What's your favorite Cleric Domain?

[jaappleton]

Each Domain is designed to fulfill a purpose.

Trickery is your quasi-Rogue, while Light is your blaster. Life is the prototypical Healer, and Nature is your quasi-Druid.

Some are a bit more unique, like Knowledge, while others have more of a Gish battle style such as Death.

And so I ask, what is your favorite? Why?

Their styles vary greatly between bonus spell lists, Channel Divinity, and the other features gained. What's your favorite, and why?

EDIT: This used to ask for the strongest, but that's a question that can't be answered.

[Waazraath]

Very difficult question, since most domains are designed to fulfill a different role. And comparing them makes little sense. For AoE damage, Light and Tempest are strongest, for Healing: Life, for information gathering: Knowledge. Which one is stronger will depend on the type of campaign, and the rest of the party.

Further complication: they are pretty well balanced. Trickery has rather sucky class abilities (much resisted Divine Strike, Blessing of the Trickster improves stealth for only 1 character, while mostly you'll need it for the entire party to work, Channel Divinty relatively weak); but it has great bonus spells.

But since this is probably not the answer you're looking for: if I had to make a cleric, without knowing either the party or the campaign, I'd probably pick Tempest. It can do all the clercy stuff, but can also be tuned towards melee or AoE damage if needed.

[Specter]

C'mon, jaappleton, you know this is too broad a question to be answered.

[jaappleton]

C'mon, jaappleton, you know this is too broad a question to be answered.

You're 100% correct. I do know better than that. I typed it too quickly.

I'll amend the original post.

[solidork]

Knee jerk reaction is the Zeal domain from Planeshift: Amohnket. There is a disappointing amount of redundancy in the Bonus Spells, but maximized Fireballs are nothing to sneeze at. Their free knockback is downright dirty if you can get your hands on Booming Blade.

[strangebloke]

Life is best healer.
Light is best at aoe blasting.
Arcana is best at cantrip blasting.
Grave is best at keeping the party alive...

And so it goes.

[Fayd]

Personally I’m a bit of a Themed Character, so Tempest. May not be “the best” at anything in particular but it holds a special place in my heart.

[MaxWilson]

Death.

Because I (irrationally) hate the cleric class and want it to die.

:)

[Oramac]

Tempest, hands down. I absolutely love the flavor of it, and the storm based spells and all that are so fun. Plus, mechanically, it's pretty strong too.

[DarkKnightJin]

I'm currently playing a Dragonborn Death Cleric, with a starting dip in Fighter for Heavy Armor and Con Proficiency. It's been a lot of fun so far.
I also wanna make a Tempest Cleric at some point, as wel as an Arcana or Knowledge Domain one for the 'Wizard' vibe while still getting some healing options.

And a few days ago, I was inspired to make a Nature Domain Cleric, and focus on Primal Savagery as the main method of attacking. For sheer fun-factor, really.
I'd probably make that one a Lizardfolk for the flavor.

[Daphne]

If Plane Shift is allowed: Zeal, it's the most fun blaster Cleric.

Otherwise I really like Grave, both for the flavor and the mechanics.

Honorable mention to Life for its simplicity.

[Dudewithknives]

I love arcana domain for the versatility, raking it and magic initiate druid to pretty much cherry pick all the goodies.

If I want to me more martial instead of more caster, I like Forge domain.

What I don't get is, why does the Forge domain not get martial weapons?

[JungleChicken]

Favorite, I'd have to say the Forge domain.

I like the flavor of being a stalwart defender, and it may not have been optimal but I took the elemental adept feat for fire, no more resistance from my holy fire you fiends! and I kinda liked being the only guy that literally was immune to fire

[Specter]

Alright, that's better!

It would have to be Trickery. The features themselves are lame, but a man who follows a god whose laws are 'pwn people constantly' is too entertaining.

[MxKit]

My favorites thematically are Grave and Trickery.

My favorites wrt how they work are Nature, Tempest, and Forge.

The domain I wish most was in 5e that isn't is Travel. :(

[ImproperJustice]

I strangely like Forge the most, probably because I like Dwarves a great deal and this feels like their avatar. The bonus spells are great and everything just fits for it.

I like Light thematically, just because I like blasting evil with light. Nuff said.

I ran a nature Cleric initially because I liked the abilities. In practice I came to enjoy running it to. The abilities seemed to reflect a deity which had authority over nature and when ran that way, it was flavorful and fun.

IMHO: they did a pretty good job with the cleric domains this time around. Life, Storm, Arcana, and Grave are all honorable mentions.

[mephnick]

Made a heavy armour Arcana Cleric with blade cantrips and played it to level 9 and I loved it. I would probably try a Light Cleric next.

[DivisibleByZero]

My favorite, thematically, is Trickery.
My favorite Cleric character was a Monk splash Arcana Cleric.

[Merudo]

Tempest is an alright domain, good at most things, but excelling at none.

Good AoE blasting, but not as good as Light Domain
Good battlefield control spells, but not as good as Nature Domain
Good at Melee/Tanking, but not as good as War Domain

At higher levels, worst thing about the Tempest cleric is the reaction (Wrath of the Storm), which doesn't scale at all.

[jaappleton]

Thematically, I love Arcana. But Mechanically, I despise it. It’s Channel Divinity is so limited and the bonus spells are lacking, in my eyes. However, it’s gone possibly one of the best capstones there is.

Mechanically, I adore the Light Domain. It’s spells, the abilities, all great. But the overall theme is very generic.

[Pex]

I'm a fan of Light. It's nice for a cleric to be a blaster type for a change. Everyone likes a good Fireball, but I'm more a fan of the Channel Divinity feature for an area effect radiance damage blast. I'll even use it against undead instead of turning when we need those undead gone instead of turned to bother us later depending. Even when not facing undead it's a bad guy softener for the warriors to finish off without worrying about friendly fire.

[DarkKnightJin]

Made a heavy armour Arcana Cleric with blade cantrips and played it to level 9 and I loved it. I would probably try a Light Cleric next.

I might have to try something like this, sometime.
Get just enough Strength to wear heavy armor, and focus on Wis for your damage.
Would kinda be the inverse of what I'm playing currently.. just enough Wis to even BE a Cleric, and mainly relying on Str as my damage..

