My current character is a Tempest Domain cleric who is at level 3.
Current build is
Race: V. Human (Resilient for constitution as the starting feat)
16 STR; 8 DEX; 16 CON; 8 INT; 16 WIS; 8 CHA
As were approaching level 4, I would like to think about what feats I could take to further optimize this build. I listed some feats I'm interested in getting and listed why.
Magic Initiate: Use this to take Shield as the 1st level spell, and Booming Blade and Light for cantrips. I'm the only character in the party with heavy armor and by far have the highest AC, so having Shield could help fulfill that frontline tank role. Booming Blade could provide some extra damage and Light because I don't have darkvision
Spell Sniper: Mainly for Booming Blade. Would allow me to use Booming Blade with the range of a Halberd. I was thinking combining the extra range of Booming Blade with Spirit Guardians and Spiritual Weapon to provide battlefield control and damage
Metamagic Adept: Mainly for Quickened Spell. I'm considering this option due to how it functions with Call Lightning. Quicken Spell to cast it as a bonus action, spend action to call down lightning again, and spend both destructive wraths on each bolt to potentially deal 60 damage on one turn with a 3rd level spell. Not really sure for the other metamagic option. I was considering Transmuted Spell so I could use destructive wrath on other AoE damage spells, but don't see any cleric spells that can do what Destructive Wrath or Shatter can't already do. I'm aware of Fire Storm but this campaign won't be long enough for me to use that. Unless I'm missing something, I don't think Transmuted Spell is worth it.
Any particular option that I should lean towards? Keep in mind that the campaign I'm in is going until around level 9-12, so I don't have room for many feats along with ASI's. Also I didn't list War Caster because my DM doesn't care about having to stow weapons.
Asi for wisdom? Make your spells more effective, and prepare more of them per day.
There is some debate about if spell sniper works with booming blade with the new Tasha’s version saying self 5’. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t anymore, but I haven’t been really paying attention to it.
And you do get a new cantrip at 4th, so you can take light with that, no feat needed.
Also, while I’m usually not a big fan of heavy armor master, if your campaign is ending around 9-12, and you’re the tank, it could be useful. I’ve just found that by level 10ish the value really starts to taper off as more and more opponents can bypass the DR.
Magic Initiate: Use this to take Shield as the 1st level spell, and Booming Blade and Light for cantrips. I'm the only character in the party with heavy armor and by far have the highest AC, so having Shield could help fulfill that frontline tank role. Booming Blade could provide some extra damage and Light because I don't have darkvision
I wouldn't take Magic Initiate to get Shield, as you can't cast it using your own spell slots if you take Magic Initiate in a class you're not playing, so it would only once per long rest. Usually I take Magic Initiate in the same class unless I want something I can get good value out of (like Hex since it lasts an hour), so you'd probably want to take Cleric and pick an extra spell to have prepared (and a free use of).
If the cantrip isn't super critical (as Xalthu says, you can pick one more at 4th anyway) then you might consider Fey Touched or Shadow Touched instead for an extra spell (plus Misty Step or Invisibility respectively) as both of these are half feats (boost an ability score by 1) and allow you to cast their spells using your own slots.
Also, while I’m usually not a big fan of heavy armor master, if your campaign is ending around 9-12, and you’re the tank, it could be useful. I’ve just found that by level 10ish the value really starts to taper off as more and more opponents can bypass the DR.
I actually think Heavy Armor Master scales okay; even at higher levels a lot of enemies still deal regular damage. An Ancient Red Dragon for example still only deals ordinary slashing damage with its claws; of course three points off that damage isn't game changing, but it does add up over time (and multiple attacks). Against groups of enemies, especially large groups or groups with multiple attacks each, then it adds up quick, so it never really loses value, it just isn't quite such a large portion of your health saved as it is earlier on.
For protection I'd maybe also suggest Shield Master (assuming op is using a one handed weapon and shield); bonus action shove can be a huge benefit as you (and allies) get advantage against a prone enemy, though it being a bonus action means it conflicts with Spiritual Weapon when that's active, you can also add your AC to targeted DEX saves, and/or use your reaction to take no damage when you pass a DEX save. Downside compared to Heavy Armor Master is it's not a half feat (no ability score bonus), but your scores all appear to be even anyway.
