
Cleric Class Details
Primary Ability | Wisdom |
---|---|
Hit Point Die | D8 per Cleric level |
Saving Throw Proficiencies | Wisdom and Charisma |
Skill Proficiencies | Choose 2: History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, or Religion |
Weapon Proficiencies | Simple weapons |
Armor Training | Light and Medium armor and Shields |
Starting Equipment | Choose A or B: (A) Chain Shirt, Shield, Mace, Holy Symbol, Priest’s Pack, and 7 GP; or (B) 110 GP |
Clerics draw power from the realms of the gods and harness it to work miracles. Blessed by a deity, a pantheon, or another immortal entity, a Cleric can reach out to the divine magic of the Outer Planes—where gods dwell—and channel it to bolster people and battle foes.
Because their power is a divine gift, Clerics typically associate themselves with temples dedicated to the deity or other immortal force that unlocked their magic. Harnessing divine magic doesn’t rely on specific training, yet Clerics might learn prayers and rites that help them draw on power from the Outer Planes.
Not every member of a temple or shrine is a Cleric. Some priests are called to a simple life of temple service, carrying out their devotion through prayer and rituals, not through magic. Many mortals claim to speak for the gods, but few can marshal the power of those gods the way a Cleric can.
Becoming a Cleric...
As a Level 1 Character
- Gain all the traits in the Core Cleric Traits table.
- Gain the Cleric’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Cleric Features table.
As a Multiclass Character
- Gain the following traits from the Core Cleric Traits table: Hit Point Die and training with Light and Medium armor and Shields.
- Gain the Cleric’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Cleric Features table. See the multiclassing rules to determine your available spell slots.
——Spell Slots per Spell Level—— | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Level | Proficiency Bonus | Class Features | Channel Divinity | Cantrips | Prepared Spells | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
1 | +2 | Spellcasting, Divine Order | — | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2 | +2 | Channel Divinity | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
3 | +2 | Cleric Subclass | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
4 | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
5 | +3 | Sear Undead | 2 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
6 | +3 | Subclass feature | 3 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
7 | +3 | Blessed Strikes | 3 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
8 | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
9 | +4 | — | 3 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
10 | +4 | Divine Intervention | 3 | 5 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
11 | +4 | — | 3 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
12 | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
13 | +5 | — | 3 | 5 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
14 | +5 | Improved Blessed Strikes | 3 | 5 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
15 | +5 | — | 3 | 5 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
16 | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 5 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
17 | +6 | Subclass feature | 3 | 5 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
18 | +6 | — | 4 | 5 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
19 | +6 | Epic Boon | 4 | 5 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
20 | +6 | Greater Divine Intervention | 4 | 5 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Cleric Class Features
As a Cleric, you gain the following class features when you reach the specified Cleric levels. These features are listed in the Cleric Features table.
Level 1: Spellcasting
You have learned to cast spells through prayer and meditation. The information below details how you use those rules with Cleric spells, which appear on the Cleric spell list.
Cantrips. You know three cantrips of your choice from the Cleric spell list.
Whenever you gain a Cleric level, you can replace one of your cantrips with another cantrip of your choice from the Cleric spell list.
When you reach Cleric levels 4 and 10, you learn another cantrip of your choice from the Cleric spell list, as shown in the Cantrips column of the Cleric Features table.
Spell Slots. The Cleric Features table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your level 1+ spells. You regain all expended slots when you finish a Long Rest.
Prepared Spells of Level 1+. You prepare the list of level 1+ spells that are available for you to cast with this feature. To start, choose four level 1 spells from the Cleric spell list.
The number of spells on your list increases as you gain Cleric levels, as shown in the Prepared Spells column of the Cleric Features table. Whenever that number increases, choose additional spells from the Cleric spell list until the number of spells on your list matches the number on the table. The chosen spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, if you’re a level 3 Cleric, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of levels 1 and 2 in any combination.
If another Cleric feature gives you spells that you always have prepared, those spells don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare with this feature, but those spells otherwise count as Cleric spells for you.
Changing Your Prepared Spells. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can change your list of prepared spells, replacing any of the spells there with other Cleric spells for which you have spell slots.
Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Cleric spells.
Spellcasting Focus. You can use a Holy Symbol as a Spellcasting Focus for your Cleric spells.
Level 1: Divine Order
You have dedicated yourself to one of the following sacred roles of your choice.
Level 2: Channel Divinity
You can channel divine energy directly from the Outer Planes to fuel magical effects. You start with two such effects: Divine Spark and Turn Undead, each of which is described below. Each time you use this class’s Channel Divinity, choose which Channel Divinity effect from this class to create. You gain additional effect options at higher Cleric levels.
You can use this class’s Channel Divinity twice. You regain one of its expended uses when you finish a Short Rest, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. You gain additional uses when you reach certain Cleric levels, as shown in the Channel Divinity column of the Cleric Features table.
If a Channel Divinity effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals the spell save DC from this class’s Spellcasting feature.
