Note before I begin: This guide is in no way official. This is mainly for the players interested in the Cleric class and those DMs that might need help figuring out the Cleric.

I should also note that this guide is going to be set up differently from many of my other guides, but be sure to check out my other tutorials if you're a newer player!

CLERICS!!! Why them?

Hello fellow humanoids/anthropomorphic creatures! If you're reading this, you're probably interested in the Clerics (or here to watch me fail at explaining them)!

Clerics are notoriously difficult to figure out in Dungeons and Dragons, especially because a lot of people have the misconception that "Cleric" means "Healer". If you think that, please keep reading, because the Cleric has a LOT of stuff to the class. They can be damage dealing, damage healing, stealth giving, knowledge bearing, death stalling, whatever suits their fancy.

This is in no way shape or form official, so feel free to point out my stupidity in the comments section below. This is a beginner's guide to the class, so I won't go nearly as in depth as others would.

Level 0: What ARE Clerics (Lore-Wise)?

Unlike other spellcasters, the Cleric gets his ability through devotion to his or her god(ess), who then bestows magnificent power to the Cleric. The Cleric uses this power in order to be a "strong man" or "foot soldier" to his god, and since you don't need a billion foot soldiers, not all devoted Priests or the like become Clerics.

Basically, Clerics are divine soldiers that use magic given to them by their god in order to carry out their extraplanar will, whether that be by healing the wounded or crushing the weak.

This means, as a player, that you need to know more about your god other than "he gives me powers". Know at least his name and what he is the god OF. For example, know that Gond isn't just of the Knowledge Domain, but he is the god of craft, and he is of neutral allignment. <See table below>

Level One (Part One): What ARE Clerics (Playing-Wise)?Divine Spellcasting

Clerics, depending on their Divine Domain (their subclass at Level One), can fit a certain role in the party; War Clerics can be Front-Line Fighters, Trickery Clerics can be excellent Casters, the list goes on. Check out each Domain in order to see which one you get a better feel for.

Your stats for every Domain remains the same, with a few notable exceptions (at the Domain). They typically should be (from high to low): WIS, CON, STR, DEX, INT/CHA. WIS is your spellcasting stat, so it should definitely be highest, but CON is your HP stat, so it is very valuable. Now, STR is weird- if you want to deal more damage at the cost of HP, swap it with CON. DEX is good for dodging in most cases, but it's not too valuable in most cases of the Cleric. INT and CHA have no effect on the Cleric's main abilities, so order them as you will.

We're going to skip starting equipment for now and go straight into what Divine Spellcasting is.

At the end of each long rest, choose a number of spells equal to (WIS mod + level). These spells have to be on the Cleric spell list, and you have to be able to cast it (don't try to get a 9th level spell when you're at Level One). These spells are now "prepared", which means you know them and can cast them using your spell slots.

This means that you can either stick with the same few spells all the way through your campaign, or you can mix and match after each long rest! I'd reccommend trying to pick spells that fit your situation and the group- why would you need Detect Magic when your Warlock pal can do that for free, or need Create or Destroy Water when you are good on water in a safe area? Think before you prepare.

Also note that your spell attack is (WIS mod + proficiency bonus), and your spell save DC is (your spell attack + 8).

You got that? Good. It's about to get not so good.

Level One (Part Two): Divine Domains

Now, here's where things get weird.

Because Clerics are so varied, their starting equipment reflect that. Other than grabbing the explorer's pack rather than the priest pack, each Cleric has their own relatively unique way of selecting starting items.

What I'm going to do is show what each of the TEN domains are like, but I'm going to put a notice under the domain title that looks like this:

<Suggested Stats, Suggested Weapon Number One, Suggested Armor, Suggested Weapon Number Two>

This way, you can pick a suggested build for each domain instead of having to do calculations, figure out which stats goes where, et cetera.

With that out of the way, let's get started with all TEN Domains: Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Trickery, Tempest, and War from the PHB, Death from the DMG, and Forge and Grave from XGE.

Oh lordie.

Knowledge Domain

<WIS,CON,INT,DEX,CHA/STR, Mace, Scale Mail, Light Crossbow>

The Knowledge Domain, although not as good in combat as some of the others, is amazing for campaigns that focus on discovery and exploration. This is because they get plenty of abilities that focus on your Intelligence rather than your fighting ability.