[Cespenar]

Tempest is pretty sweet for a non-standard non-good choice of cleric. Channel some of that old school divine wrath.

Also, blowing Strahd back into a teleporter as a reaction when he hits you with a grapple: Priceless.

[Chugger]

Well...as usual I'm rubber-stamping what Pex says. I'm loving my light cleric.

Funny cuz I have played now w/ several sorcs who get the cleric or sorc spells - and they can do some cool stuff. BUT they are very very limited in the spells they can pick. And while they can mega cast what they have, their lack of variety can sometimes severely gimp them. Otherwise they can be similar to a light cleric in that they can have fireball and rez/heal.

Light clerics are just given their blaster spells - and it seems they have access to more spells than a sorc (is that right?). And then on a long rest can pick any normal cleric spell - can pick from any on the list - can change to whichever makes sense (sorcs are stuck with what they picked).

So if you're heading for a desert maybe lose water walk and pick something else (a spell that creates water maybe). And then its clear you're heading for a wet/river/lake area - that night before you go in switch back to water walking. Going into a bad temple, take remove curse. Looking for a lost thing, take the locate spell. And so on and so on.

I like that Light clerics can easily fall back on radiant damage spells - so if they come upon things that resist fire, switch to that. Spir weap is force damage, and that cause damage spell (lvl one touch based - w/e it is called) I believe is nec damage.

Vampires actually run from parties w/ Light Clerics ... well, maybe not, but the fight is a lot easier. Radiance of the Dawn can be a lot of fun (just wish it scaled better).

[Oramac]

What I don't get is, why does the Forge domain not get martial weapons?

That is a damn good question. Were I running a game for one, I'd just hand wave it and say they get martial weapons.

[Vorpalchicken]

Forge domain doesn't get martial weapons to encourage you to be a dwarf and use a hammer.

[Dankus Memakus]

Forge clerics are awesome. They have a cool flavor and all the fire stuff is super cool.

Also I like Grave clerics. It reminds me of some of the older style clerics which I like.

[Beechgnome]

I love Trickery. The spells are amazing. Invoke duplicity opens up all sorts of battlefield control options. Blessings with pass without trace means even your clangiest fighter can make a passable attempt to sneak when your whole party wants to get by something. Yes the poison melee damage is bleh, but generally none of the 8th level abilities are going to swing things one way or another.

[tieren]

I am enjoying a tempest cleric I am playing right now, wading into battle verbally taunting the enemy to come at me hoping I can hit them with the reactionary lightning damage. Nice flavor.

[DarkKnightJin]

Well...as usual I'm rubber-stamping what Pex says. I'm loving my light cleric.

Funny cuz I have played now w/ several sorcs who get the cleric or sorc spells - and they can do some cool stuff. BUT they are very very limited in the spells they can pick. And while they can mega cast what they have, their lack of variety can sometimes severely gimp them. Otherwise they can be similar to a light cleric in that they can have fireball and rez/heal.

Light clerics are just given their blaster spells - and it seems they have access to more spells than a sorc (is that right?). And then on a long rest can pick any normal cleric spell - can pick from any on the list - can change to whichever makes sense (sorcs are stuck with what they picked).

So if you're heading for a desert maybe lose water walk and pick something else (a spell that creates water maybe). And then its clear you're heading for a wet/river/lake area - that night before you go in switch back to water walking. Going into a bad temple, take remove curse. Looking for a lost thing, take the locate spell. And so on and so on.

I like that Light clerics can easily fall back on radiant damage spells - so if they come upon things that resist fire, switch to that. Spir weap is force damage, and that cause damage spell (lvl one touch based - w/e it is called) I believe is nec damage.

Vampires actually run from parties w/ Light Clerics ... well, maybe not, but the fight is a lot easier. Radiance of the Dawn can be a lot of fun (just wish it scaled better).

The spell you are thinking of is called "Inflict Wounds". Or, as I like to call it.. the 'Bad Touch Attack'. For lulz. Sadly, I haven't used it yet. I really should..

[Falcon X]

Knowledge Domain has to be my favorite.

Having access to every skill, reading minds, psychometry. I’m the guy who either knows everything or can learn anything.
Also, I get to be a really broken merchant if I figure out how to get the Fabricate spell.

[jaappleton]

Very interesting responses so far.

I've noticed that not one person has said Knowledge. Wonder why that is? Its not combat oriented, but the abilities can circumvent or grant you advanced knowledge of the enemy (Arcane Eye to scout, for example).

EDIT: Of course, someone says Knowledge as I'm typing that :smalltongue:

[Oramac]

Forge domain doesn't get martial weapons to encourage you to be a dwarf and use a hammer.

What if I don't want to play a Dwarf? Or use a hammer?

A class feature, especially one as iconic as the Forge Domain, should not pigeonhole a player into a particular race/weapon. Period.

[Balthasaurus]

My second character for 5e was a tempest cleric, and Kildrak the dwarf will always have a special place in my heart. I adored both roleplaying him, using my reactionary damage, and basically refusing to roll dice when I used my channel divinity.

I mean, forgo rolling dice for maximum damage? Yes please.

[Arkhios]

Honestly, it's hard to say.

Arcana is my favorite, because it can be used to replicate an excorcist or a divine inquisitor.
Death is my favorite, because it can deal ridiculous amount of damage with Inflict Wounds (and the like).
Forge is my favorite, because it makes easily the most tankiest of clerics.
Life is my favorite, because, well. Crazy healing.
Light is my favorite, because Roy Mustang :smallcool:
Nature is my favorite, because of the druidic flavor without being a druid.
Tempest is my favorite, because AC/DC – THUNDERSTRUCK!
Trickery is my favorite, because Olidammara is awesome deity.

[Vorpalchicken]

What if I don't want to play a Dwarf? Or use a hammer?

A class feature, especially one as iconic as the Forge Domain, should not pigeonhole a player into a particular race/weapon. Period.

No one is forcing you. Dwarf would just be a good fit. You can still honor your diety by using a light hammer. Or maybe put a dart in a bellows and make it count as an improvised blow gun. Best weapon ever!

[BoringInfoGuy]

Life, because I actively enjoy the healing role.

Something else I like. One little oft overlooked fact about the Life Domain is that you do not need to stick to the Deities that have Life listed amoung their associated domains. ANY non evil Deity can have Life Domain clerics.