Divine Spark. As a Magic action, you point your Holy Symbol at another creature you can see within 30 feet of yourself and focus divine energy at it. Roll 1d8 and add your Wisdom modifier. You either restore Hit Points to the creature equal to that total or force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes Necrotic or Radiant damage (your choice) equal to that total. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage (round down).
You roll an additional d8 when you reach Cleric levels 7 (2d8), 13 (3d8), and 18 (4d8).
Turn Undead. As a Magic action, you present your Holy Symbol and censure Undead creatures. Each Undead of your choice within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its save, it has the Frightened and Incapacitated conditions for 1 minute. For that duration, it tries to move as far from you as it can on its turns. This effect ends early on the creature if it takes any damage, if you have the Incapacitated condition, or if you die.
Level 3: Cleric Subclass
You gain a Cleric subclass of your choice. A subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Cleric levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass’s features that are of your Cleric level or lower.
Level 4: Ability Score Improvement
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this feature again at Cleric levels 8, 12, and 16.
Level 5: Sear Undead
Whenever you use Turn Undead, you can roll a number of d8s equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1d8) and add the rolls together. Each Undead that fails its saving throw against that use of Turn Undead takes Radiant damage equal to the roll’s total. This damage doesn’t end the turn effect.
Level 7: Blessed Strikes
Divine power infuses you in battle. You gain one of the following options of your choice (if you get either option from a Cleric subclass in an older book, use only the option you choose for this feature).
Divine Strike. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with an attack roll using a weapon, you can cause the target to take an extra 1d8 Necrotic or Radiant damage (your choice).
Potent Spellcasting. Add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any Cleric cantrip.
Level 10: Divine Intervention
You can call on your deity or pantheon to intervene on your behalf. As a Magic action, choose any Cleric spell of level 5 or lower that doesn’t require a Reaction to cast. As part of the same action, you cast that spell without expending a spell slot or needing Material components. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a Long Rest.
Level 14: Improved Blessed Strikes
The option you chose for Blessed Strikes grows more powerful.
Level 19: Epic Boon
You gain an Epic Boon feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
Level 20: Greater Divine Intervention
You can call on even more powerful divine intervention. When you use your Divine Intervention feature, you can choose Wish when you select a spell. If you do so, you can’t use Divine Intervention again until you finish 2d4 Long Rests.
Cleric Subclasses
A Cleric subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Cleric levels, as specified in the subclass. Each Cleric subclass is named after a domain of existence that is favored by a god, pantheon, or religious order.
Life Domain
Soothe the Hurts of the World
The Life Domain focuses on the positive energy that helps sustain all life in the multiverse. Clerics who tap into this domain are masters of healing, using that life force to cure many hurts.
Existence itself relies on the positive energy associated with this domain, so a Cleric of almost any religious tradition might choose it. This domain is particularly associated with agricultural deities, gods of healing or endurance, and gods of home and community. Religious orders of healing also seek the magic of this domain.
Level 3: Disciple of Life
When a spell you cast with a spell slot restores Hit Points to a creature, that creature regains additional Hit Points on the turn you cast the spell. The additional Hit Points equal 2 plus the spell slot’s level.
Level 3: Life Domain Spells
Your connection to this divine domain ensures you always have certain spells ready. When you reach a Cleric level specified in the Life Domain Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
Cleric Level | Prepared Spells |
---|---|
3 | Aid, Bless, Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration |
5 | Mass Healing Word, Revivify |
7 | Aura of Life, Death Ward |
9 | Greater Restoration, Mass Cure Wounds |
Level 3: Preserve Life
As a Magic action, you present your Holy Symbol and expend a use of your Channel Divinity to evoke healing energy that can restore a number of Hit Points equal to five times your Cleric level. Choose Bloodied creatures within 30 feet of yourself (which can include you), and divide those Hit Points among them. This feature can restore a creature to no more than half its Hit Point maximum.
Level 6: Blessed Healer
The healing spells you cast on others heal you as well. Immediately after you cast a spell with a spell slot that restores Hit Points to one or more creatures other than yourself, you regain Hit Points equal to 2 plus the spell slot’s level.
Level 17: Supreme Healing
When you would normally roll one or more dice to restore Hit Points to a creature with a spell or Channel Divinity, don’t roll those dice for the healing; instead use the highest number possible for each die. For example, instead of restoring 2d6 Hit Points to a creature with a spell, you restore 12.
Little bit worried about the phrasing of improved divine intervention - it says you can use wish... There's the 33% chance that you can't use Wish again If You cast wish... So does that mean that if we fail in dice roll for reusing wish at a later date, we can't cast improved divine intervention again? Seems a bit meh...
Responding to Krotue
"Hallow has a 24 hour casting time so that's all they can do for the whole day and either suffer exhaustion or pass out for 8 hours (long rest), and then spend the next day casting it again. Which the casting of it once should cause all the enemy NPCs to target the cleric and party, which would mean the cleric can't do anything in the fight because if they do something not focused on the Hallow spell the casting fails and they have to start over"
Yes, but not if they cast Hallow with Divine Intervention. Then it just takes an action to cast.
