Cleric Class Details
Arms and eyes upraised toward the sun and a prayer on his lips, an elf begins to glow with an inner light that spills out to heal his battle-worn companions.
Chanting a song of glory, a dwarf swings his axe in wide swaths to cut through the ranks of orcs arrayed against him, shouting praise to the gods with every foe’s fall.
Calling down a curse upon the forces of undeath, a human lifts her holy symbol as light pours from it to drive back the zombies crowding in on her companions.
Clerics are intermediaries between the mortal world and the distant planes of the gods. As varied as the gods they serve, clerics strive to embody the handiwork of their deities. No ordinary priest, a cleric is imbued with divine magic.
Healers and Warriors
Divine magic, as the name suggests, is the power of the gods, flowing from them into the world. Clerics are conduits for that power, manifesting it as miraculous effects. The gods don’t grant this power to everyone who seeks it, but only to those chosen to fulfill a high calling.
Harnessing divine magic doesn’t rely on study or training. A cleric might learn formulaic prayers and ancient rites, but the ability to cast cleric spells relies on devotion and an intuitive sense of a deity’s wishes.
Clerics combine the helpful magic of healing and inspiring their allies with spells that harm and hinder foes. They can provoke awe and dread, lay curses of plague or poison, and even call down flames from heaven to consume their enemies. For those evildoers who will benefit most from a mace to the head, clerics depend on their combat training to let them wade into melee with the power of the gods on their side.
Divine Agents
Not every acolyte or officiant at a temple or shrine is a cleric. Some priests are called to a simple life of temple service, carrying out their gods’ will through prayer and sacrifice, not by magic and strength of arms. In some cities, priesthood amounts to a political office, viewed as a stepping stone to higher positions of authority and involving no communion with a god at all. True clerics are rare in most hierarchies.
When a cleric takes up an adventuring life, it is usually because his or her god demands it. Pursuing the goals of the gods often involves braving dangers in unsettled lands, smiting evil, or seeking holy relics in ancient tombs. Many clerics are also expected to protect their deities’ worshipers, which can mean fighting enemy raiders, negotiating peace between warring nations, or sealing a portal that would allow a demon prince to enter the world.
Most adventuring clerics maintain some connection to established temples and orders of their faiths. A temple might ask for a cleric’s aid, or a high priest might be in a position to demand it.
Creating a Cleric
As you create a cleric, the most important question to consider is which deity to serve and what principles you want your character to embody. The Gods of the Multiverse section includes lists of many of the gods of the multiverse. Check with your DM to learn which deities are in your campaign.
Once you’ve chosen a deity, consider your cleric’s relationship to that god. Did you enter this service willingly? Or did the god choose you, impelling you into service with no regard for your wishes? How do the temple priests of your faith regard you: as a champion or a troublemaker? What are your ultimate goals? Does your deity have a special task in mind for you? Or are you striving to prove yourself worthy of a great quest?
QUICK BUILD
You can make a cleric quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength or Constitution. Second, choose the acolyte background.
The Cleric Table
Level |
Proficiency Bonus |
Features |
Cantrips |
—Spell Slots per Spell Level— |
||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
7th |
8th |
9th |
||||
1st |
+2 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
2nd |
+2 |
Channel Divinity (1/rest), Divine Domain Feature |
3 |
3 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
3rd |
+2 |
— |
3 |
4 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
4th |
+2 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
5th |
+3 |
Destroy Undead (CR 1/2) |
4 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6th |
+3 |
Channel Divinity (2/rest), Divine Domain Feature |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
7th |
+3 |
— |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
8th |
+3 |
Ability Score Improvement, Destroy Undead (CR 1), Divine Domain Feature |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
9th |
+4 |
— |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
10th |
+4 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
11th |
+4 |
Destroy Undead (CR 2) |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
12th |
+4 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
|
13th |
+5 |
— |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
— |
— |
14th |
+5 |
Destroy Undead (CR 3) |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
— |
— |
15th |
+5 |
— |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
— |
16th |
+5 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
— |
|
17th |
+6 |
Destroy Undead (CR 4), Divine Domain Feature |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
18th |
+6 |
Channel Divinity (3/rest) |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
19th |
+6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
20th |
+6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Class Features
As a cleric, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per cleric level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per cleric level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a mace or (b) a warhammer (if proficient)
- (a) scale mail, (b) leather armor, or (c) chain mail (if proficient)
- (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
- (a) a priest’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
- A shield and a holy symbol
Spellcasting
As a conduit for divine power, you can cast cleric spells. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the cleric spell list.