So that gives a bit more leeway to move away from altruistic healer concepts. (And Mask got switched from evil to neutral a while back.)

[Beechgnome]

Very interesting responses so far.

I've noticed that not one person has said Knowledge. Wonder why that is? Its not combat oriented, but the abilities can circumvent or grant you advanced knowledge of the enemy (Arcane Eye to scout, for example).

EDIT: Of course, someone says Knowledge as I'm typing that :smalltongue:

From personal experience skill monkey is a role that often seems to be covered by other players in my group (often bards) so I haven't felt the urge to go knowledge.

Also their spell list bugs me a bit: identify is mostly unnecessary, augury is annoying for a DM, speak with dead again depends on the DM...but yes, Arcane Eye is nice.

It also is the Domain that has been the most squeezed by other domains invading its turf: I'm thinking Forge and Arcana. So maybe it's just too niche for people.

[Theodoxus]

I like all the domains, though I do wish there were more (like Travel) to choose from. However, ironically, every cleric I've played goes back to Life. Probably due to my playing healers in MMOs. With Favored Souls and Celestial 'locks, my healing options are even more varied!

A build I've been toying with is Forge 1/Hexblade X - I'm also considering a level of Fighter for Defense. +1 AC from Forge, +1 Hit/Dam from Hexblade/Improved Pact Weapon, and heavy armor? Pretty epic. Just kinda mad, unless I go dwarf and drop Str... But would need good rolls - PB would be mediocre.

My next pure cleric build will be Forge though... Probably super iconic hill dwarf with a warhammer... just for the fun of it.

[Citan]

Each Domain is designed to fulfill a purpose.

Trickery is your quasi-Rogue, while Light is your blaster. Life is the prototypical Healer, and Nature is your quasi-Druid.

Some are a bit more unique, like Knowledge, while others have more of a Gish battle style such as Death.

And so I ask, what is your favorite? Why?

Their styles vary greatly between bonus spell lists, Channel Divinity, and the other features gained. What's your favorite, and why?

EDIT: This used to ask for the strongest, but that's a question that can't be answered.
Hey ;)

It's actually a very difficult question, especially since I tend to pick characters depending on party composition.
So, in order to provide an answer, plz let me reformulate question as "what you would pick by default without any knowledge of what to expect for party/campaign?" (also barring any multiclass involvment)

In which case I'd probably go like this.
1. Tempest:
It's not actually my "favorite", and Light was a close contender for the first place as far as AOE was concerned... But Tempest just brings too many good things that allow him to fill in any role, even better than Light IMO.

Needs to stand into melee? Heavy armor.
Needs to bring a bit of soft control? Lighting "push" paired with cantrips from Magic Initiate (does require MAD) or Call Lightning, or simple Booming Blade with Spirit Guardians (same), or maintaining a Fog Cloud to break line of sight.
Need to clear mobs? upcast Maximized Shatter will often do the trick better than a Fireball: lesser scale means easier to use without friendly fire, and auto-maximum damage beats average. Can also be used as a nice door breaker, or a way to create panic diversion.
You also get Sleet Storm which is one of the best spells ever to have against casters and archers, Control water which is situational but can win some encounters, Ice Storm for very long range damage and Destructive Wave when you really want to kill things.
And you can always use CD on Booming Blade at higher levels when you need to make a big one go down fast (you won't do it of course, but you contributed a big chunk of it).

Arcana may be technically a better choice in the long run, but I never brought a character high enough to hope enjoying those Wizard spells (only time when I played high level characters were one-shots, and Arcana Cleric was never my priority ^^).

While Tempest expands your classic tools in a bit of every direction, to fill in more gaps. ;)

And, although I won't detail here because I said I wouldn't bring in multiclass, Tempest does open ways to many great multiclasses (Sorcerer and Evoker Wizard especially, but also Druid and Ranger).

2. Nature
THIS is one of my three favorites (with Trickery and Knowledge -although the latter often in multiclass, so out here). In fact probably my default choice as soon as I know Tempest's goodies are not necessary (= there is someone that can take care of AOE/nova).

This Domain can evolve in many ways.
First, the spells: barring Barkskin (I really tried to find uses for it but failed, maybe others had use for it)...
The Animals Friendship & Speak With Animals combo can be used in many different situations, although obviously what you can actually do with it depends on your DM so YMMV.
Spike Growth is very powerful, can be comboed with Thorns Whip or any people having push/pull/force move capability.
Plant Growth is one of the top 5 battlefield control spells. Seriously. ;) Non-concentration, can keep "pockets" free of effect, 1 action to cast, can cover up to 100 feet square, and is not technically difficult terrain so can stacked onto such (who said Spirit Guardians?).
Wind Wall: the best defense against archers, even more than Wall of Fire. Obviously lesser against casters though.
Dominate Beast is too rarely useful to my taste, at least in my experience, but Grasping Vine is another way to control things. More difficult to use than others, so kinda situational, but can still be useful in many situations (I would have rated it a 3rd level spell though, but well...).
Insect Plague (which I forgot on Tempest) is another great versatile spell although I tend not to use it stupidly for fluff reasons (I don't like being an insect user, even as nature). ^^
Tree Stride is very situational unless you build around (like being a Halfling for starter), but it can make you a great scout/ambusher when usable.
So, overall, more of a mixed bag, only a few spells are really easy to use efficiently. On the plus side, they synergize with Cleric features, Nature or otherwise.

Thanks to the free Druid cantrip, you can build around... - A Sentinel build: Shillelagh+Spirit Guardians(+Plant Growth)+ free Elemental Damage: Shillelagh means you are SAD, starting with 14 DEX to bump CON higher or get a feat earlier while still getting WIS maxed early if you wish.
- A Puller/Shover build: Thorns Whip + Shield Master (+ Warcaster): enemies want to flee your Spirit Guardians? Shove one, pull another.
- A Defender build: Thorns Whip + Grasping Vine to keep enemies from bullying squishies, or Sacred Flame while keeping a Wind Wall active and protecting one ally, or covering up party's fleeing with a Plant Growth or Insect Plague...
And a few others... :)

In addition to that, the lvl 6 and 8 abilities are the best of most Clerics imo: providing resistance against elemental damage is great because it's not that often that several people in party are hurt by the same spell, and not everyone is a Bear Barbarian / Rogue with Uncanny Dodge / caster with Absorb Elements.
And unless you build around OA, chances are you don't have much use for reaction in the first place.
That pushes this Domain to one of the bests action economy wise as soon as you start facing more creatures / casters with elemental effects.
In the same vein, lvl 8, contrarily to other Domains, lets you choose the nature of extra damage every time: this means that whatever enemy you face, this extra damage stays relevant (especially paired with Shillelagh).