Can't really say what is the best pick though without knowing more; since all your stats are already even though then a half feat is a trickier pick (as they're best when a corresponding score is odd so you'll increase the modifier), and there's nothing that you desperately need. Sentinel can help with tanking by preventing an enemy from bypassing you (can always take an attack of opportunity, and reduce its speed to zero) and gives you an extra attack option, but it's a bit situational for a feat choice so soon IMO. Really the correct choice depends most on your character; what would make them feel more like the character you want to play as?
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Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
What you can do is take the Aberrant Dragonmark instead of Magic Initiate.
You lose one cantrip, but you gain +1 con, and your spell recharges on a short rest, which means you'll be able to use shield 3 or 4 times a day instead of once. I'm considering it for my Hexblade just because it's much better than expending a high level slot to cast shield against attacks. Take booming blade and shield and you're good to go.
Actually, with your 16/17 constitution you could even pick a ranged damage cantrip and you'd be casting it with the same chance of hitting as if you were casting it with your wisdom.
I am playing a Tempest Cleric currently lvl 14. At level 12 I took the Metamagic Adept feat, and choose the Distant Spell and the Extended Spell options.
I've found the Extended Spell very useful for doubling the duration of the Aura of Vitality, Death Ward, and Aid spells. Aura of Vitality was great for healing the party both during then after combat. If I had spell slots and any metamagic points left before a long rest then I would cast either Death Ward or Aid and double their 8 hr duration, so as to give an 8 hour buff after the long rest, with all the spell slots recovered.
I thought the Distant option might be useful for getting the 30 ft range on touch spells ie. Inflict Wounds, but haven't used it yet, and will probably change it out at the next ASI level.
Transmute with firestorm is absolutely ridiculous! Finally a monster aoe for the tempest domain and if you transmute to lightning everything in its area gets pushed back 10 feet.
I know I'm late to the party, so this is more for future reference if anyone else finds this little thread.
Booming Blade is fine, as you only get one attack anyway, and [Tooltip Not Found] does, then you need a free hand. Which means you're not walking around with your a shield out. You don't have to, you can always wear an amulet and fight with a Two-Handed weapon like a maul, but it's worth considering. (I know your DM doesn't care about stowing weapons, and I think that's dumb.) If you're not picking cleric spells, I suggest picking something with a longer duration so that spell really sees some mileage.
Spell Sniper no longer works with Booming Blade because the spell's range is now "Self (Range XYZ)" and those spells cannot have their range extended. So, no, this cannot be used to cast the spell out to a reach of 10 feet with a halberd. It would, however, still boost the range of spells like [spell]Guiding Bolt[spell] so it's not a total loss.
As for metamagic options...
Quickened Spell is fine, but you won't get Call Lightning until 5th level. And you won't be able to use that combo with Destructive Wrath until 6th level. At which point you've expended all your uses of Channel Divinity until you take a short rest. If you want to put your eggs all in one basket you can, but it's not a strategy I recommend for long-term success.
Transmuted Spell is, in my opinion, next-to-worthless. Aside from changing Lighting-to-Thunder (both being "strong" damage types) and vice versa, it's only really usable with Flame Strike, Fire Storm, and Ice Storm. The earliest it becomes relavent is 7th level, and it's to remove a different damage type from your repertoire. That actually reduces your options.
[REDACTED]
Notes: Please remember to be courteous to other users
I know I'm late to the party, so this is more for future reference if anyone else finds this little thread.
Booming Blade is fine, as you only get one attack anyway, and [Tooltip Not Found] does, then you need a free hand. Which means you're not walking around with your a shield out. You don't have to, you can always wear an amulet and fight with a Two-Handed weapon like a maul, but it's worth considering. (I know your DM doesn't care about stowing weapons, and I think that's dumb.) If you're not picking cleric spells, I suggest picking something with a longer duration so that spell really sees some mileage.
Spell Sniper no longer works with Booming Blade because the spell's range is now "Self (Range XYZ)" and those spells cannot have their range extended. So, no, this cannot be used to cast the spell out to a reach of 10 feet with a halberd. It would, however, still boost the range of spells like [spell]Guiding Bolt[spell] so it's not a total loss.
As for metamagic options...
Quickened Spell is fine, but you won't get Call Lightning until 5th level. And you won't be able to use that combo with Destructive Wrath until 6th level. At which point you've expended all your uses of Channel Divinity until you take a short rest. If you want to put your eggs all in one basket you can, but it's not a strategy I recommend for long-term success.
