What's your favorite cleric domain and why?

[Verble]

Clerics come in so many flavors. What features have you enjoyed in your games?

[Man_Over_Game]

Clerics come in so many flavors. What features have you enjoyed in your games?

Nature, hands down.

It's a solid tank, it has an excellent blend of utility and combat, it promotes teammates.

It's THE cleric. When I see a Nature Cleric, I know that it's a player that is experienced and is planning on making sure everyone is having a good time.

[CTurbo]

Tempest, hands down.

It's the best tank, the best DPR, and still has a solid amount of everything else. It's probably most versatile and it's just really a lot of fun.

[MrStabby]

Order.

A great team player with some pretty unique abilities combined with enough AC that they won't need to use too many resources healing themselves.

To me order clerics encapsulate the idea that clerics are now more than just a heal-bot with a nice focus on control. Also compulsion is pretty funny, so bonus marks for that.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

Death then Order since most DM's wont allow the Death domain.

Death is interesting and the mechanics of the subclass support each other wonderfully.

Order takes the cake on buffing allies imo though. The fact that I can drop bless or healing word and give the hitter an extra attack is phenomenal.

[Yakmala]

Arcana. What can be better than being a Cleric of magic itself, protecting the Weave from those who would corrupt it?

My level 7 Human Variant Arcana Cleric chose Magic Initiate Druid as their starting feat, giving him Divine, Arcane and Nature magic to draw upon. He has eight cantrips and a great selection of spells that will only improve as he levels up. Spell Breaker does not come up every session, but it's great to have when the party needs it. In combat, he wades in, gets Spirit Guardians going, drops a Spiritual Weapon and then starts bashing foes with Shillelagh and Booming Blade.

[Tanarii]

Tempest, hands down.
Agreed, Tempest by far.

But the nice thing about Clerics is they're a well built class. I've seen players highly enjoy playing them all. Even the much maligned trickery clerics.

[Blood of Gaea]

I have really enjoyed the Arcana Cleric tank build LudicSavant made (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?583957-An-Eclectic-Collection-of-Fun-and-Effective-Builds), and have played it twice to mid, and then to high levels. It's just a ton of fun.

A few Clerics can be pretty reasonably in melee, and all of them have access Spirit Guardians and decent defenses, so it's not that they make being up close viable, it's more than stacking blade cantrips and Potent Cantrip on top of those normal strategies makes you both arguably better, and in my opinion a hell of a lot more fun.

The only real thing that sucks about it is that it doesn't work well with Shillelagh or a Str boosting magic item.

[ShinyRocks]

Nature, hands down.

It's a solid tank, it has an excellent blend of utility and combat, it promotes teammates.

It's THE cleric. When I see a Nature Cleric, I know that it's a player that is experienced and is planning on making sure everyone is having a good time.

Yup, Nature for me as well. The last one I played wasn't super-optimised, (ie, wasn't a Hill Dwarf), but I still managed to be both tank and healer for a party of four squishies and myself. (My first ever tabletop game, though I had lots of D&D video game experience etc).

I'm playing a Heavy Armour Master Forge Cleric at the moment, very very tanky, and I love it, but I miss shillelagh, I miss spike growth, and so on...

That said, I've got an Order Cleric and a Trickery Cleric concept I want to play. If someone said 'you can only play one class ever again', it would be Cleric hands down.

[DevilMcam]

Light.

You got all the versatility of the cleric, extra defences you can share. Faery fire aka one of the best combat lvl1 spell. Aaaaand you can blast like a wizard if needed

[nickl_2000]

The only one I have played was a 2 level multiclass into light for a moon Druid. However, my favorite from a flavour and playstyle is Arcana. I adore cantrips and the flexibility that they bring, and wizards get the most choices for that.

[stoutstien]

Order/knowledge. It's a toss up between those two. If tandem tactics sees print, order everyday all day.

[nickl_2000]

Order/knowledge. It's a toss up between those two. If tandem tactics sees print, order everyday all day.

Interesting, you would choose tandem tactics over Spiritual Weapon on a cleric?

[stoutstien]

Interesting, you would choose tandem tactics over Spiritual Weapon on a cleric?

Most of them time I would. SW is nice and all but giving someone advantage and then a reaction attack while casting bless is cheaper and more interactive with the rest of the party. If I end up drawing a ton of focus dodge+ SW is still there but dodge + TT is pretty effective and a hilarious image. I envision it as dodging attacks and calling out weak armor points or poor fighting techniques.
Obviously at the party in question has a bunch of characters that can generate their own advantage then this wouldn't be as effective but it definitely getting addded to my glamour bard/order cleric sudo Warlord if it sees print.

[micahaphone]

Question for the fans of nature cleric: how do you feel about their domain spells? Heavy armor and a druid cantrip are nice, the level 6 absorb elements is great, but the CD and the spell list leave me underwhelmed. Spike growth and plant growth are the two spells I've seen cast, and the others just remind me of my frustrations with the druid spell list. Seriously, why is Grasping Vine concentration?

