How to Play a Cleric: Treantmonk's Guide to Clerics

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  • Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
  • My Guide to playing a Cleric effectively. I go over Cleric tactics starting at level 1, then advancing to level 7 and beyond.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 147

  • @M0ebius
    @M0ebius 4 роки тому +224

    In summary, Clerics = Spirit Guardians + Spritual Weapon + reviving downed allies + situation spells.

    • @bouidge
      @bouidge 4 роки тому +12

      Very nice summary 10/10

    • @Midnightv
      @Midnightv 3 роки тому +1

      Nice

    • @chrislieu6757
      @chrislieu6757 2 роки тому +13

      Concentration = spirit guardians
      Bonus Action = spiritual weapon
      Action = dodge
      Everything else is situational.

    • @sirwolf3617
      @sirwolf3617 2 роки тому +1

      Now trait yourself for +3 can trips ontop of life domain to have 5 total cantrips with bless and healing word automatically at the start. And +2 at lv1 for healing spells. Just to keep your party alive to lv3+ then you pick up offense. Spear guardians at 5 and sanctuary. And badaboom

    • @searchforsecretdoors
      @searchforsecretdoors Рік тому

      ​@@bouidgePl ppl Pl pl pop LMK pm 😊9th 9.

  • @migueldelmazo5244
    @migueldelmazo5244 4 роки тому +56

    Great video.
    For people who say that clerics who say "clerics do the same thing all the time", I would say that is generally true for almost all damage dealers. Treantmonk-style God wizards are an exception as battlefield control is always dependent on the battlefield at hand, but the melees swing their sword/axe/halberd, rogues go for that sweet critical strike, warlocks EB ad infinitum, and rangers/monks/and sorcerers ask their DM about re-rolling their character.
    If you want to make combat more engaging (it's my favorite part of D&D next to seeing my friends), be willing to describe what's going on, use the environment more and consider characters that can force movement via grappling or spells (it can play havoc for the DMs plans when an enemy gets tossed off a cliff into lava).
    Not every encounter from every DM will be a Matt Mercer style production, but feel free to borrow the "how do you want to do this" for coup de grace finishes.
    So yes, clerics can easily fall back on old reliable spells cast at an appropriate level for the encounter, but it needn't be boring. Besides, when it comes time for a rez, all eyes, some closed, will be on you.

    • @Viper3220
      @Viper3220 4 роки тому

      @sum body It's varied but the problem is that there are spells that are so good that they quickly become so absolutely obviously the best spells to cast at that level that in reality it starts to eliminate your options.

  • @Ciberbuster
    @Ciberbuster 4 роки тому +54

    Spirit Guardians is just one of the best spells in the game. Deals good damage, battlefield control and gives the cleric great action economy. That action economy is the defining aspect of their playstyle, they could easily focus on other task while everyone spend their actions attacking or offensively casting. The cleric could do the healing, search for hidden enemies, use magic items, do the help action, debuff, while still doing great damage at the same time.

  • @illustriousinc8608
    @illustriousinc8608 3 роки тому +18

    As a first time cleric (and spellcaster in general), this was extraordinarily helpful. Good job and thanks!

  • @FelineElaj
    @FelineElaj 4 роки тому +39

    Can't wait for a Light Domain Cleric build.

    • @destroyerinazuma96
      @destroyerinazuma96 4 роки тому +2

      Not an expert and I'm also waiting for a specific build idea, but I've heard that generally Wis bump > Feats at least for your first ASI/Feat. Ranged play (Toll the Dead and/or Sacred Flame) is better than melee. Going pure Cleric will be very rewarding since you'll get all your better spells/features faster.

    • @destroyerinazuma96
      @destroyerinazuma96 4 роки тому

      @sum body is that so? I had a great time going through Lost Mines as a mostly cantrips firing Life Cleric. The best thing about them is when you meet creatures with nonmagical weapons resistance- they take full damage short of undead some of which resist necrotic too.

    • @Startoshadows
      @Startoshadows 4 роки тому

      @sum body Healer's a nice option for a low level feat too if you don't want to spend your spell slots on healing.

  • @heyitsMattyP
    @heyitsMattyP 4 роки тому +35

    YES to Spirit Guardians! It's just crazy. I feel like the somatic component is hitting tilde, opening the console and typing "GODMODE".

  • @MARRRRC0P0L0
    @MARRRRC0P0L0 2 роки тому +7

    I’m so glad that I watched this again, and really paid attention. Super valuable, and really has me looking more closely at my Ranger 5/Cleric 6 character and tactics. Keep it up, we need content like this, for sure.

  • @danieltrumble2974
    @danieltrumble2974 2 роки тому +5

    I think a good note on your command spell on the ogre is that ordering it to go prone will make it unable to attack you for two turns. It drops prone on its turn and that's all it can do. Then it has to use its next turn to stand up and approach uou

  • @thomaspeters8023
    @thomaspeters8023 4 роки тому +10

    Before I started playing a cleric at mid-levels using Spirit Guardians I was not prepared for the amount of enemy attacks that were focused on me. In many battles you become the primary target and everyone may swing/shoot/cast at you.
    Before adopting this playing style you need to do everything you can to reinforce your character.

