Play a Badass Divine Wrecking Ball
There’s a reason every party wants a cleric (and it’s not just healing)
Your friends invited you to play D&D and someone said, “Hey, you should be the Cleric.”
You’re picturing a mumbling priest in the background, right? Forget that!
Clerics are badass divine wrecking balls wrapped in armor.
Yeah, sure, they heal. BUT they also burn, blast, bless, and bash. And unlike most casters, they can actually survive a punch in the face.
They're tough enough to stand toe-to-toe with monsters, magical enough to rival wizards, and essential enough that every party wants one. Plus, they're a forgiving class for new players. You'll rarely feel useless, and your mistakes won't doom the party.
What Makes Clerics Special?
You're not just a healer. Yes, you can patch up your friends, but you're also a formidable spellcaster who can blast enemies with holy fire, protect allies with divine shields, and solve problems with a versatile spell list.
You wear armor. Unlike most spellcasters who have to hide behind everyone else for the first few levels, clerics can wear armor — some wear medium armor, some wear heavy armor — and carry shields. So you can throw down on the front lines while casting spells.
You're always useful. Running low on spell slots? Your cantrips (unlimited-use spells) keep you effective all day. Don't know what spells to prepare? You can change your entire spell list every morning, adapting to whatever challenges might await.
How Clerics Work: The Basics
Your Most Important Stats
Wisdom powers all your spells and makes them harder to resist. Put your highest score here.
Constitution keeps you alive and helps you maintain concentration on spells. Put your next highest score here.
Your Divine Toolkit
Cantrips are spells you can cast all day without limit. At 1st level, you'll get three. Think of these as your reliable go-to options.
Spell Slots fuel your more powerful magic. You get a limited number per day, but they recharge after a long rest.
Prepared Spells are your daily selection from the entire cleric spell list. This is a HUGE benefit of choosing Cleric over other magic users, who only have a few to choose from, whereas you can completely change these each morning, giving you incredible flexibility.
Your First Character Build
Essential Cantrips (Pick These)
Guidance - Give allies a bonus die on ability checks. Use this constantly outside combat for everything from picking locks to persuading NPCs.
Sacred Flame - Your main damage cantrip. Calls down divine fire that targets the enemy's agility rather than their armor, making it reliable against tough foes.
Toll the Dead - Extra damage if the target is already wounded. Perfect for finishing off enemies.
And if you don't like a cantrip, no big deal. You can swap one out for a different one each time you level up.
Must-Have 1st Level Spells
Healing Word - Your emergency button. When an ally drops unconscious, this bonus action spell gets them back in the fight from across the battlefield.
Bless - Gives three allies (including you) a extra d4 on attack rolls and saving throws. This spell wins fights.
Guiding Bolt - When you need to hit hard, this radiant blast also makes the target easier for allies to hit.
Shield of Faith - Boosts someone's armor class by +2. Cast this before tough fights on your tank.
Your Combat Strategy
Low Levels (1-3)
Use cantrips on most turns to deal steady damage
Save spell slots for healing emergencies and Bless
Don't heal minor scratches. Focus on keeping people conscious
Use Healing Word to revive fallen allies, not Cure Wounds (which requires you to be adjacent and uses your main action)
Key Principle at Any Cleric Level: Strategic Healing
New players often think they need to keep everyone at full health. Don't do it!
In D&D, there's zero performance difference between having 1 hit point and 20 hit points. You're either conscious or you're not. Focus on keeping allies in the fight rather than topping them off.
Divine Domains: Your Specialization
D&D 5e vs. 2024 (Quick Note)
In the older rules, you pick your subclass (called a "Domain") at level 1. In the newer 2024 rules, you start with a Divine Order at level 1 and pick your Domain at level 3.
Either way, your domain shapes your cleric's flavor and grants some bonus spells. Clerics are powerful enough that you can choose whatever domain sounds fun to play.
Popular Beginner Domains
Life Domain: The ultimate battle medic with boosted healing spells
Light Domain: Blaster cleric with fire (fireball!) and radiant damage
War Domain: Martial cleric who opens up a Can o' Holy Whoop-AssTM on the front lines
Forge Domain: Craft-focused with enhanced armor and weapons
Character Personality Ideas
Don't get stuck in the "boring priest" stereotype. Consider these angles:
The Reluctant Prophet: Your god chose you, but you're not sure why. Wrestling with divine calling creates great roleplay opportunities.
The Divine Detective: Your deity values truth and justice. You're like a fantasy CSI investigator… but with holy powers.
The Scholar-Warrior: Your god represents knowledge or civilization. You're part librarian, part crusader.
The Grumpy Medic: You patch people up, but you bitch about it the whole time. You’ve seen too much. You’re not even sure the gods are listening. You heal because someone has to.
The Customer Service Rep: You don’t believe in the gods, you just work for one. Minimum divine wage, maximum smite compliance.
What to Expect as You Level Up
Level 2: Channel Divinity unlocks powerful domain-specific abilities you can use once per short rest. Don't hoard these; use them early and often.
Level 3: Your second-level spells arrive, including the incredible Spiritual Weapon, a floating weapon that attacks as a bonus action every turn while you do other things.
Level 4: Ability score improvement or a feat. Consider boosting Wisdom or taking Resilient (Constitution) to better maintain concentration.
Higher Levels: Eventually you'll gain features like Divine Intervention, where you can literally ask your god for help in desperate situations.
Why Clerics Are Great for New Players
Forgiving: Even if you make tactical mistakes, you can usually heal through them
Always Relevant: Whether the party needs healing, damage, or utility, you can contribute
Flexible: Change your spell list daily to adapt to your growing understanding of the game
Durable: Your armor keeps you alive while you learn positioning and tactics
Team Player: Everyone appreciates having a cleric around
Clerics offer the perfect blend of power, versatility, and beginner-friendliness. You'll be casting spells from day one, but you won't crumple the first time a goblin sneezes in your direction. You'll learn the game's tactical depth while always feeling useful to your party.
And don’t let the “holy roller” label box you in. Not all Clerics are fire-and-brimstone believers. Some are skeptics. Some are pragmatists. Some treat divine magic like a toolbox, not a calling.
Maybe you’re a battlefield medic, a reluctant prophet, or just a hired hand with a holy symbol. However you flavor it, the Cleric class has room for it all.
-- Prof. Lump (but call me “Richard”) Crackfang
P.S. - Yeah, yeah. I know. “But you’re a wizard…” Well, TBH, if it were up to me, I’d tell you to be a wizard. Duh. But my player, Mike, helps me write these — and he loves Clerics (for some bizarre reason).
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