Cantrips
At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. You learn additional cleric cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Cleric table.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Cleric table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your cleric spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of cleric spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the cleric spell list. When you do so, choose a number of cleric spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your cleric level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 3rd-level cleric, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of cleric spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your cleric spells. The power of your spells comes from your devotion to your deity. You use your Wisdom whenever a cleric spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a cleric spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Ritual Casting
You can cast a cleric spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.
Spellcasting Focus
You can use a holy symbol (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your cleric spells.
Divine Domain
Choose one domain related to your deity. Your choice grants you domain spells and other features when you choose it at 1st level. It also grants you additional ways to use Channel Divinity when you gain that feature at 2nd level, and additional benefits at 6th, 8th, and 17th levels.
Domain Spells
Each domain has a list of spells — its domain spells — that you gain at the cleric levels noted in the domain description. Once you gain a domain spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
If you have a domain spell that doesn’t appear on the cleric spell list, the spell is nonetheless a cleric spell for you.
Channel Divinity
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to channel divine energy directly from your deity, using that energy to fuel magical effects. You start with two such effects: Turn Undead and an effect determined by your domain. Some domains grant you additional effects as you advance in levels, as noted in the domain description.
When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which effect to create. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Channel Divinity again.
Some Channel Divinity effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your cleric spell save DC.
Beginning at 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity twice between rests, and beginning at 18th level, you can use it three times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses.
Channel Divinity: Turn Undead
As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer censuring the undead. Each undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes any damage.
A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
Destroy Undead
Starting at 5th level, when an undead fails its saving throw against your Turn Undead feature, the creature is instantly destroyed if its challenge rating is at or below a certain threshold, as shown in the Destroy Undead table.
Cleric Level | Destroys Undead of CR … |
---|---|
5th | 1/2 or lower |
8th | 1 or lower |
11th | 2 or lower |
14th | 3 or lower |
17th | 4 or lower |
Divine Intervention
Beginning at 10th level, you can call on your deity to intervene on your behalf when your need is great.
Imploring your deity’s aid requires you to use your action. Describe the assistance you seek, and roll percentile dice. If you roll a number equal to or lower than your cleric level, your deity intervenes. The DM chooses the nature of the intervention; the effect of any cleric spell or cleric domain spell would be appropriate.
If your deity intervenes, you can’t use this feature again for 7 days. Otherwise, you can use it again after you finish a long rest.
At 20th level, your call for intervention succeeds automatically, no roll required.
Divine Domains
In a pantheon, every deity has influence over different aspects of mortal life and civilization, called a deity’s domain. All the domains over which a deity has influence are called the deity’s portfolio. For example, the portfolio of the Greek god Apollo includes the domains of Knowledge, Life, and Light. As a cleric, you choose one aspect of your deity’s portfolio to emphasize, and you are granted powers related to that domain.
Your choice might correspond to a particular sect dedicated to your deity. Apollo, for example, could be worshiped in one region as Phoebus (“radiant”) Apollo, emphasizing his influence over the Light domain, and in a different place as Apollo Acesius (“healing”), emphasizing his association with the Life domain. Alternatively, your choice of domain could simply be a matter of personal preference, the aspect of the deity that appeals to you most.