[Man_Over_Game]

Question for the fans of nature cleric: how do you feel about their domain spells? Heavy armor and a druid cantrip are nice, the level 6 absorb elements is great, but the CD and the spell list leave me underwhelmed. Spike growth and plant growth are the two spells I've seen cast, and the others just remind me of my frustrations with the druid spell list. Seriously, why is Grasping Vine concentration?

Windwall is pretty dang useful. Impassible terrain for small creatures (which I'd say includes swarms), blocks all arrows and other projectiles, and does 3d8 damage on a failed save or halved on a save. It's 50(!) feet long and can make any shape that you want (that could be a 3x3 donut). For a level 3 spell, that's a lot of uses that anyone could leverage.

Speak with Animals is also really strong as a utility spell, and Barkskin isn't limited to casting on yourself.

But honestly, I don't think you really need a strong domain spell list. Clerics already have plenty of things to spend their spell slots and Concentration on without the need for Domain spells.

[Democratus]

Travel domain.

Fun stuff like fly, teleport, etc. are great additions to the kit of a worldly cleric. And they allow a wandering preacher to take the word of his patron far and wide. :smallcool:

5e is great in that you can easily build domains to match your deity or the concept of your cleric.

[poolio]

Life has been a favorite of mine, but I've played so many different ones so it could just be because one of my favorite characters was a life cleric.

But while I'm here, quick question for all the cleric players here, what would y'alls opinion be on giving the war domain the extra attack feature instead of his regular damage buff at 8th level? I know it's more of a martial thing and it's still a full caster class, but something about the war domain just seems weaker to me then most other domains, maybe it's just me though.

[Joe the Rat]

Tempest. I loved the concept of the Storm Lord prestige class from 3.5. I see bits of it folded in here.

[Snownine]

Life has been a favorite of mine, but I've played so many different ones so it could just be because one of my favorite characters was a life cleric.

But while I'm here, quick question for all the cleric players here, what would y'alls opinion be on giving the war domain the extra attack feature instead of his regular damage buff at 8th level? I know it's more of a martial thing and it's still a full caster class, but something about the war domain just seems weaker to me then most other domains, maybe it's just me though.

I feel like giving them extra attack would be stepping on the toes of martials too much. They may be one of the weaker domains but they are still a full caster and don't really need a boost, especially one that treads directly into the territory of martial characters. I know Bladesingers and College of Swords already get extra attack, so there is precedent, I just don't think spellcasters need to have everything.

As for my pick I would have to say Tempest. I love the stormy flavor of the class and I love smashing fools in melee and blasting them to smithereens with lightning and thunder. It also doesn't hurt that they get destructive wave, one of my favorite blasting spells in the game. Light domain is up there too as I love the concept of a pyromancer for the church. I love the combination of fire and radiant, it has a nice "purge the wicked and unclean" feel too it and reminds me of the Silver Pyromancer from Eberron. Another runner up would have to be the Nature domain as I love nature themed characters and magic in general and they also get access to shillelagh which I have an unreasonable amount of love for.

[Satori01]

I love playing a cleric of Trickery.
That Domain spell list is great.
I've caused so much chaos in humanoid strongholds through the use of Disguise Self and Guidance bonus to the CHA:Deception rolls.

I can deceive most foes at least as long enough for the group to get the drop on them. Well that is the plan at least😉

Elven Accuracy and Invoke Duplicity is an excellent combo.
Super Advantage on Spiritual Weapon and Inflict Wounds attacks is extremely satisfying.

When relying on spells, it quite possible to create confusion regarding which is the "Perfect Illusion" and which is You.
When in doubt, Mirror Image it out.

An at will ability to bestow Advantage to an ally's Stealth rolls is really useful. I give it to the Wizard's Familiar when it scouts. I give Advantage to Stealth checks to the Rogue before combat. I give it to the heavy armor wearing Fighter before sneaking....it is great!

Sprinkle in the Dragonmark of Shadow for a 1/day Invisibility cast, and Minor Illusion cantrip and get ready for some fun.

[Kvard51]

Order

As stated, the ability to buff your big hitters and give them an extra attack is awesome. But I also really like the bonus action enchants.

[jaappleton]

My favorite Domain?

If someone is a newer player, I recommend Grave the most. Not to try to relegate them to a Healer / Support role, no. But because they have so much that any party can appreciate, so the player can consistently get a feeling of accomplishment and always feel like they're contributing. Its an excellent Domain to get a newer player to fully understand how much party dynamics can play off one another. Bonus healing when someone's at 0HP, can negate Crits, a solid spell list, the ability to invoke Vulnerability. "Hey Paladin, I'm going to use my Channel Divinity, rain down that third level Smite!" and then they high five over the damage dealt.

My favorite to play?
I lean toward Light. A really good overall mix of options. Excellent spell list. Some defensive stuff with Warding Flare, plus the channel divinity to blast to help stretch your spell slots.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

I really like the forge domain.
A solid tank, can also buff party members.

With some DMs can actually craft stuff(after all 5e have ****y rules for crafting and if I remember correctly it is like that because they don't want PCs crafting stuff).

