D&D Classes 101 – The Cleric

If you are new to Dungeons and Dragons and are a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options available, fear not! Welcome to D&D 101, where I give you a brief overview of the Classes of D&D. Next on our tour of the Players Handbook class list, we have the Cleric!

Clerics are the beloved religious fanatics of the D&D universe whose devotion to their god is quite literally magical. Their bond with their deity has granted them divine magic and healing capabilities. These holy powerhouses come in various flavours, including War, Peace, Light, Arcana, Trickery, you name it! There is a staggering 14 different domains to choose from, which is more and enough to cover the domain of any deity you desire.

You would be technically correct calling this class the 'dedicated healer', but to say that's all their good for completely undersells the class’s potential. The fact of the matter is that clerics are one of the most powerful classes in the game. They have powerful and adaptive spells capable of some serious damage. They can also switch spells at long rests, making them incredibly flexible casters.

The crowning jewel of the cleric class is its primary feature, Channel Divinity. With this, you can turn undead foes, make them flee, and destroy them outright at higher levels. This ability also gives you other skills based on your Cleric domain. I speak from experience when I say that Channel Divinity can make or break a fight.

When it comes to making a Cleric, your biggest question will be choosing your Diety and Cleric Domain. Once you have those sorted, you want to make your highest ability store wisdom, followed by either strength or constitution. May the gods be with you!