Divine Archer: Suggestions on a cleric archer build?

[xroads]

Does anyone have any suggestions for playing a cleric archer? I like providing magical support, but my party is notably weak on ranged attackers.

Note: I'm restricted to the options available in the Player's Handbook & the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Also, we are starting at 2nd level.

Bonus points if the build thematically fits in with the Princes of the Apocalypse campaign or with a clerical faction found along the Sword Coast.

Thanks in advance!

[Irishkatana]

War Domain Cleric. The abilities provided by the domain apply to any weapon attack. I'd post more, but I'm headed to lunch.

[Degwerks]

Like Irishkatana mentioned, a War Domain cleric. Or an Arcana Cleric and pick a couple ranged cantrips.

[Aett_Thorn]

Going to suggest something different from the others so far: Wood Elf Nature Cleric.

Wood Elf gets you your bow proficiency.

If you've got the strength at the beginning, it'll give you a bit of extra armor until you get your Dex high enough where light armor will be useful. Spell list is only okay, but you'll be an archer, so they might be a bit more useful. You can also use Shillelagh on a club or quarterstaff to use Wisdom instead of strength if enemies get in close range.

Then you've got two abilities which will help you out in PoA: Dampen Elements (reaction resistance to whatever element you want, which helps against the changing enemy nature you'll face), and your Divine Strike can be either fire, cold, or lightning, which will help you if you go up against a creature that is resistant or immune to one of those.

[Irishkatana]

Delicious food.

Okay back to building you a War Domain. Since your cleric is using DEX as its main stat, there are only 3 stats we care about, DEX, CON, and WIS.

There are a good options for a race, Variant human, Wood Elf, Stout Halfling, and Air/Water Genasi.

Personally I'd lean towards the Stout Halfling, or Variant Human.

Your goal is to get the feat Sharpshooter early. With the War Domain, once per day you can Channel Divinity to attack with +5 to hit and do +10 damage. Variant human gets you this at level 1, while everyone else has to wait until level 4.

Stout Halfling provides a ton of benefits, especially if your party is lacking a Paladin. Saving throws against frightened and poison are really useful on the healer. Stout Halfling also allows you to move through spaces occupied by your teammates. Mix that with Sharpshooter and you can move and shoot through, well around, your teammates with no penalty.

If you are starting Princes of the Apocalypse at level 1, then go Variant Human. If you are starting at level 3, go Stout Halfling and take Sharpshooting at level 4.

[Specter]

War Cleric.

With 16WIS, that's three more attacks per long rest. With Sharpshooter, cast Bless and fire away. If you miss too harshly, use the +10 to hit. At level 8, that can be 3d8+(DEXx2)+20. Pretty good for a Cleric.

If at all possible, go for a Fighter multiclass. Two levels means Action Surge which means you can cast a spell (Bless/Crusader's Mantle) and still attack. Five levels means Extra Attack, which requires no explanation.

[Fflewddur Fflam]

Rogue 5/Cleric X, Ranger 5/Cleric X, or Fighter 5/Cleric X all seem like viable options to me.

[Spectre9000]

I'm surprised no one has suggested Ranger, as it is the divine archer...

Anyway, my suggestion is this: Wood Elf/Hill Dwarf UA Ranger 2/ Nature Cleric X. You get Hunter's Mark and Archery Fighting Style. Nature Cleric gives you proficiency with Heavy Armor, and you're a Wood Elf/Dwarf so dump Strength; you'll have a base move speed of 25, no other drawbacks. Getting 2 levels of rogue would be very beneficial as you'd get expertise in stealth and cunning action, not to mention an extra 1d6 sneak attack.

Trickery domain would give you some more utility for stealthy, hide in the shadows, game play more akin to an archer, but you'd heavy armor and get a pretty bad divine strike (poison damage).


You'll want to pick up the feats Crossbow Expert, Sharpshooter, and, if you want/can, War Caster. Use a shield and hand crossbow, with a Heavy Crossbow/Longbow for extended range.

