Playing with DnD5 Characters – 6th level Cleric

STR 16 (+3); DEX 12 (+1); CON 16 (+3); INT 14 (+2); WIS 18 (+4); CHA 14 (+2)

Giving up DEX and making it a “dump stat” is the oddly appropriate choice for anyone that expects to be in melee a lot, but wearing heavy armor. And since Clerics get all armor, shields, simple and martial weapons as proficiencies . . . well, his DEX save won’t be impressive, but his AC can be.

Speaking of which, anything from chain and a shield to plate and a shield should be doable, giving him AC 18 through AC 20. His weapon will be, of course, a Mjolnir clone – a short-handled hammer.

That gives him AC 19 on the average, and the usual 51 HP assuming the average roll of 5 on the d8.

Saving throws are somewhat middle-of-the-road, with WIS at +7, CHA at +5. STR and CON are at +3, INT is +2, DEX is +1. Keep the healer away from traps requiring a save versus DEX.

His skills are Insight +7, Medicine +7, Persuasion +5, and Religion +5.  Perception is an OK +4, as are (surprisingly) Animal Handling and Survival.

For fighting, he’s only got the single attack, and at 1d20+6 to hit, 1d8+3 bludgeonong damage, he’s not going to be that nasty to face relative to front-line guys.

The Full Skinny

Not sure why this is there, since you get all armor and martial weapons anyway? Perhaps this is a quirk of the spreadsheet? Yes. It was an error. 

This is quite nasty against low-level foes, as four times per fight, if they hit me, they take 2-16 HP, averaging just under enough to drop a 1st-level foe with max HP, and plenty enough to take out one with 5-8 HP.

I’ll talk spells latter, but call lightning? Bad. Ass.

Again, this means that twice per fight I can either turn undead, or do max damage on that 2d8 strike above . . . or on some of the nastier spells that involve thunder and lightning.

Spellcasting

For those spells:

Cantrips

Guidance: Add a d4 to an ability check

Light: What is says on the tin. 20′ radius, plus dim light for 20′ more.

Sacred Flame: 2d8 radiant damage to 60′, resisted by DEX saving throw. Better than his hammer . . . 

Spare the Dying: Stabilizes a critter at 0 HP. Handy, that.

1st Level Spells (D = Domain Spell)

• Fog Cloud (D): heavily obscures an area to 20′, +20′ more per extra spell level
• Thunderwave (D): 2d8 thunder damage in 15′ cube, pushes foes 10′ away. Extra 1d8 for each higher level spell slot.
• Bless: 3 creatures can add d4 to an attack or save. 1 extra critter per spell slot.
• Cure Wounds: Heals 1d8+4, another 1d per spell level (so in a pinch I can heal 3d8+4 with a 3rd level slot. Must touch beneficiary.
• Healing Word: Healing at up to 60′, but ony 1d4+4 at 1st level, 3d4+4 at 3rd.

2nd Level Spells

• Gust of Wind (D): Makes foes work to get at you 10′ wide, 60′ long.
• Shatter (D): 3d8 thunder damage, 10′ sphere to 60′. Damages objects too, and does 4d8 at 3rd level slot. Combine this with the max-damage on thunder thing and it’s 24 or 32 damage. Boom.
• Aid: 3 critters get 5 extra HP (and increase maximum) for 8 hours (!). 10 HP at 3rd level. 
• Hold Person: Paralyzes one (or two, with 3rd level slot) if they fail a WIS save. The foes I’ve seen this used on tend to make their saves, alas. He can try and break free each turn.
• Prayer of Healing: 30′ range, 2d8+4 HP back, up to six targets. 3d8+4 with 3rd level spell slot. Basically a shot at getting half your HP back for d8 types, for the entire party.

3rd Level Spells

• Call Lightning (D): Within a 60′ radius, up to 120′ from you, you can rain fire and death on your foes each turn for 10 minutes (!). You can hit 4 5′ squares at once (2×2 array), and on a failed DEX save they take 3d10, half damage on a success. Outdoors in stormy conditions that’s 4d10. This can be made to do max damage with domain power. Additional 1d10 per extra spell slot level. 
• Sleet Storm (D): Rain and sleet in a 40′ radius to 150′. Douses flames. DEX save or fall prone, and is difficult terrain. CON save or lose concentration if target is a spellcaster.
• Glyph of Warding: a freakin’ claymore mine for D&D. It’s a great FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY kind of trap, with the right preparation time. Lots of variants on this one – the spell descrption is quite long. But can be used to deliver 5d8 lightning or thunder damage with Explosive Runes . . . 
• Spirit Guardians: Angelic spirits (valkyries!) will deal 3d8 radiant damage to foes that get within 15′ of you (one time per foe), and they move at half speed in that range.
• Dispel Magic: Spell B Gone. Not sure if this can de-enchant items, but it’s got a good shot at making lower level spells go away. 50% chance of making even a 5th level spell go away at 1d20+4 . . .

Parting Shot

This is not a melee combatant, though with his mace he’s not awful. 

But he can do 2d8 per turn with his cantrip ad nauseum, and given a teensy bit of prep time and line of sight, Call Lightning is just brutal, with an average of 8 points on a failed save, and 16 average per round on a success, with the option twice per short rest of max damage (15/30 points) on that strike. Shatter with a 3rd level spell slot is even more effective this way – 4d8 in a 10′ sphere.

He can fling healing to a distance, and up close also quite effective at it, as one would imagine. Careful, though – stock up on the potions in case you need to heal after you’ve expended that much power to fight rather than mend. 

I can easily see this being played cautiously. 2d8 is also sorta 1d8+4.5 to 60′. It’s not as far as any sort of bow, really, but does one attack per round as if it were a strong low-level archer. The DEX save instead of AC makes low-DEX but heavily armored foes easier to hit then they’d otherwise be, which is a sneaky way to do in heavy fighters, but not monks or rogues or archers. So the cleric stands back a bit, chooses a target each round, and lets loose with his cantrip. He can then heal at a distance with tiny amounts (5-8 HP with Healing Word), or a party-wide boost with Prayer of Healing at 3rd level (7-27 HP to six targets). If things get real, one use of Call Lightning will give up to four targets at a time (if they cluster) 3d10 damage per round, every round, for 100 rounds. 

To me, a very well-rounded character, even if he’s combat focused in this build. Other builds can be sages, spectacular buffing machines, or other specialties.