And, like Tempest although in other directions, Nature has great affinities on the multiclass side (Land Druid, Ranger, Monk, or even Ancients Paladin for fluff and Elemental Weapon, or Lore Bard / Hexblade Warlock just for Elemental Weapon).

3. Trickery.
This is the Domain I'll pick when I know the party composition is particularly fitting, or if I trust my teammates enough to go a bit wild.
The Channel Divinity is actually great. In theory, it could even be in the top 3 of all Channel Divinities, even with its harsh resctrictions (starting with that damned concentration).
Problem is: it lacks the spells that would really make it shine: Thunderwave, Earth Tremor, Destructive Wave, or Shocking Grasp, Vampiric Touch (on cast), etc...
So, it's great to have a "magic extending mobile pillar" around, but the fact is, most of the best Cleric spells are concentration, so if you really want to use it without multiclass, you're shoehorning yourself in a strictly support role (Healing Words, Sanctuary, Warding Bond -not sure about RAW interaction here-, Revivify, Guiding Bolt)...

Same problem lies with Lvl 6 Channel Divinity option: freely going invisible would be a very great way to ease the sustain of big concentration spells that often make you a priority target (Wall of X, Hold Monster, Stinking Cloud, Slow, Polymorph, Telekinesis etc)... Problem, barring Polymorph, you don't have any of those spells, and it's kinda pointless on Spirit Guardians since you are at the center. :p

Although the bonus spells are all great, that is not enough to my eyes to counterbalance these problems, at least when considering the Domain for a single-class character...

Hence if I pick Trickery Cleric, as much as I'd like to try at least once Multiple Duplicates, I usually plan on forking into multiclasses (usually a blaster or a melee gish) somewhere between level 3 and 7 depending on the character concept, eating into either Monk (Shadow, 4E), Ranger (Hunter usually, Beastmaster for a change Duplicate can help keep him alive even if apart), Arcane Trickster Rogue or Eldricht Knight...

I'll even stop at 2 sometimes in fact, because while level 3 bonus spells are great (Pass Without Trace, Mirror Image), I usually can get at least one of them another way. That will be the case when I want to build a specific blaster/controller (meaning I don't want to delay progression too harshly).

Others
Useless to go in detail because it's mainly a matter of taste, my order of preference would be Light > Arcana > Life > Death > Forge > War.

About Knowledge
Since you've been asking about it...
Well, this is even simpler with this one.
I love its lvl 2 Channel Divinity... And that's it.

I have no affinity with the bonus spells barring Suggestion (and even this one I have trouble being creative yet efficient with), so I would have no clue how to use them well...

And the other features, I'd be even more lost...
Don't think I'm criticizing the Domain though: I'm sure in capable hands it can be game-changers as long as the DM's management respects the recommendations (balancing the three pillars). It's just not my cup of tea, at all.

In fact, it's probably the only archetype of all classes I won't bother trying to play up to higher levels, unless someone gives me a chance to playtest it in a one-shot.

I do love me a lvl 2 dip on any Rogue, or a level 3 on a Sorcerer or a Bard though. ;)

[Blood of Gaea]

I'm stuck between three as my favorite.

Tempest: Find a way to snag Booming Blade and you'll have a ton of fun smashing people's skulls in with a thundering hammer.

Light: This is hands down the best blasting Cleric, and I do like me some blasting.

Knowledge: I just love the flavor of it, and grabbing extra proficiencies isn't too shabby, especially as a multiclass.

[JakOfAllTirades]

I'm quite fond of the War Cleric, both thematically and mechanically.

[KorvinStarmast]

Tempest: because I like Call Lightning.

Life; Because I have played three of them.

[DracoKnight]

I have 3 favorites, personally.

I love the Tempest Domain, I've played 3 tempest clerics, and one of those characters is my current character in Tomb of Annihilation. They have a lot of fun spells, I like storm motifs, and it's a fun way to emulate Thor or Zeus.

Light Domain was the first cleric I ever played, so they hold a place in my heart, plus it's hard to find a better blaster cleric.

And Forge Domain is just so...f*cking...beautiful 10/10, they should've put this in the PHB. My only real complaint with it has been mentioned by others, and that's that they don't get Martial Weapons. This and Tempest are tied for my absolute favorites, though. Light is a favorite for nostalgic reasons, but I like my clerics like I like all my characters: melee.


Forge domain doesn't get martial weapons to encourage you to be a dwarf and use a hammer.

Or be an Elf and use a longsword. Or be a Variant Human with Weapon Master. With that option, you now have a STR, WIS, and CON bump.

[DivisibleByZero]

Or be an Elf and use a longsword. Or be a Variant Human with Weapon Master. With that option, you now have a STR, WIS, and CON bump.

Or be anyone and use a staff or a spear. Martial weapons are over rated.

[DracoKnight]

Or be anyone and use a staff or a spear. Martial weapons are over rated.

Maybe, but I like longswords aesthetically, even if they're not terribly much better than a spear.

[Merudo]

Or be anyone and use a staff or a spear. Martial weapons are over rated.

There are a lot more magical martial weapons than magical simple weapons, though.

[A Fat Dragon]

I think Arcana has to be one of my favorites for one, and one reason only;

You take Theurgy Wizard, Arcana Domain, you can be a Wizard pretending to be a Cleric Pretending to be Wizard. Who doesn’t want that?

In all honesty though, I like Grave, Death, and Life. Grave is probably at the top in most cases, as it fills a supportive role beyond simply healing.

[jaappleton]

I think Arcana has to be one of my favorites for one, and one reason only;

You take Theurgy Wizard, Arcana Domain, you can be a Wizard pretending to be a Cleric Pretending to be Wizard. Who doesn’t want that?

In all honesty though, I like Grave, Death, and Life. Grave is probably at the top in most cases, as it fills a supportive role beyond simply healing.

