Obviously these are just initial impressions, so they aren't my final opinion but this is what I have so far:
- The new cleric is... okay I guess. I really hoped that they'd feel much more like bringers of rare yet very powerful divine miracles which can change a dire situation rather than the "holy wizards" I feel like they are currently. This UA I think went into the "wizard but holy" direction a bit more.
- I like the holy order but the 9th level feature removes the uniqueness of each one. I'd prefer if the 9th level feature upgraded the order you chose. Overall holy order is great and reminds me of the warlock pact boon!
- A common issue I've seen with clerics is that new players tend to think they play a bit more like paladin where they're amazing melee combatants and I think holy order shows what cleric is usually while giving the option of the weapon cleric.
- Channel divinity is absurdly underwhelming. I hoped the new version would focus on channel divinity a bit more and it just seems like an afterthought. Divine spark as of now just feels like "it's a cleric spell but an ability". I'd maybe say a cool idea would be to be able to empower channel divinity by expending spell slots to go absolutely burst damage/burst healer mode to suddenly change the fight with divine spark. That would make the "divine spark" ability a bit more unique to use.
- Edit: The PB uses per long rest on channel divinity makes it stronger, but makes it more underwhelming for me. It's not a surge of divine power but less "you heal" or "some damage"
- Life domain is... okay I guess. It's always been the plain basic healer and still is.
- The new spell prep system is controversial but I really like it! I'm glad it's staying!
- Divine intervention is okay I guess. I'd maybe say it should recharge in 2d4 long rests rather than 2d6 days.
- They made guidance worse, returning guidance spam... As the DM narrates the failure we suddenly have to change the result because of "I CAST GUIDANCE". This applies the same to the new, absolutely busted resistance (you can use it on yourself now. Clerics now have insane low level saving throws). I thought guidance spam was done with but it seems it's back now *sigh*. I think using the previous UA's guidance but having the dice scale (for example it would become 2d4 at level 5) would be much better.
- I like the new Aid spell I guess. Buffing it to 6 creatures is honestly fine! A bit powerful but fine as it's more support oriented!
Overall everything just feels "okay" with the cleric. I expected some big changes with it and it was surprising not to see that.
- For species the new dragonborn is... good but not great I guess. It's basically the fizban's version of gem with a more default flavor and mechanics.
- I like the new goliath. I don't imagine them as more magical but I'm fine with seeing that. The customizability is great too!
- Aardling is strange for me. I'm not a fan of the attempt to just shove a universal beastman species into a PHB as the concept of the Aardling just doesn't feel like something which can universally exist in all settings. It feels like something better for expansions overall. It's improved though since the last UA mechanically with some nice customization to it!
- Everything else seems the same as the prior UA but I'll look into it more later! Lastly I like the fact that the influence action is less player facing and more like guidance on both sides on charisma checks. Adding rules for RP just turns it into rolling the dice rather than a story.
- Edit: I like that spiritual weapon is concentration now. It makes the spell a bit weak though. I'd keep the concentration but maybe boost it's damage. Spiritual weapon was a "must take" due it giving clerics consistent bonus actions. I like that OneD&D is making "must takes" less needed to be taken. Hopefully Spirit Guardians, Hypnotic Pattern, and Fireball get changed to be less of "must takes".
Edit: As for the new Prayer of Healing, I have a mixed opinion on it. On one hand it lets short rest classes become stronger, on the other hand it requires a cleric to cast it, making it a "required role" if you want game balance. I feel like abilities which allow you to get short-rest-esque effects should be a part of short rest classes by default
Personally I think Channel divinity is a little stronger than it was before because of the PB per long rest. If you want a short rest recovery channel divinity that option is still there as well. Life Domain does what I expect of Life Domain. I do not like the new guidance I preferred the previous UA, because the range is just too short. I like the new prayer of healing, it is a nice "short rest" solve for the classes that need it in the games that feel it would help (10 minute casting).
I completely agree with the level 9 thing. I really wanted to see an expanding of the divine order rather than just getting ANOTHER divine order. Feels like a missed opportunity.
Dragonborn still feels underwhelming, I preferred the previous ardling because I wanted the more divine aspects with just the aesthetics of the animal head thing. If it had the 1st and 2nd level spell progression I think it would be fine, but only getting 1 0 level spell feels underwhelming.
