Let's Build some PC Armies

[MaxWilson]

There's not much an army of wizards can do against a mass of clerics all cloaked in bless and readied resistance and sanctuary except run away. Which, granted, they can do pretty well due to expeditious retreat. But they would have to leave their cover before the clerics closed to 600 feet or they would get gunned down as they fled. Magic missiles wouldn't kill enough of them to justify the lives lost as the wizards retreat if they let them within 120 feet, and no other spells are seriously worth considering, seeing as it's very unlikely they would land against a blessed, sanctuaried dex-cleric with a buddy standing next to him readying resistance. Clerics are effectively anti-wizards, this frankly isn't really a fair matchup.

You're overselling this. Even if clerics do have longbows--although the OP later clarified that the gold option for starting equipment is not supposed to be used--even then it's more of a standoff or siege than a curb stomp. Wizards can dig trenches and erect cover with cantrips, and if clerics get close, Sleep and Magic Missile put them down very effectively.

Also the wizards can shoot back with longbows too, from behind partial cover.

So the clerical advantage is more about the wizards' difficulty assaulting the clerics in an open field, and the clerics' ability to create water (not food) and maintain a siege. But there's a lot of ways the cleric strategy can go wrong, especially at night, against wizards.

In a daytime battle in the open field, yes, clerics win handily. If the wizards fort up I'll call it a tossup: outcome depends on which general is better.

Clerics don’t get longbows though.

Edit: Does anyone else see the benefit of death clerics? Free doubled Chill touch against adjacent targets plus the rider is actually good against armies that would otherwise be using second wind/healing word. Toss in some sanctuary or other buffs during approach and you have a nasty bite.

Good call. Worth considering.