Grave's ability to not only cancel critical hits, but the effects that accompany them, is very underrated. Very, very underrated.

[No brains]

Trickery pride fools! A hahahaha! *holds up smoke bomb*

Wait... it actually looks like a lot of people also like Trickery domain. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it as a great way to enhance all pillars of play, not just combat. I feel like Trickery has powers that work when I'm exploring, socializing, and fighting. I get to be my kind of cleric no matter what the party does during the day. Fitting that there is depth to a domain that's about hidden meaning.

Still, I don't wanna waste this smoke bomb. *POOF!*

[Citan]

Trickery pride fools! A hahahaha! *holds up smoke bomb*

Wait... it actually looks like a lot of people also like Trickery domain. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it as a great way to enhance all pillars of play, not just combat. I feel like Trickery has powers that work when I'm exploring, socializing, and fighting. I get to be my kind of cleric no matter what the party does during the day. Fitting that there is depth to a domain that's about hidden meaning.

Still, I don't wanna waste this smoke bomb. *POOF!*
I actually love dipping Trickery Cleric when making some original multiclass builds, as I love taking a single level of Druid as a Trickery Cleric just for Earth Tremor and Thunderwave. : )

[Temperjoke]

For me, there are things I like about all the domains. I guess for me the choice would depend on the circumstances of the campaign/party, and what would fit best for them. For example, if the party had a druid, I don't know that I'd want to play a nature cleric because of the potential for character overlap. In a campaign that was going to involve a lot of water antics, like one that involved a heavy amount of sailing, then I'd pick a tempest cleric because it makes sense. If I wasn't sure about some of the other characters, or if they largely had roles filled, I'd pick knowledge or war, which can serve to fill in gaps that might occur.

[EvilAnagram]

I love storm-themed characters, and the mechanics of the Tempest domain are awesome. You can blast, you can tank, and you can rush down the throat of a swarm of vampire spawn and scatter them by yourself. With Heavy Armor Master, even when something ganged up on me I barely took damage, and I could zap and shift them around the map. Plus, I got a lightning javelin. It was delightful.

Edit: The best is probably when a bunch of vampire spawn ambushed us at a bridge, and I used Call Lightning to keep knocking them into the water. Good times.

[Aett_Thorn]

The people complaining about Forge Clerics and Dwarves not being able to use hammers should really ready the Dwarf section of the PHB more, I think. Every Dwarf can use a Warhammer, so a Dwarven Forge Cleric can certainly use a Warhammer.

My favorite is still Arcana. I feel like they have a spell list of great niche spells that will come in handy, but wouldn't always be prepared if you had the choice. It gives them a lot of flexibility, I feel like, in terms of how they play. Also, they can either be played like a Gish (taking GFB or BB), or from range (taking things like Firebolt or Acid Splash), or getting some good utility cantrips (minor illusion or mage hand). With Xanathar's in play (for those not in AL), the need to take a good ranged cantrip from the Wizard list is a bit lessened, which frees up some room for utility. Sure, the Channel Divinity isn't great, but when it can be used, it is great to have around.

[Merudo]

Thematically, I love Arcana. But Mechanically, I despise it. It’s Channel Divinity is so limited and the bonus spells are lacking, in my eyes. However, it’s gone possibly one of the best capstones there is.


Mechanically, the Arcana domains is great if you take Green-Flame Blade cantrip and have a decent attack stat.

At level 8, Green-Flame Blade becomes extremely powerful, because Potent Spellcasting applies to damage you cause to the TWO enemies.

The class is best selected in a campaign with either a lot of undead or a lot of celestial/elemental/fey/fiend, so you have something to use your channel divinity on.

[Astofel]

I love the Tempest cleric. I've thought that lightning-based powers were the coolest ever since I was a kid, plus it's really hard to resist the urge to yell "THUNDERSTRUCK" whenever someone gets whacked with a maximised spell. At higher levels you're basically Thor, with the ability to fly around and deliver your divine wrath via a hammer to the noggin. If you play a Tempest cleric and you're not using a warhammer or a maul you're doing it wrong.

I've also been enamored with the Grave domain ever since I saw the original UA. It came at the perfect time for me, just as I was planning a character who followed the god of death, but not in an evil way. Plus the abilities are awesome, you're the best at picking people up, and I love calmly walking up to an opponent and telling them their time has come just before your ally comes in and whacks them for twice the normal damage.

[EvilAnagram]

I love the Tempest cleric. I've thought that lightning-based powers were the coolest ever since I was a kid, plus it's really hard to resist the urge to yell "THUNDERSTRUCK" whenever someone gets whacked with a maximised spell.

When I knew I was going to do that, I would pretend I was thinking through my choices and play the song on my phone.

[Alpha115]

I really like the War domain cleric, I just like the feeling of it. Its not the best domain, but its a solid one.

[MxKit]

Same problem lies with Lvl 6 Channel Divinity option: freely going invisible would be a very great way to ease the sustain of big concentration spells that often make you a priority target (Wall of X, Hold Monster, Stinking Cloud, Slow, Polymorph, Telekinesis etc)... Problem, barring Polymorph, you don't have any of those spells, and it's kinda pointless on Spirit Guardians since you are at the center. :p

Although the bonus spells are all great, that is not enough to my eyes to counterbalance these problems, at least when considering the Domain for a single-class character...

Hence if I pick Trickery Cleric, as much as I'd like to try at least once Multiple Duplicates, I usually plan on forking into multiclasses (usually a blaster or a melee gish) somewhere between level 3 and 7 depending on the character concept, eating into either Monk (Shadow, 4E), Ranger (Hunter usually, Beastmaster for a change Duplicate can help keep him alive even if apart), Arcane Trickster Rogue or Eldricht Knight...

I... would love to know how you'd build a)a multiclass character that really takes advantage of that lv6 Channel Divinity Trickery gets, and/or b)a Trickery Cleric/Shadow Monk multiclass. Those are both super, super relevant to my interests.

[Arkhios]

I... would love to know how you'd build a)a multiclass character that really takes advantage of that lv6 Channel Divinity Trickery gets, and/or b)a Trickery Cleric/Shadow Monk multiclass. Those are both super, super relevant to my interests.

