Tempest cleric 5e

[Cloudbusted]

Hi, I am new to this game. I played a dwarf fighter the dm made me before this game. I am running a cleric next game. I really wanted a ranged character but am looking at pole mastery feat and like some of the potential for a tempest cleric. Ideally I think the group wants me to run a Tempest front liner. I really enjoy crowd control, and don't mind being a tank. I just wanted advice on something easy to run that won't kill the party. Last run we had two people that were pretty much a handicap to the group, and I don't want to be that guy. Especially as a tank. I am almost fresh out of the box as a new player so keep that in mind. Thanks in advance for any help. Starting at lvl 1.

[Willie the Duck]

What do you know about the rest of the group? What is your stat determination method (rolled, point-buy, array, etc.)? Do you have a race you like? Also, let us know how the DM rules on clerics, spells, and hands free.

Tempest Cleric is fairly straight-forward (if you want). Focus on Strength and Wisdom (which is more important depends on what you do the most of: fighting or spells), and don't forget Constitution. Use heavy armor and big weapons. The rest will really depend on what you want to do.

[Specter]

I would suggest not picking Polearm Master and instead picking Magic Initiate (Wiz/Sor/War) for Booming Blade. With that, your single attack damage can reach 3d8 by level 8, and 6d8 by level 17, plus the additional effect if the enemy moves. Plus, you can use the Channel Divinity to max 5d8 of that attack. All of that with a shield.

[Willie the Duck]

To build on what Specter said, while Pole Arm Master (PAM, as it is often referred to on the boards) is a great feat, it isn't the best (although not the worst either) long term strategy for a cleric.

PAM does a decent job of mitigating a clerics perpetual single attack by allowing you to quite often use your reaction and bonus actions as extra attacks. However, you max out with 2d10+1d4+3*(str)+3(magic), and it takes up all of your actions (actions which a cleric often might want other uses for, especially the bonus action). It also requires you to use a 2h weapon. 2h weapon are great, especially if you have massively multiple attacks to do lots of damage and have plenty of feats and abilities to power up said attacks (read: fighters).

Magic Initiate for Booming Blade (or, if you want to combine polearms and SCAG cantrips, use spell sniper to get it, since it allow you to use it at 10' with your 10' weapon) is a niche concept, but it synergizes really well with tempest priests. Also: If you happen to take War Caster at some point (a very common and useful feat for spellcasters, particularly melee spellcasters), you can attack with a Booming Blade-pumped attack, and get one as your reaction attack, if you get one.

But let us not dissuade you if you really want a halberd-bearing cleric of the storm god. It is certainly not a bad build.

[Chugger]

You may not want to go Polearm Mastery as a cleric, and I'll tell you why.

Okay lvls 1 and 2 it's awesome, except frontline clerics tend to heal with Healing Word because (1) it has range (cure doesn't) and (2) it is bonus action castable - allowing you to cantrip or melee attack with your action. But that eats up your bonus attack that round - so no second PaM attack that round - which is okay because how often do you heal at low lvls? Not all the time.

But from lvl 3 on Clerics have Spiritual Weapon which is cast on a bonus action and which uses the bonus action to reapply thereafter. It's not a concentration spell. You'll be using it a lot. Or you'd want to. And it conflicts with PaM's second or bonus action strike.

Now, you could be a cleric who doesn't cast Sp Weap and who PaMs, but you could also go warcaster or resil con for your feat - and so when you hit lvl 5 you're not likely to lose concentration on Spir Guardians. If you're a frontline cleric with a shield, swinging a 1d8 weapon (using GFB or BB via a dip maybe), using bonus action to Spir Weap, and you got Spir Guardians swirling about you, you're hell on wheels - especially if it's really hard for the monsters to make you lose concen on Spir Guardians. The downside of this is that it takes 2 rounds of casting to achieve this (but again Sp Weap only uses a bonus action ever to start and to re-apply).

Now, PaM gives you 2 attacks without needing to cast spells, and you can save your slots for other things. You can't use GFB or BB with PaM's second attack. Incompatible because the cantrips aren't an Attack action (I'm finally starting to understand this part of the rules). Oh, you can get the cantrips from Magic Initiate feat, meaning at lvl 5 you can use Booming Blade as your main action for 1d8 + str (warhammer) + 1d8 (BB's extra damage) + 2d8 if target moves (which is not likely) - AND 1d8 plus wis for Spir Weap - you're hurting things.

Or go GFB if at least 2 monsters are close enough. That's 1d8 + str (warhammer) and 1d8 GFB and 1d8 + int or ch mod on target #2 and 1d8 + wis for spir weapon.

The cantrips scale, iirc, much better than PaM at higher lvls, when they do 2d8 and then 3d8 - and as a Cler you need to ASI your Wis over Str and may never get around to boosting your Str over 16, meaning your PaM second attack is locked in at 1d4 + 3.