  • @sesimie
    @sesimie 4 роки тому +5

    Chris man.....you keep on teaching me.....that Dodge advice is golden!!!

  • @shrillz
    @shrillz 4 роки тому +4

    One of my favorite things about playing a cleric is stacking their non-concentration options: aid, turn undead, spiritual weapon, warding bond, daylight, tongues, death ward, freedom of movement, even water walk. Don’t forget about the spell sanctuary. It’s a bonus action to cast and lasts one minute without concentration. If you really need to not be hit, you or an ally of yours can have its effect plus the dodge action. Making a wisdom save and then landing a hit at disadvantage is going to be pretty difficult. I often do this if I’m concentrating on a high level bless or the banishment spell.

  • @AdamAtYourService
    @AdamAtYourService 4 роки тому +8

    I'm playing a Divine Soul Sorcerer right now and loving it, but it makes me excited to play a full-cleric in the future. Forge Cleric looks stupid fun.

  • @QuiescentPilot
    @QuiescentPilot 4 роки тому +6

    Great video! Your guides are super helpful, and I’m loving all of your videos!

  • @sanjuancb
    @sanjuancb 2 роки тому +1

    Fantastic video! I've been using it as reference material for my first character and it has proven so valuable. Thanks for the great, accessible content! Keep up the good work.

  • @coldfusion230
    @coldfusion230 4 роки тому +11

    Point of clarification: Greater restoration cannot remove stun. The only thing that does is power word heal which is a 9th level bard only spell. I learned this the hard way being on the receiving end of a particularly nasty psychic scream and got permastunned forever.
    Also, spirit guardians doesn't hit allies IF YOU CAN SEE THEM when you cast the spell. If the rogue is perfectly hidden, wizard is invisible, monk is around the corner then they will end up taking damage if they enter the spirit guardians.
    Honorable mentions should probably go to holy weapon (1hr conc. +2d8 per hit from your action surging fighter) and forbiddance (ritual, massive aoe - guarantees no undead if you just wait a minute)

    • @TreantmonksTemple
      @TreantmonksTemple  4 роки тому +3

      Oh, you are correct. I had a PC perma-stunned by an intellect devourer and greater res worked, but it was from recovery of ability score, not removing the stun itself...

  • @malcolmb9440
    @malcolmb9440 4 роки тому +3

    This is helpful as I am playing a Grave Domain Cleric, approaching Level 4

  • @kailae3269
    @kailae3269 3 роки тому +3

    I’m not sure how no one has mentioned that aid has an 8 hour duration and does not add temp HP, but adds to your HP max. You don’t cast this in combat, you upcast it as the first spell of the day on all frontliners as it effectively acts as bonus hp. Since it adds to your HP max to boost hp, healing spells heal the aid hp too

    • @B00kman
      @B00kman 2 роки тому

      I believe it does as Chris indicates, reads as it also increases current hp

  • @kevinkastle612
    @kevinkastle612 4 роки тому +3

    i love clerics. thank you for the advice!

  • @thejammiestjam
    @thejammiestjam 4 роки тому +9

    The fun of being a Trickery cleric is stacking Mirror Image in there with the Spirit Guardians and Spiritual Weapon combo. Oh, you think you're going to hit me and probably going to make me lose concentration with a powerful hit? Nah, hit my mirror image instead!

  • @kevinkastle612
    @kevinkastle612 4 роки тому +1

    cannot tell you how much i love you, Treantmonk.

  • @davebolinger7453
    @davebolinger7453 4 роки тому +6

    I'm thinking of making a firlbolg grave domain cleric. It would be an extremely effective inflict wounds spell user. Hidden step is great to move in and cast it with advantage plus using eyes of the grave on the target to make it vulnerable against necrotic damage. This can be a very deadly combo for a level 2 character that will make most DMs rage.

  • @wingless2224
    @wingless2224 4 роки тому +2

    Thanks for the series. Great stuff.

  • @bodbyss
    @bodbyss 4 роки тому

    I'm so lucky to be looking specifically for this guide, on the very same day it came into existence.

  • @martinwigham
    @martinwigham 4 роки тому +4

    It might pop up later in the video, but regarding the weapon vs cantrip dilemma if you can get Booming Blade/Green Flame Blade you kind of get the best of both worlds.

    • @charleswain6124
      @charleswain6124 3 роки тому

      @sum body Cantrips go off character lvl, not class lvl.

  • @tobak952
    @tobak952 Рік тому

    i love that spiritual weapon is basically like "you can have extra attack as a full caster, it just costs a spellslot and a bonus action

  • @destroyerinazuma96
    @destroyerinazuma96 4 роки тому +17

    Mom, One-Punch-Man is shooting videos again

  • @KevShaw808
    @KevShaw808 4 роки тому +3

    Sounds like Life Domain is a solid choice since you get most of the recommended spells for free. I've been enjoying Life Domain, just wish the table understood that I can't heal everyone for big numbers. If we get Fireballed or get caught in dragon's breath there's not much I can do to fix it.