FWIW, I would aim for a Trickery Cleric 6/Shadow Monk 14. For fun, I'd go with Lightfoot Halfling, even though lightfoot halfling racial modifier (+1 cha) is otherwise considered "subpar" for both cleric and monk, but their ability to hide behind other creatures larger than themselves just feels appropriate for the concept. :smallbiggrin:

[Citan]

I... would love to know how you'd build a)a multiclass character that really takes advantage of that lv6 Channel Divinity Trickery gets, and/or b)a Trickery Cleric/Shadow Monk multiclass. Those are both super, super relevant to my interests.
Hi!

FWIW, I would aim for a Trickery Cleric 6/Shadow Monk 14. For fun, I'd go with Lightfoot Halfling, even though lightfoot halfling racial modifier (+1 cha) is otherwise considered "subpar" for both cleric and monk, but their ability to hide behind other creatures larger than themselves just feels appropriate for the concept. :smallbiggrin:
This is a very solid way to build around the core features of a Trickery Cleric. Great one. ;)

As for myself, considering that Duplicity allows you to "cast spells as though you were in the illusion's space, but you must use your own senses. Additionally, when both you and your illusion are within 5 feet of a creature that can see the illusion, you have advantage on attack rolls against that creature, given how distracting the illusion is to the target."

And that for 4E Monk, "some elemental disciplines allow you to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting. To cast one of these spells, you use its casting time and other rules, but you don’t need to provide material components for it."

I would like very much to play a 2-3-level multiclass into Cleric on top of a 4E Monk, depending on how fast character will level and how high you're supposed to go.
For a Monk who usually has trouble positioning himself optimally in lower levels, Duplicate is a nice way to unleash progressively more deadly AOE spells starting with Burning Hands and ending with Cone of Cold, without necessarily having to yourself move away from a good tactical position.
Or you can just bolster your defenses with Mirror Image and Shield of Faith and gang up on one enemy (Duplicate is basically Oath of Vengeance, except better since you can move it around to another enemy).

As for your more general question of how to make "a multiclass character that really takes advantage of that lv6 Channel Divinity Trickery gets"...
It's kinda obvious to me. In fact you have two Channel Divinities for two kind of spells.
Pick whatever caster that has either (or both)...
a) Powerful long-lasting spells that use your action/bonus action every turn without revealing your position nor requiring an attack.
b) Encounter-changing spells that immediately put you on the top of priority targets for enemies because not breaking your concentration fast means they lose.
c) Powerful AOE/control spells that usually have a (too) short range or a very long range

Case a) and b) are golden for your "Become invisible as an action" Channel Divinity: among things going through my head, you have Moonbeam, Flaming Sphere, Call Lightning, but not Spirit Guardians or Something's Meteor (because you are at the center of the effect so it's kinda pointless to be invisible XD) nor Spiritual Weapon (it is an attack). Even better if that spell uses a bonus action so you can spend your Action using an object or Helping someone else, or if you have similar permanent bonus actions like Mastermind or Thief Rogue.
Of course, it only lasts until the end of your next turn, which seems rather lackluster. Yet, that means one or two turns during which the direct threat upon you will be rather low. It can also be a way to save your big BBEG debuff from ending early by allowing you to run into hiding, although that obviously requires a specific multiclass.

Case c) is perfect for Duplicity, since these are rather spells that are usually known by frail spellcasters. And often those spells also have some friendly-fire risk involved, meaning that the more freedom you have to position yourself, the less chance you have to hurt comrades.

So, the best fullcaster candidates for Trickery Cleric multiclass are...
- Land Druid: specifically the one that gets Lightning Bolt, but more generally has several nice AOE spells that are "melee range".
- Draconic Sorcerer: with Subtle you can really make your duplicate pass as yourself (well, at a minimum distance ^^) and you have also Twin or Empower to make good use of those Thunderwave, Burning Hands, Lightning Bolt, Cone of Cold, etc. Or Quicken so you can use an "action spell" and get invisible in the same turn. Or use Shocking Grasp through duplicate to help your melee pal move around without risking OA nor endangering yourself.
- Evoker Wizard: auto-avoidance of friendly fire means you can easily blast to your heart's content. You can also use the same cantrips as Sorcerer, except you deal better damage with them.

Besides that, a level 6 Trickery Cleric paired with an Arcane Trickster 14 (or eat into Rogue to invite some Druid goodness, notably Pass Without Trace) will make a nicely coherent character.
The Cloak + Cunning Action means the Rogue can get Hidden anywhere without spending any slot nor concentration, and Magical Ambush will be nicely paired with a classic Hold Person / Blindness.
To be honest though, it makes you take 6 levels of Cleric just for the Channel Divinity. Considering how little offensive spells Cleric has, I'd rather keep Cleric 3 and instead take another caster for more offensive spells, or just straight Rogue for the rest.

[Deathtongue]

Ranged Arcana Cleric.

The SCAG melee cantrips get a lot of love, but being able to throw down with Fire Bolt and Acid Splash is still very strong for ranged clerics. With some very good damage rolls, I did 35 and 50 damage last night to two people with Potent Cantrip + Acid Splash + Spiritual Weapon + Spirit Guardians. All cast at minimum level.

Spell Breaker is also choice. By RAW and almost certainly RAI, you can use Dispel Magic to get rid of things like mass Hold Person or Confusion, but surprisingly few DMs allow that. Or if they do, they only allow you to target one person. I've never had any such argument over Spell Breaker + Healing Word/Mass Healing Word.

Arcane Abjuration is also really strong, too. It's starting to taper off as enemies' Wisdom saves are catching up, but it was the MVP of combat.

Levels 11-17 are unfortunately going to be kind of dull (unless I feel like abusing Conjure Celestial) but at level 17? Oh, boy. Simulacrum, Wish, Sunbeam (use with Find Steed for DOUBLE SUNBEAM POWER), and Mind Blank? Oh baby.

[Baad007]

I love playing the Cleric class in general but my favorite is the Tempest Domain because of the versatility it provides in almost any situation. I can be the tank or the blaster or the buffbot or the healer if necessary. Light is a close second.

[Willie the Duck]

The people complaining about Forge Clerics and Dwarves not being able to use hammers should really ready the Dwarf section of the PHB more, I think. Every Dwarf can use a Warhammer, so a Dwarven Forge Cleric can certainly use a Warhammer.

