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The Knowledge Domain inDungeons & Dragonscan be somewhat niche in the area that it covers. The class that typically specialises in lore is the bard and a cleric needs to work hard to outperform them at that speciality, while the class that specialises in magic theory is normally the wizard.
Understanding the role that a Knowledge Domain Cleric fills in the party, and how to best emphasize their strengths is an important part of building one. Here’s a build guide that will allow you to play detective while still carrying out the classic clerical duties of keeping your party healed and your enemies smote.
Best Ability Scores and Skills For A Knowledge Domain Cleric
The ability scores for a knowledge cleric don’t have to differ from the other subclasses, but doing so can let you reinforce the strengths of the class. Here is a set of ability scores that prioritises the knowledge cleric’s focus on lore.
Wisdom
Highest
Wisdom fuels your spells. The wiser you are, the more magical you become. It’ll also help you with skill checks such as insight and perception.The ability to identify a liar through skill as well as magic allows you to be doubly sure before making any bold proclamations.
Intelligence
Second Highest
Knowledge clerics shine out of combat andrely on strong intelligence to pass the related skill checks. Investigation, the sibling skill to perception, is better suited for finding specific hidden objects and making deductions from a scene.
Dexterity
Third Highest
Much like the protagonist of a hard-boiled detective novel, an investigation will eventually lead to some form of foot chase or shootout. A 14 in dexterity maxes out your armour class in medium armour and gives you some leeway for related skill checks.If your party does not have a rogue, you may need to take their place in skill checks such as lock picking.If so, a higher dexterity will help.
Constitution
Fourth Highest
Knowledge clerics are best suited to play outside of combat but combat in Dungeons & Dragons is often inevitable. Constitution stops you from dying before you get to have your cool Sherlock Holmes scene.
Charisma
Second Lowest
The knowledge domain is very good at gathering blackmail material using a combination of investigation and divination. The application of that blackmail material is better handled by rogues and bards, especially if your deity is lawful.
Strength
Lowest
Ideallyyou’ll have other party members who are willing to carry heavy objectsand do the more brutish parts of melee combat that would dirty your hands.
Knowledge Clerics gain expertise in two academic skills (history, arcana, nature or religion). Arcana and history appear more frequently in skill checks but are also more likely to be covered by another character such as a wizard or bard. Religion makes the most sense for a knowledge cleric and is also uncontested by other classes.
Which two of the four options will be determined by what gaps exist in the skills of your other party members:If nobody else is covering them, history and arcana will appear the most often.
The Knowledge Cleric can use their channel divinity to gain skill proficiencies temporarily.This means that situational skills you can leave aside and pick them up temporarily when they become relevant.
Skills such as athletics and acrobatics are useful to learn outside your channel divinity as their related checks can spring up unexpectedly, and you won’t be able to prepare. Your channel divinity can target tools but most skill checks utilising them require more than the ten-minute duration of your channel divinity.
You can also use thespell Borrowed Knowledge to achieve the same effect for an hour,although this cannot target tools.
Best Spells For A Knowledge Domain Cleric Spells
The domain spells available to a knowledge cleric are situational but provide powerful benefits when used well. Without the outright offensive power of domains like war or the clear-cut support of healing, pinpointing best uses can be challenging.
Here are some spells that augment the utility already provided by the domain spells a knowledge cleric has:
Detect Evil and Good
First
Identifies the presence of magical creatures, such as fairies, devils or vampires.
A surprising number of quest givers can turn out to secretly be demons, vampires or fae tricksters.Having this spell handy means you’ll never be caught off guard.
Second
Prevents people within an area from knowingly lying.
Another tool to protect against deception,this one works even if the person isn’t a secret vampire. It has its own weaknesses in that it cannot detect lies by omission, people repeating lies they have been told and cannot force a person to speak.
Enhance Ability
Third
Grants advantage on all skill checks using a specific ability score
Theinformation you gather with your other spells can let you plan accordingly using this spellto improve your abilities.
Knowing that an upcoming combat will take place on a rooftop can let you enhance the dexterity of your party, making them keep their balance better and reducing the damage if they fall.
Fourth
Allows you to ask your deity a single question.
Asking a higher power for information is a good way of gaining information you have no other way to gain.
The ritual tagallows you to cast this spell without using a spell slot, but it still costs money on the reagents to cast the spell.
Remember to save some preparation slots for cleric staples such as healing word and revivify. Keep your Watsons alive!
Best Backgrounds For A Knowledge Domain Cleric
The Knowledge Domain feels most at home in a campaign that centres roleplay and investigation. Their features don’t meaningfully expand the Cleric’s (admittedly strong) base kit in combat. They shine in games that require careful use of their utility powers.
Abilities such as Visions of the Past or Read Thoughts can handily resolve most murder mysteriesunless the DM creates specific countermeasures against them.
The best backgrounds for a knowledge cleric similarly play into these strengths:
Next:Dungeons & Dragons: Best Save Or Suck Spells