  • @YourBoyNobody530
    @YourBoyNobody530 4 роки тому +2

    Clerics can actually be played as a martial class if you spec them out right especially the war, forge, and storm clerics though I will admit storm cleric with booming blade is nothing to sneeze at

  • @YourBoyNobody530
    @YourBoyNobody530 4 роки тому +2

    If you blind an enemy believe everyone will thank you. Everyone benefits from being harder to hit, and being able to attack with advantage. The rogue will always get their sneak attack thanks to advantage, and paladins will love having more critical hits to slap some smites on. The barbarian will no longer have to use reckless attack, and will actually become harder to hit. You get the picture everyone loves you.

  • @thomaspeters8023
    @thomaspeters8023 4 роки тому +1

    Spirit Guardians has two gotchas that all clerics should know about.
    You cannot exempt an ally that you cannot see at the time of casting. Anyone who is invisible, hiding, behind cover, in darkness, etc. at the moment of casting will be affected.
    Spirit Guardians is a magical effect meaning it will not stack. The bad guys are not going to take 6d8 just because you have two clerics and both cast it. Plan ahead. Especially plan ahead before another character such as a lore bard or divine soul sorcerer builds around Spirit Guardians in conflict with his own cleric.

    • @maltheopia
      @maltheopia 4 роки тому

      I've seen a DM let two clerics combine a Radiant Spirit Guardians and a Necrotic Spirit Guardians. Not technically RAW, but I don't see any reason not to allow it.
      I think a bigger gotcha is that if you're using Spirit Guardians, you need to have a Concentration-booster. And this is not negotiable. If for some reason you can't get one (i.e. you rolled for stats and started with a 14 in WIS) Spirit Guardians should be cast in the second round, after Spiritual Weapon.

  • @treborsaredlab6574
    @treborsaredlab6574 4 роки тому +2

    The Dice Gods be praised!!

  • @WildVii
    @WildVii 4 роки тому +3

    Treantmonk’s T-Shirts!!

  • @Godzillawolf1
    @Godzillawolf1 2 роки тому

    One spell to consider in certain situations in my opinion is Spirit Shroud. While the extra damage is nice, the ability to just shut down an enemies' ability to heal is fantastic in the right situation and combos well with some other Cleric Spells.
    Let's say you're fighting a vampire. Radiant Damage does negate it's healing factor, but it doesn't negate its ability to recover using bite. So effectively, a hit empowered by Spirit Shroud and using Radiant damage, not only deals significant damage due to targetting their weakness to it, you're shutting down their ability to heal. Chill Touch can also do this, but it deals Necrotic, so it's far less reliable against the undead.
    Technically speaking, if Booming Blade is effected by Spell Sniper, it should also effect Spirit Shroud, so the effect increases to 20 feet. Making say Guiding Bolt a very good option, allowing you to both make an allies' next hit more likely to hit and negate regeneration at the same time. Furthermore, Spiritual Weapon also uses an attack roll, and thus if you're within 20 feet of the opponent, you effectively have two chances in one turn to land Spirit Shroud's effect: once with Spiritual Weapon and once with a primary attack. Even without that, both attacks get the damage buff, which is nice.
    Speaking of Spell Sniper: Booming Blade's secondary damage wouldn't be effected, but the attack you made with Booming Blade would and there's nothing saying the two wouldn't stack. So effectively, between Spirit Shroud and Booming Blade, you'd be dealing, at fifth level with both active, an additional 1d8 Thunder Damage and 1d8 Radiant, Necrotic, or Cold damage on top of the weapon's own damage.
    If you're a class that gets Divine Strike or Blessed Strike, that's an additional 1d8 damage with the type of damage being variable, later 2d8 past level 14. With these all stacked on top of each other, you'd effectively be dealing an additional 4d8 damage on an attack roll. And that's damage an enemy cannot regenerate or heal from until the start of your next turn. The best part is, with the exception of the spell slot used for Spirit Shroud intially, all this damage is essentually free, as none of it requires an additional action or bonus action to set up once Spirit Shroud is in play.

  • @lucifiaofthefreecouncil1312
    @lucifiaofthefreecouncil1312 3 роки тому +4

    Couldn't you take the Metamagic Adept Feat and use Distant Spell on your Cure Wounds giving it a 30ft range?

  • @corylohanlon
    @corylohanlon 2 роки тому

    That's a generous spirit guardians aura. It's a 35 ft cube vs 15 ft radius sphere. Gives ya a few more squares at the corners

  • @social3ngin33rin
    @social3ngin33rin 4 роки тому +1

    Clerics seem insane from my research. They can do anything from heal to insane damage burst.