No one was. They were complaining about having to be a dwarf to get a warhammer, or elf to get a sword, or in general that a "Forge" cleric might not know how to use most weapons.

Anyways, forge is on of my favorites, as is tempest. In a social campaign, I've had good luck pairing a knowledge cleric (for more skills) or arcana cleric (for more cantrips) with a celestial warlock in a MC build. Of all the classes available in the free version of 5e (so Evoker Wizard, Champion Fighter, Thief Rogue, and Life Cleric), I think the Life Cleric is one of the best at staying good-for-purpose once the options open up. Champion is actually my favorite class, but I recognize it falls behind other fighter options quickly in most playstyles. Evoker is good for beginner wizards who want to throw around fireballs without hurting their friends, but compared to diviner or abjurer... etc. A Life cleric, though? They are still a top notch viable character for a specific purpose (and also features in the Life Cleric/ Lore Bard support role.

[Theodoxus]

I love the Tempest cleric. I've thought that lightning-based powers were the coolest ever since I was a kid, plus it's really hard to resist the urge to yell "THUNDERSTRUCK" whenever someone gets whacked with a maximised spell.

Was it Big Trouble in Little China? Cuz that was the movie that got me hooked on lightning themed shenanigans.

Now i want to refluff 4Element Monk to something cool, like Lightning!

[Motorskills]

Death is my favorite, because it can deal ridiculous amount of damage with Inflict Wounds (and the like).

I get the extra damage from Toll the Dead, Chill Touch, (even FOD at L17) etc, but why would Inflict Wounds especially benefit?

[DarkKnightJin]

I get the extra damage from Toll the Dead, Chill Touch, (even FOD at L17) etc, but why would Inflict Wounds especially benefit?

I'm not sure either. Improved Reaper only twins things up to 5th level though. I thought about something to that effect, but it won't work.
Bypassing any resistance to Necrotic damage, and being able to dump 39 extra Necrotic damage on top at 17th level is pretty dang nice, though. And it's just a Short Rest-recharging Channel Divinity that you spend to do that. And you get... 3 by that point? Maybe the 3rd use comes with hitting 18th level.

I can hardly wait until my Death Cleric gets to use Vampiric Touch. Pump another 15 Necrotic damage on that, and it counts for the healing that you get from VT's added effect.

[Arkhios]

I get the extra damage from Toll the Dead, Chill Touch, (even FOD at L17) etc, but why would Inflict Wounds especially benefit?


I'm not sure either.

Uhh... Last time I checked, Inflict Wounds dealt Necrotic damage equal to 3d10/+1d10 per slot higher than 1st....? What is it you don't see in there? I'm not referring to Reaper at 1st level.

[MxKit]

Hi!

[awesome info]

Hi, and thank you! That is really neat, I'm going to think a lot about this stuff. I've really wanted to play with a Trickery Cleric but haven't been able to get my head around how to do so well, and these are a lot of awesome ideas.

[Motorskills]

Uhh... Last time I checked, Inflict Wounds dealt Necrotic damage equal to 3d10/+1d10 per slot higher than 1st....? What is it you don't see in there? I'm not referring to Reaper at 1st level.

I'm very much I'm hoping I'm wrong, but I don't see what allows a Death Cleric to do more damage with Inflict Wounds than a Life Cleric (except when the victim has Resistance to Necrotic damage, which is great but obviously an uncommon situation). :confused:

With Toll the Dead, two victims can be targeted, so that's a definite step up.

[Arkhios]

I'm very much I'm hoping I'm wrong, but I don't see what allows a Death Cleric to do more damage with Inflict Wounds than a Life Cleric (except when the victim has Resistance to Necrotic damage, which is great but obviously an uncommon situation). :confused:

With Toll the Dead, two victims can be targeted, so that's a definite step up.

Granted, I haven't checked out DMG in a while, so I might be misremembering things.

[Blood of Gaea]

I'm very much I'm hoping I'm wrong, but I don't see what allows a Death Cleric to do more damage with Inflict Wounds than a Life Cleric (except when the victim has Resistance to Necrotic damage, which is great but obviously an uncommon situation). :confused:

With Toll the Dead, two victims can be targeted, so that's a definite step up.
Their 17th level ability allows the equivalent of a Twinned Spell to any Necromancy spell of 5th level or lower, so you cast two Inflict Wounds for the price of one.

EDIT: They of course still need to be within 5 feet of each other.

[DracoKnight]

Death Clerics get insane nova damage due to their 2nd-level Channel Divinity. Notice that it's not limited to 1/turn, so if you have spiritual weapon cast, you can apply it twice on the same turn, to start pushing 100+ damage for that nova.

[Motorskills]

Their 17th level ability allows the equivalent of a Twinned Spell to any Necromancy spell of 5th level or lower, so you cast two Inflict Wounds for the price of one.

EDIT: They of course still need to be within 5 feet of each other.

Starting at 17th level, when the cleric casts a Necromancy spell of 1st through 5th-level that targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range and within 5 feet of each other. If the spell consumes its material components, the cleric must provide them for each target.

But it's a Touch spell, so I was trying to wrap my head around that. Are we assuming that the (Improved Reaper) allows you to reach out and touch two different people, as long as both are within 5' of each other and (in this case) within 5' of the Death cleric? I assume you would need to roll two melee spell attacks?



Death Clerics get insane nova damage due to their 2nd-level Channel Divinity. Notice that it's not limited to 1/turn, so if you have spiritual weapon cast, you can apply it twice on the same turn, to start pushing 100+ damage for that nova.

Okay, I think I follow that, please check my working. :)

To this you need to be at least 6th level.

Attack Action: Melee hit - add Touch of Death (first completed use of Channel Divinity)
Bonus Action: Melee hit from Spiritual Weapon - add Touch of Death (second completed use of Channel Divinity)

Correct?

[Blood of Gaea]

But it's a Touch spell, so I was trying to wrap my head around that. Are we assuming that the (Improved Reaper) allows you to reach out and touch two different people, as long as both are within 5' of each other and (in this case) within 5' of the Death cleric? I assume you would need to roll two melee spell attacks?
That is correct. The ways to get around the touch range would be a Familiar or multiclassing Sorcerer.

[DracoKnight]

Okay, I think I follow that, please check my working. :)

To this you need to be at least 6th level.