The class feels a little lackluster but I think that's mostly because it is the primary divine caster and therefore, outside of channel divinity options, spells are really the focus, and the spells themselves are largely unchanged.
As for Dragonborn the addition of Darkvision is basically one of the biggest/most common complaint about them, I have a feeling that alone will get them the results needed to stay as is in the next stage of testing.
Personally I think Channel divinity is a little stronger than it was before because of the PB per long rest. If you want a short rest recovery channel divinity that option is still there as well. Life Domain does what I expect of Life Domain. I do not like the new guidance I preferred the previous UA, because the range is just too short. I like the new prayer of healing, it is a nice "short rest" solve for the classes that need it in the games that feel it would help (10 minute casting).
I completely agree with the level 9 thing. I really wanted to see an expanding of the divine order rather than just getting ANOTHER divine order. Feels like a missed opportunity.
Dragonborn still feels underwhelming, I preferred the previous ardling because I wanted the more divine aspects with just the aesthetics of the animal head thing. If it had the 1st and 2nd level spell progression I think it would be fine, but only getting 1 0 level spell feels underwhelming.
Oh I did not notice the PB per long rest for channel divinity. I'd argue overall that makes channel divinity a bit less likable honestly in my opinion. It feels even more like "spell but class feature". The new prayer of healing I did not notice! I have a mixed opinion on it. On one hand it lets short rest classes become stronger, on the other hand it requires a cleric to cast it, making it a "required role" if you want game balance. I feel like classes which allow you to get short-rest-esque effects should be a part of short rest classes
Personally I think Channel divinity is a little stronger than it was before because of the PB per long rest. If you want a short rest recovery channel divinity that option is still there as well. Life Domain does what I expect of Life Domain. I do not like the new guidance I preferred the previous UA, because the range is just too short. I like the new prayer of healing, it is a nice "short rest" solve for the classes that need it in the games that feel it would help (10 minute casting).
I completely agree with the level 9 thing. I really wanted to see an expanding of the divine order rather than just getting ANOTHER divine order. Feels like a missed opportunity.
Dragonborn still feels underwhelming, I preferred the previous ardling because I wanted the more divine aspects with just the aesthetics of the animal head thing. If it had the 1st and 2nd level spell progression I think it would be fine, but only getting 1 0 level spell feels underwhelming.
Oh I did not notice the PB per long rest for channel divinity. I'd argue overall that makes channel divinity a bit less likable honestly in my opinion. It feels even more like "spell but class feature". The new prayer of healing I did not notice! I have a mixed opinion on it. On one hand it lets short rest classes become stronger, on the other hand it requires a cleric to cast it, making it a "required role" if you want game balance. I feel like classes which allow you to get short-rest-esque effects should be a part of short rest classes
Well I believe you can say that about any limited use feature. The Dragonborn breath weapon is spell but race feature. That is just how limited use features work. And while I would like to see it on a short rest class, I also like it when the game has synergies. If you want to benefit from the short rest part yourself as a cleric you can pick the thaumaturge holy order and then you recover your channel divinity on a short rest. I feel like this largely just offsets the cost of a spell slot unless your subclass has a really good channel divinity.
Personally I think Channel divinity is a little stronger than it was before because of the PB per long rest. If you want a short rest recovery channel divinity that option is still there as well. Life Domain does what I expect of Life Domain. I do not like the new guidance I preferred the previous UA, because the range is just too short. I like the new prayer of healing, it is a nice "short rest" solve for the classes that need it in the games that feel it would help (10 minute casting).
I completely agree with the level 9 thing. I really wanted to see an expanding of the divine order rather than just getting ANOTHER divine order. Feels like a missed opportunity.
Dragonborn still feels underwhelming, I preferred the previous ardling because I wanted the more divine aspects with just the aesthetics of the animal head thing. If it had the 1st and 2nd level spell progression I think it would be fine, but only getting 1 0 level spell feels underwhelming.
