Getting the most out of a Druid/Cleric multiclass

[Vidryan]

Hey guys! I started playing D&D with a group of friends recently, and I rolled up a Half-Orc Druid. My original plan was to multiclass into Barbarian and be a raging tanky bear, but after our first session it became clear that our group was going to consist of four melee classes and me. I decided that given the particular group makeup, It would be more interesting to be a spell-slinging divine mage with some damage, control, support, buffs, and heals. I've already gone Druid 1/Cleric 1 to get life domain, goodberries, and 5 cantrips, but from here I'm kind of at a loss. I know that Druid and Clerics are both full casters, so I will not miss out on spell slots as I level, but I've never been very good at minmaxing. Are there any particular spells from the Druid or Cleric list that are must-have? I know that if I go more than 4 levels into one, I wont be able to ever get 9th level spells for the other, but is it really worth planning so far ahead around that limitation? Is there any way that I could mess up and severely cripple my character into uselessness? Any ideas on how to make an interesting Druid/Cleric with a focus on spellcasting would be greatly appreciated!

[Dudewithknives]

Hey guys! I started playing D&D with a group of friends recently, and I rolled up a Half-Orc Druid. My original plan was to multiclass into Barbarian and be a raging tanky bear, but after our first session it became clear that our group was going to consist of four melee classes and me. I decided that given the particular group makeup, It would be more interesting to be a spell-slinging divine mage with some damage, control, support, buffs, and heals. I've already gone Druid 1/Cleric 1 to get life domain, goodberries, and 5 cantrips, but from here I'm kind of at a loss. I know that Druid and Clerics are both full casters, so I will not miss out on spell slots as I level, but I've never been very good at minmaxing. Are there any particular spells from the Druid or Cleric list that are must-have? I know that if I go more than 4 levels into one, I wont be able to ever get 9th level spells for the other, but is it really worth planning so far ahead around that limitation? Is there any way that I could mess up and severely cripple my character into uselessness? Any ideas on how to make an interesting Druid/Cleric with a focus on spellcasting would be greatly appreciated!

With that group make up I would go all cleric or all druid, not mix them.

What are your stats?

[Vidryan]

With that group make up I would go all cleric or all druid, not mix them.

What are your stats?

str- 15
dex- 11
con- 16
int- 12
wis- 17
cha- 8

The multiclassing is mostly for RP reasons, to be honest. I'm enjoying it so far, but I don't want to sacrifice long term viability for an interesting character arc

[Galadhrim]

If your dm would let you change up you could do a nature cleric for the RP you want and still stay full class.

[Vidryan]

I don't want to come across as rude, but the point of this thread is to get opinions about how best to optimize a druid/cleric multiclass. If the advice basically boils down to "don't do that", it is not going to be very helpful to me.

That being said, I don't find the cleric nature domain particularly compelling. This could be because I'm comparing it to the druid class itself, but it is the least interesting of the domain choices for me.

Things that I find particularly interesting: having access to a larger number of spells via cleric domain and circle of the land, as well as cantrips that scale with character level rather than class level; having wild shape available for non-combat utility and RP; better goodberries (believe it or not, this is probably the most important. The reasons are... complicated); the RP implications of an agnostic divine caster who draws his power from nature itself having a religious come-to-god (so to speak) experience; heavy armor made of ironwood.

[LudicSavant]

