So I'm doing a campaign with my friends that are all pretty new so I decided I'm going to be the healer in the life domain so I should probably ask questions now... 1 What weapon should I use (1 handed) 2, What would be a few good spells damage and heal wise also should I up my con or dex? I'm kinda new to d&d but I have played a few campaigns so I'm wondering what race I should use
In the future, it's better to start your own thread for this kind of thing. But here we go. Scatterbrained I think gave solid advice as far as weapons and gear. As for spells, on cantrips, make sure to take guidance and one damage cantrip, either sacred flame or toll the dead, but not both. For your third cantrip, sky is the limit, Thaumaturgy can be really fun, light will be key if you don't have darkvision, but if someone else in the party already has it, you should be OK. Mending can be really useful.
At first level, you'll have bless and cure wounds as domain spells, which you'd want both of anyway, so you're good there. You should also prepare healing word. Some people swear by guiding bolt, but personally I'm not a fan, just because I have terrible luck with it, and for some reason have never actually hit with that spell. Command is another good option.
Most people point out that mathematically, its usually better not to heal people during a fight until they've actually dropped. Then you use a healing word to get them back up. I don't really subscribe to that philosophy and will sometimes lay out a heal or two to try and keep people from dropping. You're going to have to see what works better for your group.
A dex llfe cleric while less common than a strength based is entirly viable. With a dex of +2 (which you should have from the start if you go dex based) scale mail gives you the same AC as chain mail. Dex is also usefuul for things like saving thoros (much more frequent than strength saves) and initiative. The main disadvantage is when you can afford plate you wont be able tyo wear it without a movement penalty so your AC will be 1 lower. In the very short term there may also be an issue with start weapons. If you are using variant encumberance I would however forget this option as you would need strength 11 just to wear scale mail and a shield without being encombered (and that is before things like weapons, rope, rations and treasure.
Rules as written the only dex based melee weapon you can get as starting equipment is a dagger which only does 1d4+dex damage compared to 1d8+str for a warhammer. If you are intendeing to mainly be a ranged fighter that is not a probel as you will be using a crossbow or your cantrips for the bulk of your actions in combat. If you are going to be mostly melee your DM might allow you to swap the warhammer for a short-sword or rapier alternatively you can still use cantrips as sacred flame and toll the dead require saves so you are not at disadvantage whenyou have a foe within 5ft of you. In any case you should be able ot afford a rapier very early on. I have a twilight cleric that I play like that.
If you are using the Tasha's rule that allows you to swap ability scores pick a race that you will enjoy playing, mechanically variant human will give you a feat losing one ASI but not have darkvision. There are small mechanical features of other races such a dwarf poison resistance but nothing huge.
Regarding what to have as your second stat it doesn't really matter and you might end up with them both being the same. If you are going to be using cantips most of the time you only need either 14 dex or 15 str (and strength can be less than that if you use your ASI at level 4 to get it to 15 and you will be unlikely to get splint or plate before then), so in that case you can make con the second stat, if you are a lot of weapon attacks than the attack miodifier for that might be more important. You don't NEED Int, Cha or Dex/str (the one not being used for AC and/or weapon attacks) so assign them as you see fit. I feel as if clerics should be reasonable intelligent so they know about religion and history, but if you want to be and unread fervently devout type who only knows about their own god and knows nothing about anything else then that is fine.
You must take one of healing word and cure wounds but they are so similar that I tend to prepare only one or the other. Healing word only takes a bonus action so you can cast that and make an attack on your turn, you also don't need to move to the person needing healing, possibly drawing an op attack so I think it is the better option dispite healing less. When you reachy third level if you have spiritual weapon up for major fights is becomes less of a difference.
You will probably use most of you spell slots for bless and healing command is a good option, someone in the partty should also be able to detect magic (though not necessarily you)
When you reach level 3 there are a lot of second level spells that might be of interest and you might start changing them more frequently. If you know you are going to be negotiating with someone prepare enhance ability and cast it on the party face before you go in. Blindness can be great to use on spellcasters and most spells require you to see the target, hold person is a great control spell, but only works on humanoids, preyer of healing does a lot of healing for occasions where you might have 10 minutes respite but not an hour (e.g. in the middle of a dungeon). You will always have lesser restoration and spirituiual weapon prepared, which is great as most clerics will prepare them anyway. Spirituial weapon is one of the few spells that does sustained damage without requiring concentrationwhile lesser restoration is a great to have when you need it spell.
DEX is always viable no matter the class. Only plate has more AC than medium or light amor of a DEX build and only 2-handed melee weapons don't have a finesse equivalent. Dex is also far more relevant in saves and ability checks.
Barbarians are the only class that need to use STR to be fully effective, paladins only need it to multiclass.
So a 7 paragraph essay is not necessary to prove the viability of DEX builds, I did it in 3 sentences.
Medium Armor Clerics are Best Clerics IMO....being able to keep your DEX at 14 is hugely helpful in builds where you might need to fill a partial role somewhere else (INT, CHA, or CON).
