Cleric Race, feats and Subclass

[Khrysaes]

Hello again,

I am making yet another character, this time a cleric in a party consisting of a lore bard, an assassin rogue, a homebrew monk, and a homebrew fighter. I dont understand the latter two.

So I offered to focus a support character, because the bard apparently doesnt want to.

Based on the DM's rules i have rolled, in front of him.

13 STR
14 Dex
16 Con
15 Int
18 Wis
13 CHa

I was thinking either a 2 Lore wizard/Tempest cleric, or a 2 Divination wizard/Life cleric.

The wizard levels is for shield, absorb elements, Detect magic, find familiar, minor illusion, Mage hand, and booming blade. In addition to the second level feature of respective class.

Unfortunately, Tempest cleric + Booming blade combination would require melee attacks, and my Str and Dex while obviously not bad, arent the best. I could play a more supportive life/divination cleric with no problem, but I am not a fan of heal bots, or pure support characters.

What subclassfeat/race combinations would people recommend to optimize a tempest cleric with these stats. (I cant change which number is in which stat or I would swap con/int/str.)

[Greywander]

I see no one has responded to this yet. I'm not too familiar with clerics at this point, but I've been thinking about a knowledge cleric build. But with a lore bard, I don't know that you need a knowledge cleric.

I'd recommend perhaps an arcane cleric. Getting a few wizard spells can help round out your utility. Nature also looks interesting, with Dampen Elements giving you something to do with your reaction when a party member gets in a sticky spot. Arcane cleric adds WIS mod to cantrip damage, including the wizard cantrips you steal, and nature cleric lets you grab shillelagh and go to town, meaning you can dump STR and DEX (also has one of the better divine strike options since you can choose the damage). A couple levels of wizard could also round out your character.

Fire Genesai boosts your CON to 18 and INT to 16. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any races that give +2 to WIS, so 20 WIS out of the gate is unlikely. Hill dwarf does give a +1 to WIS, which can be evened out later on. Mountain dwarf gets you not only +2 CON, but also +2 STR, if you really want to go tempest.

High elf would be another option, boosting DEX to 16 and allowing you to even out your INT. Also, a wizard cantrip (shocking grasp/thunderclap?).

Since there aren't a lot of WIS boosting classes, and none that give +2, it largely depends on what other stats you want to boost, or what other abilities you'd like to have.

[Khrysaes]

I see no one has responded to this yet. I'm not too familiar with clerics at this point, but I've been thinking about a knowledge cleric build. But with a lore bard, I don't know that you need a knowledge cleric.

I'd recommend perhaps an arcane cleric. Getting a few wizard spells can help round out your utility. Nature also looks interesting, with Dampen Elements giving you something to do with your reaction when a party member gets in a sticky spot. Arcane cleric adds WIS mod to cantrip damage, including the wizard cantrips you steal, and nature cleric lets you grab shillelagh and go to town, meaning you can dump STR and DEX (also has one of the better divine strike options since you can choose the damage). A couple levels of wizard could also round out your character.

Fire Genesai boosts your CON to 18 and INT to 16. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any races that give +2 to WIS, so 20 WIS out of the gate is unlikely. Hill dwarf does give a +1 to WIS, which can be evened out later on. Mountain dwarf gets you not only +2 CON, but also +2 STR, if you really want to go tempest.

High elf would be another option, boosting DEX to 16 and allowing you to even out your INT. Also, a wizard cantrip (shocking grasp/thunderclap?).

Since there aren't a lot of WIS boosting classes, and none that give +2, it largely depends on what other stats you want to boost, or what other abilities you'd like to have.

There is one +2 wis race: The firbolg.

However this game isn't AL legal or anything, so I can use the Aven, a +2 Dex/+2 Wis race from plane shift ankhet(or something). Or, if I want, perhaps a homebrew race.

As far as Arcane cleric goes, it wasn't what I was looking for, and most of what I want in/from wizard, and more can be gotten from a 2 level dip, which doesn't impact the cleric levels all that much.