Attack Action: Melee hit - add Touch of Death (first completed use of Channel Divinity)
Bonus Action: Melee hit from Spiritual Weapon - add Touch of Death (second completed use of Channel Divinity)

Correct?

Correct! :smallbiggrin:

[ZorroGames]

I play my characters as I write them before a game. Almost always Mountain Dwarf, with no Scottish dialogue.

I especially just love a face bashing non-healbot life cleric in heavy armor playing pingpong with low level undead or goblinoids.

Real Life story from a recent AL game at the FLGS...

When the egocentric “I am an expert at third edition so this shouldn’t be that different” first level conquest paladin jumped off the wagon we supposed to be escorting to attack a small swarm of undead “... because that is what my character would do...” leaving the ranged rogue, first level squishy wizard, first level fearful sorcerer, some newbie first level ranger, and second level cleric (me) behind it was the start of a unintentional comedy show.

CO dashed off full double move into the herd of assorted undead and I walked 25 feet to nearest skeleton/zombie.

Clash of arms sounds inserted here. Everyone left behind resorted to missiles and long range cantrips.

CP: “I’m hit come heal me...”

Me: “Out of touch range and kind of busy breaking faces...”

CP: “use Healing Word!”

Me: “Did not prepare it” (he never asked, just assumed)

CP: “WHAT? [pause] Why aren’t you using Sacred Flame?”

Me: “Using my warhammer. Does more damage and hits more often.”

CP: “I am hit again! Why are you not using Sacred Flame?!?!”

Me: (it is in my character backstory as to why but he only saw me as a resource so I did not volunteer that) “It’s Sacred and not to spammed lightly” in a priestly tone. OOC Are you under 50% of your HPs?

CP: IC “NO! But I am hit!”

Me: IC “Have to go remove a zombie from a Wizard... Be right back.”

CP: OOC - You do not know how to play a Life Cleric.

Me: OOC (Rolling My Eyes) Only since I started as a cleric when D&D came out. You can recover some of that damage with your hit dice when we rest. IC “Be right back.”

And yes when I returned he was still fighing and I turned the undead (which he also got upset about because “we do not get xp if we do not kill them”) I did offer to heal him even though he was just over 50%. One cure wounds later he angrily cured the rest of his damage with his laying on of hands.

He demanded we (the entire caravan) wait for the undead to return so he could kill them “... because that is what my character would do... “ (insert image of me trying not to eyeroll openly)

And when, fighting beside him the second battle, I hit zero hps, he did lay on hands for 5 hps. But afterwards he OOC berated me for playing “weird” and “wrong.” Wait until the next time he rushes off alone leaving first level squishies and newbies huddled behind a wagon with no support. It may not turn out so well. The other players
were not amused by his tone and bullying attitude.

Moral of the story? Do not assume a cleric is a healbot or that a class or subclass mandates a certain style of play. You want to know what to expect from my Cleric, ask me. I can summarise my style (with highlights if requested from my written backstory) in 25 words or less.

[ZorroGames]

More precise answer is any heavy armor domain with or without martial weapons.

My Mountain Dwarf clerics always start with a 16 or 17 strength and a like constitution. Dump IN and CH entirely and probably max DE at 10 or possibly even 8.

[Citan]

I play my characters as I write them before a game. Almost always Mountain Dwarf, with no Scottish dialogue.

I especially just love a face bashing non-healbot life cleric in heavy armor playing pingpong with low level undead or goblinoids.

Real Life story from a recent AL game at the FLGS...

When the egocentric “I am an expert at third edition so this shouldn’t be that different” first level conquest paladin jumped off the wagon we supposed to be escorting to attack a small swarm of undead “... because that is what my character would do...” leaving the ranged rogue, first level squishy wizard, first level fearful sorcerer, some newbie first level ranger, and second level cleric (me) behind it was the start of a unintentional comedy show.

CO dashed off full double move into the herd of assorted undead and I walked 25 feet to nearest skeleton/zombie.

Clash of arms sounds inserted here. Everyone left behind resorted to missiles and long range cantrips.

CP: “I’m hit come heal me...”

Me: “Out of touch range and kind of busy breaking faces...”

CP: “use Healing Word!”

Me: “Did not prepare it” (he never asked, just assumed)

CP: “WHAT? [pause] Why aren’t you using Sacred Flame?”

Me: “Using my warhammer. Does more damage and hits more often.”

CP: “I am hit again! Why are you not using Sacred Flame?!?!”

Me: (it is in my character backstory as to why but he only saw me as a resource so I did not volunteer that) “It’s Sacred and not to spammed lightly” in a priestly tone. OOC Are you under 50% of your HPs?

CP: IC “NO! But I am hit!”

Me: IC “Have to go remove a zombie from a Wizard... Be right back.”

CP: OOC - You do not know how to play a Life Cleric.

Me: OOC (Rolling My Eyes) Only since I started as a cleric when D&D came out. You can recover some of that damage with your hit dice when we rest. IC “Be right back.”

And yes when I returned he was still fighing and I turned the undead (which he also got upset about because “we do not get xp if we do not kill them”) I did offer to heal him even though he was just over 50%. One cure wounds later he angrily cured the rest of his damage with his laying on of hands.

He demanded we (the entire caravan) wait for the undead to return so he could kill them “... because that is what my character would do... “ (insert image of me trying not to eyeroll openly)

And when, fighting beside him the second battle, I hit zero hps, he did lay on hands for 5 hps. But afterwards he OOC berated me for playing “weird” and “wrong.” Wait until the next time he rushes off alone leaving first level squishies and newbies huddled behind a wagon with no support. It may not turn out so well. The other players
were not amused by his tone and bullying attitude.

Moral of the story? Do not assume a cleric is a healbot or that a class or subclass mandates a certain style of play. You want to know what to expect from my Cleric, ask me. I can summarise my style (with highlights if requested from my written backstory) in 25 words or less.
Great story, thanks for sharing. ;)

[Potato_Priest]

I really enjoy a GWM war cleric. -5/+10 works wonderfully with the war cleric’s channel divinity and the bless or magic weapon spells to give you a powerful and cheap melee option while still retaining full casting.

[mechanised_orc]

Love the forge domain, for those proficiencies and magic weapons/armour.