At this level, you get to learn two languages of your choice, buffing your social interaction, but you also get proficiency and expertise in two of the four skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion. When you have "expertise" with these skills, you take your proficiency modifier (+2 for now) and double it (adding +4 to the skill instead of +2).

Not only that, but you also get Command and Identify as two spells that you ALWAYS have prepared, but don't count against the number of spells you can choose from. Command is an odd choice for this Domain, but it will help you out during combat, while Identify is great for deciphering magic objects.

At level two, you get an ability called "Channel Divinity" (which will be explained later), but your special power while using Channel Divinity is that you can choose to use Knowledge of The Ages. This means that you can choose any skill or tool and immediately become proficient with it for the next 10 minutes. Nice for times where maybe you need to sneak across an area but aren't proficient with Stealth, or something along the lines of that.

Later on, this Domain can help you read other's thoughts and command them while doing so, deal more damage with a cantrip, and even "read" an object or area and figure out what happened in recent events.

All in all, this Domain is excellent for great... well, knowledge.

Life Domain

<WIS,CON,STR,INT/CHA,DEX, Mace, Chain Mail, Spear>

Have you ever wondered if you could be of more than the Bard? That might be pretty difficult, but the Life Domain can help you through it. Being known as one of the best (I'd say THE best) healers of the game, Life Domain Clerics focus on healing the damage that their clumsy allies are bound to take.

Starting out in this Domain gives you heavy armor proficiency, which gives you Chain Mail armor, which gives you not too many reasons to have a high DEX over high STR.

But besides that, you also get a bonus to your healing prowess, allowing you to heal an extra (2 + spell level) whenever you cast a healing spell. This is better than it sounds- at early levels, in extra 3 HP could be the difference between life and death (saving throws), and even while you are levelling up and getting more spells, the buff grows with your spells, so it never hurts.

Plus, you get Bless and Cure Wounds as spells that are always prepared. That's never bad.

At level two, your special Channel Divinity is called Preserve Life. This allows you to use an action to have a pool of HP equal to 5 times your level. Then, you choose any creatures within 30ft of you (which can be multiple creatures) and divide the HP among them.

For example, at level two, using this grants 10HP. If you were healing two creatures, each creature would get 5HP. If you were healing three, then two creatures would get 3HP and one would get 4HP. Healing others (especially multiple people) has no real drawback, and this actually will heal a LOT when you are levelling up.

Later on, you'll get the ability to heal yourself while you are healing others, deal more damage with your weapon attacks, and even stop rolling for your healing and just take the maximum amount (2d6 turns into 12, this is AWESOME).

In conclusion, the Life Cleric is for those who seek to help their allies out whenever they can. Keep in mind that you can still choose and use damaging spells, so you aren't just a "simple healer".

Light Domain

<Base stats (the ones shown at beginning), Mace, Scale Mail, Light Crossbow>

Have you ever played Super Smash Brothers Ultimate? Do you know Galeem, the monster that shot beams of light that practically "incinerated" everyone? Yeah, that's you.

Starting out, you get the cantrip Light, so your group will probably be needing torches a little bit less now. Plus, you can cast Light on an arrow and shoot it out of your Light Crossbow! Ain't that cool?

Not only that, but you can send out a "Warding Flare" at your opponents (a number of times equal to your WIS mod, recharge all uses at a long rest). This Flare imposes disadvantage on the attack roll as a reaction from you. Note that creatures who can't be blinded are immune to this, so be wary of who you're using this on.

You also get a great damaging spell Burning Hands and a great spell Faerie Fire, so you can pepper your enemies for your allies and finish them off with the spirit of FIRE.

At level two, your Channel Divinity is called Radiance of the Dawn. As an action, all magical darkness w/in 30ft is dispelled, and enemies in that range must make a CON save against your spell save DC or else take 2d10+(your level) radiant damage, or half as much on a success. Who knew that shooting out beams of deathly light could do so much damage to your enemies?

