Tempest Clerics and healing

[dededo11]

So I'm thinking about creating a cleric for AL because many of the groups a find there do not have a healer. I have heard a lot of good things about Tempest clerics and I think I would like to make one. What I would like to know if they can effectively function as the party's healer while also filling other roles like blaster or battlefield controller. I know a life cleric would make a better healer, but can a Tempest cleric suffice as the party's only healer as well?

[stoutstien]

Prepare healing word and sanctuary.
If you can spare a feat slot grab inspiring leader.
At later levels prepare mass healing word.
That's a lot of cover about 95% of your healing when/if it comes up

[Asmotherion]

Sure. i mean you get healing spells.

Optimisation wise you're sub optimal for healing. But you're already aware of that.

Otherwise 5e can be played just fine without a healer at all. The very fact that you'll provide some healing will be a bonus as long as you do it right.

[RogueJK]

Yes, a Tempest Cleric is just as good of a healer as any other Cleric (except for a Life Cleric, which is slightly better).

You're also a bit better at melee than some of the other Clerics, and better at AOE blasting than some of the other clerics.

It's the best "jack of all trades" Cleric Domain, IMO. Able to handle a multitude of roles in the party: Healer, Tank, AOE Blaster, Buffer, etc.

[Guy Lombard-O]

Prepare healing word and sanctuary.
If you can spare a feat slot grab inspiring leader.
At later levels prepare mass healing word.
That's a lot of cover about 95% of your healing when/if it comes up

Maybe pick up the Healer feat before Inspiring Leader? That might work better at low levels than Inspiring Leader, unless you just happen to have a good Charisma.

[stoutstien]

Maybe pick up the Healer feat before Inspiring Leader? That might work better at low levels than Inspiring Leader, unless you just happen to have a good Charisma.
If variant human looking at first lv feat I agree healer wins but feat at 4th lv. Even at 0 Cha mod it's +4 hp for six allies vs action to heal 1d6+4 every rest. A lot harder to see which is better. Comes down to action economy to me

[nickl_2000]

If variant human looking at first lv feat I agree healer wins but feat at 4th lv. Even at 0 Cha mod it's +4 hp for six allies vs action to heal 1d6+4 every rest. A lot harder to see which is better. Comes down to action economy to me

Don't forget the secondary effect of healing as well, it's not just the 1d6+4+level but also bringing someone to 1 hp instead of stabilizing them. I personally love the healer feat, but that is just me.

[stoutstien]

Don't forget the secondary effect of healing as well, it's not just the 1d6+4+level but also bringing someone to 1 hp instead of stabilizing them. I personally love the healer feat, but that is just me.
It's definitely never a bad feat to consider.
I like it on classes that have no other form of healing for redundancy. Someone needs to heal the cleric/druid/ paladin if they drop!

Back on the topic at hand, I know I say it alot but the aid spell is a great way to pre-heal on top of thp. As a tempest cleric I want to bash n blast so if I can heal before I need to heal I count it as a win.

[Man_Over_Game]

I mean, as a front liner, you're likely going to be the one needing more healing than most. Generally, most magical healing is best used to prevent Death, and you generally want your characters to end a fight as close to 0 HP without needing any healing. This is because Hit Dice are a good resource that doesn't tap into your combat effectiveness, where casting something like Healing Word does. Additionally, Healing Word can be used in combat when Hit Dice can't, so by relying on Hit Dice for the majority of your healing needs, you'll be able to save up on Healing Words for when you actually need them.

[ImproperJustice]

Ouside of Life Cleric:

Clerics are just not good at healing in 5e.
They are good at emergencies (getting people up from 0hp or death), but actual resotoration of large amounts of HP will need to come from short rests, Paladins, and avoiding damage in the first place.

Instead, Clerics are good at mixing direct damage, control, and preventitive buffs to keep the party safe and going. They also have some of the best tools in the game for divination or working out the best course of action for the party via things like Commune and Augery.
This of course varies wildly in execution depending on the Domain.

Being able to change your spell list each day will help you tailor yourself for whatever role you will be fulfilling in your party.

[CTurbo]

I've played 4 different Tempests and they are just fine at healing, but none of them prioritized healing and it worked out just fine. Two of those campaigns I was the only character that even could heal, and I still didn't prioritize it. Always have Healing Word prepared but I don't even always bother with Cure Wounds.

Tempests are so good at so many roles you'll be fine.

[GreyBlack]

Prepare healing word and sanctuary.
If you can spare a feat slot grab inspiring leader.
At later levels prepare mass healing word.
That's a lot of cover about 95% of your healing when/if it comes up

Depending on level, disagree.

Spiritual Weapon is your bonus action slot. You may want to prepare Cure Wounds instead to continue your damage with that.