[Sol0botmate]

Overall: Arcana cleric, Blade cantrips with extra WIS damage + Spirit Guardians/SW combo + WarCaster make him very fun to play front line Cleric and it's really fun. If you play Eberron - adding Counterspell + Bigby Hand to him via Dragonmark makes him really scary force. The downside is that you need to take Magic Initiate: Druid to fully make him work or dip 1 level of Druid, but it's still great.

As tank I like Life the most. His 1st level feature is awesome, heavy armor + other cleric goodies.

I also like Forge but only for campaigns to level 10 max as later magic items diminish his features. He can also get crazy High AC with Warforged + Defense Style from some dip + Blessing of the Forge + Soul of Forge and heavy armor. Perfect to be really tanky in Tier 1 and Tier 2 gameplay.

I liked the idea of Tempest but lacking spells like Lighting, Storm Sphere or Booming Blade really puts me back from enjoying him. He should have access to all best Lighting spells to really feel like Storm Cleric. Call Lighting is ok spell but useless is so many situations...

[NaughtyTiger]

Nature. Cleric base with druid candy shell.

[BoxANT]

Knowledge

I prefer the support/skill/social aspect of clerics.

having expertise in arcana (and another campaign specific) is great, and the skill monkey cd comes in handy.

the level 6 cd (read thoughts) is also very powerful. having the ability to use suggestion (via read thoughts) twice a short rest is a lot of fun and very useful.

as for combat, I find the standard array of spiritual weapon, spirit guardians and sacred flame is solid, and combined with some skeletons (animate dead) and perhaps a body guard (via suggestion) is very strong.

[Sparky McDibben]

Nature, hands down.

It's a solid tank, it has an excellent blend of utility and combat, it promotes teammates.

It's THE cleric. When I see a Nature Cleric, I know that it's a player that is experienced and is planning on making sure everyone is having a good time.


Yup, Nature for me as well. The last one I played wasn't super-optimised, (ie, wasn't a Hill Dwarf), but I still managed to be both tank and healer for a party of four squishies and myself.

Can someone post a build on this? Mostly I've seen "base cleric + shillelagh" as the build for this, which makes me confused why anyone would take it over Arcana, War, or Light.

[NaughtyTiger]

Can someone post a build on this? Mostly I've seen "base cleric + shillelagh" as the build for this, which makes me confused why anyone would take it over Arcana, War, or Light.

For me, it's all about plant growth and thorn whip.

Plant growth is a non concentration control spell that wreaks havoc on large creatures.

[firelistener]

Tempest is awesome. The extra features basically turn it into a lightning/thunder paladin, which works really well in addition to just being cool :smallcool:

Any cleric is extremely useful though. Having access to their whole spell list when choosing spells for the day and being capable melee fighters makes them incredibly versatile.

[Amechra]

For me, it's a toss-up between Forge, Life, and Order.


Can someone post a build on this? Mostly I've seen "base cleric + shillelagh" as the build for this, which makes me confused why anyone would take it over Arcana, War, or Light.

I'm also curious about this. The only real advantage I can see if that you'll effectively have +1-+2 to hit and damage over the competition, and then you could take Sentinel to have a solid OAs... but I'm not feeling the unlimited power here, ya know?

[jaappleton]

For me, it's a toss-up between Forge, Life, and Order.



I'm also curious about this. The only real advantage I can see if that you'll effectively have +1-+2 to hit and damage over the competition, and then you could take Sentinel to have a solid OAs... but I'm not feeling the unlimited power here, ya know?

The lv6 feature of granting resistance to elemental damage, while limited to one ally per instance, is quite underrated. Its against all instances of that damage, as opposed to the Ancients Paladin, which only covers 10ft and only works against spells.

Nature can give you Resistance to a red dragons breath attack from 30ft away, while the Paladin cannot.

A key aspect in regards to tanking isn't necessarily how much take you take, it can also encompass how much damage you prevent your allies from taking. This is something I learned recently myself. (Thank you again, Man_Over_Game)

[x3n0n]

I'm also curious about this. The only real advantage I can see if that you'll effectively have +1-+2 to hit and damage over the competition, and then you could take Sentinel to have a solid OAs... but I'm not feeling the unlimited power here, ya know?

VHuman PAM (quarterstaff Shillelagh) seems good too. BA attacks whenever you're not casting keeps your weapon attacks relevant and gives a second chance to trigger Divine Strike, and the "free" OA isn't bad (although it can't trigger DS since it's not on your turn). That build is less likely to use slots on Spiritual Weapon, for better or worse.

[Falconcry]

I really enjoy cleric dips for many of the reasons mentioned here. I love the Life dip for druids to get overpowered Goodberries. I dipped Arcana for my wizard’s survivability and so many cantrips.

But the most levels of cleric I have taken are Ranger 5 / War Cleric X. I love the ability to fire off three longbow attacks in a round (yeah I know dex fighter) and if the fight goes more then five rounds I can just bust out the spiritual weapon.

[Fynzmirs]

Love domain. Seriously, we need a cleric subclass that specializes in charms. Clerics of Aphrodite, Ishtar, Freyja and Freyr need some love (heh).