Later on, your Warding Flare can impose disadvantage on creatures that are attacking someone else, you deal more damage with your cantrips, and you can even eminate an aura of light that dispells darkness and imposes disadvantage on saving throws against fire and radiant damage.

If you're looking for some hot flames, holy duties, and to dispell the darkness in your life, the Light Domain is up your alley.

Nature Domain

<WIS,CON,STR,INT,CHA,DEX, Mace, Chain Mail, Quarterstaff>

Fun fact: Clerics and Druids have the same spellcasting ability- Wisdom. Another fun fact: Nature Domain Clerics are Druids that can't shapechange, but have more combat prowess and skills.

Starting out, you get proficiency with heavy armor, so your DEX loses value, but you also get a Druid cantrip (preferrably Shillelagh to buff your Quarterstaff), and even one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Nature, or Survival.

Your prepared spells now include Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals, so having a pet wouldn't be too crazy now.

At level two, your Channel Divinity will be Charm Animals and Plants. Guess what it does. This causes a Wisdom saving throw for every beast and plant within 30ft of you. On a failure, they are charmed and are friendly to you and your allies for 1 minute, but they are no longer charmed once they take damage. This is great if you are able to lure your opponents into an area with plenty of beasts to spare. Note that dinosaurs are, by technicality, beasts in this scenario.

Later on, you can grant an ally resistance to elemental damage temporarily, deal elemental damage with your weapon (combined with Shillelagh Quarterstaff, you deal a lot of damage), and command creatures that you have charmed.

So, if you like beasties but REALLY want to be a Cleric, meet in the middle and be a part of the Nature Domain.

Tempest Domain

<WIS,CON,STR,INT/CHA,DEX, Warhammer, Chain Mail, Handaxe>

T H O R I S G I V I N G Y O U P O W E R S

At first level, you get proficiency with ALL weapons and ALL armor, because Thor likes those who can fight like a CHAMPION. This Domain is all about how you can deal massive damage with or without your spells, and just because you're out of spells doesn't mean you're out of the fight.

Now, if you get smacked by your foe who's within 5ft of you, you can use your reaction to invoke T H O R S W R A T H and force a DEX save on your foe, dealing 2d8 lightning or thunder damage (your choice), or half as much on a failed save. Sure, you can only do this a number of times equal to your WIS mod (recharge all uses at a long rest), but this is incredible for showing your foes that T H O R won't be messed with.

Also, you get Fog Cloud and Thunderwave as prepared spells, so you can use them as a smoke bomb and a wave of damage, respectively.

At second level, your Channel Divinity is called Destructive Wrath for a good reason- when you hit with a thunder or lightning spell, you can use your Channel Divinity to deal MAX DAMAGE. Great for, oh, I don't know, MURDER.

Later on, your lightning spells push your foes at your discretion, deal thunder damage as you smack with your weapon, and even FLY when you're outside.

I know I said that THOR is giving you powers, but note that I'm merely saying that Thor is the best and coolest. Any god of storms, lightning, or any sort of tempest can grant you powers.

BUT WHY WOULD YOU PICK THEM OVER T H O R

Trickery Domain

<WIS,DEX/CON,CHA,INT,STR, Mace, Leather Armor, Light Crossbow>

Being a part of the Trickery Domain sounds like you're a dick in the midst of battle (you're not terribly wrong), but it also means that you're ing your allies and are good pals with your fellow Rogue.

At first level, you get the ability to grant one ally advantage to their Stealth for 1 hour or until you use this feature again. THIS IS GOOD NO MATTER WHAT LEVEL YOUR PARTY IS. You can use this on your Rogue to make him SUPER sneaky or use it on your less stealthy friend to give him the boost he needs. Note that you can NOT grant this to yourself, which is a bummer, but it's still a cool ability.

You also get Charm Person and Disguise Self, so get your swankin' pants on and swank those who you need to swank against. Or, you know, use it to continue to sneak and deceive.

At level two, your Channel Divinity is Invoke Duplicity, which creates an illusionary clone that you need to concentrate on (like concentrating on a spell), and he lasts for 1 minute. Here's the thing: you can move it 30ft with your bonus action (in a 120ft range), you can cast spells as though you're in your illusion's space (distracting to your opponent, but you need to see the illusion and opponent), and your illusory bro gives you advantage on attack rolls when he's within 5ft of you.