Hey guys! I started playing D&D with a group of friends recently, and I rolled up a Half-Orc Druid. My original plan was to multiclass into Barbarian and be a raging tanky bear, but after our first session it became clear that our group was going to consist of four melee classes and me. I decided that given the particular group makeup, It would be more interesting to be a spell-slinging divine mage with some damage, control, support, buffs, and heals. I've already gone Druid 1/Cleric 1 to get life domain, goodberries, and 5 cantrips, but from here I'm kind of at a loss. I know that Druid and Clerics are both full casters, so I will not miss out on spell slots as I level, but I've never been very good at minmaxing. Are there any particular spells from the Druid or Cleric list that are must-have? I know that if I go more than 4 levels into one, I wont be able to ever get 9th level spells for the other, but is it really worth planning so far ahead around that limitation? Is there any way that I could mess up and severely cripple my character into uselessness? Any ideas on how to make an interesting Druid/Cleric with a focus on spellcasting would be greatly appreciated!
Druid 1 / Life Cleric X
Goodberries heal 40 hp per slot. Use leftover slots at end of day to make goodberries for tomorrow and always keep team at full health between combats. Be SAD and hit folks with a shillelagh. Get a nice feat like observant.

[Zene]

My advice is to keep one class as a 1-level dip and focus on the other class. Either can work, and you've picked up some nice tools either way. If you focus on cleric, that goodberry, shillelagh, and (hopefully) thorn whip you picked up will be useful throughout your cleric leveling. If you go druid, that boost to all your heals will be nice.

Personally, I think you'll have more fun going straight druid from here on out.

Whichever path you choose, do not take another level in your off class for a loooong time. Like maybe til 19th level. The druid's wildshape could be a nice capstone for a life cleric if you don't need the ASI, for example. But any levels before then will delay your main class spell progression in a very painful/crippling way.

[Corran]

What Zene said.

As to how to decide if you'll go with druid or cleric as your main class, I would advise having a look at their respective spell lists (and spells from domains/circles), to see if there are any spells that you would really like that the one class gets and the other does not.

If you go with druid as your main class, maybe land druid would be better, since you have so many melee's.

[Galadhrim]

I don't want to come across as rude, but the point of this thread is to get opinions about how best to optimize a druid/cleric multiclass. If the advice basically boils down to "don't do that", it is not going to be very helpful to me.

That being said, I don't find the cleric nature domain particularly compelling. This could be because I'm comparing it to the druid class itself, but it is the least interesting of the domain choices for me.

Things that I find particularly interesting: having access to a larger number of spells via cleric domain and circle of the land, as well as cantrips that scale with character level rather than class level; having wild shape available for non-combat utility and RP; better goodberries (believe it or not, this is probably the most important. The reasons are... complicated); the RP implications of an agnostic divine caster who draws his power from nature itself having a religious come-to-god (so to speak) experience; heavy armor made of ironwood.

No problem, you don't seem rude. Your OP seemed like you ended with this set up out of necessity rather than choice. That was where that suggestion came from.

As for you question, I agree with above that staying mainly in once class will be better so that you can somewhat keep up with spell level known. I think the biggest power boost for spell levels as far as damage are the level 3 concentration spells. For cleric that is Spirit Guardians. I don't know druid as well but Call Lightning is quite nice. I think you ought to look through that level of spells in particular and decide what your character is going to be all about. That will help you decide whether you want to start pushing cleric or druid.

Your stats do work very nicely for Life Cleric in that you have the Str for heavy armor (assuming that armor you mentioned is some kind of druidy heavy armor). I think a particularly fun thing to do would be to run Spirit Guardians in the midst of all that melee as enemies will have trouble moving much. If they do escape you can thorn whip them back in to place. Running SG means that after round one you have both your action and your bonus action free every round and are still doing sustained damage. This leaves you free to support with whatever spell you need (action or bonus action spell) and still get in some attacks on the same turn. Action economy wise it is really nice. One of my favorite things about Cleric is that it can fill almost any role so when all your melee buddies need support, you are there to do it, but when they don't, you can still have a blast mixing it up in combat. Just make sure you take a feat to help with your concentration saves. Likely warcaster with the plan here.

[Tetrasodium]

The big question is "hey GM-Person, can my druid wear metal armor and/or are nonmetal alternatives really common if not?". If the answer is yes, I'd suggest going straight druid now that you have life ckeric & heavy armor+disciple of life. If the answer is no, then try to switch out that druid level for cleric if you can.