Yeah those are some of the most used spells, but depending on your group there are a bunch of useful or interesting spell. Don't forget that every rest you can repick your entire spell list from the available cleric list.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Yeah those are some of the most used spells, but depending on your group there are a bunch of useful or interesting spell. Don't forget that every rest you can repick your entire spell list from the available cleric list.
I agree with this and would add, depends on the adventure/campaign.
On the list I would think about adding:
Protection from Evil and Good - If you are fighting extraplanar or undead, someone is going to be hard to hit.
Bless; Plus 1d4 on attacks or saves can be a difference maker
Create Food and Water; In the underdark and you don't trust the mushrooms? Or the Desert? Or a bunch of slaves that you just rescued?
Hold Person/Monster: locking down a target is good. letting melee crit it is better.
Spirit guardian: Slowed coming in, slow leaving, plus damage.
Speak with Dead: Dead men DO tell tales. helpful when chasing a murderer.
Insect plague: Like Spirit Guardian, but castable elsewhere.
Banishment: Similar to hold, but stronger and perhaps permanent.
All opinions of course. Context of campaign can mean a lot
Shield of faith, a target uninjured is a target you dont have to heal, best applied to already high armoured targets, concentration is a pain but its 10 minutes uptime and that could be multiple encounters if clearing a ruin or building.
Spirit guardians is absolutely horrific, the priest becomes a moving death spiral and the movement debuff alone can prevent some attackers from reaching you.
As far as I can tell so far, about 75% of Cleric spells are utter crap. There is generally 1, maybe two per spell level that stand out, plus a Domain spell, but most are very boring or extremely circumstantial.
This likely means most Clerics are pretty cookie-cutter, which seems to be the case.
I think that is more dependent on the player, I will often pick 'suboptimal' spells because it matches the flavor of my character.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Yeah those are some of the most used spells, but depending on your group there are a bunch of useful or interesting spell. Don't forget that every rest you can repick your entire spell list from the available cleric list.
I agree with this and would add, depends on the adventure/campaign.
On the list I would think about adding:
Protection from Evil and Good - If you are fighting extraplanar or undead, someone is going to be hard to hit.
Bless; Plus 1d4 on attacks or saves can be a difference maker
Create Food and Water; In the underdark and you don't trust the mushrooms? Or the Desert? Or a bunch of slaves that you just rescued?
Hold Person/Monster: locking down a target is good. letting melee crit it is better.
Spirit guardian: Slowed coming in, slow leaving, plus damage.
Speak with Dead: Dead men DO tell tales. helpful when chasing a murderer.
Insect plague: Like Spirit Guardian, but castable elsewhere.
Banishment: Similar to hold, but stronger and perhaps permanent.
All opinions of course. Context of campaign can mean a lot
Yeah those are some of the most used spells, but depending on your group there are a bunch of useful or interesting spell. Don't forget that every rest you can repick your entire spell list from the available cleric list.
I agree with this and would add, depends on the adventure/campaign.
On the list I would think about adding:
Protection from Evil and Good - If you are fighting extraplanar or undead, someone is going to be hard to hit.
Bless; Plus 1d4 on attacks or saves can be a difference maker
Create Food and Water; In the underdark and you don't trust the mushrooms? Or the Desert? Or a bunch of slaves that you just rescued?
Hold Person/Monster: locking down a target is good. letting melee crit it is better.
Spirit guardian: Slowed coming in, slow leaving, plus damage.
Speak with Dead: Dead men DO tell tales. helpful when chasing a murderer.
Insect plague: Like Spirit Guardian, but castable elsewhere.
Banishment: Similar to hold, but stronger and perhaps permanent.
All opinions of course. Context of campaign can mean a lot
What about Bane, instead of Bless?
Only downside is that Bane can be saved against; Bless always works.
Yeah those are some of the most used spells, but depending on your group there are a bunch of useful or interesting spell. Don't forget that every rest you can repick your entire spell list from the available cleric list.
I agree with this and would add, depends on the adventure/campaign.
On the list I would think about adding:
Protection from Evil and Good - If you are fighting extraplanar or undead, someone is going to be hard to hit.
Bless; Plus 1d4 on attacks or saves can be a difference maker
Create Food and Water; In the underdark and you don't trust the mushrooms? Or the Desert? Or a bunch of slaves that you just rescued?
Hold Person/Monster: locking down a target is good. letting melee crit it is better.
Spirit guardian: Slowed coming in, slow leaving, plus damage.
Speak with Dead: Dead men DO tell tales. helpful when chasing a murderer.
Insect plague: Like Spirit Guardian, but castable elsewhere.
Banishment: Similar to hold, but stronger and perhaps permanent.