Oh I did not notice the PB per long rest for channel divinity. I'd argue overall that makes channel divinity a bit less likable honestly in my opinion. It feels even more like "spell but class feature". The new prayer of healing I did not notice! I have a mixed opinion on it. On one hand it lets short rest classes become stronger, on the other hand it requires a cleric to cast it, making it a "required role" if you want game balance. I feel like classes which allow you to get short-rest-esque effects should be a part of short rest classes
Well I believe you can say that about any limited use feature. The Dragonborn breath weapon is spell but race feature. That is just how limited use features work. And while I would like to see it on a short rest class, I also like it when the game has synergies. If you want to benefit from the short rest part yourself as a cleric you can pick the thaumaturge holy order and then you recover your channel divinity on a short rest. I feel like this largely just offsets the cost of a spell slot unless your subclass has a really good channel divinity.
The synergy is great but I think that overall the short rest classes should get something more like the new prayer of healing for themselves. Some classes requiring the "aid cleric" to even function contributes to the "holy trinity of mmos" and "teh healur" role I think D&D should avoid
The class feels a little lackluster but I think that's mostly because it is the primary divine caster and therefore, outside of channel divinity options, spells are really the focus, and the spells themselves are largely unchanged.
The issue though is that class features shouldn't just be spells if we already have casting. What's the point of spell-like channel divinity when we have spells? I'm not asking for channel divinity to be stronger at all (at least without a nerf somewhere else or a cost as casters are already overpowered) but if it exists it should have an identity.
The class feels a little lackluster but I think that's mostly because it is the primary divine caster and therefore, outside of channel divinity options, spells are really the focus, and the spells themselves are largely unchanged.
The issue though is that class features shouldn't just be spells if we already have casting. What's the point of spell-like channel divinity when we have spells? I'm not asking for channel divinity to be stronger at all (at least without a nerf somewhere else or a cost as casters are already overpowered) but if it exists it should have an identity.
100% agree, with the fact that it is long-rest recharge and has basically nothing unique about it - just some generic healing or damage - makes it totally lack luster. It doesn't give cleric any extra staying power in dungeon crawls since it is LR recharge, it doesn't have any special mechanics, it's just a free casting of a generic spell a few times per day. Why not just take the Harness Divine Power CD from Tasha's instead?
The class feels a little lackluster but I think that's mostly because it is the primary divine caster and therefore, outside of channel divinity options, spells are really the focus, and the spells themselves are largely unchanged.
The issue though is that class features shouldn't just be spells if we already have casting. What's the point of spell-like channel divinity when we have spells? I'm not asking for channel divinity to be stronger at all (at least without a nerf somewhere else or a cost as casters are already overpowered) but if it exists it should have an identity.
100% agree, with the fact that it is long-rest recharge and has basically nothing unique about it - just some generic healing or damage - makes it totally lack luster. It doesn't give cleric any extra staying power in dungeon crawls since it is LR recharge, it doesn't have any special mechanics, it's just a free casting of a generic spell a few times per day. Why not just take the Harness Divine Power CD from Tasha's instead?
That seems to be looking at it from the most uncharitable way possible. You could also say that the basic channel divinity options let you cover all of the cleric bases, without using any of your spell slots. At first level a cleric can twice per day heal or cause 2d8 damage, or turn undead. That should be enough healing or turning for a first level party, leaving both of you spell slots open for what ever fun flavorful spells you want.
- Edit: I like that spiritual weapon is concentration now. It makes the spell a bit weak though. I'd keep the concentration but maybe boost it's damage. Spiritual weapon was a "must take" due it giving clerics consistent bonus actions. I like that OneD&D is making "must takes" less needed to be taken. Hopefully Spirit Guardians, Hypnotic Pattern, and Fireball get changed to be less of "must takes".
That's what happened. It's concentration, and now it does +1d8 damage for each spell slot above 2nd. So instead of waiting until 7th-level to cast it at 2d8+spellcasting ability, you only have to wait until 5th. It's a...mostly nice trade-off.
The big problem is now concentration requires the Magic action. I don't mind it so much with big spells like banishment or call lightning. But how that interacts with the various smite spells is going to be a problem. If you hit, then you don't get to deliver follow-up hits the next turn. You're focusing on the spell's effect, and...okay, that makes a certain amount of sense.
But if you miss with that attack...yeesh. The spell slot gets wasted.
The big problem is now concentration requires the Magic action. I don't mind it so much with big spells like banishment or call lightning. But how that interacts with the various smite spells is going to be a problem. If you hit, then you don't get to deliver follow-up hits the next turn. You're focusing on the spell's effect, and...okay, that makes a certain amount of sense.