[The Ship's dog]

Personally, I say that you could go Ranger 11 (Hunter)/War Cleric X.

With this, you get 2 ASIs/Feats, Extra attack, Fighting style (Archery), 2 instances of Favoured enemy (I suggest Undead and Fiends respectively for fluff purposes) and Natural Explorer +, access to 3rd level spells and also a spell which I've always thought of as one of the most classically god-like spells in 5e (probably because of my Dark Souls upbringing) and that is Lightning Arrow, Primeval awareness (you can re-fluff it to be your god helping you) as well as Hunter Archetype features (I suggest Horde-Breaker, Escape the Horde and Volley).

You use Wisdom for both of your Spellcasting abilities and can wear heavy armour if you want to. The order of when you take levels in each class is up to you but I suggest starting with your first level in Ranger for that d10 HD

[Biggstick]

Does it have to necessarily be a Cleric? Would being a part of the church suffice? You can be an important or higher ranking person within a clerical faction and still yourself not be a Cleric. If you are open to playing something other then Cleric, and you want to provide magical support while contributing solid ranged damage, Valor Bard just might be for you.

Hear me out. Bards are just as likely to be a part of a clerical faction. They're fans of lore, stories, and someone has to play the instruments during a sermon (if the church or faction you chose provides those). Bards have a fantastic spell list to provide magical support; Healing Word, Faerie Fire, Lesser Restoration, Enhance Ability, Calm Emotions, See Invisibility, Dispel Magic, Freedom of Movement, Greater Restoration, Revivify, etc etc. They have Bardic Inspirations for even more support for your allies.

To really bring this home, Valor Bards get medium armor/shields and martial weapons proficiency at level 3. While it might require you to spend a little money, you can buy a Longbow once you've gained proficiency with said Longbow. You're also going to be getting a second attack at level 6. You're one level behind the primary martials in terms of ranged attacks, but you're hitting with the same weapon and utilizing pretty much the same amount of attacks as they are. Once you've maxed out Dexterity and have Sharpshooter (by level 8 if you're a Human), you're making two attacks a turn that have damage rolls of 1d8+15. You're also going to have a bonus action that you can do things with (Bardic Inspiration, Healing Word, etc).

The higher level you get, the more fun this gets. The Bard spell list provides great support, but it's a little lacking in certain places. This is where Bardic Secrets comes into play and you can grab the spells from any spell list that you want! You're a full spell caster as a Valor Bard, but have a pretty solid plan in being able to shoot Sharpshooter shots from over 500' away while magically buffing yourself and allies.

[The Ship's dog]

Oh wait, no Unearthed Arcana, sorry for that, I will amend my post.

EDIT: Done!

[xroads]

There are a good options for a race, Variant human, Wood Elf, Stout Halfling, and Air/Water Genasi.

Unfortunately the DM banned the races from the Elemental Players Guide Compendium. So no genasi. But the other races are on my radar.

[xroads]

Does it have to necessarily be a Cleric? Would being a part of the church suffice? You can be an important or higher ranking person within a clerical faction and still yourself not be a Cleric. If you are open to playing something other then Cleric, and you want to provide magical support while contributing solid ranged damage, Valor Bard just might be for you.

Interesting possibility. I do like bards and I could flavor it be more religious.

However one party member might choose bard (50% chance). And I'd rather not step on his toes too much (though with a party of 7, some toe stepping is inevitable).

[djreynolds]

If you have the dex and wisdom, 5 levels of ranger would fit nicely.

But I often run cleric and eldritch knight together. The shield spell is nice to have as an archer... just grab defensive spells that do not require a spell DC roll

[Grod_The_Giant]

I'd say be a War Cleric with Crossbow Expert. (You can wield a single hand crossbow and get the bonus action attack, no silliness required). It makes War Priest redundant but War Priest isn't very good; what you're after are attack-boosting spells like Divine Favor and Crusader's Mantle. Dipping into Ranger for a few levels isn't a terrible idea either. In fact, you could probably play a single-classed Ranger as a "Cleric"-- take Undead or Fiends as your Favored Enemy and pick mostly non-nature spells like Cure Wounds, Water Walk, and Daylight.