Transmuted Spell is, in my opinion, next-to-worthless. Aside from changing Lighting-to-Thunder (both being "strong" damage types) and vice versa, it's only really usable with Flame Strike, Fire Storm, and Ice Storm. The earliest it becomes relavent is 7th level, and it's to remove a different damage type from your repertoire. That actually reduces your options.
I'm going to be honest, I already kind of hate a character where someone just gave themselves 3 15s via point buy with the sole purpose of getting three 16s after ability score improvements from their race. I hope you have fun, and I hope it's not at the expense of everyone else.
Yikes! You seem fun. Every table and every character is different than your preconceived idea of good, or fun, or whatever. Shove off matey.
I can be a lot of fun, actually. I just loathe what I consider toxic optimization.
Any ASI spread works with point buy...at least everyone is on the same footing. Rolling for stats on the other hand tends to breed more optimization in my experience as people generally only want to roll so they get better stats not random ones. 9 out of 10 times I have seen rolling for stats they have an "out" for low stats like letting them use point buy anyway if you roll poorly. IMO this is much worse than just using point buy and putting your points exactly where you want them...at least everyone is on the same page.
As for Tempest Cleric build you might consider Crusher feat along with Booming Blade. The free shove 5ft means that you can move and hopefully proc the BB movement damage.
You might also consider Telekinetic for the same reason but also because you can pull people into your Spirit Guardian spell!
War Caster is a must-have, because it helps you maintain concentration on potent control spells like call lightning, sleet storm, and insect plague while going head-to-head in close-quarters combat. Sentinel can be useful for trapping unfortunate creatures in your insect plague. Metamagic Adept for quickening call lightning, so you can call down two lightning bolts in one turn. Or quicken ice storm while you use your action to make a melee weapon attack. Magic Initiate allows you to get booming blade, which can punish enemies that attempt to move out of your sleet storm, insect plague, or gust of wind. With Metamagic Adept, you can get Transmuted Spell, which allows you to transmute fire storm to deal lightning or thunder damage. Besides getting a better damage type, fire storm suddenly becomes eligable for Destructive Wrath, dealing 70 damage on a failed save. Unfortunately, clerics don't have much burst damage spells that deal elemental damage.
The feat I would priorize first is War Caster, which is vital for any melee cleric, or just clerics in general.
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Brains over brawn? Mind over matter? These canny warriors rightly answer, "Why not both?" - Tasha
My current character is a Tempest Domain cleric who is at level 3.
Current build is
As were approaching level 4, I would like to think about what feats I could take to further optimize this build. I listed some feats I'm interested in getting and listed why.
Any particular option that I should lean towards? Keep in mind that the campaign I'm in is going until around level 9-12, so I don't have room for many feats along with ASI's. Also I didn't list War Caster because my DM doesn't care about having to stow weapons.
Asi for wisdom? Make your spells more effective, and prepare more of them per day.
There is some debate about if spell sniper works with booming blade with the new Tasha’s version saying self 5’. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t anymore, but I haven’t been really paying attention to it.
And you do get a new cantrip at 4th, so you can take light with that, no feat needed.
Also, while I’m usually not a big fan of heavy armor master, if your campaign is ending around 9-12, and you’re the tank, it could be useful. I’ve just found that by level 10ish the value really starts to taper off as more and more opponents can bypass the DR.
I wouldn't take Magic Initiate to get Shield, as you can't cast it using your own spell slots if you take Magic Initiate in a class you're not playing, so it would only once per long rest. Usually I take Magic Initiate in the same class unless I want something I can get good value out of (like Hex since it lasts an hour), so you'd probably want to take Cleric and pick an extra spell to have prepared (and a free use of).
If the cantrip isn't super critical (as Xalthu says, you can pick one more at 4th anyway) then you might consider Fey Touched or Shadow Touched instead for an extra spell (plus Misty Step or Invisibility respectively) as both of these are half feats (boost an ability score by 1) and allow you to cast their spells using your own slots.
I actually think Heavy Armor Master scales okay; even at higher levels a lot of enemies still deal regular damage. An Ancient Red Dragon for example still only deals ordinary slashing damage with its claws; of course three points off that damage isn't game changing, but it does add up over time (and multiple attacks). Against groups of enemies, especially large groups or groups with multiple attacks each, then it adds up quick, so it never really loses value, it just isn't quite such a large portion of your health saved as it is earlier on.