All opinions of course. Context of campaign can mean a lot
What about Bane, instead of Bless?
Only downside is that Bane can be saved against; Bless always works.
Here is my loadout for my lvl 8 War Cleric currently going through Curse of Strahd from lvl 1. Note that some of these spells won't be nearly as useful in a campaign setting where you're not fighting a lot of Vampires or other enemies that are affected by sunlight. If this is the case, replace these with other spells as you see fit:
Cantrips: Sacred Flame (good damage spell), Spare the Dying (free Stabilize), Toll the Dead (better than Sacred Flame once the target is wounded, unless they're Immune/Resistant to Necrotic damage) and Word of Radiance (one of those 'don't take this if not hunting Undead' spells)
Lvl 1: Healing Word (quick Heal at a distance as a Bonus Action), Cure Wounds (more effective but it takes an action and is Touch), Guiding Bolt (good damage, Radiant so not Resisted much and the next attack on that target gains Advantage. I use it to set up our Sharpshooter), Protection from Evil (again, better for fighting Undead and other Evil things), Shield of Faith (I'm also the party tank so more AC is a good thing) and Sanctuary (keeps bad guys away from the flimsy members of your team and is NOT a Concentration spell)
Lvl 2: Aid (I use this as a lvl 3 spell to grant myself and the other two party members most likely to get beat up with +10 HP. Lasts 8 hours so covers us for a whole rest etc), Magic Weapon (for critters Resistant to non-magical weapons), Spiritual Weapon (I get a flying weapon that I can use with a Bonus Action? Yes, please!), Prayer of Healing (takes 10 minutes to cast but heals 6 party members and couples well with a later spell)
Lvl 3: Beacon of Hope (I never cast this IN combat but rather couple it with Prayer of Healing so those Healing dice get maximum effect), Daylight (again, Vampires, swap this out for Revivify in most cases), Dispel Magic (if I'm casting this, the Wizard can cast Fireball) and Spirit Guardians (my go-to when I reached lvl 5 and never looked back)
Lvl 4: Death Ward (I would cast this on EVERYONE if I could but I cast it on myself or the resident Meat Shield or focus of the bad guy's attention), Guardian of Faith (keeps us safe when we rest, also great for blocking doorways)
One thing to remember also is that all Clerics get Domain Spells that are ALWAYS prepared as long as they have the slots available to cast them. I didn't bother to list these because many of them differ from Domain to Domain.
As the party point-man I usually cast Death Ward on myself, Aid on myself and two others (our Ranger often spends time in the front ranks so he's usually the second) and then Spiritual Weapon (for something to attack with on my Bonus Action). Then I cast Spirit Guardians (for the lovely 15 radius zone of hurting) and then charge the enemy boss. If I can get close enough, his movement is slowed by the Spirit Guardians. He takes damage every round from that, I can use the Spiritual Weapon on him or someone else and then take the Dodge action. Now I'm AC 20, being hit with Disadvantage, the boss and anyone near him is taking damage, the Spiritual Weapon does a couple of dice per turn and the rest of my team is free to move around and do as they please.
Only downside is that Bane can be saved against; Bless always works.
On the other hand:
Most monsters have bad Charisma saves anyways.
Bane makes it easier to land other saving throws, which might be harder to land than Charisma saves or be more costly (e.g. Fireball). Plus, you get to land Sacred Flame more consistently.
Bane protects you from attacks, which means it's harder to lose concentration on it.
Only downside is that Bane can be saved against; Bless always works.
On the other hand:
Most monsters have bad Charisma saves anyways.
Bane makes it easier to land other saving throws, which might be harder to land than Charisma saves or be more costly (e.g. Fireball). Plus, you get to land Sacred Flame more consistently.
Bane protects you from attacks, which means it's harder to lose concentration on it.
These are all true, although my targets never seem to be classic monsters, but very bad human/demi-human. So, know your target.
The other plus on the Bless vs. Bane, is that if all works out well, the bane targets die, and blesses don't. So Bane is "up" only as long as the target is, since you can't shift it's application. Because of that, I favor bless in terms of longevity and impact. High number of targets favors blessing the party. Low number of opponents, then Bane can be worth it.
Bottom line; prepare the one where you think your party needs the most help. Saving their bacon, or taking the bacon from the opponent.
What are spells that a standard healing Cleric should normally be taking 9/10 times in 5e, and how can I optimize a Cleric around these?
Thanks!
Aside from the standard healing spells:
Spiritual Weapon, Guiding Bolt, and Spirit Guardians are good offensive spells.
Dispel Magic, Lesser Restoration, and Greater Restoration are good spells for removing negative effects.
Revivify, Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection are ways to bring characters back to life.