[Chronos]

As an aside, I'm currently in a party with two clerics, and I'm pretty sure that my ranger ends up healing more than either of them, and the bard more than any of us. Goodberries (cast last night with leftover slots before long resting) are our healing of first resort, and usually about the time that those are gone, we're all about ready for a short rest anyway (at which point the bard's Song of Rest kicks in).

In-combat healing is only good in one of two cases: When you're bringing someone from near-dead up to near-full in a single action, or when someone's down and you're getting them back on their feet. The former doesn't usually work at all until you get to Heal, and once you have Heal, it doesn't usually matter who's casting it. And for the latter, Prayer of Healing will work just fine, from anyone who has it.

Now, there's also out of combat healing, and life clerics are a lot better at that (especially if they pick up Goodberry somehow, through feat or multiclassing). But short rests also work well for out-of-combat healing, and are available to literally everyone. So it doesn't make as much difference as you'd think. It's nice to get even more healing in addition to short rests, of course... but you don't need it.

EDIT: GreyBlack, yes, casting a Healing Word means forgoing your Spiritual Weapon for that round, but casting a Cure Wounds means forgoing your Sacred Flame. If you have to heal in combat, it's always going to come at the cost of something else you could be doing instead. You just want to keep that cost as low as you can.

[sophontteks]

As others said, healing isn't a useful role outside of bringing people up from unconscious. Any arcane caster can just prepare polymorph and turn a badly wounded companion into a full-health T-rex, or worse. That kind of hp swing dwarves most healing spells.

[Rukelnikov]

Ouside of Life Cleric:

Clerics are just not good at healing in 5e.
They are good at emergencies (getting people up from 0hp or death), but actual resotoration of large amounts of HP will need to come from short rests, Paladins, and avoiding damage in the first place.

Instead, Clerics are good at mixing direct damage, control, and preventitive buffs to keep the party safe and going. They also have some of the best tools in the game for divination or working out the best course of action for the party via things like Commune and Augery.
This of course varies wildly in execution depending on the Domain.

Being able to change your spell list each day will help you tailor yourself for whatever role you will be fulfilling in your party.

Non-Life Clerics aren't good combat healers pre Heal, but are good healers outside of combat. Prayer of Healing cures 2d8+Wis to up to six people, comparable to Aura of Vitality, and accessible since lvl 3, its not as good as Healing Spirit, but everyone agrees that spell is broken.

[stoutstien]

Depending on level, disagree.

Spiritual Weapon is your bonus action slot. You may want to prepare Cure Wounds instead to continue your damage with that.
I should have specified low lv.
By lv 5 you will be able to look a a party and know how to set up your spell list fo most days.
I don't play AA. if I did I would want to keep it flexible.

[LudicSavant]

can a Tempest cleric suffice as the party's only healer

Yes, they can.

If you're the only healer though, try to take as many steps as possible to avoid the party having a "single point of failure." Give someone else a healing potion at the very least so they can get you up off the 0hp gate, just in case.

[Chronos]

This is true. It's very useful if everyone has at least some form of healing, even if it's just a medicine kit or a potion.

[ImproperJustice]

Non-Life Clerics aren't good combat healers pre Heal, but are good healers outside of combat. Prayer of Healing cures 2d8+Wis to up to six people, comparable to Aura of Vitality, and accessible since lvl 3, its not as good as Healing Spirit, but everyone agrees that spell is broken.

Yeah. I tried using Prayer of Healing at 10th level on a wounded party. It was a total waste of resources IMO, as it barely restored anything, and my spell slots had better uses.
Also, if you have the time to cast it outside of combat, your party can probably short rest.

[Tanarii]

Also, if you have the time to cast it outside of combat, your party can probably short rest.A major point is it's useful when you don't have time for a short rest, but can eke out ten min to prep for another fight.

If you're in a campaign where that kind of thing never happens it'd be unsurprising you'd find it less than useful.

[ImproperJustice]

A major point is it's useful when you don't have time for a short rest, but can eke out ten min to prep for another fight.

If you're in a campaign where that kind of thing never happens it'd be unsurprising you'd find it less than useful.

Sure. I probably should have preafced my response with your mileage may vary.
It’s like Dwarven Fortitude which can have a similar benefit GM permitting.

[Rukelnikov]

Sure. I probably should have preafced my response with your mileage may vary.
It’s like Dwarven Fortitude which can have a similar benefit GM permitting.

Well, it's 2d8+Wis, if the party has 4 wounded characters it's an average of 56 damage healed. For a second lvl spell sounds pretty good to me.

Edit: BTW, if the GM doesn't allow DF outside combat, have the lowest Str party member attack the dwarf unarmed, worst case scenario you heal 1 less HP than you would have otherwise ;)