But if you miss with that attack...yeesh. The spell slot gets wasted.
They haven't chanced Concentration. The Magic action, along with concentration, is required for spells with long casting times.
The class feels a little lackluster but I think that's mostly because it is the primary divine caster and therefore, outside of channel divinity options, spells are really the focus, and the spells themselves are largely unchanged.
The issue though is that class features shouldn't just be spells if we already have casting. What's the point of spell-like channel divinity when we have spells? I'm not asking for channel divinity to be stronger at all (at least without a nerf somewhere else or a cost as casters are already overpowered) but if it exists it should have an identity.
100% agree, with the fact that it is long-rest recharge and has basically nothing unique about it - just some generic healing or damage - makes it totally lack luster. It doesn't give cleric any extra staying power in dungeon crawls since it is LR recharge, it doesn't have any special mechanics, it's just a free casting of a generic spell a few times per day. Why not just take the Harness Divine Power CD from Tasha's instead?
That seems to be looking at it from the most uncharitable way possible. You could also say that the basic channel divinity options let you cover all of the cleric bases, without using any of your spell slots. At first level a cleric can twice per day heal or cause 2d8 damage, or turn undead. That should be enough healing or turning for a first level party, leaving both of you spell slots open for what ever fun flavorful spells you want.
So it's basically power creep? You're forgetting that spell slots are power. They aren't just fun flavorful stuff... they're for your class' primary abilities! You should be preforming you class role with your spell slots... not "I do my role and have a bunch more magic power aside from that to conveniently get past any challenge. Edit: I worded this comment a bit badly, a more detailed response of what I mean is down below
I honestly thought most of the changes to the Cleric class were pretty good. The Holy Orders were a nice feature. (Just last session, our Light cleric was asking when he got to wear Heavy Armor. He was not happy with the answer.)
I really like how they've moved Channel Divinity and given it solid base abilities. And it sounds like they still intend to give it enhanced abilities with the various subclasses. Throwing a couple extra dice healing or damage at will a couple times a day as a young cleric is great, and it gets better as you go up.
However, I think the spell changes were awful. We have a party member with Inspiring Leader. That, coupled with the old Aid gave us a significant HP buff, plus being able to heal back up those extra 5 HP when needed was a nice boost. Now, those two abilities are basically wasted since they don't stack. (Aid will lose it's slot for certain.) Expanding it to 6 people was nice...but turning it to temporary hit points was a serious nerf.
Also, Spiritual Weapon has always been a no-brainer spell to have for a cleric. You won't cast it every fight, but when you need it, it's great to have in your pocket. Giving your cleric (aka buffbot) a chance to do a little more damage is a good thing. Handy, but not earth-shattering. Making it Concentration means that it will never see our table again. Bless is *always* going to be more useful than that chance at a little extra damage.
I'm ambivalent about the slight revisions to Guidance (and now Resistance). I'm fine either way. And I do find that balancing things by taking your reaction is a great limiting factor. You can't spam them since you can't cast them *until* the roll has failed.
Prayer of Healing is interesting. It makes it more likely to see use than before, but it's not world breaking or making.
Is it really power creep? Is healing 2d8 damage really more powerful than say a destructive wave maximizing thunder damage or a twilight clerics temp hp? Sure the new channel divinity options are better than the the worst of the old 5e ones, but I don't think that they are any better than the top tear options. Like a lot of changes oned&d is making, it may make the average member of a class moderately more powerful, but they are also severely nerfing the most broken, exploitative and overpowered abilities. Just the fact that they made spirtual weapon now require concentration makes the new playtest cleric less powerful than the 5e one, no mater what they do with channel divinity.
Is it really power creep? Is healing 2d8 damage really more powerful than say a destructive wave maximizing thunder damage or a twilight clerics temp hp? Sure the new channel divinity options are better than the the worst of the old 5e ones, but I don't think that they are any better than the top tear options. Like a lot of changes oned&d is making, it may make the average member of a class moderately more powerful, but they are also severely nerfing the most broken, exploitative and overpowered abilities. Just the fact that they made spirtual weapon now require concentration makes the new playtest cleric less powerful than the 5e one, no mater what they do with channel divinity.
