5e Cleric 1st character. Background/Lore Questions!

[Machadawg]

Okay so I was a vet of 3rd edition and am now stoked to start playing 5E. I've rolled up a level 1 dragonborn warpriest basing it on a character that I never got to play in 3.5.

What can I expect playing Tyranny of Dragons( no story spoilers please)as a dragonborn?

How is the Cleric in this edition?

What is the lore for the dragonborn in 5e? As I said beforehand i played 3e and really like the dragonborn of Bahamut and want this character to be a holy warrior for Big Baha dedicated to destroying Tiamat and evil dragons. But also want the char. to fit in in the new FR. So how have they changed?



Thanks and keep rolling/roleing.

[Daishain]

Can't help you with ToD right now, but as for the rest...

There unfortunately isn't much in the way of remaining fluff from the Dragonborn of Bahamut template we know and love.

Dragonborn are no longer reborn humanoids, but actually are variant dragons, originally born from dragon eggs, but then going on to breed true as a race of their own. A mutation that would seem both rather specific and unlikely if it wasn't for the enigmatic nature of this setting.

Beyond that, there doesn't seem to be that much of interest about them, they're now pretty much just bigger versions of the kobolds, with a better reputation within society.

You should still be able to dedicate yourself to the Bahamut's cause if you wish, but it is no longer a matter of the platinum dragon recognizing and asking you for your service and sacrifice.

[Yorrin]

Conveniently enough I just posted a Cleric guide! (see my signature) But to answer your question directly, Clerics are lookin' good.

For a Dragonborn War Priest I assume you're going Str + Wis. There are basically three ways to go about this:

1. Sword + Board (or axe or hammer)- Combine with Heavy armor and you've got a reasonably hard to kill tank.
2. Greatsword/Maul- My personal pick for a Warpriest. Combine Great Weapon Master and Guided Strike to great effect.
3. Halberd/Glaive- For if you take the popular Polearm Master feat. Gives you a consistent use for your bonus action.

[cobaltstarfire]

Apparently they're changing the lore for FR's this addition (doing a minor reset or something?) so this may not be accurate.

But I got it all from the FR wiki. (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Dragonborn) So if you want more you can go there. But TLDR version I'll post here.

Dragonborn in Forgotten Realms hate dragons, they aren't native and come from a continent where they had been enslaved for ages by dragons. So they really really hate dragons, and don't believe that good dragons exist. (although they are still willing to give them a chance).


All I can say for HotDQ is, be ready for a real slog. Unless your DM is feeling magnanimous you're going to have many encounters and not much chance to recharge.

[Daishain]

Apparently they're changing the lore for FR's this addition (doing a minor reset or something?) so this may not be accurate.

But I got it all from the FR wiki. (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Dragonborn) So if you want more you can go there. But TLDR version I'll post here.

Dragonborn in Forgotten Realms hate dragons, they aren't native and come from a continent where they had been enslaved for ages by dragons. So they really really hate dragons, and don't believe that good dragons exist. (although they are still willing to give them a chance).
That would be specific to fourth edition's version of the forgotten realms, which is pretty radically different lore wise from FR in both fifth edition and all previous variants. Frankly, if you took away the common names, you probably wouldn't be able to tell it is supposed to be the same setting.

Granted, dragonborn only existed as a template in 3.5e (it was a popular one), but they certainly didn't hate all dragons. In fact, becoming a dragonborn required dedicating one's life to the cause of Bahamut, the god of good aligned dragons.

[cobaltstarfire]

That would be specific to fourth edition's version of the forgotten realms, which is pretty radically different lore wise from FR in both fifth edition and all previous variants. Frankly, if you took away the common names, you probably wouldn't be able to tell it is supposed to be the same setting.



Let me quote the first line in my post, because apparently you didn't see it.


Apparently they're changing the lore for FR's this addition (doing a minor reset or something?) so this may not be accurate.



Edit: Furthermore, the species as described in the PHB is a species, not a Dragonborn of Bahamut like 3.5

It's too bad they didn't give us very much setting specific information on them.

[Machadawg]

Thank y'all for the replies.

In addition to what you've all said I have read some stuff and don't like what they did to the Righteous dragonborn. So I'll ask my DM if I can totally refluff their lore.

[Doomchild]

After having just played a Cleric (and died), I have to say, to me, the 5e Cleric felt weaker than the 3.5 version, even if only at 1st level (I died before I could reach 2nd level). My character was far from optimized, but with fewer spell slots and Cure Wounds being just as bad as ever, I felt like I had less to contribute to encounters when compared to 3.5 Cleric builds (though those builds had the benefit of years of system mastery and tons of splatbook support).

[Yorrin]

After having just played a Cleric (and died), I have to say, to me, the 5e Cleric felt weaker than the 3.5 version, even if only at 1st level (I died before I could reach 2nd level). My character was far from optimized, but with fewer spell slots and Cure Wounds being just as bad as ever, I felt like I had less to contribute to encounters when compared to 3.5 Cleric builds (though those builds had the benefit of years of system mastery and tons of splatbook support).

This is true of nearly all classes, though. The first level or two is extremely fragile in all of 5e.

[Daishain]

After having just played a Cleric (and died), I have to say, to me, the 5e Cleric felt weaker than the 3.5 version, even if only at 1st level (I died before I could reach 2nd level). My character was far from optimized, but with fewer spell slots and Cure Wounds being just as bad as ever, I felt like I had less to contribute to encounters when compared to 3.5 Cleric builds (though those builds had the benefit of years of system mastery and tons of splatbook support).
Most full spellcasters don't come into their true strength for the first few levels, and the cleric is no exception.

If you want a non fragile cleric and your game isn't going higher than about level five, use a paladin.