If you go Resil Con or Warcaster with an eye toward lvl 5 and beyond, you will be only so-so without cantrips and without PaM. You could take them at lvl 4 instead of upping Wis, but if you don't - if you up wis instead...

At lvl 5 you can for two main (big) fights per long rest get your main hit in (1d8 + 3str), Spir weapon (1d8 + 4wis), and 3d8 for spir guard. (plus difficult terrain) AND as you get damaged you'll probably make your con checks. And keep spir guard up.

Or you could go PaM and just give up the bonus action attack on those fights where you use Spir Weapon - or never use spir weapon and use other spells - or on your easier fights use PaM's bonus action attack - and pop spir weapon only on harder fights and just give up Pam's bonus action attack on those fights.

There are many ways to do it. There is probably an "optimized" way but 5e is forgiving and flexible - so many variations "work".

[Chugger]

I'm sorry if the above is a mess - so complex, these choices.

Look, your group wants you to tank, right? And you want easy?

A Tempest Cleric is very easy. But an AC 16 (chainmail only) cleric is not as good a tank as an AC 18 cleric (chain and shield) - and splint is soon affordable (AC 17 vs AC 19 with splint and shield).

If you go PaM you're probably not using a shield - BUT - you can go PaM and use a quarterstaff one-handed - as crazy as it sounds - and still RAW get in the butt strike for an extra 1d4 plus str. So you can have AC 18 or higher (if they can give you splint) from the shield and have PaM's extra attack - and also get the reaction attack if a monster gives it to you.

The other thing about a Tempest is that x times per day (it's your wis mod) you can zap anything that hits you in melee for 2d8 or half if they save. At first I was thinking this is a conflict, but maybe not. You only get that Temp zap x times per day. And how often is something going to close in on you and then hit you? At that point you'd have to pick one or the other (you'll have probably already used your reaction on its closing in). You only get one reaction a round.

Clerics don't quite have the HP to be top tanks. Barbs tank well if raging (they take half damage) and have high HP. Fighters and Pals have high HP and can self heal some to a lot.

When I'm tanking as a Cleric I want full AC because I have fewer HP. And yeah sometimes I end up burning higher lvl slots to heal myself - or I'm not getting off a spir weapon attack this round because someone went to zero and I have to healing-word them instead. It's complex. You asked for easy, and easy and cleric don't go together. Although you can go simpler. You can mainly buff (bless maybe) and then hold the monsters off the squishies while hitting twice w/ your polearm - and then heal yourself as needed when they threaten to drop you. Good luck, and if I need to explain something more clearly, please ask me.

[Cloudbusted]

What do you know about the rest of the group? What is your stat determination method (rolled, point-buy, array, etc.)? Do you have a race you like? Also, let us know how the DM rules on clerics, spells, and hands free.

Tempest Cleric is fairly straight-forward (if you want). Focus on Strength and Wisdom (which is more important depends on what you do the most of: fighting or spells), and don't forget Constitution. Use heavy armor and big weapons. The rest will really depend on what you want to do.

We got a roque, monk, ranger, and draconic sorcerer. I can cast hands free if I do something with my symbol. We will be rolling stats.

Thanks to everyone for the explanation on polemaster. Sounds like something you would do after a little more experience. Using spirit weapon seems more practical. I liked the idea of polemaster and sentinel, but spirit guardians seems like enough crowd control. Warcaster or resilient con looks like the better option. Seems like I will definitely be frontline. I was thinking a variant human to grab an extra feat.

[Cloudbusted]

What do you know about the rest of the group? What is your stat determination method (rolled, point-buy, array, etc.)? Do you have a race you like? Also, let us know how the DM rules on clerics, spells, and hands free.

Tempest Cleric is fairly straight-forward (if you want). Focus on Strength and Wisdom (which is more important depends on what you do the most of: fighting or spells), and don't forget Constitution. Use heavy armor and big weapons. The rest will really depend on what you want to do.


I'm sorry if the above is a mess - so complex, these choices.

Look, your group wants you to tank, right? And you want easy?

A Tempest Cleric is very easy. But an AC 16 (chainmail only) cleric is not as good a tank as an AC 18 cleric (chain and shield) - and splint is soon affordable (AC 17 vs AC 19 with splint and shield).

If you go PaM you're probably not using a shield - BUT - you can go PaM and use a quarterstaff one-handed - as crazy as it sounds - and still RAW get in the butt strike for an extra 1d4 plus str. So you can have AC 18 or higher (if they can give you splint) from the shield and have PaM's extra attack - and also get the reaction attack if a monster gives it to you.

The other thing about a Tempest is that x times per day (it's your wis mod) you can zap anything that hits you in melee for 2d8 or half if they save. At first I was thinking this is a conflict, but maybe not. You only get that Temp zap x times per day. And how often is something going to close in on you and then hit you? At that point you'd have to pick one or the other (you'll have probably already used your reaction on its closing in). You only get one reaction a round.