STR builds rely on being able to get Plate ASAP to get that AC boost. 1500 GP is a lot generally to ask for for a mundane item.
In the future, it's better to start your own thread for this kind of thing. But here we go. Scatterbrained I think gave solid advice as far as weapons and gear. As for spells, on cantrips, make sure to take guidance and one damage cantrip, either sacred flame or toll the dead, but not both. For your third cantrip, sky is the limit, Thaumaturgy can be really fun, light will be key if you don't have darkvision, but if someone else in the party already has it, you should be OK. Mending can be really useful.
At first level, you'll have bless and cure wounds as domain spells, which you'd want both of anyway, so you're good there. You should also prepare healing word. Some people swear by guiding bolt, but personally I'm not a fan, just because I have terrible luck with it, and for some reason have never actually hit with that spell. Command is another good option.
Most people point out that mathematically, its usually better not to heal people during a fight until they've actually dropped. Then you use a healing word to get them back up. I don't really subscribe to that philosophy and will sometimes lay out a heal or two to try and keep people from dropping. You're going to have to see what works better for your group.
A dex llfe cleric while less common than a strength based is entirly viable. With a dex of +2 (which you should have from the start if you go dex based) scale mail gives you the same AC as chain mail. Dex is also usefuul for things like saving thoros (much more frequent than strength saves) and initiative. The main disadvantage is when you can afford plate you wont be able tyo wear it without a movement penalty so your AC will be 1 lower. In the very short term there may also be an issue with start weapons. If you are using variant encumberance I would however forget this option as you would need strength 11 just to wear scale mail and a shield without being encombered (and that is before things like weapons, rope, rations and treasure.
Rules as written the only dex based melee weapon you can get as starting equipment is a dagger which only does 1d4+dex damage compared to 1d8+str for a warhammer. If you are intendeing to mainly be a ranged fighter that is not a probel as you will be using a crossbow or your cantrips for the bulk of your actions in combat. If you are going to be mostly melee your DM might allow you to swap the warhammer for a short-sword or rapier alternatively you can still use cantrips as sacred flame and toll the dead require saves so you are not at disadvantage whenyou have a foe within 5ft of you. In any case you should be able ot afford a rapier very early on. I have a twilight cleric that I play like that.
If you are using the Tasha's rule that allows you to swap ability scores pick a race that you will enjoy playing, mechanically variant human will give you a feat losing one ASI but not have darkvision. There are small mechanical features of other races such a dwarf poison resistance but nothing huge.
Regarding what to have as your second stat it doesn't really matter and you might end up with them both being the same. If you are going to be using cantips most of the time you only need either 14 dex or 15 str (and strength can be less than that if you use your ASI at level 4 to get it to 15 and you will be unlikely to get splint or plate before then), so in that case you can make con the second stat, if you are a lot of weapon attacks than the attack miodifier for that might be more important. You don't NEED Int, Cha or Dex/str (the one not being used for AC and/or weapon attacks) so assign them as you see fit. I feel as if clerics should be reasonable intelligent so they know about religion and history, but if you want to be and unread fervently devout type who only knows about their own god and knows nothing about anything else then that is fine.
You must take one of healing word and cure wounds but they are so similar that I tend to prepare only one or the other. Healing word only takes a bonus action so you can cast that and make an attack on your turn, you also don't need to move to the person needing healing, possibly drawing an op attack so I think it is the better option dispite healing less. When you reachy third level if you have spiritual weapon up for major fights is becomes less of a difference.
You will probably use most of you spell slots for bless and healing command is a good option, someone in the partty should also be able to detect magic (though not necessarily you)
When you reach level 3 there are a lot of second level spells that might be of interest and you might start changing them more frequently. If you know you are going to be negotiating with someone prepare enhance ability and cast it on the party face before you go in. Blindness can be great to use on spellcasters and most spells require you to see the target, hold person is a great control spell, but only works on humanoids, preyer of healing does a lot of healing for occasions where you might have 10 minutes respite but not an hour (e.g. in the middle of a dungeon). You will always have lesser restoration and spirituiual weapon prepared, which is great as most clerics will prepare them anyway. Spirituial weapon is one of the few spells that does sustained damage without requiring concentrationwhile lesser restoration is a great to have when you need it spell.
DEX is always viable no matter the class. Only plate has more AC than medium or light amor of a DEX build and only 2-handed melee weapons don't have a finesse equivalent. Dex is also far more relevant in saves and ability checks.
Barbarians are the only class that need to use STR to be fully effective, paladins only need it to multiclass.
So a 7 paragraph essay is not necessary to prove the viability of DEX builds, I did it in 3 sentences.
Medium Armor Clerics are Best Clerics IMO....being able to keep your DEX at 14 is hugely helpful in builds where you might need to fill a partial role somewhere else (INT, CHA, or CON).
STR builds rely on being able to get Plate ASAP to get that AC boost. 1500 GP is a lot generally to ask for for a mundane item.
ok thanks this helped a lot but one thing how do you make your own chain
There’s crafting rules in xanathar’s. But usually you just buy it. Actually, you get it free at level 1, if you like.