[Luccan]

I recall a Water Domain I really liked, but now I can't find it and I'm wondering if I imagined it. Though it was a UA thing...

[jaappleton]

Love domain. Seriously, we need a cleric subclass that specializes in charms. Clerics of Aphrodite, Ishtar, Freyja and Freyr need some love (heh).

They tried that for less than a day in UA. It was leaked, and people were strongly opposed to the idea of Love being so closely linked with the spell list, which was very focused on Charm and Domination effects. Kinda gives a... non-consensual vibe. So they redid it to be the Unity Domain, which.... Really everyone forgot about.

[nickl_2000]

I recall a Water Domain I really liked, but now I can't find it and I'm wondering if I imagined it. Though it was a UA thing...

I wrote one awhile back that I listen on here as homebrew, but it likely wasn't that.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A6ExTAnF9ny6UGs0Gx3fVeZo-u5NNesq/view?usp=drivesdk

[Misterwhisper]

Arcana: Hard to argue with such versatility.


Forge: might as well call it Dwarf Domain

[Luccan]

I wrote one awhile back that I listen on here as homebrew, but it likely wasn't that.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A6ExTAnF9ny6UGs0Gx3fVeZo-u5NNesq/view?usp=drivesdk

For what it's worth, I like the looks of your Water domain. But apparently my cleric of Eldath just took the Nature domain.

Which of the first party stuff is my favorite

[Nagog]

Depends on the role I'm playing. Clerics are nearly as adaptable as Wizards and Warlocks with the roles they can fill. For example:

Rogue abilities: Twilight/Trickery Domains
Tanking: Life/Unity domains
Support based: Grave/Forge Domains
RP based: Knowledge Domain
Blaster: Light/Arcana Domains
Minionmancy: Death Domain

Whoever decided Clerics were made to be Healbots has obviously never explored the 5e Cleric and the absolute powerhouses that it is.

[Snownine]

I wrote one awhile back that I listen on here as homebrew, but it likely wasn't that.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A6ExTAnF9ny6UGs0Gx3fVeZo-u5NNesq/view?usp=drivesdk

Thanks for the link, I really like your take on a Water domain cleric. I like seeing some of the domains from previous editions that have not made the jump to 5e get some love.

[Wizard_Lizard]

Ok so tempest, 100%, I’ve always wanted to play a cleric of the devourer, divine wrath cleric in Eberron, I love the abilities. Close second is death cleric. Had a tiefling cleric to Anubis which was fun.

[Ogre Mage]

The Light Domain -- it is a powerful offensive caster cleric.

At low levels, radiance of the dawn is extremely powerful, faerie fire is great for support and warding flare makes you hard to hit. Once you hit Tier 2, a cleric with both spirit guardians and fireball is dangerous up close or at range.

[nickl_2000]

For what it's worth, I like the looks of your Water domain. But apparently my cleric of Eldath just took the Nature domain.

Which of the first party stuff is my favorite

Thanks :) it was a long shot, but I figured there was a chance since it was posted in the homebrew forum.


Thanks for the link, I really like your take on a Water domain cleric. I like seeing some of the domains from previous editions that have not made the jump to 5e get some love.

I've got a 3 or 4 that I made for a druid that I was putting levels into cleric. It was a converted PF campaign, so they were subdomains of nature. Feel free to check out and use anything I've created (Although if you do, I would love to hear feedback on how it plays for you, good or bad)

[ff7hero]

I've only played Light so far, but it's been a blast. Having Scorching Ray and Fireball prepped "for free" means I have an answer for non-fire-immune bosses and groups. Scrying (on top of Commune) makes me a great information gatherer.
I started at level 12ish (am currently 17) so Radiance of the Dawn hasn't been great, but Toll the Dead/Sacred Flame with Potent Cantrip gives me ok at-will damage.
All that, plus the support of a full Cleric. Makes for an excellent switch hitter and a very fun and dynamic character to play.

[Sparky McDibben]

I've only played Light so far, but it's been a blast.

I see what you did there... :)

[ShinyRocks]

Re: Nature Cleric


I'm also curious about this. The only real advantage I can see if that you'll effectively have +1-+2 to hit and damage over the competition, and then you could take Sentinel to have a solid OAs... but I'm not feeling the unlimited power here, ya know?

For me, it's not about the power, it's just about the feel. I mean, a Dwarf Nature Cleric can dump strength because they're not slowed by armour, which means they can focus on wisdom and constitution. Being SAD is good. But Nature Clerics aren't super-busted strong. I just like how they play.

The resistance reaction at level 6 is great. Either for yourself, because you're probably not making the dex save against that fireball or for your teammate. Bonus attack damage in your choice of flavour at level 8 is not to be sniffed at.

The party I played one in didn't have a druid or a ranger, so speak with animals came in handy for gathering info. Spike growth and the warlock's repelling blast to push baddies back into spikes was a fun combo. Clerics don't have a huge amount of AOE, so wind wall is a nice addition to the repertoire. Plant growth is crowd control in a huge area without concentration. The charm animals channel divinity got us out of combat a couple of times.