Man, now I want an illusory bro!

Later on, you can temporarily become invisible with your Channel Divinity, smack your foes with poison, and even call upon four duplicates with your Invoke Duplicity!

All in all, you're a crafty, cunning, but most importantly, can't be caught. Who's in this domain, anyway? ...

O H H E C K

War Domain

<WIS,CON,STR,INT/CHA,DEX, Warhammer, Chain Mail, any light simple weapon>

Whether it be merciful or gruesome, heroic or diabolical, the war domain is about combat, no art or style about it, just pure fighting. No matter who gives you the power, you know that it HAS to be used to stop your foes as effieciently as possible.

You begin with having proficiency with all weapons and armor, so dealing and taking hits will help you out kindly.

You also can make a bonus attack as your bonus action after attacking, but you can only do this a number of times equal to your WIS mod (recharging all uses after a long rest). Note that, if you have a light weapon in your off hand, you can do this anyway, but without your STR modifier and only with that light weapon, and using your Warhammer twice early on can deal crucial damage.

You also have Divine Favor and Shield of Faith always prepared, so you can deal more damage and grant an ally or yourself an ability to suffer less hits, respectively.

At level two, your Channel Divinity can be used to make a Guided Strike, which makes your weapon attack have an extra +10 to hit. It's basically a really nice way to (almost) guarantee a hit, which is great for doing that one final blow before a spell runs out.

Later on, you'll be able to grant your Guided Strike to an ally, deal more damage with your first weapon attack, and even resist all weapon damage.

If you want a simple yet sweet buff to your combat prowess, give the War Domain a look through- it has some great abilities to use.

Death Domain (DMG)

<Base stats, Warhammer, Scale Mail, Light Crossbow>

From the Dungeon Master's Guide, Death Domain Clerics are reccomended for evil NPCs, but I disagree- perhaps you don't want to carry out your god's will, but do so out of fear that your god will smite you. Maybe you serve one of the neutral gods of death, like Kelemvor, and serving them means showing others that death is inevitable but necessary.

At first level, you get proficiency with all weapons, so showing enemies what you serve becomes easier.

Also, you learn a necromancy cantrip, which includes either Chill Touch, Spare the Dying, and Toll the Dead. I'd reccomend having Chill Touch and getting the other as a cantrip that you'd normally learn. Whenever you cast a necromancy cantrip on a target, you can choose to ALSO affect a person within 5ft of your target, so a two for the price of one.

You also get False Life and Ray of Sickness as prepared spells, so be ready to keep yourself alive and kick your opponents down, respectively.

At level two, your Channel Divinity is called Touch of Death, for good reason: when you smack a foe with your melee weapon, you can use this to deal extra necrotic damage to your foe equal to (5 + twice your level). This way, you can S M I T E your foes with the power of D E A T H.

Later on, you'll ignore resistance to necrotic damage as you deal it, deal necrotic damage automatically as you smack, and even use your necrotic spells on multiple targets instead of just one.

So, do you like death? I hope so, because this is what the Domain is all about.

Forge Domain (XGE)

<WIS,CON,STR,INT,CHA,DEX, Mace, Chain Mail, Spear>

Ah, yes, big fanny Xanny over here wanted to introduce us to some fun Cleric options, and this just happened to be there. Centered around their ability to create rather than destroy, the Forge Cleric really does what it should: forge things.

At first level, you get proficiency with all armor and with smith's tools, allowing you to take hits and build things. Simple as that- like Minecraft.

You also gain the ability to make weapons and armor magical at the end of a long rest. You choose one and give it a +1 until the end of the next long rest. You can either give this to yourself to further improve your AC or damage output, or maybe buff one of your allies. Either way, there are few reasons not to do this.

You also get Identify and Searing Smite at this level as spells you always have prepared. Knowing is half the battle, and killing your foe is the other half, so these are both great to have.

