Arcana domain cleric spell selection.

[poolio]

I'm looking to try my hand at a more blaster style cleric and arcana looks pretty good, but I'm not sure what wizard spells to take, I'm thinking firebolt and shocking grasp but that's pretty much it right now, there's just so many to pick from.

Suggestions? More offense/defense, or more utility, I've never played a wizard so I'm not to familiar with the options on their list or the best utility spells.

Any help and insight would be greatly appreciated :smallsmile:

[DragonSorcererX]

What race are you? If you are VHuman, I would go with a ranged spell like Fire Bolt and a SCAG Cantrip like Green-Flame Blade, and them Magic Initiate - Druid to get Shillelagh... It's cheese, but it's good cheese, and makes sense for an Arcana Cleric to have both divine, arcane and druidic magic, because it is all magic...

[Willie the Duck]

It's an exploit, but I wouldn't even call it cheese. Given that you are 1) selecting Arcana domain (and devoting a significant portion of what makes Arcana domain good to do this) as opposed to anything else you might be selecting, and 2) giving up a ASI/feat to take Magic Initiate (Druid)*, I'd say that the boost you get is roughly equivalent to the opportunity cost of what you could have otherwise done. Even with Variant Human, this build means you won't have both a high wisdom (making the Shillelagh worth it), and the ability to wade into melee (making any of this worth it) without risking your concentration spells until a very high level. It's balancing these trade-offs that make the cleric so fun--there really is no one 'expected' or 'optimized' build for them.


*Magic Initiate (Druid) to get Shillelagh is good, but it is really good with a Life domain Cleric (because you can also pick Goodberry, and get 40 hp/day of healing with the Disciple of Life ability), which you by definition will not be if you are an Arcana Cleric

[Specter]

The cantrips, you mean?

Fire Bolt is a staple. Good range, good damage.

Frostbite is great. Think of it as Improved Sacred Flame - d6 with a rider effect.

Whatever you do, try to stay at range; you don't have as great defenses as other clerics.

[Willie the Duck]

I'm looking to try my hand at a more blaster style cleric and arcana looks pretty good, but I'm not sure what wizard spells to take, I'm thinking firebolt and shocking grasp but that's pretty much it right now, there's just so many to pick from.

Suggestions? More offense/defense, or more utility, I've never played a wizard so I'm not to familiar with the options on their list or the best utility spells.

Oh, and back to the OP--Firebolt is good. It is 2 more avg. damage then Sacred Flame. OTOH, it is a ranged attack, so you get disadvantage in melee range, whereas SF they have to make their Dex save regardless. Either way, you get +wis dmg to them once you hit level 8.

I would suggest, out of your total number of cantrips (normal cleric ones and these two) no more than two combat cantrips (how many times is the party relying on your elemental attacks to win the day, such that running into an immune creature will ruin everything?), and the rest utility. Wizard has some really nice ones, from illusions to helping hands. I would personally just do normal sacred flame, and then GFB (or BB if you are a goblin cleric or going to MC to rogue), and either mage hand or minor illusion.

[Kobard]

If you don't have a wizard in your party, you may want to consider taking the Ritual Casting (Wizard) feat. It makes for a nice thematic fit, and it expands your wizardness more than simply taking Magic Initiate. There is some overlap with the cleric's rituals, but since they are in your ritual book, you don't have to even prepare those same spells as a cleric, which opens up your options a bit more.

[8wGremlin]

Actually, I've played an Arcane Cleric like your build pretty much from day 1 they came out.
I suggest:

My standard Arcane cleric build.




Arcane Cleric Vhuman Wis > Con, Dex=14
Wear Medium armour and a shield (AC = 18, holy symbol on shield)
Take: Booming Blade and Chill Touch or Ray of Frost* (both are now cleric cantrips, and key of Wis)
Feat: Magic Initiate (Druid)

Take Shillelagh (keys of Wis) & Thorn whip** as cantrips
Take Absorb Elements or Longstrider*** as your 1st level




Just keep going to Cleric 8 - where you now get your Wis mod to damage on cleric cantrips (Booming blade and Ray of Frost amongst others.) You can get Warcaster at 4th level you can now Booming blade as a reaction. Then pump Wis, it's the only stat you need.


* Chill Touch has 120 ft range and does necrotic and can stop healing, and has a nice undead rider effect, Ray of frost has only 60' range, but has some control as slowing them down.

** Thorn whip again can be used for control, pulling combatants off squishier teammates, or even into hazardous areas

** Absorb elements is a reaction that halves the incoming elemental damage, and adds a bonus to your next attack, and is situationally more useful Long strider gives you +10' movement for an hour, no concentration.

[poolio]

OP here, sorry, i should'a worded it differently lol but I'm looking for all spells that would be useful, inside combat and out.

I'm not sure what race yet so suggestions for that are welcomed as well.

I'm trying to stay more at range for combat, was thinking of shocking grasp for a way to hit and get away, but i do like the melee suggestions, another cleric maybe :smalltongue:

Thanks for the impute so far folks, it's been pretty good so far, please, keep 'em coming, it really helps cause there's just so many possibilities it's hard to think of everything i could do with a new character

[Flashy]

You don't get to pick wizard spells apart from the cantrips at Cleric level one and a single 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th level spell at Cleric level 17. Apart from that you don't get any choices. Do you want help choosing high level wizard spells rather than cantrips?

Basically, there aren't any cantrips which are useful both in and out of combat. The line is drawn pretty clearly, with maybe the exception of creative uses for Minor Illusion.

[poolio]

You don't get to pick wizard spells apart from the cantrips at Cleric level one and a single 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th level spell at Cleric level 17. Apart from that you don't get any choices. Do you want help choosing high level wizard spells rather than cantrips?

Basically, there aren't any cantrips which are useful both in and out of combat. The line is drawn pretty clearly, with maybe the exception of creative uses for Minor Illusion.

Oh...oops lol i seem to have misunderstood, i haven't actually read the Arcana domain myself yet, i was just trying to come up with a build from what someone at the shop i game at told me about, i thought the domain got the spells at those levels haha my bad :smallbiggrin:

[bid]

Even with Variant Human, this build means you won't have both a high wisdom (making the Shillelagh worth it), and the ability to wade into melee (making any of this worth it) without risking your concentration spells until a very high level.
No melee cleric has a good Concentration check. Arcana doesn't lose anything compared to war or tempest. And because you are SAD, you can Con16 at start. You may want Wis18 + warcaster or resilient (Wis) at level 8 though.

[Willie the Duck]

No melee cleric has a good Concentration check. Arcana doesn't lose anything compared to war or tempest. And because you are SAD, you can Con16 at start. You may want Wis18 + warcaster or resilient (Wis) at level 8 though.

Yes, and that's the opportunity cost of going the melee route.