  • @Dave004
    @Dave004 Рік тому

    Awesome analysis. Cleric is my favourite class. Its funny because at lvl 3 with Spiritual Weapon you do feel really powerful, but we have a Stars Druid in our group, so I just look to him and think....ohh ya you're the powerful one at this level lol. 2x free guiding bolts and a bonus action equal to Spiritual Weapon (1d8 - wisdom mod) but at more distance and doesn't require a spell slot to use.....yep thats pretty dang strong. But lvl 5 and upwards Clerics can really turn it back on.

  • @corylohanlon
    @corylohanlon 2 роки тому

    I just assumed you would always bless yourself in addition to your 2 melee damage dealers to give yourself the +1d4 on concentration saves to keep up the buff on your two damage dealing party members.

  • @matthewk320
    @matthewk320 4 роки тому +1

    this is amazing!

  • @panpiper
    @panpiper Рік тому

    I've been playing a fighter for the last three years in a campaign. Our cleric dutifully stopped casting Bless once he could cast Spirit Guardians. I took a level in cleric (forge) so I could cast and concentrate on Bless (also no one in our party could cast identify...).

  • @TheBierp
    @TheBierp 4 роки тому +2

    You mentioned keeping both Lesser Restoration and Protection from Poison prepared in the level 5-6 range, however, LR does remove the poisoned condition. Both spells are touch. PP gives you the hour of advantage rolls, but it that alone worth using two prepared spells at this level?

  • @jeffdietz630
    @jeffdietz630 3 роки тому +1

    Clerics are awesome, my biggest beef with them is they are often times less mobile than other characters. Echo fighters, thieves, wizards, monks(I know they suck), Rangers etc. All have abilities to move around the battlefield in short order. Clerics relying on spiritual weapon and 15 ft radius spirit weapon comparably plod along at 25 for spirit weapon and 30 foot pacing (assuming no dash action). This seems to impact the optimum usage of spirit guardians. Seems better mobility to clerics would help substantially on their signature key damage dealing spell.

    • @mrbean3470
      @mrbean3470 3 роки тому

      1 level dip into storm sorcerer? Tempestuous magic bonus action for mobility, plus shield/absorb elements and booming blade cantrip all for 1 level dip. Could be worse, right?

  • @YourBoyNobody530
    @YourBoyNobody530 4 роки тому

    also one thing to mention at level 1 you can get 20 AC using the shield of faith spell which if you get bonuses from anywhere else like war forged integrated protection not to mention if your smart and know how to make a lot of money you can easily get plate armor by level 2 or 3 depending on the pace of the campaign especially if your a war forged forge cleric and you decide your going to make a crap ton of high quality weapons/armor/tools/etc to sell for some big bank not to mention you could also just make the plate armor yourself

    • @jonhill329
      @jonhill329 3 роки тому

      @@skymanta1222 and 22 if your a tortle forge cleric with a shield and shield of faith.

  • @oliverneville5012
    @oliverneville5012 4 роки тому +1

    I actually think spirt guardians doing necrotic damage over radiant might actually be slightlyyy better (although it still really doesn’t matter much) this is just because clerics already have a bunch of tools that make them really effective against undead, and undead tend to be most of things you fight with necrotic resistance. So having spirit guardians do necrotic damage makes your cleric a little more versatile, as you have good options against a wider range of enemies. Although this does make undead less of an absolute cake walk as it nerfs your strongest option against them and undead are way more common than things that resist radiant so it’s still a toss up.

    • @TreantmonksTemple
      @TreantmonksTemple  4 роки тому

      I hadn't thought of it that way, that's an interesting point

    • @maltheopia
      @maltheopia 4 роки тому +1

      I disagree with this. Necrotic resistance/immunity is a lot, LOT more common than radiant resistance/immunity and no creature to my knowledge is vulnerable to necrotic. Versatility doesn't mean anything if your additional option doesn't mean anything. Who cares whether you don't have any good necrotic options, there are almost no situations where necrotic damage is superior to radiant damage and plenty of situations, like you pointed out, where having radiant spirit guardian damage is good.

  • @michaelnielson3978
    @michaelnielson3978 4 роки тому +2

    I play a very aoe blasty tenpest cleric. Destructive wave and thunderwave are super fun

    • @michaelnielson3978
      @michaelnielson3978 4 роки тому

      Oh and shatter

    • @Snoil
      @Snoil 3 роки тому

      Tempest is hellafun! Tell Servo and Crow we said hi!

  • @scottshier5502
    @scottshier5502 Рік тому

    I'm playing an evil storm cleric. I blast Thunderwave and Call Lightning. If my party gets in the blast radius, I heal them after combat.

  • @impretinent
    @impretinent 4 роки тому +8

    I’ve been playing a light cleric and had mostly the same thoughts on this. I feel like I’m missing something though: is there any bonus action I can take on round 1 while casting spirit guardians?

    • @a.spirit8408
      @a.spirit8408 4 роки тому +5

      If you want to optimize the action economy further, maybe start off with your channel divinity + spiritual weapon. Then move to spirit guardians + spiritual weapon. That way you won't lose a bonus action, still do AoE, and it gives you two rounds to get into position for Spirit Guardians than just one.

