Suggestions for my cleric

[BlackRabbit]

I'm just starting a game and I made what seems to be the most vanilla choice you can with a cleric: human with life domain, mace and shield. The group consists of a minotaur druid, minotaur bard, half-elf swashbuckler, tielfling warlock, and dwarf fighter. I figured as a cleric I can buff (I like buffs) and heal who needs it and pitch in where the fighting side needs help. Does this seem reasonable? And life will let me dip into the cleric spells more deeply since I already have certain spells as the domain, though looking back maybe I should have gone Light just for some zappy support. Oh well.

I'd like some suggestions on perhaps adding some spice to the character down the line, if possible. :smallsmile: Multi-classing? Is there any reason to get a familiar? Magic initiate to beef up my spell selection?

[Rysto]

Consider going with a Hill Dwarf instead. That would get you proficiency with a warhammer, which is a better melee option, and you still get +1 WIS. The extra HP doesn't hurt either because as a Life Cleric you want to be able to soak up some damage once blessed healer kicks in.

[Roughishguy86]

I agree hill dwarf is a great idea mechanically as well as for flavor dwarven cleric is just so much fun.

[GanonBoar]

Mace is pointless imo, costly compared to other options as well. You could use a spear or javelin instead-same damage but cheaper and you can throw it.

[MBControl]

If I understand correctly, you've already built the character, and are simply looking for ways to jazz things up a bit going forward. What kind of background are you using? What type of "guy" are you? Calm, cool, and collected. Hyper, nervous. That kind of thing.

[R.Shackleford]

Spiritual Weapon + Spirit Guardians is eventually your go to battle form.

Sanctuary + Help Action is a fun way to run around helping allies.

Guiding Bolt is an amazing spell.

[Slipperychicken]

If you take Healer, that gives you more short-rest healing. Assuming you short rest regularly, that helps take pressure off your channel divinity and your spell slots, allowing them to be used for other things. Magic Initiate(Goodberry) also gives you efficient healing if your DM lets it stack with that one class feature.

Your character is a spellcaster, who can change his list each day. He has the same spells as any other cleric, so his spell choices are only as bland as you make them.


Mace is pointless imo, costly compared to other options as well. You could use a spear or javelin instead-same damage but cheaper and you can throw it.

I wouldn't even bother with a melee weapon, just use sacred flame instead. If you really need long range, get a crossbow, but most of the time you'll want to use a cantrip because it scales better and bypasses most resistances.

[Pex]

If you can be Variant Human take War Caster feat for advantage on concentration checks.

Chainmail and shield. AC 18. Good to go. Cast Bless for offense and saving throw buff. Cast Shield of Faith when you need defense. AC 20 at low level is amazing. Level 3 gives you Spiritual Weapon for two attacks per round when you attack with your mace. Gives you useful stuff to do in combat and a way to conserve your spells. Sacred Flame is your goto range attack. Healing Word is your goto emergency in combat healing. Try to use your Channel Divinity just before you short rest to get it back "immediately", but if you need to use it after a combat but the party can't short rest at that moment that's fine.

[Drackolus]

A second on m.initiate:druid, since not only do you get greatberry, you can also pick up produce flame. Weapons are for fighters, anyway. Of course, if you have the strength anyway, then it doesn't hurt to have as a backup.

[Temperjoke]

You know what you should do with your character? You should totally be the straight, every-day man. You are the guy who face-palms ICly at everything your team does. You stand out by being normal. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StraightMan

EDIT: You could also play http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OnlySaneMan at the same time!

[Foxhound438]

fighter 5 ultimately might help your DPR, especially with divine strike + extra attack. Getting action surge is mechanically very good as well. Probably go battle master, champ is pretty lackluster for 5 levels and EK doesn't give you much to benefit from. You also get to upgrade to a warhammer.

maybe barbarian 5 if that's more your style, it really non-bo's with being expected to heal people all the time, but if ever you find a tad more damage can help you...

Edit: consider variant human for polearm master, it does in fact apply when you go stick and board, and you lose no damage on your base attack compared to the mace. Extra points if you take Magic Init for shilelagh for wis as your melee stat.

[GanonBoar]

I wouldn't even bother with a melee weapon, just use sacred flame instead. If you really need long range, get a crossbow, but most of the time you'll want to use a cantrip because it scales better and bypasses most resistances.

That may be true, but Life Domains get Divine Strike, effectively making levels 8 and 14 dead levels without a weapon. There's no harm in having a weapon when needed anyway.

[Pex]

A second on m.initiate:druid, since not only do you get greatberry, you can also pick up produce flame. Weapons are for fighters, anyway. Of course, if you have the strength anyway, then it doesn't hurt to have as a backup.

It would be a shame to waste the extra 1d8 damage on attacks the domain grants at 8th level, so if you're going to be a Life cleric you'd want to melee, ergo wear the heavy armor and cast Shield Of Faith. AC 20 is good for mid & high levels too.

[Rysto]

A second on m.initiate:druid, since not only do you get greatberry, you can also pick up produce flame. Weapons are for fighters, anyway. Of course, if you have the strength anyway, then it doesn't hurt to have as a backup.

If you're taking magic initiate:druid, pick up Shillelagh and then you don't need much strength. It works well with divine strike too.

[Slipperychicken]

That may be true, but Life Domains get Divine Strike, effectively making levels 8 and 14 dead levels without a weapon. There's no harm in having a weapon when needed anyway.

Keeping a mace around is good, if say you run into a skeleton who's vulnerable to bludgeoning, but I wouldn't recommend putting any kind of emphasis on it. It's a backup to be used sparingly, while a cantrip should take the majority of actions where a cleric doesn't cast a spell.

In most cases your attack bonus or save DC with a cantrip will make it better than a mace swing (unless you somehow wound up putting strength above wisdom?). That's in addition to bypassing resistances and allowing you to do damage from range.

edit: Seconding shillelagh. Makes you feel like a real melee character at low levels without investment in strength, works well with PAM (assuming you want to spend whole a whole turn attacking, and have nothing better to do with your bonus actions), and it's great against skeletons.

[bid]

In most cases your attack bonus or save DC with a cantrip will make it better than a mace swing (unless you somehow wound up putting strength above wisdom?).
Not really. Save DC with Wis16 is just as likely to hit as mace with Str10.