[Saggo]

I'd say be a War Cleric with Crossbow Expert. (You can wield a single hand crossbow and get the bonus action attack, no silliness required). It makes War Priest redundant but War Priest isn't very good; what you're after are attack-boosting spells like Divine Favor and Crusader's Mantle.

There's no pressing reason you can't carry a heavy and hand crossbow, use the heavy crossbow when you have War Priest available and the hand crossbow when it isn't.

[poolio]

Takes a little while to come online but i luke Ranger 5/ War cleric x

You get some useful spells from ranger like goodberry, spike growth, fog cloud and most importantly, hunters mark.

Plus the archery fighting style and extra attack (which are the only things going fighter wiuld give)

My wife has this build right now and is our main DPR in most every fight.

[djreynolds]

Takes a little while to come online but i luke Ranger 5/ War cleric x

You get some useful spells from ranger like goodberry, spike growth, fog cloud and most importantly, hunters mark.

Plus the archery fighting style and extra attack (which are the only things going fighter wiuld give)

My wife has this build right now and is our main DPR in most every fight.

Its a very good build, and though 1 minute I like divine favor as it doesn't require a bonus action to switch target.

The EK/cleric is viable, just don't worry about intelligence and focus on wisdom. Your spell slots can be used for any spell.

[RickAllison]

For some reason, I look at this and I think of a sniper-archer assassin with a mantra about being his deity's divine arrows. "The arrow is an expression of my will, I am an expression of my god's will," or similar. I am imagining a lot of rogue with some War or Trickster cleric. I have to think over it more...

[Grod_The_Giant]

For some reason, I look at this and I think of a sniper-archer assassin with a mantra about being his deity's divine arrows. "The arrow is an expression of my will, I am an expression of my god's will," or similar. I am imagining a lot of rogue with some War or Trickster cleric. I have to think over it more...
Sounds familiar (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgHRj2-vvs8&t=1m12s)...

[RickAllison]

Sounds familiar (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgHRj2-vvs8&t=1m12s)...

The sad thing is, I haven't seen that movie...

[Specter]

Sounds familiar (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgHRj2-vvs8&t=1m12s)...

RIP best character in the movie.

Sniper build? That's Ranger 5/Assassin X.

[The Ship's dog]

RIP best character in the movie.

Sniper build? That's Ranger 5/Assassin X.

I mean, the OP wanted suggestions on a Cleric/Divine Archer, not just a sniper.

[Specter]

I mean, the OP wanted suggestions on a Cleric/Divine Archer, not just a sniper.

I know, but the discussion derailed. See all posts in the thread, not just the last one, it might help you.

[djreynolds]

For some reason, I look at this and I think of a sniper-archer assassin with a mantra about being his deity's divine arrows. "The arrow is an expression of my will, I am an expression of my god's will," or similar. I am imagining a lot of rogue with some War or Trickster cleric. I have to think over it more...

That reminds me of Saving Private Ryan, and Private Daniel Jackson... very cool

[The Ship's dog]

I know, but the discussion derailed. See all posts in the thread, not just the last one, it might help you.

I did see all the posts in the thread and, as I understand it, noone talked about making a purely sniper build that didn't include some sort of divine class. I was trying to get the discussion more on topic (albeit not in a very direct way I have to admit).

[RickAllison]

I did see all the posts in the thread and, as I understand it, noone talked about making a purely sniper build that didn't include some sort of divine class. I was trying to get the discussion more on topic (albeit not in a very direct way I have to admit).

The OP was about making an archer using Cleric levels, so...

[The Ship's dog]

The OP was about making an archer using Cleric levels, so...

Right, fair enough, sorry.

[RickAllison]

Right, fair enough, sorry.