    • @impretinent
      @impretinent 4 роки тому +1

      A. Spirit definitely starting it a round later is an option but sometimes I really want to start spirit guardians round 1. Spirit Guardians is *definitely* good enough to cast as a sole action, but the only RAW thing outside of finding the right magic items to pair with it appears to be taking the martial adept feat and then taking the rally maneuver. That seems like a pretty ridiculous cost to add that bonus action, so I’m still looking for a reliable bonus action for a casting-focused cleric as a pairing with round 1 spirit guardians. It’s a situational concern but one that arises pretty frequently - I’m just curious if there was a good option for this that I wasn’t seeing

    • @impretinent
      @impretinent 4 роки тому

      @@sharkforce8147 Yeah - single-classed. Multi-classing a casting-focused cleric given my stats at this point does not seem worth it and would be a different character concept.

    • @impretinent
      @impretinent 4 роки тому

      @@sharkforce8147 Yeah, I agree - I could take monk levels but I think it's hard to argue for monk levels when I have made exactly 1 melee with this character ever and it's way more utility to have additional high level cleric spell slots.

    • @nilsjonsson4446
      @nilsjonsson4446 4 роки тому

      A. Spirit
      Spiritual Weapon (SW) turn one doesn’t waste a bonus action, but it wastes the opportunity to concentrate on something turn one. SW first means one more turn of SW, and Spiritual Guardians (SG) means one more turn of SG. A turn of SG is better than a turn of SW (assuming you’re in range for both, and don’t need to spend your action e.g. dashing). Turn 1: SG; Turn 2: Channel Divinity/whatever + SW, is almost always better than Turn 1: CD/whatever + SW; Turn 2: SG + SW.
      What to do with the bonus action then? There is nothing good that applies to all. Multiclassing, feats or items might give you something (myself, I have Shillelagh from Magic Initiate). Don’t prioritize bonus action over concentration.

  • @binolombardi
    @binolombardi 4 роки тому +6

    Spirit guardians isn’t quite friendly fire safe. You specifically designate creatures you can see at the time of casting to be safe. Everyone else gets shredded.
    Bad guys can start grabbing hostages to keep try to keep you away.
    Commoners and children might try to rush to you for safety when they run across your party saving their town.
    If your party is split and your cleric sets up before everyone’s in sight, they get spirit shredded.

  • @jiiaga5017
    @jiiaga5017 3 роки тому +1

    14:24 I know this is a very late response, but I don't understand this mindset of being bored with clerics because you only ever cast spiritual weapon and heal. Rarely if ever have I even had time to consider a spiritual weapon in any significant fight. Bless, calm emotions, bane, lesser restoration, domain spells, dispel magic, spirit guardians... all of these take priority early, because you either want your allies to have the best chance to get off their most impactful abilities, hamper enemy movement as much as possible, or need to immediately counter very bad things the foe has done to you or party members, etc. etc. I can't waste a round of an often high stress 4-5 round combat getting off a spell that is going to give me 1 weapon swing's worth of damage per round. I'm running 2 clerics right now, and neither even prepares spiritual weapon, let alone frequently casts it. (level 6 and level 10 clerics). I guess if you are playing a life cleric and all you have access to is cleric spells, but other domains usually have better options in the moment than spiritual weapon. Heck, my arcana cleric often finds himself burning level 2 spells on magic missile to confirm kills, rather than taking a chance on a spiritual weapon's attack roll.

  • @darrenstrange2244
    @darrenstrange2244 4 роки тому +3

    Thanks this is really helpful. Can I ask, on level 3, why would you decide to cast Bless on round 2 as opposed to Round 1?

    • @TreantmonksTemple
      @TreantmonksTemple  4 роки тому +3

      Because if you cast a spell using your bonus action (Spiritual weapon), you may not cast any other spell except a cantrip on the same turn.

  • @donkeyfly43
    @donkeyfly43 2 роки тому

    “Clerics are so effective!”
    It’s literally two spells that are so effective that there is almost no other options any time there is a combat. It’s so cliché that if you had 3 clerics in the same party, all three would do the exact same thing, every single combat encounter.

  • @robertbingham8053
    @robertbingham8053 2 роки тому +2

    Generic comment to increase engagement statistics.