For protection I'd maybe also suggest Shield Master (assuming op is using a one handed weapon and shield); bonus action shove can be a huge benefit as you (and allies) get advantage against a prone enemy, though it being a bonus action means it conflicts with Spiritual Weapon when that's active, you can also add your AC to targeted DEX saves, and/or use your reaction to take no damage when you pass a DEX save. Downside compared to Heavy Armor Master is it's not a half feat (no ability score bonus), but your scores all appear to be even anyway.
Can't really say what is the best pick though without knowing more; since all your stats are already even though then a half feat is a trickier pick (as they're best when a corresponding score is odd so you'll increase the modifier), and there's nothing that you desperately need. Sentinel can help with tanking by preventing an enemy from bypassing you (can always take an attack of opportunity, and reduce its speed to zero) and gives you an extra attack option, but it's a bit situational for a feat choice so soon IMO. Really the correct choice depends most on your character; what would make them feel more like the character you want to play as?
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
What you can do is take the Aberrant Dragonmark instead of Magic Initiate.
You lose one cantrip, but you gain +1 con, and your spell recharges on a short rest, which means you'll be able to use shield 3 or 4 times a day instead of once. I'm considering it for my Hexblade just because it's much better than expending a high level slot to cast shield against attacks. Take booming blade and shield and you're good to go.
Actually, with your 16/17 constitution you could even pick a ranged damage cantrip and you'd be casting it with the same chance of hitting as if you were casting it with your wisdom.
I am playing a Tempest Cleric currently lvl 14. At level 12 I took the Metamagic Adept feat, and choose the Distant Spell and the Extended Spell options.
I've found the Extended Spell very useful for doubling the duration of the Aura of Vitality, Death Ward, and Aid spells. Aura of Vitality was great for healing the party both during then after combat. If I had spell slots and any metamagic points left before a long rest then I would cast either Death Ward or Aid and double their 8 hr duration, so as to give an 8 hour buff after the long rest, with all the spell slots recovered.
I thought the Distant option might be useful for getting the 30 ft range on touch spells ie. Inflict Wounds, but haven't used it yet, and will probably change it out at the next ASI level.
Transmute with firestorm is absolutely ridiculous! Finally a monster aoe for the tempest domain and if you transmute to lightning everything in its area gets pushed back 10 feet.
[REDACTED]
Yikes! You seem fun. Every table and every character is different than your preconceived idea of good, or fun, or whatever. Shove off matey.
I can be a lot of fun, actually. I just loathe what I consider toxic optimization.
Any ASI spread works with point buy...at least everyone is on the same footing. Rolling for stats on the other hand tends to breed more optimization in my experience as people generally only want to roll so they get better stats not random ones. 9 out of 10 times I have seen rolling for stats they have an "out" for low stats like letting them use point buy anyway if you roll poorly. IMO this is much worse than just using point buy and putting your points exactly where you want them...at least everyone is on the same page.
As for Tempest Cleric build you might consider Crusher feat along with Booming Blade. The free shove 5ft means that you can move and hopefully proc the BB movement damage.
You might also consider Telekinetic for the same reason but also because you can pull people into your Spirit Guardian spell!
War Caster is a must-have, because it helps you maintain concentration on potent control spells like call lightning, sleet storm, and insect plague while going head-to-head in close-quarters combat. Sentinel can be useful for trapping unfortunate creatures in your insect plague. Metamagic Adept for quickening call lightning, so you can call down two lightning bolts in one turn. Or quicken ice storm while you use your action to make a melee weapon attack. Magic Initiate allows you to get booming blade, which can punish enemies that attempt to move out of your sleet storm, insect plague, or gust of wind. With Metamagic Adept, you can get Transmuted Spell, which allows you to transmute fire storm to deal lightning or thunder damage. Besides getting a better damage type, fire storm suddenly becomes eligable for Destructive Wrath, dealing 70 damage on a failed save. Unfortunately, clerics don't have much burst damage spells that deal elemental damage.
The feat I would priorize first is War Caster, which is vital for any melee cleric, or just clerics in general.
Brains over brawn? Mind over matter? These canny warriors rightly answer, "Why not both?" - Tasha
My Homebrews: Monsters, Magic Items, Spells, Races
Rhulg- Hobgoblin Gunsmith
"toxic" huh?