It's a fairly easy roleplaying hook as well – seeking out green spaces, feeling uncomfortable in big cities, befriending the pack horses, and so on, and so on. I like the slightly different feel from a druid's 'I can control nature because I'm so in tune with it' to 'I can control nature because god says I can'.

What I like in D&D is having options, and filling gaps that the team needs. And I found a Nature Cleric really let me do that. (But, as is established, I love Clerics the best regardless.)

[Fynzmirs]

They tried that for less than a day in UA. It was leaked, and people were strongly opposed to the idea of Love being so closely linked with the spell list, which was very focused on Charm and Domination effects. Kinda gives a... non-consensual vibe. So they redid it to be the Unity Domain, which.... Really everyone forgot about.
Yup, I was refering to that domain. IMO the whole affair was an overreaction. I can't imagine a cleric of Eros who is being granted magical powers but doesn't use any enchantment magic.

[sambojin]

For lower level campaigns (or for newer players), I like War. They just have such an easy run of it up to lvl6, and can contribute plenty after then anyway. The wis-mod bonus action attacks keep you relevant at lvls1-3 (when you don't have the slots to be using SW as much), the divinity is one of the most reliable things in the game (especially at lvl6), and their lvl2/3 domain spells just frees up stuff so you can have a broad range of cleric'y things prepared for many situations. You also get Hold Monster later on, which just keeps you boosting party damage all campaign long.

It's really good for a newer player to the game or class. You kind of can't "not cleric properly" as a War cleric. You get the armour to be safe enough, just enough attacks (w/ +to-hit every once in a while) to feel like you're not "caster weak" in the first few levels, a simple but sometimes encounter changing divinity at 6th, and SW/SG is hard-baked into the subclass so you don't have to gently steer a new player into "maybe ask your god for non-suck spells today?". Plus plenty of spell prep left over so they can do whatever sort of cleric'ing they'd like to do while not sucking.

Still feels like you're doing heaps in the right party, way into the later game as well. +10 to-hit never goes out of style. With your divine strike mostly coming off a magic weapon by 8th, it's of the most relevant damage type in nearly any campaign as well. You could even be a really bad archer if you wanted to.

Can be a little annoying to the DM as well (kinda like the Lucky feat or Bards in general). They have to pause and look at you in a "so, did it hit?" kind of way. SSers, GWMers, Moon druids, non-crit-fisher smiters, all love you to pieces, so you really feel like one of the party :)

Also, at early levels, it "autos" stuff like Guiding Bolt, so rogue-stabs and stuff like that can definitely happen. There's not many teams that you're not welcome in, and you always pull your weight.

(I know people think the +wis-mod bonus action attacks is weak. But it saves you casting SW 1-2 times a day. So I just look at it as saving a lvl2 spell slot, once-twice a day. The War god's Arcane Recovery. Just punch them in the face instead. Works great with Hold Person.)

[jas61292]

Guess I'm kinda an outlier here, but my favorite is War. At low levels, getting that extra attack, even just a few times a day, makes you feel awesome in melee. And then you get the ability to just add massive bonuses to attacks, which just feels good. And it can work with spells (such as guiding bolt at low level), which really helps you avoid wasting a spell in a crucial situation. Getting the ability to do this for a friend later is also amazing. And while the spell list is not necessarily the greatest thing ever, it includes a few crucial spells that you would always have prepared 100% of the time anyways. Its not necessarily a top tier domain, but everything about it just fits together so well.

[micahaphone]

They tried that for less than a day in UA. It was leaked, and people were strongly opposed to the idea of Love being so closely linked with the spell list, which was very focused on Charm and Domination effects. Kinda gives a... non-consensual vibe. So they redid it to be the Unity Domain, which.... Really everyone forgot about.

I like unity, great for playing a commie dwarf

[MrStabby]

Yup, I was refering to that domain. IMO the whole affair was an overreaction. I can't imagine a cleric of Eros who is being granted magical powers but doesn't use any enchantment magic.

I dunno. My first impression was that "Love" Domain was really the preserve of Evil clerics.

Now I am ok with evil themed domains - cool part of D&D, but I can see why WotC might be cautious about such a domain being called "Love".

[Luccan]

I dunno. My first impression was that "Love" Domain was really the preserve of Evil clerics.

Now I am ok with evil themed domains - cool part of D&D, but I can see why WotC might be cautious about such a domain being called "Love".

Charm probably would've worked fine, at least for the spell list. That doesn't have to be vindictive, but still allows for a certain level of magical influence. In fact I'm pretty sure there was a Charm domain in 3.5

[paladinn]

Curious.. in 3e, a cleric could select 2 of his/her deity's domains. In 5e, I'd imagine that s/he would need to pick one power from each domain to achieve the same effect.

Has anyone attempted to split a cleric's domain abilities among 2 domains? How did it work out?

[sambojin]

Other favorite has to be an Arcana Cleric. More cantrips, more things to turn, occasional free dispel magic, and a truly amazing capstone.

Works a lot better with dipping. But gives you the flexibility to solo-class it and feel fine anyway.