That isn't to say that looking at alternative classes for the combo is a bad idea! Others have posited Ranger levels as an alternative source of being a Divine Archer, for example. So long as the focus remains on the archer being divine, it is at least tangential to the discussion.

[JumboWheat01]

How about a Wood Elf Trickery Cleric? You don't get any extra weapons or armor out of that Domain, so you don't have to feel bad about wasting the options, you get some interesting magical support and stealth options, and the Wood Elf gives you natural Long Bow training and skill in Perception.

And if you feel the need for damage, feel free to multi-class with a Rogue. Sneak attacks only work for one attack, if I remember correctly, and they work with ranged weapons.


If your heart isn't 100% set on a Cleric, may I suggest a Paladin? Divine spells and Lay on Hands for support, Smiting for extra damage with your bow, and all those other Paladin goodies.

[RickAllison]

How about a Wood Elf Trickery Cleric? You don't get any extra weapons or armor out of that Domain, so you don't have to feel bad about wasting the options, you get some interesting magical support and stealth options, and the Wood Elf gives you natural Long Bow training and skill in Perception.

And if you feel the need for damage, feel free to multi-class with a Rogue. Sneak attacks only work for one attack, if I remember correctly, and they work with ranged weapons.


If your heart isn't 100% set on a Cleric, may I suggest a Paladin? Divine spells and Lay on Hands for support, Smiting for extra damage with your bow, and all those other Paladin goodies.

You can't Smite with a bow... But that shouldn't take it off the table completely. It would put a much greater emphasis on using the Paladin spells rather than the Smites, but it could work.

[JumboWheat01]

You can't Smite with a bow... But that shouldn't take it off the table completely. It would put a much greater emphasis on using the Paladin spells rather than the Smites, but it could work.

I thought you could... maybe that's just one of my DM's things. I've gotten used to that.

Still, like you said, it could work, you'd just be using your slots on spells, and you still have all the other paladin goodies, along with a natural two attacks.

[Randomthom]

For some reason, I look at this and I think of a sniper-archer assassin with a mantra about being his deity's divine arrows. "The arrow is an expression of my will, I am an expression of my god's will," or similar. I am imagining a lot of rogue with some War or Trickster cleric. I have to think over it more...

This is my crossbow. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My crossbow is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
Without me, my crossbow is useless. Without my crossbow, I am useless. I must fire my crossbow true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me.
Before <Insert Deity's name>, I swear this creed. My crossbow and I are the defenders of my faith. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is <Deity's name>'s and there is no enemy.

Stolen & amended from Full-Metal-Jacket.

[Herobizkit]

If you're going for a 'military' flavor, how about a Half-Orc Tempest Cleric of Gruumsh, or a Dwarven Tempest priest of Thor?

He's lightning and thunder. All grumble and blather.

Picture John Goodman's "Hound" portrayal in the TF: Age of Extinction movie. Heavy crossbow, heavy armor, all attitude. Great at ranged but not at all afraid to get up in melee if necessary.

Yes, it's not optimal, but it IS fun. IMO. ^_^

[Saggo]

You can't Smite with a bow... But that shouldn't take it off the table completely. It would put a much greater emphasis on using the Paladin spells rather than the Smites, but it could work.

Like I argued in another thread, Vengeance Paladins make surprisingly decent archers. Admittedly it does marginalize Divine Smite, a major class feature, but they have one of the few (and I think really only) ways of getting at-will advantage on ranged attacks.

They can outclass Rangers in single-target DPR thanks to Vow of Enmity, especially if you allow Sharpshooter and/or Crossbow Expert. Banishing Smite is good burst damage at high levels, Branding Smite is okish damage and control on sneaking/invisible creatures at lower levels. They have an array of useful buffs/spells, Bless, Hunter's Mark, Misty Step, Hold Person, Haste, Magic Weapon, Elemental Weapon, etc. Because of Divine Smite, melee fallback is still very powerful. Their most significant flaw is just lack of AoE.

