One D&D’s New Cleric is Simply Divine After a Number of Fixes
Clerics get a bunch of new features that make them one of the better classes in this batch of playtest rules. See what’s divine about ’em!
The new Playtest Packet has a ton of changes for a ton of classes. But Clerics make out like bandits in this version of the rules. They’ve always gotten a little bit of extra love from WotC (the C may as well stand for Clerics) and this tradition holds true here. New Clerics are better than ever, once the dust has settled.
They’re a blend of old changes being refined and new changes being implemented. Most players will love that Smite Undead no longer ends a “turn” effect on an Undead creature. Channel Divinity gets nerfed back to the way it was, though you can regain a use on a Short Rest. Lots of stuff here, let’s dive in.
New Cleric Playtest – More Divine Than Ever
Overall the new Cleric class features have been testing well. And that shows in the minor touches and tweaks WotC has made in this rules packet. The biggest change is that Divine Order, (formerly Holy Order) the “pick your playstyle” option, has been moved to level 1. Now you pick between Protector and Thaumaturge. Protector gets you Martial Weapons and Heavy Armor proficiencies. Thaumaturge gives you an extra Cantrip and a bonus to your Religion checks.
Channel Divinity now comes with fewer uses but refreshes an expended use with every Short Rest you take. So starting at 1st level you get 2 per day, eventually building up to a grand total of 4, instead of being Proficiency Bonus times per day and that’s it. Ultimately this makes for a more sustainable style of play. But very few tables see characters come into a fight at less than full health/resources. This is something WotC may be trying to address with this not-a-new-Edition Edition of D&D.
Channel Divinity’s options are stronger. Divine Spark deals 1d8 worth of damage or healing as an action, which is okay, but you’ll more likely use the new Turn Undead which not only Frightens but Incapacitates Undead who fail their saves. Making Clerics even better at destroying Undead than ever before. Especially since at 5th level Smite Undead lets you pile on your Wisdom modifier in d8s of damage to the hose you turn (without ending the effect).
At higher levels, Clerics gain Blessed Strikes, which gives you a bonus to weapon damage or spell damage, pick one. Commune puts you more in touch with your deity than ever, granting every Cleric the new and improved Commune spell. 14th Level improves Blessed Strikes, making you even better at what you do. And Divine Intervention has been changed, now when you call on your Deity at 10th or 20th level, you can replicate a spell effect instead of rolling the dice for a chance for your god to show up and do something.
Subclasses Summary
Not only do Clerics get their core class features buffed, but their subclasses are much improved as well. The base four included in the playtest document are Life, Light, Trickery, and War. Each of these Domains adds a new wrinkle to your play style. Most of these are improved over previous versions.
Life Domain Clerics, for instance, bring a lot to the table in terms of healing. This has always been the case, and now Life Domain Clerics get bonus healing spells of every level, including Aid, Cure Wounds, Mass Healing Word, Aura of Life, and Mass Cure Wounds. They’ll always be prepared, so you can kit out your spell list. But on top of that, your other 3rd-level features grant your healing spells more potency and let you use Channel Divinity to cast Abjuration spells instead.
Light Domain Clerics are all about radiant and fire damage. Their 3rd level features grant them damaging spells, a special reaction to cause attacks to miss, and a new Channel Divinity option that damages creatures and dispels magical darkness. The sole new feature is Revealing Light, which adds See Invisibility to you and allies within 10 feet.
Trickery Domain Clerics are still all about Illusions. They are perhaps the most improved. Creating an illusory double no longer takes Concentration, allowing you to use it to cast spells and distract enemies freely. At 6th level, you can cast Illusion Spells as a Bonus Action up to your Wisdom modifier times per day. And at 17th level, Improved Duplicity has been completely overhauled, making your illusory double grant many of its bonuses without needing your Bonus Action.
Finally, War Domain Clerics are still masters of magical melee. These are the gishiest Clerics, and will likely see a lot of play. Their features acknowledge the fact that many of their subclass benefits should have just been Cleric base features all along. Which again, makes Monks look very sad in comparison. In place of the old “this is how the class should work” features, are new features that are even better than before, like Guided Strike which lets you use Channel Divinity as a reaction to a missed attack to just add +10 to your roll.
Which is better than granting Advantage. War Priest lets you use Weapon Masteries, and grants you an extra Bonus Action attack, while War God’s Blessing lets you benefit from Shield of Faith along with whoever you cast it on. Sure their capstone ability is extremely lackluster, but it makes them better Barbarians than Barbarians, so who can complain?
What do you think of the new Cleric?