The target-type range for turning is big enough that it should come up at least a couple of times in any campaign (often once-twice a day), the cantrips make you wonderfully versatile on how you see your character functioning, and if it's a high level campaign, Wish and some lower level arcane spells is amazing to have as a cleric (where you get 17-100% "off books, got done by a god" Wish as well).

There's just a lot of options and stuff to go on with the domain. Not War-easy-powerful, but there's lots to play with. Good to dip into, good to dip out of, more builder'y, but not OP for all that (until lvl17, which you probably won't get to, but feel great if you ever do).

[follacchioso]

Re: Nature Cleric



For me, it's not about the power, it's just about the feel. I mean, a Dwarf Nature Cleric can dump strength because they're not slowed by armour, which means they can focus on wisdom and constitution. Being SAD is good. But Nature Clerics aren't super-busted strong. I just like how they play.

The resistance reaction at level 6 is great. Either for yourself, because you're probably not making the dex save against that fireball or for your teammate. Bonus attack damage in your choice of flavour at level 8 is not to be sniffed at.

The party I played one in didn't have a druid or a ranger, so speak with animals came in handy for gathering info. Spike growth and the warlock's repelling blast to push baddies back into spikes was a fun combo. Clerics don't have a huge amount of AOE, so wind wall is a nice addition to the repertoire. Plant growth is crowd control in a huge area without concentration. The charm animals channel divinity got us out of combat a couple of times.

It's a fairly easy roleplaying hook as well – seeking out green spaces, feeling uncomfortable in big cities, befriending the pack horses, and so on, and so on. I like the slightly different feel from a druid's 'I can control nature because I'm so in tune with it' to 'I can control nature because god says I can'.

What I like in D&D is having options, and filling gaps that the team needs. And I found a Nature Cleric really let me do that. (But, as is established, I love Clerics the best regardless.)
Wouldn't it be easier to just play a Druid character, at that point?

[x3n0n]

Wouldn't it be easier to just play a Druid character, at that point?

(Not the one to whom you're replying.)

You can get a very different play experience from a Cleric. No armor restriction, no Wild Shape, more useful non-Concentration spells.

For example, I've tried several times to build a Shillelagh/Polearm Master Druid, and I'm always disappointed: very few cantrips to work with, no appealing armor in a default setting, no synergy with printed circles (except Spores, which is so close that it makes it even more frustrating).

By contrast, Nature Cleric can do the normal tanky thing with unrestricted armor and Shillelagh from 1st level (even with PAM as variant human). With PAM, it feels *almost* like War Domain without the Wisdom mod restriction.

You don't get the signature Druid things (wild shape, conjure animals, entangle), but not all characters need them.

[dreast]

War.

I love multiclassing, and War is the first class I've seen to give a whole bunch of abilities to people who already have extra attack, without wasting any class ability resoures on giving ITSELF extra attack. A ranger 5/war cleric 15 is a fantastic to-twenty build even with the default ranger's problems, and once you have five levels of any extra attack class, any number of war cleric levels are just gravy. (The fact that war cleric abilities also help out ranged attacks make the "ranger cleric archer" downright terrifying.)

[Man_Over_Game]

Wouldn't it be easier to just play a Druid character, at that point?

Druids are almost explicitly spellcasters, and most Moon Druid players I've seen are the kind to hog the spotlight.

Clerics get heavy armor, full casting, great subclass features, their choice of spells each day, etc. They're balanced by the fact that it's incredibly hard to make them selfish, as most of their spells and abilities encourage others to succeed instead. Most other classes don't have that same limitation, and as a result those same classes don't get nearly as much. Compare the Draconic Sorcerer vs. Any Cleric, list out their features, HP, AC, proficiencies, etc. and see who comes out ahead.

The Nature Cleric, as a chassis, is the quintessential Cleric. Not necessarily for the Nature theme, but that its whole identity is "Do more, but help the team Do Better". It is not isolated to a single mechanic (like Life, Grave, Knowledge Clerics are), but instead provides a little bit of everything that allows the Nature Cleric to fit any needed role for the party (besides being selfish/damage dealer).

I actually think it's a real shame that it's tied to the Nature theme, as most people see that, and how redundant the theme is with the Druid, instead of seeing one of the best Cleric subclasses in the game mechanically. Similarly how people assume "Cavalier" is "Guy who uses a horse" instead of "Vengeance Fighter Tank".


Can someone post a build on this? Mostly I've seen "base cleric + shillelagh" as the build for this, which makes me confused why anyone would take it over Arcana, War, or Light.

I'm also curious about this. The only real advantage I can see if that you'll effectively have +1-+2 to hit and damage over the competition, and then you could take Sentinel to have a solid OAs... but I'm not feeling the unlimited power here, ya know?

It's not about the damage. You're not going to be judged by how much damage you're dealing with a weapon, you're going to be judged for the things the rest of the party can't do, like wear heavy armor, take a hit, or get information from animals. Channel Divinity affects a 30ft radius on all creatures that can see you, to have them be Charmed, and Speak With Animals allows you to request favors as long as the DM signs off on it. Combining both means you now have a small horde of informants and scouts, treasure hunters and distractions. Not even a Druid can get the same for a level 1 spell slot and a Short Rest feature. Just realize how often you could do that.

