I have been told that twilight domain cleric is meant to be a frontline tank since they are hard to kill. Is it how you guys will roleplay it? Or you simply stand at the back and heal people? Or you simply don't care what others say and you roleplay the way you want to roleplay?
Do people like a tanky frontline cleric anyway? I know quite a few people dont like that and think clerics should not be aggressive.
Or you simply don't care what others say and you roleplay the way you want to roleplay?
This should always be the standard. Why would you ever let someone else have a say in how you play your character. Certainly there are limits, don’t do anything that makes the game un-fun for other players being the main one, but generally, if you’re having fun, that’s what matters. Make a character you like.
As far as front line clerics, I have a lot of fun with them. They can mix it up, do some damage, help tank. And if the fighter gets hurt, you’re already next to him to give a cure wounds. And clerics can certainly be aggressive, some gods will be better suited to it than others, but really any of them can.
From a mechanical point of view I would say a cleric with heavy armor proficiency can be frontline but does not have to be, I have a twilight cleric who wears medium armor and stays out of melee if possible. While you are hard to hit if are and you lose concentration that is a spell slot gone, which hurts if it is one of your most powerful spells. Divine strike helps but from level 5 to 7 and 11 on cantrips will generally do more damage than weapon attacks (though sacred flame and toll the dead work fine at melee range), so the main reason to get up front is to protect the wizard, this is where party composition comes in, if everyone else is squishy you may be expected to play the tank if there is a barb and a melee fighter they are probably better at it.
For clerics without heavy armor proficiency, it is hard for them to be front line, especially at higher levels when the weapon damage they do is insignificant. But as Xalthu said the main thing is you play in a way you enjoy.
There is nothing about the Twilight Cleric that screams front line more than any other cleric. Not even the opening up of all martial weapons. That opens up ranged weapons just as much as it opens up melee weapons. There are reasons with several of it's abilities for different kinds of play. From frontline, to midline, to back line. And there are reasons why certain abilities might work better or differently based upon those front line or backline choices. Not even it's divine strike feature on weapon attack requires it to be in melee.
So play the Twilight Cleric how you want to play it.
I get it. But sadly my DM doesn’t get it. He has told me i am not welcomed to play because I don’t fall in line in his idea of a cleric being a healer standing at back and not dealing damages. Really can’t believe this.
You need to find a new DM. DMs can reasonably exercise a lot of control, but this case seems too much. And honestly if heavy armor and martial weapons doesn’t say front line, I’m not sure what does.
I get it. But sadly my DM doesn’t get it. He has told me i am not welcomed to play because I don’t fall in line in his idea of a cleric being a healer standing at back and not dealing damages. Really can’t believe this.
That is the other unfortunate extreme of the people that Insist that Healing is really only done and useful after people are hitting the floor. It's very unfortunate and that's a sign of a bad DM. The DM more than anybody needs to be open to at least basic ideas of how a class could be used differently because there are some rather offense based clerics laid out even in the PHB that he's ignoring with that mindset.
It also shows that he's read more guides and less tried to understand the game than anything because he's decided ranged healing is best so it's the only way to function. When healing is sometimes more useful close up and no one healing spell is best. Even many of the bigger spells require you to be more in the middle of the group even when they are ranged than at the back of it because it's effects centered on the caster.
I have to ... since I am not allowed to play anymore. Oh well... I guess its just my luck that I have been meeting some odd DMs. The other DM I have met required me to roleplay a pregen character which is scripted too...
Dude, martial clerics abound! Your (ex-DM) needs to expand his mind. I played an extremely martial cleric of the Silver Flame in Eberron, just about this far *holds thumb and forefinger barely apart* from being a paladin. And I just started a Twilight Cleric of Selune in Curse of Strahd. Oh he's so proud now; his eventual depression is going to be delicious. (my character not Strahd)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I have been told that twilight domain cleric is meant to be a frontline tank since they are hard to kill. Is it how you guys will roleplay it? Or you simply stand at the back and heal people? Or you simply don't care what others say and you roleplay the way you want to roleplay?
Do people like a tanky frontline cleric anyway? I know quite a few people dont like that and think clerics should not be aggressive.
This should always be the standard. Why would you ever let someone else have a say in how you play your character. Certainly there are limits, don’t do anything that makes the game un-fun for other players being the main one, but generally, if you’re having fun, that’s what matters. Make a character you like.
As far as front line clerics, I have a lot of fun with them. They can mix it up, do some damage, help tank. And if the fighter gets hurt, you’re already next to him to give a cure wounds. And clerics can certainly be aggressive, some gods will be better suited to it than others, but really any of them can.
From a mechanical point of view I would say a cleric with heavy armor proficiency can be frontline but does not have to be, I have a twilight cleric who wears medium armor and stays out of melee if possible. While you are hard to hit if are and you lose concentration that is a spell slot gone, which hurts if it is one of your most powerful spells. Divine strike helps but from level 5 to 7 and 11 on cantrips will generally do more damage than weapon attacks (though sacred flame and toll the dead work fine at melee range), so the main reason to get up front is to protect the wizard, this is where party composition comes in, if everyone else is squishy you may be expected to play the tank if there is a barb and a melee fighter they are probably better at it.
For clerics without heavy armor proficiency, it is hard for them to be front line, especially at higher levels when the weapon damage they do is insignificant. But as Xalthu said the main thing is you play in a way you enjoy.
Thanks... very good to know that playing upfront isnt aggressive. And noone really should tell another how to roleplay their characters.
There is nothing about the Twilight Cleric that screams front line more than any other cleric. Not even the opening up of all martial weapons. That opens up ranged weapons just as much as it opens up melee weapons. There are reasons with several of it's abilities for different kinds of play. From frontline, to midline, to back line. And there are reasons why certain abilities might work better or differently based upon those front line or backline choices. Not even it's divine strike feature on weapon attack requires it to be in melee.
So play the Twilight Cleric how you want to play it.
I get it. But sadly my DM doesn’t get it. He has told me i am not welcomed to play because I don’t fall in line in his idea of a cleric being a healer standing at back and not dealing damages. Really can’t believe this.
You need to find a new DM. DMs can reasonably exercise a lot of control, but this case seems too much. And honestly if heavy armor and martial weapons doesn’t say front line, I’m not sure what does.
That is the other unfortunate extreme of the people that Insist that Healing is really only done and useful after people are hitting the floor. It's very unfortunate and that's a sign of a bad DM. The DM more than anybody needs to be open to at least basic ideas of how a class could be used differently because there are some rather offense based clerics laid out even in the PHB that he's ignoring with that mindset.
It also shows that he's read more guides and less tried to understand the game than anything because he's decided ranged healing is best so it's the only way to function. When healing is sometimes more useful close up and no one healing spell is best. Even many of the bigger spells require you to be more in the middle of the group even when they are ranged than at the back of it because it's effects centered on the caster.
I have to ... since I am not allowed to play anymore. Oh well... I guess its just my luck that I have been meeting some odd DMs. The other DM I have met required me to roleplay a pregen character which is scripted too...
Dude, martial clerics abound! Your (ex-DM) needs to expand his mind. I played an extremely martial cleric of the Silver Flame in Eberron, just about this far *holds thumb and forefinger barely apart* from being a paladin. And I just started a Twilight Cleric of Selune in Curse of Strahd. Oh he's so proud now; his eventual depression is going to be delicious. (my character not Strahd)