D&D Spellcasting Clerics

Clerics draw their power from their devotion and prayer to a god, who has seen fit to bestow them with divine magic. Some Clerics like to heal allies and hurl magic from a distance, whilst some prefer to get up close and personal using their magic to boost their melee attacks. Whatever type of Cleric you play, your character must live and preach the beliefs and teachings of their god or their well of magic may dry up.

Usually Clerics worship a specific deity. You can find a list of potential gods on pages 294-299 of the Player’s Handbook.

By far, one of the most classic Clerics from history would have to be Jesus Christ himself. Think about it, he roams around the middle east turning water into whine, walking on water and healing the blind, all using the power bestowed upon him by God.

The Mechanics of Cleric Spellcasting

Instead of having “Known Spells” like a Bard, Clerics have “Prepared Spells”, this means that Clerics can change out their prepared spells every long rest to gain a completely new set of spells, if they wish. This is much more versatile than classes with known spells which only allow you to change 1 of your spells per level.

When Clerics make a spell attack, they use their wisdom as their spell casting modifier. This means that when they make an attack roll they add their proficiency bonus and their wisdom modifier to the roll, to see if they can beat the armour class of the enemy.

Clerics also calculate their “Spell Save DC” by using their wisdom modifier. A Clerics Spell save DC is therefore calculated like so: 8 + their proficiency bonus + their wisdom modifier. Some spells call for the enemy you targeted to make a roll to escape the effects of your spell, they need to make a roll equal to or higher than your spell save DC to avoid the spell.

Cleric Domains

All Clerics must belong to a particular domain. The domains a Cleric can belong to include: Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery and War. A domain of a Cleric reflects the nature of the god they worship. For example, Ares from Greek mythology would be in the war domain whereas Loki from Norse mythology would belong in the trickery domain. A Cleric’s actions and beliefs reflect the domain of their God, so for a Cleric who worships a knowledge domain god, they should collect and spread knowledge to fulfill their gods wishes.

Knowledge Domain

Clerics of this domain value knowledge, information and learning above all else. some Clerics of this domain spread knowledge to all, whereas some may wish to hoard knowledge for themselves.

Life Domain

Clerics of the Life domain value healing and preserving life, they may cure the sick, heal the wounded or drive away and exterminate the undead.

Light Domain

Clerics of the light domain focus on themes of rebirth, beauty and vigilance, similar to how the sun is reborn every morning, shines bright in the sky and watches over the world in the day.

Nature Domain

Clerics of the nature domain wish to preserve nature and it’s beauty and may often take an active role in fighting the forces that wish to destroy natural environments.

Tempest Domain

Clerics of the tempest domain worship gods of thunder, lightning, earthquakes, and storms. These gods often value courage, physical strength or violence, in their champions. Clerics of these gods may be sent to teach the common folk to pay tribute to these gods or face their wrath.

Trickery Domain

These Clerics are often encouraged to cause mischief and stir the pot. For good or bad reasons, it does not matter to the gods of this domain. The worshipers of these gods could be liberators or thieves.

War Domain

Gods of war could be chivalrous or malicious, favoring one side over the other. Or they could revel in all mortal conflicts, rewarding and championing any mortal who is a brave warrior. Clerics of these gods therefore are warriors themselves. They may fight for a specific cause, or simply seek out conflict wherever they roam.

Whatever domain your Cleric belongs to, they must worship one god above all others. The gods available to use for your Cleric, depend on your Game Master, speak with your GM about what deities they are going to include in their game. Or, if you are a GM looking for inspiration, read pages 294-299 of the Player’s Handbook.