Clerics don't quite have the HP to be top tanks. Barbs tank well if raging (they take half damage) and have high HP. Fighters and Pals have high HP and can self heal some to a lot.

When I'm tanking as a Cleric I want full AC because I have fewer HP. And yeah sometimes I end up burning higher lvl slots to heal myself - or I'm not getting off a spir weapon attack this round because someone went to zero and I have to healing-word them instead. It's complex. You asked for easy, and easy and cleric don't go together. Although you can go simpler. You can mainly buff (bless maybe) and then hold the monsters off the squishies while hitting twice w/ your polearm - and then heal yourself as needed when they threaten to drop you. Good luck, and if I need to explain something more clearly, please ask me.

Considering we have a roque, ranger, sorcerer, and a monk would another domain help me tank better? I was going to skip out on Pam. With a lower hit pool maybe preventing some damage would be nice... With the group we have I don't think I will have to be pumping out huge damage.

[Specter]

Considering we have a roque, ranger, sorcerer, and a monk would another domain help me tank better? I was going to skip out on Pam. With a lower hit pool maybe preventing some damage would be nice... With the group we have I don't think I will have to be pumping out huge damage.

Any domain with heavy armor can do this job. Tempest gives you a lightning rebuke with your reaction, which is also nice. If you're aiming for reducing damage to your friends, Nature can also do that with Dampen Elements.

[Willie the Duck]

We got a roque, monk, ranger, and draconic sorcerer. I can cast hands free if I do something with my symbol. We will be rolling stats.

Thanks to everyone for the explanation on polemaster. Sounds like something you would do after a little more experience. Using spirit weapon seems more practical. I liked the idea of polemaster and sentinel, but spirit guardians seems like enough crowd control. Warcaster or resilient con looks like the better option. Seems like I will definitely be frontline. I was thinking a variant human to grab an extra feat.

Thanks for telling us the basics of your campaign. War caster and resilient:con are definitely the basic, clear-and-obvious good choices for a cleric, and the ones I would suggest for someone who is new to the game and also told to optimize if possible.


Considering we have a roque, ranger, sorcerer, and a monk would another domain help me tank better? I was going to skip out on Pam. With a lower hit pool maybe preventing some damage would be nice... With the group we have I don't think I will have to be pumping out huge damage.

Here is the flipside: trying to optimize a cleric as a front-liner is not a beginner's game. It requires balancing lots of feats, choices, and decisions on when to cast spells, whereas a champion just has to decide on feats and otherwise just hits things (mostly). Only war cleric is a more obvious front-line choice, and let's be clear: getting that to perform better than others takes a lot of work and experience. Honestly tempest is not a bad choice.

Overall, you will want AC and concentration. Second tier will be hp, battlefield control (and here is where PAM and sentinel are so tempting, but you don't have the feats for everything. if there's one you should select, it is sentinel) and wisdom (for enemy DCs). Distant third would be your individual normal action damage output (weapon or cantrip).

If you stick with cantrips and can afford a 14 Dex, then any cleric that adds wisdom to cantrip damage at 8th level works. If you want to use a weapon, try to get a 16 in str or dex and pick something with armor selection that synergizes. Weapon proficiency is nice for the 1d8 (if your race doesn't give you something), but that will be dwarfed overall (there is nothing wrong with a dex-based arcana cleric wielding a dagger boosted with a SCAG cantrip, for instance).


EDIT: Oh, and can you please ingrain it in your mind that it is 'pole-arm master?' Polemaster sounds like it would go in the 5e porn-parody's script. :-P

[Mandragola]

I think it's a trap to think of a cleric's melee ability as important to your party's success. There's nothing wrong with having some ability in melee, but your real power comes from your spells. As you go up in level you'll cast spells more and more, and hit things less and less.

The best front-rank clerics I've seen focus on not getting hit. They put on plate and a shield to get the highest AC possible and very often use dodge for their action. They do damage with spiritual weapon and spirit guardians. Occasional bonus actions are also used for heals.

If you're going to be on the front rank, you really want a high constitution score as well as wisdom, so that you stay on your feet and don't lose concentration on your spells. Your two best options for a starting character are probably either hill dwarf or variant human, taking the resilient (constitution) feat. There are arguments for either option: the dwarf will have one more hp/level but the human will have better concentration saves.

A truly min/maxed human tempest cleric with resilient: con could start with 16s in strength, constitution and wisdom, and 8s in everything else. And they'd be very good. You could also grab perception as your bonus skill. The dwarf would probably go for 14 strength, 16 con and wisdom, and have a few points to splash around other stats.

Clerics aren't great for CC. You've got turn undead of course, and your ability to drop a maximised thunderwave or shatter will make a difference too... and a lot of noise. It's not a subtle class!