In combat, you're a meatstick with armor and Cleric spells, not quite as MAD as an Arcane or War Cleric. Do you need anything else?

[NaughtyTiger]

Druids are almost explicitly spellcasters, and most Moon Druid players I've seen are the kind to hog the spotlight.
no more so than rogue/bard face or barbarian.


Clerics get heavy armor, full casting, great subclass features, their choice of spells each day, etc. They're balanced by the fact that it's incredibly hard to make them selfish, as most of their spells and abilities encourage others to succeed instead. Most other classes don't have that same limitation, and as a result those same classes don't get nearly as much. Compare the Draconic Sorcerer vs. Any Cleric, list out their features, HP, AC, proficiencies, etc. and see who comes out ahead.
spiritual weapon, gaurdian, bonus damage, armor, martial weapons don't necessarily help others exceed but is common combat play...


The Nature Cleric, as a chassis, is the quintessential Cleric. Not necessarily for the Nature theme, but that its whole identity is "Do more, but help the team Do Better". It is not isolated to a single mechanic (like Life, Grave, Knowledge Clerics are), but instead provides a little bit of everything that allows the Nature Cleric to fit any needed role for the party (besides being selfish/damage dealer). giving allies resistance and good non-offense spell choices pushes this subclass high for me..

[Bosh]

Love domain. Seriously, we need a cleric subclass that specializes in charms. Clerics of Aphrodite, Ishtar, Freyja and Freyr need some love (heh).

Order with a flavor change works pretty well for that.

Order also works beautifully with glamor bard. Great Disney Princess support flavor.

[5eNeedsDarksun]

I'm throwing a vote for Trickery Cleric. Another player in a current game is using it really well to help make the whole party function in a more effective (stealthy) way.

[Qendal]

I like forge for the free magic armor/ weapon or life cause it is a go to healer

[KorvinStarmast]

Hard to pick just one.
My Tempest cleric allowed me to do a lot of stuff. Also, fog cloud domain spell ... and I love that spell ..

Life: in certain parties, my vhuman life cleric druid magic initiate keeps them alive.

Knowledge: I was late to the show on this one. Ran for about two levels, early tier 2. We had no rogue, no bard, and we discovered that our skill monkey was out cleric. Neat.

Arcana; started one, game died. Not sure how I'd have liked it any better.

[Trustypeaches]

They tried that for less than a day in UA. It was leaked, and people were strongly opposed to the idea of Love being so closely linked with the spell list, which was very focused on Charm and Domination effects. Kinda gives a... non-consensual vibe. So they redid it to be the Unity Domain, which.... Really everyone forgot about.
I actually really like the Unity Domain, but I think it should've still been called the Love domain. There are many types of love; platonic, familial, romantic, communal. I think the new theming of the Unity Domain with the old name would've been 100% fine. I also really really like the Unity Domain's mechanics. Emboldening Bond is insanely good and the fact it stacks with bless makes it extremely good for supporting your allies.

I think the focus on charms and non-consensual enchantments should be pretty divorced from the Love domain; that feels more like it would fall under Trickery.

[Mikaleus]

Nature, Light and Tempest are my favourite Domains.
Nature with the Druidic cantrip (I prefer thorn whip to drag enemies closer to my spirit guardians) and the dampen elements feature is quite good. I guess the channel divinity isn’t as grand in high level play but I’ve only ever played a Forge Domain Cleric in a one shot at level 17.

Light Domain. Who needs a weapon, some great blasting ability here.

Tempest has always been a favourite. I love the features, though I do wish they got lightning bolt or chain lightning as Domain spells.

[theantesse]

They're all good for their own reasons but I'm going to say I had fun recently with the Light cleric concept recently. As a DM I had my players attacking a small stronghold of a knightly order defended by a paladin, some basic warriors, and two clerics. Everyone expected a straight-up swordfight and clustered up but then they were hit by a fireball.

In general from a world-building POV the idea of light clerics sometimes taking up blasting/"artillery" roles in factions without wizards is an intriguing concept to me: in this case the order of knights having armed-and-armored clerics that can throw fire spells. But also a church that denounces "black magic and witches" but wields divine fire magic which is totally different because praise the sun god. Or the old fashioned view of Dwarves being unable to be wizards but having light clerics that can blast.

[Misterwhisper]

I find clerics and druids to be the hardest classes to really get into.

I do not mind playing a support guy, I love playing a bard and things, but with things like wizard or even warlock I feel like I am just waiting for opportunities to cast all these cool spells, but cleric and druid is more of just a feeling of well I can throw that I guess.

I really did like playing an Arcana Cleric who took magic initiate druid.

I was captain cantrip. I was like the Swiss army caster.

[Amdy_vill]

grave tied with death.

Grave domain is somehow better at healing then life and has a hint of necromancy witch has always been my favored school.

death domain is just a great alt to being a necromancer wizard.