I ended up making 2 clerics, one of each of the types, and will talk to the rest of the group, and see what they think.

[Finney]

Hello again,

I am making yet another character, this time a cleric in a party consisting of a lore bard, an assassin rogue, a homebrew monk, and a homebrew fighter. I dont understand the latter two.

So I offered to focus a support character, because the bard apparently doesnt want to.

What subclassfeat/race combinations would people recommend to optimize a tempest cleric with these stats. (I cant change which number is in which stat or I would swap con/int/str.)

If you are going to focus on support and don't want to be relegated to the status of heal bot (which is generally considered lacking in this edition anyway), I would recommend the Light domain instead of Tempest.

At 6th level, you can use warding flare to impose disadvantage on creatures within 30 feet that attack another party member - preventing damage is always more efficient than healing it and it gives you a way to use your reaction.

If you really want to MC, you might consider a two level dip in wizard. You can pick up shield, absorb elements, find familiar or other utility spells. I normally wouldn't recommend Evocation for an arcane tradition, but since your party is melee heavy and your divine domain gives you access to fireball - Sculpt Spells will let you fireball w/o worrying about friendly fire.

[Nifft]

Hello again,

I am making yet another character, this time a cleric in a party consisting of a lore bard, an assassin rogue, a homebrew monk, and a homebrew fighter. I dont understand the latter two.

So I offered to focus a support character, because the bard apparently doesnt want to.

Based on the DM's rules i have rolled, in front of him.

13 STR
14 Dex
16 Con
15 Int
18 Wis
13 CHa

I was thinking either a 2 Lore wizard/Tempest cleric, or a 2 Divination wizard/Life cleric.

The wizard levels is for shield, absorb elements, Detect magic, find familiar, minor illusion, Mage hand, and booming blade. In addition to the second level feature of respective class.

Unfortunately, Tempest cleric + Booming blade combination would require melee attacks, and my Str and Dex while obviously not bad, arent the best. I could play a more supportive life/divination cleric with no problem, but I am not a fan of heal bots, or pure support characters.

What subclassfeat/race combinations would people recommend to optimize a tempest cleric with these stats. (I cant change which number is in which stat or I would swap con/int/str.)

Ignore Wizard, take Nature Cleric, and for your Druid cantrip: Shillelagh.

Wear Medium armor and stand on the front line or in the rear, making Wisdom attacks all day with either melee (Shillelagh) or a ranged Cleric cantrip.


Familiars are great. You could take either Ritual Caster (Wizard) or Magic Initiate (Wizard). You could do this at level 1 with a VHuman, or level 4 with any other race -- you already have 18 Wisdom. Having 20 Wisdom is better (obviously), but you're not going to feel terrible about waiting until level 4 or 8 to get that bump.

If you take Magic Initiate, then you can also nab Booming Blade and one other cantrip.


Another option is High Elf. That would get you Booming Blade as your free Elf cantrip, you'd get 16 Intelligence and 16 Dexterity (perfect for Medium Armor Mastery at level 4 or 8), and you could spam Shillelagh + Booming Blade from level 1.


You could do a thing like:

High Elf Nature Cleric
Str: 13
Dex: 16 (+2 elf)
Con: 16
Int: 16 (+1 elf)
Wis: 18
Cha: 13

Trance: Elves don’t sleep. They wait. You're like some kind of goddamn pointy-eared Chuck Norris.
Darkvision: 60 ft.
Elf senses: You get free Perception proficiency.
Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep, even if it's really boring.
Elf Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Elf-dju-kay-shun: You speak Elf plus one other language of your choice.
Bonus Elf Magic: You gain one Wizard cantrip. Intelligence is your casting stat for this cantrip. You pick Booming Blade.


Nature Cleric - you get heavy armor but only simple weapons, so your Elf Weapon Training would be pretty awesome... except you use a stick, because you're a Nature Cleric.


... or you could be a Dwarf with 15 Str and Heavy armor.

... or a vHuman with Medium armor and a feat.