I think I worded things a bit badly. What I meant was that generalist spell abilities which aren't spells boost spellcasting power by effectively giving them extra slots with the new channel divinity. Spellcasters I think should be limited by slots lol and I think this ability gives them a bit too much, especially at low levels. Thus it's powercreeping spellcasting by giving less restriction on what you need to be casting, one of the few taxes keeping those classes in line
Is it really power creep? Is healing 2d8 damage really more powerful than say a destructive wave maximizing thunder damage or a twilight clerics temp hp? Sure the new channel divinity options are better than the the worst of the old 5e ones, but I don't think that they are any better than the top tear options. Like a lot of changes oned&d is making, it may make the average member of a class moderately more powerful, but they are also severely nerfing the most broken, exploitative and overpowered abilities. Just the fact that they made spirtual weapon now require concentration makes the new playtest cleric less powerful than the 5e one, no mater what they do with channel divinity.
I think I worded things a bit badly. What I meant was that generalist spell abilities which aren't spells boost spellcasting power by effectively giving them extra slots with the new channel divinity. Spellcasters I think should be limited by slots lol and I think this ability gives them a bit too much, especially at low levels. Thus it's powercreeping spellcasting by giving less restriction on what you need to be casting, one of the few taxes keeping those classes in line
There is definitely a little power creep, but it isn't just in casters. Look at ranger, it gets 2 first level spells and 2 cantrips at level one + expertise + Hunter's mark auto prepared without concentration. Why would you ever play a full caster when a half caster gets everything you get and more. The biggest issue right now is the rogue didn't keep up. You can also see this in the bard. The bard has bardic inspiration in addition to spell casting at level 1 to have it stand out as a full caster as well.
As for Dragonborn the addition of Darkvision is basically one of the biggest/most common complaint about them, I have a feeling that alone will get them the results needed to stay as is in the next stage of testing.
At this point, who doesn't have darkvision? The rules for lighting pretty much only apply to humans and a couple others.
As for Dragonborn the addition of Darkvision is basically one of the biggest/most common complaint about them, I have a feeling that alone will get them the results needed to stay as is in the next stage of testing.
At this point, who doesn't have darkvision? The rules for lighting pretty much only apply to humans and a couple others.
Just Human and Halfling in the PHB.
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Obviously these are just initial impressions, so they aren't my final opinion but this is what I have so far:
- The new cleric is... okay I guess. I really hoped that they'd feel much more like bringers of rare yet very powerful divine miracles which can change a dire situation rather than the "holy wizards" I feel like they are currently. This UA I think went into the "wizard but holy" direction a bit more.
- I like the holy order but the 9th level feature removes the uniqueness of each one. I'd prefer if the 9th level feature upgraded the order you chose. Overall holy order is great and reminds me of the warlock pact boon!
- A common issue I've seen with clerics is that new players tend to think they play a bit more like paladin where they're amazing melee combatants and I think holy order shows what cleric is usually while giving the option of the weapon cleric.
- Channel divinity is absurdly underwhelming. I hoped the new version would focus on channel divinity a bit more and it just seems like an afterthought. Divine spark as of now just feels like "it's a cleric spell but an ability". I'd maybe say a cool idea would be to be able to empower channel divinity by expending spell slots to go absolutely burst damage/burst healer mode to suddenly change the fight with divine spark. That would make the "divine spark" ability a bit more unique to use.
- Edit: The PB uses per long rest on channel divinity makes it stronger, but makes it more underwhelming for me. It's not a surge of divine power but less "you heal" or "some damage"
- Life domain is... okay I guess. It's always been the plain basic healer and still is.
- The new spell prep system is controversial but I really like it! I'm glad it's staying!
- Divine intervention is okay I guess. I'd maybe say it should recharge in 2d4 long rests rather than 2d6 days.
- They made guidance worse, returning guidance spam... As the DM narrates the failure we suddenly have to change the result because of "I CAST GUIDANCE". This applies the same to the new, absolutely busted resistance (you can use it on yourself now. Clerics now have insane low level saving throws). I thought guidance spam was done with but it seems it's back now *sigh*. I think using the previous UA's guidance but having the dice scale (for example it would become 2d4 at level 5) would be much better.
- I like the new Aid spell I guess. Buffing it to 6 creatures is honestly fine! A bit powerful but fine as it's more support oriented!
Overall everything just feels "okay" with the cleric. I expected some big changes with it and it was surprising not to see that.
