Looking for advice on starting a War Cleric.

[Agent-KI7KO]

Hello!

We will be starting at level 1. I’m doing a Variant Human 15/10/13/8/15/10.

The +1 will go to Wisdom and probably Strength.

The feat is either gonna be Aberrant Dragonmark (DM allowed it) or Resilience [Con].

If not, I am okay with picking other feats so long as i got +1 to either Str/Con/Wis. All officially published stuff is allowed. Any additional feats after that?

I will be hitting things in melee, Sword/Board normally, or Maul if I have War Priest charges.

If I picked Aberrant Dragonmark, what should I pick for my cantrip? The spell is definitely going to be Shield.

For that matter, my previous Cleric was Tempest and mostly spammed Sacred Flame, what cantrips would you guys suggest?

Thanks in advance!

[nickl_2000]

You best possible choice as a War Cleric? Most likely Booming Blade. Unless you use the War Priest ability (and that's 3 times a day) you only get one attack, and BB lets you scale your attack really well.

[Willie the Duck]

Heavy Armor Master is also a good +1 Str feat, if you wanted to focus on reducing hp taken. Still, to even out your Str/Con/Wis scores, my general advice would be resilient:con and +1wis/+1Str. If you are doing sword and board, how are you managing your spell somatic+components (DM handwaves and allows shield emblem to do everything?)?

Cantrips: Light for vuman is a 'no brainer, unless you have another darkvision option.' Guidance is perhaps the most powerful cantrip in the game. I find Toll the Dead a better ranged combat cantrip than Sacred Flame, but it depends on the saves your enemies show up with. Agree with Booming Blade as a great Dragonmark cantrip.

[Shuruke]

It depends on if u wanna be ranged or melee

Since your doing str and not dex I'm gonna assume melee

I recemend green flame blade

If your not set for race id recemend half orc to pick up great weapon master at 4 and o rcish fury at 8 and use great axe as your weapon.


You don't get extra attack and by time u hit 8th cleric level for the 1d8 extra damage your melee attack will be at weapon damage +2d8
However wis will give bonis action attacks

If u wanna be a hard hitting melee character I recemend great weapon feat at 4th

At level one u have a few options but limiting to half feats
So really just take the abberent or go for observant

I wouldnt worry about maxing str to 20
Or even 18 as a huge priority mainly because using bless or enhance ability bull strength along with great weapon master will let u wait till 8 or 12 to increase str to 18.
Level 5 +6 to hit with +1d4 or advantage with +3 damage

+1+1d4 or 1+advantage with +13 damage
Is comparable to +7 hit +4 damage

Sure their are times where u won't have slots up but you have channel divinity as well so I recemend gwm at 4


I wouldn't recemend multiclassing more than 3 levels

However I wouldn't multiclass at all
And if u ever have spare ASI or decide to stay at +3 mod martial adept for accurate strike and for tripping would be good.

Weapon go for great sword or great axe

Polearm is good if u wanna put 2 feats toward it or just want a guaranteed bonus action attack every turn with PAM

[Agent-KI7KO]

You best possible choice as a War Cleric? Most likely Booming Blade. Unless you use the War Priest ability (and that's 3 times a day) you only get one attack, and BB lets you scale your attack really well.

Funny enough, I am unfamiliar with Booming Blade and more familiar with GFB. I'll give it a look!


Heavy Armor Master is also a good +1 Str feat, if you wanted to focus on reducing hp taken. Still, to even out your Str/Con/Wis scores, my general advice would be resilient:con and +1wis/+1Str. If you are doing sword and board, how are you managing your spell somatic+components (DM handwaves and allows shield emblem to do everything?)?

Cantrips: Light for vuman is a 'no brainer, unless you have another darkvision option.' Guidance is perhaps the most powerful cantrip in the game. I find Toll the Dead a better ranged combat cantrip than Sacred Flame, but it depends on the saves your enemies show up with. Agree with Booming Blade as a great Dragonmark cantrip.

The DM is lenient in regards to the holy symbol, and as long as it's easily visible on my person, it's good. The current choice is an Amulet.
EDIT: Heavy Armor Master looks tempting too!


It depends on if u wanna be ranged or melee

Since your doing str and not dex I'm gonna assume melee

I recemend green flame blade

If your not set for race id recemend half orc to pick up great weapon master at 4 and o rcish fury at 8 and use great axe as your weapon.


You don't get extra attack and by time u hit 8th cleric level for the 1d8 extra damage your melee attack will be at weapon damage +2d8
However wis will give bonis action attacks

If u wanna be a hard hitting melee character I recemend great weapon feat at 4th

At level one u have a few options but limiting to half feats
So really just take the abberent or go for observant

I wouldnt worry about maxing str to 20
Or even 18 as a huge priority mainly because using bless or enhance ability bull strength along with great weapon master will let u wait till 8 or 12 to increase str to 18.
Level 5 +6 to hit with +1d4 or advantage with +3 damage

+1+1d4 or 1+advantage with +13 damage
Is comparable to +7 hit +4 damage

Sure their are times where u won't have slots up but you have channel divinity as well so I recemend gwm at 4


I wouldn't recemend multiclassing more than 3 levels

However I wouldn't multiclass at all
And if u ever have spare ASI or decide to stay at +3 mod martial adept for accurate strike and for tripping would be good.

Weapon go for great sword or great axe

Polearm is good if u wanna put 2 feats toward it or just want a guaranteed bonus action attack every turn with PAM

Not gonna multiclass, I think. At most I will probably only do Fighter 1. I have seen a GWM War Cleric before and it was VERY effective at low levels, but I don't think I want to do that.

[CTurbo]

Question 1. Why War Cleric?
Question 2. Why did you spam Sacred Flame with your Tempest Cleric?

The reason I ask is I think you were REALLY playing the Tempest wrong. I've played 4 different Tempests and I've almost never used Sacred Flame. I assume you want to play a melee focused Cleric well the Tempest is much better than War for that IMO as is the Forge and probably Nature Cleric. War is just really lackluster. Warpriest gets very quickly outclassed by Spiritual Weapon.

But if you want to stick to War. I'd start Res(Con) at level 1 and have 16 Str, 14 Con, 16 Wis, but Heavy Armor Master at level 1 for the same stat spread would work too.

[LudicSavant]

War Cleric is a bit unusual in that it short of shifts playstyles as it progresses. Early on you're a pretty hefty melee slugger. Later on much of your power comes from your ability to facilitate certain party combos. You basically get a promotion from enlisted man on the front lines to an officer/general directing the action

As for cantrips, Guidance is just about the best cantrip in the game and is basically mandatory for optimization. SCAGtrips are also worthwhile if you can fit them into your build (as is the case for any class that doesn't use Extra Attack but still likes being in melee).

I made some more comprehensive posts on the War Cleric that you may find helpful in this thread: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?575158-Sell-me-on-war-melee-clerics