At level two, your Channel Divinity, Artisan's Blessing, is a bit complex. This ability allows you to partake in a 1 hour ritual that allows you to convert metal into something else, such as a weapon, a suit of armor, ten pieces of ammunition, or anything that includes some metal. This new thing must have value equal to or lower than the original metal, which can be coins if need be, and it can't be over 100gp. Plus, you can't recreate specific details unless you have the original on hand, so no creating keys to chests that you've never seen before.

With this, you can get creative- you can convert your Maul into a Handaxe so you can have a light weapon, maybe spend 1gp for some caltrops, maybe get a crowbar, heck, I'd even talk with the DM to see if you can make a SHIELD for 10gp, all of these without having to go to a shop.

Later on, you get fire resistance, a +1 to AC while wearing heavy armor, deal flame damage while attacking, then get an immunity to fire and resistance to all nonmagical weapon damage while wearing heavy armor.

Crafting was never a core part of DnD, but as part of the Forge Domain, you can certainly make it one.

Grave Domain (XGE)

<Base stats, Mace, Scale Mail, Light Crossbow>

"As every great book has to end, everybody has to experience death. Whether they live a full, satisfied life or an empty one is on them, but one day or another, whether they know it or not, their life shall end. It's a beautiful thing, really- I would never read a book if it didn't end.

SO WHY THE HELL IS THIS DEAD GUY MOVING ABOUT?!?!?!"

-Allison Peren, servant of Hades

The Grave Domain is all about seeing how death is a natural part of life, so it should be preserved, but undeath is unnatural, so it should be stopped as soon as possible.

At first level, you learn the Spare the Dying cantrip, but with a twist- it has a 30ft range and can be used as a bonus action, so saving lives has never been easier. Also, whenever you heal someone at 0HP, they heal the maximum amount, so having Cure Wounds prepared isn't a bad idea.

You also get the ability to detect any undead creature w/in 60ft of you (you can use this a number of times equal to WIS mod, recharging all uses at a long rest), as long as this undead creature isn't protected from divination magic or behind total cover. Snitches normally get stitches, but snitching on undead creatures gets a .

You also get Bane and False Life as spells that are always prepared, but again, Cure Wounds is great to have so you can make better use of that ability that I mentioned earlier.

At level two, you get Path to the Grave as your Channel Divinity, which means you can curse a foe so that the next time it gets hit, it has vulnerability to all of the damage. This is fantastic if you coordinate with your allies in order to stop the BBEG with an all-out move to give the BBEG a one-way trip to his grave.

Later on, you can cancel out critical hits, deal more damage with your cantrips, and even gain the ability to heal yourself or allies immediately when another creature bites the dust.

Although the Grave Cleric won't work well with a necromancer, the dead need to stay dead, and the living should die by natural causes- and a blade through the heart ain't natural.

Level Two (Finally): Channel Divinity/Turn Undead

So now that we're done with the subclasses, let's get on with it.

Channel Divinity itself is something that can be used 1/rest, and you can either choose to use Turn Undead or the Channel Divinity your Domain gives you- in most cases, your Channel Divinity is more versatile, but who knows.

Turn Undead is simple: any and all undead w/in 30ft of you who can see/hear you have to make a WIS save or else be frightened of you for 1 minute (or until they take damage). While frightened of you in this way (called being "turned"), they have to use their action to Dash away from you, or Dodge if there is nowhere to go. Since it can't willingly move to a space w/in 30ft of you, it's best to keep your allies close, unless you WANT them to go and try to kill the undead that can't attack.

Was that simple enough? Cool.

Level Three: NOTHING

That's right, other than being able to cast second level spells, you don't get anything.

What does mean for me, the tutorial maker? Well...

Outro: The (Sometimes) Holy, The Cleric

Being life preservers, damage dealers, and anything in the between, the Cleric is as varied as it gets. Choosing a god to serve can be hard, but don't fret too much- create a character before you choose a god, then ask your character what its philosophy is, or even just take a look at its ideal.

Because abstract ideas can grant powers in the world of DnD, say that your character got his powers from the philosophy that he follows, like maybe "life must be preserved" for Life or Grave Clerics, "death is inevitable" for War or Death Clerics, "The untamed elements makes the world go round" for Tempest or Nature, et cetera.

But, hey, just choose Thor. That's the best way to go.

WotC and Marvel supplied pictures