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Whenever people playDungeons & Dragons, Clerics are a versatile class meant to fit different roles and help their team. While you may deal damage at times or run into the front line, you may prefer a traditional Cleric focused on buffing your teammates and keeping them safe. If you want to take this approach, you can’t go wrong with a Life Domain Cleric.
Even if you go with Life Domain, you may wonder which aspects work best for this class, making it crucial for you to look into the best builds. Whether you’re min-maxing or seeking character-building guidance, you may use available information to shape your creation.
What Are The Life Domain Cleric Features?
You’ll encounter multiple features of the Life Domain that make it beneficial, including somespells you’ll unlock at the corresponding levels, allowing you to save your spell slots for other options.
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Bless and Cure Wounds
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Lesser Restoration and Spiritual Weapon
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Beacon of Hope and Revivify
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Death Ward and Guardian of Faith
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Mass Cure Wounds and Raise Dead
When you choose the Life Domain, yougain proficiency in heavy armor. Equipping it will increase your survivability, and since it won’t impact your spell casting, you may as well take advantage of the armor type.
You start with Disciple of Life, apassive that increases all your healing effects. The character will restore an additional two HP and the spell’s level added to it. For instance, if you cast a level five healing spell, your teammate will restore an extra seven health.
When you reach level two, you gain Channel Divinity: Preserve Life. This allows you toheal people for five HP times your level, splitting the health between people in range.
At level six, you unlock Blessed Healer, which gives you the same effects as Disciple of Life, except itonly applies if you heal someone besides yourself.
You also gain Divine Strike at level eight, and that allows you toadd 1d8 of radiant damage to your attackswhen they land once a turn. The damage increases to 2d8 at level 14.
Finally, you gain Supreme Healing at level 17. That ability allows you toalways heal for the highest amount rather than rolling.
What Are The Best Ability Scores For A Life Domain Cleric?
A Life Domain Cleric needs to carefully balance its stats toremain tanky while keeping your spells strong. With that in mind, you’ll want to make the following notes about the Ability Scores.
Their Importance For Clerics
Strength
You won’t find yourself fighting up close often, so you’ll probably chuck spells from a distance or heal your teammates, but the stat still matters. You willneed at least 13 Strength if you plan to wear heavy armor.
Dexterity
Dexterity isn’t a bad stat to put some points into since you’ll want toimprove your initiative and have a backup planif you run out of magic. For instance, you can use a crossbow or another long-range weapon to deal some damage between your spell casts.
Constitution
It never hurts to have more health, especially if you want to stay alive while protecting your teammates. Ensure youmake this one your second priority.
Intelligence
Intelligence isn’t used often by Clerics, though it does have some uses regarding your skill checks, so have it asyour second-lowest stat.
Wisdom
The most important stat for any Cleric. While you could focus on Constitution and Dexterity, you need to make your spells as effective as possible. Your spells will depend on your Wisdom, making it a crucial stat.
Charisma
Arguably the least important stat on a Life Domain Cleric, so feel free to use this one or Intelligence as your dump stat.
With that in mind, you’re able to customize your character as you see fit. However, if you want an efficient build, you could try a setup like this.
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What Are The Best Species For A Life Domain Cleric?
If you aren’t sure which Species to pick to go along with your Life Domain, you should try one of the following options tomaximize your strengths.
Why You Should Choose Them
Hill Dwarf
This species isan excellent pick if you want to boost your tankiness. The Darkvision will allow you to see in dark areas, making it easier to navigate and lead the party. You also gain bonus health every level and resist poison.
Wood Elf
You still have Darkvision and gain advantage over charms, while magic can’t make you fall asleep, helping you avoid conditions in combat.The Wisdom score bonus is also niceif you’re trying to reach 20 with Wisdom.
Lightfoot Halfling
If you’relooking for maneuverability and to gain advantages, the Lightfoot Halfling is an excellent choice. Lucky is an excellent trait that’ll help you avoid natural ones and get better roles. Halfling Nimbleness can also help you get around the field and put people in range of your heals.
Human
Humans are a versatile option,giving you a bonus point in all your Ability Scores, so you won’t have to sacrifice as much on some stats. The extra language can also be handy for roleplay and interacting with NPCs.
Variant Aasimar
If you want something more unique, this one will provide you with some solid support skills. For instance,Healing Hands can help you heal people further, while Darkvision continues to have its uses. The Ability Score increase to your Wisdom helps, while the boost to your Charisma can help you have at least a zero modifier on all your Ability scores.
What Are The Best Spells For A Life Domain Cleric?
As a Life Domain Cleric, you’ll want to focus onbuffing your team and using other spells you’ll find useful. It also doesn’t hurt to grab some generally useful spells for outside of combat, such as Zone of Truth. Keep these suggestions in mind and make changes based on your play style, character, and campaign.
Remember that you may prepare different spells, so if some don’t work out for you, swap them for others.
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What Is The Best Starting Equipment For A Life Domain Cleric?
You won’t worry too much about equipment, except for your armor. At this point, you may grab a Mace to give you some melee attacks, andyou can also choose Chain Mailsince you’re proficient in heavy armor.
Don’t pick a simple weapon:go with the crossbow, especially if you chose Dexterity over Strength, so you have a way to fight off enemies when you run out of spells or don’t have anyone to heal.
An Explorer’s pack can be a solid option, thanks to the torches, tinderbox, and rope included.You also get a shield and a holy symbol. Since you’ll mostly be casting spells, you can throw on the shield for added defense, giving you 18 AC to start your journey.