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Yeah those are some of the most used spells, but depending on your group there are a bunch of useful or interesting spell. Don't forget that every rest you can repick your entire spell list from the available cleric list.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I agree with this and would add, depends on the adventure/campaign.
On the list I would think about adding:
All opinions of course. Context of campaign can mean a lot
Shield of faith, a target uninjured is a target you dont have to heal, best applied to already high armoured targets, concentration is a pain but its 10 minutes uptime and that could be multiple encounters if clearing a ruin or building.
Spirit guardians is absolutely horrific, the priest becomes a moving death spiral and the movement debuff alone can prevent some attackers from reaching you.
As far as I can tell so far, about 75% of Cleric spells are utter crap. There is generally 1, maybe two per spell level that stand out, plus a Domain spell, but most are very boring or extremely circumstantial.
This likely means most Clerics are pretty cookie-cutter, which seems to be the case.
I think that is more dependent on the player, I will often pick 'suboptimal' spells because it matches the flavor of my character.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I mean, that is fine. Im not making a judgment on anyone, but one can have plenty of flavor without being "suboptimal".
I just wish there where more Cleric spells, really.
What about Bane, instead of Bless?
Only downside is that Bane can be saved against; Bless always works.
Ahhhh makes sense
Here is my loadout for my lvl 8 War Cleric currently going through Curse of Strahd from lvl 1. Note that some of these spells won't be nearly as useful in a campaign setting where you're not fighting a lot of Vampires or other enemies that are affected by sunlight. If this is the case, replace these with other spells as you see fit:
Cantrips: Sacred Flame (good damage spell), Spare the Dying (free Stabilize), Toll the Dead (better than Sacred Flame once the target is wounded, unless they're Immune/Resistant to Necrotic damage) and Word of Radiance (one of those 'don't take this if not hunting Undead' spells)
Lvl 1: Healing Word (quick Heal at a distance as a Bonus Action), Cure Wounds (more effective but it takes an action and is Touch), Guiding Bolt (good damage, Radiant so not Resisted much and the next attack on that target gains Advantage. I use it to set up our Sharpshooter), Protection from Evil (again, better for fighting Undead and other Evil things), Shield of Faith (I'm also the party tank so more AC is a good thing) and Sanctuary (keeps bad guys away from the flimsy members of your team and is NOT a Concentration spell)
Lvl 2: Aid (I use this as a lvl 3 spell to grant myself and the other two party members most likely to get beat up with +10 HP. Lasts 8 hours so covers us for a whole rest etc), Magic Weapon (for critters Resistant to non-magical weapons), Spiritual Weapon (I get a flying weapon that I can use with a Bonus Action? Yes, please!), Prayer of Healing (takes 10 minutes to cast but heals 6 party members and couples well with a later spell)
Lvl 3: Beacon of Hope (I never cast this IN combat but rather couple it with Prayer of Healing so those Healing dice get maximum effect), Daylight (again, Vampires, swap this out for Revivify in most cases), Dispel Magic (if I'm casting this, the Wizard can cast Fireball) and Spirit Guardians (my go-to when I reached lvl 5 and never looked back)
Lvl 4: Death Ward (I would cast this on EVERYONE if I could but I cast it on myself or the resident Meat Shield or focus of the bad guy's attention), Guardian of Faith (keeps us safe when we rest, also great for blocking doorways)
One thing to remember also is that all Clerics get Domain Spells that are ALWAYS prepared as long as they have the slots available to cast them. I didn't bother to list these because many of them differ from Domain to Domain.
As the party point-man I usually cast Death Ward on myself, Aid on myself and two others (our Ranger often spends time in the front ranks so he's usually the second) and then Spiritual Weapon (for something to attack with on my Bonus Action). Then I cast Spirit Guardians (for the lovely 15 radius zone of hurting) and then charge the enemy boss. If I can get close enough, his movement is slowed by the Spirit Guardians. He takes damage every round from that, I can use the Spiritual Weapon on him or someone else and then take the Dodge action. Now I'm AC 20, being hit with Disadvantage, the boss and anyone near him is taking damage, the Spiritual Weapon does a couple of dice per turn and the rest of my team is free to move around and do as they please.
On the other hand:
These are all true, although my targets never seem to be classic monsters, but very bad human/demi-human. So, know your target.
The other plus on the Bless vs. Bane, is that if all works out well, the bane targets die, and blesses don't. So Bane is "up" only as long as the target is, since you can't shift it's application. Because of that, I favor bless in terms of longevity and impact. High number of targets favors blessing the party. Low number of opponents, then Bane can be worth it.
Bottom line; prepare the one where you think your party needs the most help. Saving their bacon, or taking the bacon from the opponent.