- For species the new dragonborn is... good but not great I guess. It's basically the fizban's version of gem with a more default flavor and mechanics.
- I like the new goliath. I don't imagine them as more magical but I'm fine with seeing that. The customizability is great too!
- Aardling is strange for me. I'm not a fan of the attempt to just shove a universal beastman species into a PHB as the concept of the Aardling just doesn't feel like something which can universally exist in all settings. It feels like something better for expansions overall. It's improved though since the last UA mechanically with some nice customization to it!
- Everything else seems the same as the prior UA but I'll look into it more later! Lastly I like the fact that the influence action is less player facing and more like guidance on both sides on charisma checks. Adding rules for RP just turns it into rolling the dice rather than a story.
- Edit: I like that spiritual weapon is concentration now. It makes the spell a bit weak though. I'd keep the concentration but maybe boost it's damage. Spiritual weapon was a "must take" due it giving clerics consistent bonus actions. I like that OneD&D is making "must takes" less needed to be taken. Hopefully Spirit Guardians, Hypnotic Pattern, and Fireball get changed to be less of "must takes".
Edit: As for the new Prayer of Healing, I have a mixed opinion on it. On one hand it lets short rest classes become stronger, on the other hand it requires a cleric to cast it, making it a "required role" if you want game balance. I feel like abilities which allow you to get short-rest-esque effects should be a part of short rest classes by default
Personally I think Channel divinity is a little stronger than it was before because of the PB per long rest. If you want a short rest recovery channel divinity that option is still there as well. Life Domain does what I expect of Life Domain. I do not like the new guidance I preferred the previous UA, because the range is just too short. I like the new prayer of healing, it is a nice "short rest" solve for the classes that need it in the games that feel it would help (10 minute casting).
I completely agree with the level 9 thing. I really wanted to see an expanding of the divine order rather than just getting ANOTHER divine order. Feels like a missed opportunity.
Dragonborn still feels underwhelming, I preferred the previous ardling because I wanted the more divine aspects with just the aesthetics of the animal head thing. If it had the 1st and 2nd level spell progression I think it would be fine, but only getting 1 0 level spell feels underwhelming.
The class feels a little lackluster but I think that's mostly because it is the primary divine caster and therefore, outside of channel divinity options, spells are really the focus, and the spells themselves are largely unchanged.
As for Dragonborn the addition of Darkvision is basically one of the biggest/most common complaint about them, I have a feeling that alone will get them the results needed to stay as is in the next stage of testing.
Oh I did not notice the PB per long rest for channel divinity. I'd argue overall that makes channel divinity a bit less likable honestly in my opinion. It feels even more like "spell but class feature". The new prayer of healing I did not notice! I have a mixed opinion on it. On one hand it lets short rest classes become stronger, on the other hand it requires a cleric to cast it, making it a "required role" if you want game balance. I feel like classes which allow you to get short-rest-esque effects should be a part of short rest classes
Well I believe you can say that about any limited use feature. The Dragonborn breath weapon is spell but race feature. That is just how limited use features work. And while I would like to see it on a short rest class, I also like it when the game has synergies. If you want to benefit from the short rest part yourself as a cleric you can pick the thaumaturge holy order and then you recover your channel divinity on a short rest. I feel like this largely just offsets the cost of a spell slot unless your subclass has a really good channel divinity.
The synergy is great but I think that overall the short rest classes should get something more like the new prayer of healing for themselves. Some classes requiring the "aid cleric" to even function contributes to the "holy trinity of mmos" and "teh healur" role I think D&D should avoid
The issue though is that class features shouldn't just be spells if we already have casting. What's the point of spell-like channel divinity when we have spells? I'm not asking for channel divinity to be stronger at all (at least without a nerf somewhere else or a cost as casters are already overpowered) but if it exists it should have an identity.
100% agree, with the fact that it is long-rest recharge and has basically nothing unique about it - just some generic healing or damage - makes it totally lack luster. It doesn't give cleric any extra staying power in dungeon crawls since it is LR recharge, it doesn't have any special mechanics, it's just a free casting of a generic spell a few times per day. Why not just take the Harness Divine Power CD from Tasha's instead?