  • @YourBoyNobody530
    @YourBoyNobody530 4 роки тому

    honestly I advise players to use alternate means of picking up their ally like slapping a potion down their throat or making a medicine check while I do advise them to have some form of healing magic spending a spell slot early level on a healing spell may not be worth it when compared to the alternative not to mention any character can do these methods heck if your a thief rogue you an can administer a potion as a bonus action

  • @destroyerinazuma96
    @destroyerinazuma96 4 роки тому +1

    All right, time for an on-point comment. Feedback from 70 hours of low-level play (Life, Forge): a) weapon-bashing is common, though I often used Sacred Flame or Toll the Dead towards lvl 4. Regarding level 2 slots, I had a cool game where we raided a room SWAT-style and I had to spend the slots on Blindness and Enhance Ability while maintaining Silence cast as a Ritual. b) Forge play involved 50/50 SF/Mace and a support playstyle. Bless is a Godsend. Healing Word too. Our GM got a tiny bit frustrated-amused with the Paladin's AC 20 (Defense + my Blessing of the Forge). While I probably won't ever get heavy-duty spells ike Sunburst or Ressurection I'm looking forward to Divine Intervention since 10% is still not that bad.

  • @acm4bass
    @acm4bass 4 роки тому +1

    So in defense of Dexterity/Wisdom Clerics you can easily get studded leather, shield and full dex modifier to AC, and gain stealth, initiative and bonus to ranged attacks. Combined with trickery domain and an amazing spell list and abilities you can do quite a bit.

    • @thomaspeters8023
      @thomaspeters8023 4 роки тому

      RAW you cannot use a shield with any weapon that has the Ammunition property.

  • @Rockswamp28
    @Rockswamp28 5 місяців тому +1

    My biggest problem with Cleric is their abysmal Con save and how hard it can be to use SG effectively with it. Main points:
    - SG takes your spell action to cast. Therefore, can't take the Dodge action even though you signaled yourself as one of the biggest targets. Result: Cleric will be hit in the next turn. Additional effect, you are not getting any bonus action use this turn if it's the first round.
    - SG is used within melee range of enemies and typically only with there are a sufficient amount of them within range. Result: Cleric will be targeted by several attacks and, so long as the enemies don't share a turn, I've seen more often than not that only some of those enemies are ever actually affected by SG because the initial enemies end up breaking the cleric's Conc.
    - SG takes Conc and, as stated previously, can be easily broken in under one round. Result: Cleric gives up any other Conc for this spell and may even hit significantly fewer enemies than a Fireball would have (admittedly not a great spell to compare against but I'm doing it anyway).
    - SG when playing with the common optional Diagonals rules, I have not been convinced that SG should be a square. Result: Advertised dmg from optimizers may often be smaller than predicted. (Not a point on Con nor one I'm looking to defend but wanted to make others aware)
    Takeaway, if looking to use SG with a Cleric it's important to try and find a way to bump those Con saves, gain adv through something like War Caster, and/or get some high AC

  • @andreymontag
    @andreymontag Рік тому

    Weird how you didn't mention aid
    Spirit weapon is suboptimal
    Cure wounds is a waste
    Sanctuary is a must have if you have another caster in your party

  • @joshuasonnen5982
    @joshuasonnen5982 Рік тому

    so ive been playing my cleric as a purely healbot. Ive been playing it horribly wrong

  • @stanleylee5358
    @stanleylee5358 3 роки тому

    Cantrip? Weapon?
    Why not both?
    Booming Blade. Worth either a feat or a multi-class to get.

  • @pedrocamachodandrea6230
    @pedrocamachodandrea6230 3 роки тому

    Why do we care that Spirit Guardians last until the next short rest? Treantmonks says that you should cast it again on your next encounter, but even if you took a short rest, you don't regain any spells from short rests

  • @pandakopanda254
    @pandakopanda254 11 місяців тому

    How do you use meele atack weapons, shield for 18 AC and spells like spirit weapon or bless if they need somatic component?

    • @booleanillogical4757
      @booleanillogical4757 6 місяців тому

      Sage advice says that you can perform somatic components with the hand holding the shield IF the shield is ur holy symbol.

  • @Fion195
    @Fion195 2 роки тому

    Id you play a tortle you can get an AC of 19 at lvl one

  • @harjutapa
    @harjutapa 3 роки тому

    Question: if we're using most of our spell slots for Spirit Guardian and Spiritual Weapon, especially at low levels, how does this jive with your rating of Trickery as so high up when those extra spells it gets access to directly compete with the Big Gun spells?

    • @crunchevo8974
      @crunchevo8974 2 роки тому

      Mirror image doesn't use concentration, pass without trace is an out of combat spell, charm person is an out of combat spell as is disguise self, blink is concentration but the times you'd use blink chances are your spirit guardians went down and you need some extra survivability. Dimension door is non concentration and also an action to cast, and i tend to use polymorph as a utility spell more than an offence spell but if your spirit guardians go down and you're running low on Hp turning into a giant ape is pretty good use of that concentration. Dominate person and modify memory I'm not the biggest fan of but they're handy in a pinch.
      Overall i think the biggest assets to trickery cleric, that being Mirror image, pass without trace, dispell magic, disguise self and dimension door don't really harm the standard cleric they just make you far more tough and versatilitile both in and out of combat. And add sime pretty nice utility. Plus always having access to polymorph helps out a lot.

  • @JoseGabriel-lv7qv
    @JoseGabriel-lv7qv 2 роки тому

    Do you think spirit guardians with a aasimar protector divine soul sorcerer work too?