[nmitchell2]

I'm currently playing a Ranger/Cleric and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm level 8; Hunter 6/Life Cleric 2. I'm using the Revised Ranger from UA. Hill Dwarf start, 14 Dex, 16 Con, 16 Wis from standard array. Favoured Enemy choices were Humanoids and Undead. I took all my Ranger levels from the start then went Cleric after. Picked up Sharpshooter at Ranger 4. I'm already close to being as effective as possible in combat.

My plan is to go Ranger 8/Cleric 12. I was planning to get Volley but I can just use Ranger spells for a similar effect. Instead I'll get an effective caster level of 16. Seen as Ranger and Cleric spells are prepared for whatever spell slots you have at the start of every day, I'll get every Ranger spell and up to the 8th level Cleric spells.

[Diebo]

As others have pointed out, a great way to optimize an archer is with sharpshooter, assuming you are using feats. The problem is that it takes a feat, and the -5 to hit makes it quite difficult to add that bonus damage. Especially using a cleric with only one attack. Quite a feat tax for a shot that might miss.

How to increase the attacks to make sharpshooter worth it? I would normally think the hand-crossbow would be the preferred tool for the job, as with crossbow master you could get an extra bonus action attack. However, as a cleric, you need your bonus action to cast spells. Add to that crossbow master costs an extra feat. But two feats, and you have two stats to maximize (dex and wisdom). Plus you will want war caster and/or resilient con to help with concentration saving throws. Crossbow master is not ideal for a cleric archer.

If you are willing to multi-class, I’d recommend ranger as some other have. Specifically, hunter (either PHB or UA, preferably UA) with horde breaker. Horde breaker gives you a second attack that does not require a bonus action. The downside is the opponent has to be adjacent to another opponent. With an archer’s range, you can often make this extra attack work. Go a minimum of 3 for horde breaker, perhaps level 4 for the feat, and level 5 will get you a second attack. You’ll be quite an archer, with +2 to hit from archer style at level 2, bless for 1d4 bonus to hit (and help on con saves), sharpshooter to avoid penalties from cover, 2 or 3 attacks plus use of your reaction and bonus action… it basically offsets the -5 to hit. I’d recommend long bow (crossbow master is not a feat you can likely afford).

Then go all cleric (your preference, war works nicely as people have pointed out, just make sure the level 8 cleric divine bonus applies to weapon attacks). If you need healing outside of goodberry earlier, go cleric 1 somewhere in the sequence to get healing word (ranged heal) and use bless earlier.

Start out as ranger with Hunter’s Mark and goodberry for healing. Then switch to bless once you get it. The extra d6 damage from hunter’s mark won’t be as useful to the party as bless, and it burns your bonus action (which you need for spells) to move it. Human variant will get you sharpshooter at the start. Ranger spell slots will take some of the bite out of multi-classing. If you get second-level ranger spells (level 5 ranger), pass without trace will help the party sneak, even with disadvantage. Hail of thorns will give you some area effect, and you can up-cast it as you gain cleric levels. This would be a fun build, and you would certainly feel like you were contributing to combat.

[EduWendigo]

I know this thread is getting old but there go my 2 cents...

Tempest + bard, as a bard you get lightning arrows(that you will maximize) and swift quiver.

Munchikin Sniper lvl 20: Tempest Cleric 8/Lore bard 6/Assassin 3/Sorc 3

Lightning arrow mazimized prepared before sniping, get ready: sneak shoot and maximize a quicken maximized lightning chromatic orb

For very high dmg use 9 lvl witch bolt instead orb and 8 lvl arrow.

Everything is maximized and crit for ROFL dmg

[xroads]

Well, since this thread was resurrected, I figure I might as well give everyone an update.

I ended up sticking with the life domain, but dipping into fighter one level (of course choosing the archery style). At 5th I was planning on picking up sharpshooter.

But in the long run this didn't pan out. I found myself more often than not, engaged in melee. And one of the other players, whose previous character died, ended up replacing it with an archery build assassin.

So, with the DM's permission, I reforged the character as a straight up life cleric.

Thanks everyone!