[jaappleton]

I find clerics and druids to be the hardest classes to really get into.

I do not mind playing a support guy, I love playing a bard and things, but with things like wizard or even warlock I feel like I am just waiting for opportunities to cast all these cool spells, but cleric and druid is more of just a feeling of well I can throw that I guess.

I really did like playing an Arcana Cleric who took magic initiate druid.

I was captain cantrip. I was like the Swiss army caster.

I feel you on this.

I am on the record as saying the Cleric is the best designed class in the game. All Domains get such a litany of features, especially 1-10 (including Domain spells) which do such a great job as giving each Domain its own identity, and makes them feel different from other classes. It grants that individual identity better than any other class in the game, in my opinion.

The downside of that is that for many Domains, its fairly a nuanced identity. Tempest Cleric? You make things blow up with thunder and lightning arguably better than anything else. And that's sweet! But outside combat, what're you up to? Knowledge Cleric! Pretty darn good at what you do, but are you more knowledgeable than the Bard or Rogue? Light Domain! You are certainly a capable blaster, and thematic at that, but...

Really its a list of Domains tacked on to a chassis. And that's OK. That's what 5E is, subclasses on to a main class. They're all unique. But perhaps because the Domains are all so thematic that its also fairly difficult to take it in weird, creative, different directions. Its almost too defined in a sense.

That, coupled with a largely support oriented vanilla spell list (Control for Druid) means that you're quite limited in scope for what you can do. You're pretty darn great at it, but it is a limited scope both in terms of ability and theme.

[Wizard_Lizard]

I also really like the nature domain the flavour is nice.

[Dankus Memakus]

I like unity, great for playing a commie dwarf

Played a pair of commie dwarves with a friend. Some good fun.

However, I'm going to have to throw in my lot with trickery. Sure it's not the most powerful but I think that spell list frequently gets overlooked and it's fun.

[Warlush]

I love playing a cleric of Trickery.
That Domain spell list is great.
I've caused so much chaos in humanoid strongholds through the use of Disguise Self and Guidance bonus to the CHA:Deception rolls.

I can deceive most foes at least as long enough for the group to get the drop on them. Well that is the plan at least😉

Elven Accuracy and Invoke Duplicity is an excellent combo.
Super Advantage on Spiritual Weapon and Inflict Wounds attacks is extremely satisfying.

When relying on spells, it quite possible to create confusion regarding which is the "Perfect Illusion" and which is You.
When in doubt, Mirror Image it out.

An at will ability to bestow Advantage to an ally's Stealth rolls is really useful. I give it to the Wizard's Familiar when it scouts. I give Advantage to Stealth checks to the Rogue before combat. I give it to the heavy armor wearing Fighter before sneaking....it is great!

Sprinkle in the Dragonmark of Shadow for a 1/day Invisibility cast, and Minor Illusion cantrip and get ready for some fun.
Yes yes yes. I really love playing a Vhuman with Actor feat at lvl 1. So much more fun than the other clerics I've played.

[paladinn]

For me, Life cleric is the quintessential D&D cleric. Although I'm a little unclear as to why they get heavy armor. War and Forge I can see, but Life?
I'm thinking they could make do with medium armor and a little more power over undead.

Otherwise, I really like Light clerics. Healing and blasting; what's not to love? Warding Flare is a great last-second defense; and Radiance of the Dawn is just sweet.

[samcifer]

I like the Light domain the best. Awesome blasting spells and a great ally-friendly AoE blast of one of the best damage types in the game.

[Man_Over_Game]

For me, Life cleric is the quintessential D&D cleric. Although I'm a little unclear as to why they get heavy armor. War and Forge I can see, but Life?

Makes the healing role more interactive. Now they can afford to be a front-line soaker, but also have features that heal themselves when they heal allies. This makes things a lot less 1-dimensional than "Wait for ally to hit ~50% HP, heal them with Healing Word" every turn.

Tying a lot of power to a self-heal also prevents undeserved benefits. It's still powerful, but now you actually gotta risk a little bit to perform at maximum efficiency. Otherwise it's a glorified healbot. The mechanical equivalent of a ranged attacker that only gets to attack and use his features when the target's at ~50% HP.

[Democratus]

This makes things a lot less 1-dimensional than "Wait for ally to hit ~50% HP, heal them with Healing Word" every turn.

In my experience, you wait till the ally hits 0 HP, then start spamming Healing Word. :smallsmile:

[Bosh]

no more so than rogue/bard face or barbarian.

Well moon druids have weird scaling. Their wildshape starts of ludicrously powerful at low levels (especially with a not very optimized party) and then peters out later on.

[KorvinStarmast]

For me, Life cleric is the quintessential D&D cleric. Although I'm a little unclear as to why they get heavy armor.
I think it is because the original cleric was allowed heavy armor/plate armor in Original D&D, 1974 ish, which took its 'cleric' cue from the Crusades/Warrior Monks as well as the various medieval bishops who donned armor and headed for the battlefield.

I do agree with your idea on the life cleric having a bit more of an edge versus undead conceptually.