  • @ChristnThms
    @ChristnThms 4 роки тому

    Bravo

  • @alejandrogomezdelmoralguer3502
    @alejandrogomezdelmoralguer3502 3 роки тому

    Playing a half-elf (moon elf ancestry) twilight cleric 5 - my strategy is to pop my twilight sanctuary and cast spiritual weapon in rd 1, add in spirit guardians in rd 2, and then from rd 3 on use booming blade with spiritual weapon attacks from rd 3 on, supporting our barbarian and conquest paladin with the temp hp from twilight sanctuary. I went Dex-forward, so I’m at 18 dex now wearing studded leather, a shield, and a rapier, and a wisdom of 16. Thoughts on the build? I know the slightly lower WIS is less than ideal, but I’m thinking I’ve got lots of damage sources per round, my 18 AC, and I can combine my booming blade with spirit guardians to just make enemies have few good options. And I’m thinking meanwhile that the +1 modifier difference between WIS and DEX isn’t that huge a deal (notwithstanding bounded accuracy)

    • @darylchambers9138
      @darylchambers9138 2 роки тому

      I have a similar build at level 6 - pallid elf twilight cleric with Resilient Con feat. ASI are 16 in Dex, Con, and Wis & 19 AC. I'm contemplating to go Warcaster at level 8 or boost Wis to 18.

    • @anonymouszebra1239
      @anonymouszebra1239 2 роки тому +1

      @@darylchambers9138 I’m also a pallid elf twilight cleric level 5. I took fey touched for even more spells lol

  • @Drobot2000
    @Drobot2000 4 роки тому

    Im a newbie cleric and i was just wondering why you wait until round 2 for the spiritual weapon dont you have an open bonus action at the end of turn 1? and if its something obvious please forgive me still learning

    • @jonadler7403
      @jonadler7403 3 роки тому +2

      you can only cast 1 non-cantrip spell per turn

  • @scottburns5049
    @scottburns5049 6 місяців тому

    Dude I'm done as you suggested a cleric not to carry a melee weapon

  • @wanderdragon1075
    @wanderdragon1075 4 роки тому +1

    Forge Cleric says 19 AC at level 1

  • @kevinlux-sullivan3809
    @kevinlux-sullivan3809 4 роки тому

    Spirit Guardians has a 15ft radius, but your grid shows 35ft by 35ft aura. Is it common to represent it as 7*7 squares rather than 6*6, centered on a corner of the caster?

  • @darrenstrange2244
    @darrenstrange2244 4 роки тому

    So, Lev 5. Spirit Guardians + Spirit Weapon + Action. Sounds great!! Can I Still cast a normal spell with SG and SW currently in play?

    • @Pyrela
      @Pyrela 3 роки тому

      You can. Only limitation is the fact that Spirit guardians requires concentration so unless you're willing to end SG you can't cast another spell requiring concentration. Otherwise you can cast any other spell you want while they're going.

  • @Mr911superstar
    @Mr911superstar 4 роки тому

    Semi related question, I'm playing a Warlock that is dipping 3 levels into divine soul sorcerer. Do you think spiritual weapon is a good use of my bonus action or is it better to be using my limited sorcery points (3 total) to be quickening eldritch blast?

    • @AntTheBugcather
      @AntTheBugcather 4 роки тому

      Spiritual weapon. It kinda breaks the action economy. Attack on a bonus with no concentration is so powerful, specially for your build that sits on the backline

    • @the_twig131
      @the_twig131 4 роки тому +1

      Given that you can only quicken one spell per long rest (unless you trade in spell slots) I personally don't think that quickening Eldritch Blast is ever a good idea. Maybe its decent when you get up to three hits and you have Hex up, but I think that quickening something like Hold Person, Fear, or if you have it, Fireball, is almost always going to be a better use of your Sorcery Points.
      As for Spiritual Weapon, yes it's a fantastic spell, and just because you have it doesn't mean that you need to use it. You can quite easily just use your bonus action to do something else on your turn when you feel you need to. Spiritual Weapon doesn't go away, and you can continue using it on your next turn. The only thing that I would be wary about is the fact that Hex is also a bonus action. It might be worth using other concentration spells instead.

    • @TreantmonksTemple
      @TreantmonksTemple  4 роки тому +1

      It's not going to be an issue because you get so few quickens, on most turns you either will be conserving sorcery points or be out of them

    • @Mr911superstar
      @Mr911superstar 4 роки тому

      Thanks for the replies, I hadn't gotten to my meta magic quite yet and forgot quicken was 2 points, spiritual weapon is definitely the way to go

  • @texteel
    @texteel 4 роки тому

    how much of this applies or doesnt apply to divine souls sorcerer?
    Is the difference big enough to warrant a separate video?

    • @TreantmonksTemple
      @TreantmonksTemple  4 роки тому +5

      It's going to depend on the build somewhat, but going into melee with spirit guardians with a no armor d6 HP PC is not something I would recommend.

