic spells, if they even had them prepared.