Each domain’s description gives examples of deities who have influence over that domain. Gods are included from the worlds of the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, and Eberron campaign settings, as well as from the Celtic, Greek, Norse, and Egyptian pantheons of antiquity.
Life Domain
The Life domain focuses on the vibrant positive energy — one of the fundamental forces of the universe — that sustains all life. The gods of life promote vitality and health through healing the sick and wounded, caring for those in need, and driving away the forces of death and undeath. Almost any non-evil deity can claim influence over this domain, particularly agricultural deities (such as Chauntea, Arawai, and Demeter), sun gods (such as Lathander, Pelor, and Re-Horakhty), gods of healing or endurance (such as Ilmater, Mishakal, Apollo, and Diancecht), and gods of home and community (such as Hestia, Hathor, and Boldrei).
Life Domain Spells
Cleric Level | Spells |
---|---|
1st |
|
3rd |
|
5th |
|
7th |
|
9th |
Bonus Proficiency
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor.
Disciple of Life
Also starting at 1st level, your healing spells are more effective. Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.
Channel Divinity: Preserve Life
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to heal the badly injured.
As an action, you present your holy symbol and evoke healing energy that can restore a number of hit points equal to five times your cleric level. Choose any creatures within 30 feet of you, and divide those hit points among them. This feature can restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum. You can’t use this feature on an undead or a construct.
Blessed Healer
Beginning at 6th level, the healing spells you cast on others heal you as well. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature other than you, you regain hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.
Divine Strike
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Supreme Healing
Starting at 17th level, when you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell, you instead use the highest number possible for each die. For example, instead of restoring 2d6 hit points to a creature, you restore 12.
Hi, RAW you cannot change your cantrips daily. What can be changed daily are prepared spells, where as cantrips are known spells. Below are a few links to sage advice with clarity on the matter, but as Mike said there isn't much harm mechanically to allow changes to cantrips.
If anyone has anything more recent please share.
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/12/09/are-cantrips-in-5e-permanent-picks-or-can-i-switch-them-out/
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/12/26/is-it-possible-to-replace-a-know-cantrip/
TL;DR - Yes, a cleric can change cantrips after each long rest.
I can't speak for all other classes, but Clerics have access to all Clerical cantrips/spells up to (and including) the maximum spell level they are allowed to cast. No spell books that need to have the spells written in them in order for you to have access to them, your cantrips/spells are granted to you through prayer each day by your deity. After each long rest, you choose which of your available cantrips/spells you want access to for the day. You do not need to memorize any cantrip/spell more than once for that day.
Let's say you get four 1st level spell slots. Go ahead and memorize four different 1st level spells. You can cast each of those spells once each for that day, or the same 1st level spell (such as Healing Word) all four times during that day, or any combination of those spells for a total of four 1st level spells that day. As a Cleric, you only burn a single cantrip/spell *slot* when you cast a spell. No need to memorize Healing Word into all four slots for the same day.
Tempest Cleric is best, change my mind
Can clerics change cantrips after a long rest? It is my understanding that no classes can change them.
Reaper only applies to Necromancy cantrips, 0 level spells. The 17th level Improved Reaper extends that benefit to 1st through 5th level Necromancy spells.
At first level, the Death Domain cleric can use Reaper to cast Toll the Dead on two targets within 5 feet of each other instead of just one. However, the cleric cannot use this ability to affect more than one target with the spell Blindness/Deafness. At 17th level, the cleric is now able to affect two targets, within 5 feet of each other and in range of the spell, with Blindness/Deafness and any other Necromancy spell that meets the restrictions.
Death Domain is a lot of flash, without much actual fire. That is probably why it is in the DMG as an example, and not really a mainstream option the way D&D Beyond (inadvertently, imo) seems to make it appear. It's one of the few features in 5e that is kind of a trap.
I'm very new to D&D, so this site and all its resources are proving invaluable for helping me get a handle on things. That said, I'm tripping up on something in the Death Domain (quoted from above):
Reaper
At 1st level, the cleric learns one necromancy cantrip of his or her choice from any spell list. When the cleric casts a necromancy cantrip that normally targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range and within 5 feet of each other.