    • @a.spirit8408
      @a.spirit8408 4 роки тому

      Because of their low AC and lower HP, it isn't great for Sorcerers to be up close (in Spirit Guardian range). Consider combining Spiritual Weapon with a battlefield control spell instead (like Hypnotic Pattern or Fear) and the rest you can keep the same. And you'll be better at blasting with your main action by using spells like Fireball.

    • @Rashagar
      @Rashagar 4 роки тому

      I liked Spiritual Weapon with Web, for advantage on my Spiritual Weapon attacks. (Drow, whose spirit weapon took the form of spectral spiders.)
      I also wanted to try a more melee oriented Divine soul sorcerer who combined Spirit Guardians with Earth Tremor, to make a fairly silly choke point defender.

  • @Keyseren
    @Keyseren 4 роки тому

    Hey Chris
    Can u explain the damage of spirit G.
    ex. I cast spirit G... does a create take damage (let say is standing next to me) on my turn ? or only on its own turn? or both?

    • @andresabourin2423
      @andresabourin2423 4 роки тому

      Like the spell says, it's when a creature first moves into the area or starts its turn there. It does not take damage on your turn.

    • @impretinent
      @impretinent 4 роки тому

      Andre is correct - RAW it does not take effect when you cast it, but on the start of your enemies turns.

    • @Keyseren
      @Keyseren 4 роки тому

      Thx.... but it saids, when the creature enters the area for the first time on "A" turn... why dos my turn not count?

    • @andresabourin2423
      @andresabourin2423 4 роки тому

      @@Keyseren no, it does not. They are technically not entering the area...they're already in it.

  • @jonathanholmes3149
    @jonathanholmes3149 3 роки тому

    Are Circle of Dreams Druids the best healers in D&D? If so, can anyone give me the abridged version of why they’re superior to Life Clerics?

    • @richardwhaler8717
      @richardwhaler8717 3 роки тому

      No the best healer in the game is Shepherd Druid + 1 level of Life Cleric.
      Unicorn Totem turns Healing Word into Mass Cure Wounds.

  • @usernameed
    @usernameed 2 роки тому

    Revivify is pretty good but it is incredibly expensive, 300 gold worth of diamonds

    • @crunchevo8974
      @crunchevo8974 2 роки тому

      Afaik it's the cheapest way to revive a dead player. Yes it sucks but you know what sucks more? That character being dead when the player isn't ready for them to die

  • @rachdarastrix5251
    @rachdarastrix5251 3 роки тому

    How do I play as a cleric of Tire?

    • @crunchevo8974
      @crunchevo8974 2 роки тому

      Have a cleric of tire. No one says what god you worship except you. War cleric fits the bill though.

  • @tariqkhawaja2720
    @tariqkhawaja2720 3 роки тому

    Love this video I reference it regularly for my cleric. Just one question could you make a video or link to somewhere that shows me how to make a highlighted square in roll20 like you did for spirit guardians, that would help me alot in my games!

  • @Porphyrogenitus1
    @Porphyrogenitus1 4 роки тому +2

    > D&D is for *everyone*
    Not Hobgoblins tho. I hear they're quitters.

  • @BR4IN1N4J4R
    @BR4IN1N4J4R 4 роки тому +1

    So funny story: I recently played in a one-shot (hopefully going to become a full campaign) and I had Guiding Bolt prepped as an emergency tool. Realizing my Hedgehog-folk Rogue (yes, really) was in position to sneak attack if he could only get advantage. Cue Pump-a-Rum (me) firing a Guiding Bolt, which then the Rogue shot with a hand crossbow and crit, doubling his SA and utterly demolished the boss

    • @Mr911superstar
      @Mr911superstar 4 роки тому

      I did something similar yesterday where my rogue couldn't sneak attack so he held his action for my familiar to use help, it was sweet and that ogre chieftain felt a hurting

  • @PlanetOfTheApes999
    @PlanetOfTheApes999 3 роки тому

    I love adding a level of Wizard to any Cleric build. Shield and Absorb Elements make you much harder to kill, while Find Familiar can help the party's Rogue deal very reliable damage. If you also take the Dodge action, you become nearly impossible to hit.

  • @andrewhazlewood4569
    @andrewhazlewood4569 4 роки тому

    Level 1 AC 19 from either forge cleric or for variant human medium armor master 16 dex. (No disadvantage on sneak). If you know you will not be going with 6 levels in cleric you can start level 1 with 20 AC by combining both of these ideas.

  • @TheChokofant
    @TheChokofant Рік тому

    Solid breakdown of the Cleric but everything is reduced to how to handle combats. A lot of info on AC, HP, spells and tactics that are effective in combat. Playing D&D to me is much more than 3 encounters a day with a boss fight at the end.

  • @lord6617
    @lord6617 4 роки тому

    At level 5, multiclasses for 1 level of hexblade warlock and Booming/Green Flame Blade on his nature cleric. Ffft spirit guardians. Don't judge meeeeeeeee.