That seems to be looking at it from the most uncharitable way possible. You could also say that the basic channel divinity options let you cover all of the cleric bases, without using any of your spell slots. At first level a cleric can twice per day heal or cause 2d8 damage, or turn undead. That should be enough healing or turning for a first level party, leaving both of you spell slots open for what ever fun flavorful spells you want.
That's what happened. It's concentration, and now it does +1d8 damage for each spell slot above 2nd. So instead of waiting until 7th-level to cast it at 2d8+spellcasting ability, you only have to wait until 5th. It's a...mostly nice trade-off.
The big problem is now concentration requires the Magic action. I don't mind it so much with big spells like banishment or call lightning. But how that interacts with the various smite spells is going to be a problem. If you hit, then you don't get to deliver follow-up hits the next turn. You're focusing on the spell's effect, and...okay, that makes a certain amount of sense.
But if you miss with that attack...yeesh. The spell slot gets wasted.
They haven't chanced Concentration. The Magic action, along with concentration, is required for spells with long casting times.
So it's basically power creep? You're forgetting that spell slots are power. They aren't just fun flavorful stuff... they're for your class' primary abilities! You should be preforming you class role with your spell slots... not "I do my role and have a bunch more magic power aside from that to conveniently get past any challenge.
Edit: I worded this comment a bit badly, a more detailed response of what I mean is down below
I honestly thought most of the changes to the Cleric class were pretty good. The Holy Orders were a nice feature. (Just last session, our Light cleric was asking when he got to wear Heavy Armor. He was not happy with the answer.)
I really like how they've moved Channel Divinity and given it solid base abilities. And it sounds like they still intend to give it enhanced abilities with the various subclasses. Throwing a couple extra dice healing or damage at will a couple times a day as a young cleric is great, and it gets better as you go up.
However, I think the spell changes were awful. We have a party member with Inspiring Leader. That, coupled with the old Aid gave us a significant HP buff, plus being able to heal back up those extra 5 HP when needed was a nice boost. Now, those two abilities are basically wasted since they don't stack. (Aid will lose it's slot for certain.) Expanding it to 6 people was nice...but turning it to temporary hit points was a serious nerf.
Also, Spiritual Weapon has always been a no-brainer spell to have for a cleric. You won't cast it every fight, but when you need it, it's great to have in your pocket. Giving your cleric (aka buffbot) a chance to do a little more damage is a good thing. Handy, but not earth-shattering. Making it Concentration means that it will never see our table again. Bless is *always* going to be more useful than that chance at a little extra damage.
I'm ambivalent about the slight revisions to Guidance (and now Resistance). I'm fine either way. And I do find that balancing things by taking your reaction is a great limiting factor. You can't spam them since you can't cast them *until* the roll has failed.
Prayer of Healing is interesting. It makes it more likely to see use than before, but it's not world breaking or making.
Is it really power creep? Is healing 2d8 damage really more powerful than say a destructive wave maximizing thunder damage or a twilight clerics temp hp? Sure the new channel divinity options are better than the the worst of the old 5e ones, but I don't think that they are any better than the top tear options. Like a lot of changes oned&d is making, it may make the average member of a class moderately more powerful, but they are also severely nerfing the most broken, exploitative and overpowered abilities. Just the fact that they made spirtual weapon now require concentration makes the new playtest cleric less powerful than the 5e one, no mater what they do with channel divinity.
I think I worded things a bit badly. What I meant was that generalist spell abilities which aren't spells boost spellcasting power by effectively giving them extra slots with the new channel divinity. Spellcasters I think should be limited by slots lol and I think this ability gives them a bit too much, especially at low levels. Thus it's powercreeping spellcasting by giving less restriction on what you need to be casting, one of the few taxes keeping those classes in line
There is definitely a little power creep, but it isn't just in casters. Look at ranger, it gets 2 first level spells and 2 cantrips at level one + expertise + Hunter's mark auto prepared without concentration. Why would you ever play a full caster when a half caster gets everything you get and more. The biggest issue right now is the rogue didn't keep up. You can also see this in the bard. The bard has bardic inspiration in addition to spell casting at level 1 to have it stand out as a full caster as well.
I definitely prefer the version of guidance from the first UA and will probably start using that in my own game as a house rule.
At this point, who doesn't have darkvision? The rules for lighting pretty much only apply to humans and a couple others.
Just Human and Halfling in the PHB.