Improved Reaper
Starting at 17th level, when the cleric casts a necromancy spell of 1st through 5th level that targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range and within 5 feet of each other. If the spell consumes its material components, the cleric must provide them for each target.
From what I can tell, BOTH Reaper AND Improved Reaper allow a necromancy cantrip to target two cretures within range & who are within five feet of each other. The only difference between them is a reference to material components having to be provided in Improved Reaper.
Why are material components not an issue at the "ordinary" Reaper? Wouldn't this make the ability a stronger version of the two? Or is the 'ordinary' Reaper limited to necromancy spells of 1st level, while Improved Reaper permits 2nd through 5th... but ONLY when they attain player level 17?
What am I missing here?
That hasn't been a rule in 25-30 years
f
I am aware, you only need to take one bonus action to make two attacks. One with the action, one with the bonus action.
I played Basic D&D back in the 80s, which was where I got it from. For details as to why it was this way, it'd be easier for me to just give you a link to the various reasons rather than to copy, paste, and edit here...
https://www.quora.com/In-Dungeons-Dragons-why-are-clerics-forbidden-from-using-edged-weapons
I'm very new to 5e. Your statement raises some serious red flags in my mind about this edition.
You're telling me that the Cleric couldn't use edged weapons? Why on earth not? Clerics come in every alignment and worship all manner of gods. It makes no sense that a cleric devoted to, say, some evil god of bloodletting would be restricted to only using maces when a bladed weapon would make 100000% more sense.
I'm trying. I'm trying really, really hard to get into 5e, but it's so incredibly restrictive. For clarification, I played originally during the 3.5e era. You could do damn near anything back then.
At the risk of sounding like an elitist snob, I'm not a fan of the efforts of 4/5e to make D&D appealing to the mainstream audience. Wizards is really dumbing the product down. I miss complexity and flexibility.
5th edition is the only one where I wouldn't mind playing a cleric on a consistent basis, because the versatility this class has is unreal.
This was one of the first things I noticed about Clerics. I have been away from AD&D for about 20 years :(.
The life cleric giveth the life cleric taketh away
Clerics haven't had that restriction since 3.x.
I've seen a few variations on this retort, and I guess it's time to set the record straight. (No offense to Doggonit.)
In classical parlance, "drawing blood" doesn't just mean "to cause someone to bleed", the idea is that if one passes the sharp edge of a blade across the skin, the resultant line that has been drawn will bleed.
I believe there was a real-world prohibition against interrogators causing... "interviewees" to bleed. The interpretation of that prohibition led to blunt force becoming the tactic of choice since internal bleeding was not expressly forbidden.
As a way to differentiate Clerics from other classes when it came to combat options (and ensure that not everyone was wielding boring old common swords), original D&D books gave them this restriction.
For the record, I am also surprised to realize that this restriction has been done away with. Once you have a mental image of white-robed Clerics wielding maces, war hammers and staves, it's hard to make machetes, halberds and battleaxes seem like appropriate gear. Even now, when one conjures up an image search for clerics, it's hard to find one wielding an edged weapon (without also wearing Paladin-style armor).
An 8th level cleric can use divine smite and add 1d8 to a melee weapon hit. A 15th level cleric can cast Antimagic Field which says
So is the divine smite then a power of divine manifestation and therefore still work inside the area of the AmF?
As in a 15th+ level cleric goes AmF and then puts the smack down on people getting his bonus damage added?
Thanks! I just saw on the feats (which our group doesn't use yet cause we are noobs)
When you are within 5 feet of a creature who is paralyzed, any hits are treated as critical hits.
Also 13 damage comes from +3 strength bonus and +10 from a Great Weapon Master feat attack. The trade off is you take a -5 to your attack roll, so you're less likely to hit but more likely to hurt if you did hit.