Level 10: Divine Intervention
You can call on your deity or pantheon to intervene on your behalf. As a Magic action, choose any Cleric spell of level 5 or lower that doesn’t require a Reaction to cast. As part of the same action, you cast that spell without expending a spell slot or needing Material components. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a Long Rest.
This subclass is a perfect 3-level dip for a Rogue main because it enables extremely frequent double-sneak-attacks, up to the point of being able to do them essentially at-will every battle if your DM isn't stingy with the short rests.
War Priest allows you to make a BA weapon strike WisMod times / SR. While this would normally suck, on a non-dual-wielding, Rogue that's only delivering a single attack anyway, it allows you to consistently use your Bonus Attack to deliver sneak attack damage, while you save your Action for a Ready Action instead, which allows you to trigger a second sneak attack off-turn.
There are other ways to achieve this of course but this one is dead simple, gets you a ton of useful Cleric spells, and scales into essentially at-will usability unless you're having a truly absurd number of fights between SRs.
Responding to Julchen
"So Divine Intervention (Level 10) can cast the Hallow spell without components in one action once per day?
Goodbye Strahd Campaign then"
Hallow has a 24 hour casting time so that's all they can do for the whole day and either suffer exhaustion or pass out for 8 hours (long rest), and then spend the next day casting it again. Which the casting of it once should cause all the enemy NPCs to target the cleric and party, which would mean the cleric can't do anything in the fight because if they do something not focused on the Hallow spell the casting fails and they have to start over.
To answer the common questions :
Why is only Life Domain shown here? and What about the other domains?
Short answer : the Life Domain is the free content (also called SRD). The other domains require the paid access to the WotC books. That said, there are other domains still available with the 2024 rules ...
1) The 2024 Player's Handbook contains four Domains for Clerics (i.e. similar to the number of subclasses of other classes): Life Domain, Light Domain, Trickery Domain, War Domain.
2) You can of course still use (with your DM's approval) the Domains from Xanathar's (Forge Domain & Grave Domain) and Tasha's (Order Domain, Peace Domain & Twilight Domain), etc. The Death Domain was in the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) of 2014: I do not believe there is any such rule in the 2024 version of the DMG.
3) The following domains from the 2014 Player's Handbook are no longer included in 2024, but WotC considers that 2014 rules are compatible and can be used, but check with your DM: Knowledge Domain, Nature Domain & Tempest Domain. That said, the Knowledge Domain might have a new version soon as it is being playtested in Unearthed Arcana 2025.
There may be other 5e books offering exotic Domains : which ones can be used depends solely on your DM. For example, the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide has an Arcana Domain.
So Divine Intervention (Level 10) can cast the Hallow spell without components in one action once per day?
Goodbye Strahd Campaign then
Clerics have ALWAYS been a fighting class, they're not priests, they're holy warriors who can heal and hold their own.
what happened to the war domain
love this. I love healing and as such have always played cleric. I like to fight but I've always felt better making sure others can shine by being kept alive. also they power of denying heals to a party member that wanted to be a murder hobo is so much fun.
If you want to play a class that can fight, then do that. Cleric is not and (to my knowledge) never was meant to be a big damage dealer. If you truly are the main healer of your party, at higher levels you need the spell slots and more powerful spells the cleric has. Yes, clerics can fight and have a subclass devoted to that but they are healers first and foremost. They have a place as much as any other class, you cannot hate them because they can't fight. Anyone could just as easily hate the fighter because it can't heal.
Pick Cleric if you want to heal. Pick Monk if you want to fight.
I know that people don't like to play at level 1, but if you wanted to do so now as a cleric, you can't. Level 1 already had a small issue with power, but they did offset that in other classes well like the sorcerer's really powerful innate sorcery ability or, as it always has been, the mighty rage for barbarian's. But clerics get nothing but what? "Divine Order"? All it gives you is either an extra cantrip and arcana skill proficiency or proficiency in heavy armor and martial weapons. What is that? Everyone else got something cool, but why not them? At least I still have the 2014 cleric.
This page is missing the 2 divine orders.
it... it has always been like this, free rules include one subclass for every class
i really don't get what the point of removing every subclass except one is. i guess just to get people to buy the new handbook digitally? D&D beyond is such a scam
Literally right beneath that it should list the two roles of Protector and Thaumaturge?
Wait, really? If you're talking about "Divine Order", it only says...
"You have dedicated yourself to one of the following sacred roles of your choice."
And that's it. It doesn't tell me what those "sacred roles" are. I'm guessing that's what you're talking about?
exactly, you get the choice of being a front line or back line cleric, not in anyway worse than before when the subclass picked for you
No. Only if they choose Protector over Thaumaturge.
so if you actually read the class description, you'll see that every cleric at level one gets the option to get proficiency with heavy armour lol
The legacy classes should still be available (they are still available for me) … it is a whole different class Cleric (2014) vs Cleric (2024). Go to the classes page (https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes) and scroll to the bottom