As a vHuman, maybe do something like:

Variant Human Nature Cleric
15 STR (+1 human, +1 feat)
14 Dex
16 Con
15 Int
18 Wis
14 CHa (+1 human)

Feat: Heavy Armor Master -- this is amazingly strong at low-level play, and it's decent at mid-levels.

Then at level 4, take either Magic Initiate (wizard) for booming blade and find familiar, or Ritual Caster for find familiar and everything else.


Cheers!

[bid]

Ignore Wizard, take Nature Cleric, and for your Druid cantrip: Shillelagh.
Yep, nature cleric because dampen elements is an at-will version of absorb elements.

[Chugger]

Light Clerics are a really strange combination of fire blasters - radiant damage doers - and regular old support clerics with heals, resto, rez, silence and so on. If you understand them, you can have a lot of fun with them.

Tempest Cleric w/ a lightning bolt wand would be very powerful.

[Khrysaes]

wow.. took 50+ hours to get one response, then I get a flood of them. Thank you guys for the advice, I will look into nature cleric and light cleric. Either may be better because of my less than stellar dex and str(in comparison to my wis or con).

I already planned on taking 2 wizard for the cantrips, shield spell, absorb elements spell, find familiar spell, and probably something like detet magic. Of course they can be changed out at times too.

The key thing for wizard is whether to get divine portent, or get lore mastery. One is a potentially great support, and one is great for blasting(also wondered if it would work with spirit weapons/guardians) making lightning attacks with them instead of force, to use with tempest cleric(or thunder and zeal cleric).

Maybe I should take 1 druid/2 wizard. or 3 warlock on the cleric instead of 2 wizard. I could get shalleleigh and the spells I want from wizard. Then i could tempest cleric with wisdom to attack.

[Khrysaes]

wow.. took 50+ hours to get one response, then I get a flood of them. Thank you guys for the advice, I will look into nature cleric and light cleric. Either may be better because of my less than stellar dex and str(in comparison to my wis or con).

I already planned on taking 2 wizard for the cantrips, shield spell, absorb elements spell, find familiar spell, and probably something like detet magic. Of course they can be changed out at times too.

The key thing for wizard is whether to get divine portent, or get lore mastery. One is a potentially great support, and one is great for blasting(also wondered if it would work with spirit weapons/guardians) making lightning attacks with them instead of force, to use with tempest cleric(or thunder and zeal cleric).

Maybe I should take 1 druid/2 wizard. or 3 warlock on the cleric instead of 2 wizard. I could get shalleleigh and the spells I want from wizard. Then i could tempest cleric with wisdom to attack.

Or... I can take a feat that gives me a cantrip.

[Lombra]

With these stats optimization is the las thing that you should look at.

[djreynolds]

Hello again,

I am making yet another character, this time a cleric in a party consisting of a lore bard, an assassin rogue, a homebrew monk, and a homebrew fighter. I dont understand the latter two.

So I offered to focus a support character, because the bard apparently doesnt want to.

Based on the DM's rules i have rolled, in front of him.

13 STR
14 Dex
16 Con
15 Int
18 Wis
13 CHa

I was thinking either a 2 Lore wizard/Tempest cleric, or a 2 Divination wizard/Life cleric.

The wizard levels is for shield, absorb elements, Detect magic, find familiar, minor illusion, Mage hand, and booming blade. In addition to the second level feature of respective class.

Unfortunately, Tempest cleric + Booming blade combination would require melee attacks, and my Str and Dex while obviously not bad, arent the best. I could play a more supportive life/divination cleric with no problem, but I am not a fan of heal bots, or pure support characters.

What subclassfeat/race combinations would people recommend to optimize a tempest cleric with these stats. (I cant change which number is in which stat or I would swap con/int/str.)

I find sorcerer with tempest is somewhat better only because of meta-magic pairs nicely with channel divinity.

[Chugger]

Healing or Healer feat + cleric is pretty good. You can cast healing word as a bonus action and heal someone in range, and then use your action to use a healing kit to heal someone for 1d6 + 4 + their level.

You can only be healing kit healed in this way once per short rest. But a second zap from the healing kit still brings you from zero to one hit point.