Unearthed Arcana 6: The Cleric

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Having finished up the Bard, Ranger, and Rogue, I am moving onto what was originally the Priest Group, the Cleric, Paladin, and Druid. Although groups are no longer being used as a term, I am lumping them together for this review. In my previous review, I had mixed feelings on the Cleric. I thought they did a good job of allowing the class to specify without being good at everything, but they did not go far enough.

Take Me to Church

Going through the core Cleric class, we see a few changes that appear will be uniform across all classes. Starting off, Divine Order (originally Holy Order) has been moved to 1st level. The Developers have reduced the three original options down to two, the Scholar option that provided additional skill proficiencies being removed and incorporated into Thaumaturge. The Thaumaturge option has also had the extra Channel Divinity use removed as well. Moving this ability back to 1st level means that a Cleric will get a bit added power, starting off as offensive abilities instead of the previous option, which was Channel Divinity. 

As I had mentioned previously, I like this feature in theory but disagree with its execution in this play test. I think that the Cleric as written can do more than any other class. Starting off, this class gets armor proficiency up to Medium and Simple weapons on top of full casting. Locking Martial Weapons behind the feature choice helps with this, but I would prefer that Medium Armor, Shields, or both should be unlocked by taking the Protector option. This would leave a Cleric capable of doing almost anything, but would tie a lot of that utility to choose, and avoid having a single character that steps on the toes of the others.

Spell-casting has been changed back. To save time, I will just say that this makes the most sense.

Channel Divinity has moved back to level 2, and now scales based on Cleric level instead of Proficiency Bonus. This means that instead of increases at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels, the increases happen at 6th and 18th. The maximum uses also get reduced by two, ending at 4 uses per rest instead of 6. The core class options, Divine Spark and Turn Undead, have also had changes made to them. Divine Spark’s damage is no longer tied to Proficiency Bonus, and instead increases at set levels (7th, 13th, and 18th). Turn Undead no longer causes the Dazed Condition and now uses the Incapacitated and Frightened Conditions.

This seems like an overall power reduction to the core abilities of Channel Divinity, which makes sense to me. Clerics have full casting on top of their other abilities, so running out of options is going to be unlikely. Reducing their power means that players will not use their Channel Divinity uses on these standard options unless they absolutely have to. The removal of Dazed seems interesting. Dazed originally only allowed the use of a Move or Action on a turn, but not both. Turn Undead specified that they only could move away from the Cleric on their turn. Frightened and Incapacitated has about the same function, and explains the ability better. Dazed, however, was a well-written condition that did a good job at keywording effects that I had seen pop up before, so I hope it’s not gone entirely.

Moving along, we see that, like the other subclasses reviewed so far, subclass progression has reverted to 2014, though Cleric Subclasses now start at 3rd level instead of 1st level. When this came up in the first play test document, I saw a lot of dislike for a Cleric not knowing their deity until 3rd level, and said it made for a bizarre narrative flavor. I can understand that it feels goofy for an acolyte to not decide on their entity of choice until some time spent in the world, but looking at it differently, I think it makes sense. 

Instead of the particular entity, the developers could see the cleric as deciding on a specific aspect of that entity to embody. So a character might start out worshiping Moradin, but not entirely know what of Moradin’s Domains they want to embody. Forge Domain might make the most sense, but Knowledge Domain would also work. There could even be an argument for the Light Domain. This might not always work, so a cleric could instead be beholden to a specific pantheon instead of an individual entity, and make the choice of the entity when they hit 3rd level.

Smite Undead has also removed itself from relying on Proficiency Bonus to determine the damage output. Now the number of d8s is determined by the Cleric’s Wisdom Modifier, a minimum of 1. Ever since Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything (TaCoE) started moving features to Proficiency Bonus progression, I have seen it almost entirely across the board. The reasoning makes sense to me. It removes some of the incentive for a character to make their top priority to get their main attribute score to 20. However, the narrative implications of the change do not always match. 

While Proficiency Bonus represents that ever-increasing ability that all adventurers get as they gain experience, ability score modifiers represent their inherent abilities specifically. With the new Smite Undead, this represents the Cleric’s ability to channel the power of their entity. To make it based on Wisdom, the skill that is tied to Cleric spell-casting, makes total sense to me.

Blessed Strikes has returned to being a decision, now making a Cleric decide whether they want extra damage on weapon attacks or Cantrips. In the previous play test, Clerics were given the option of both extra damage on weapon attacks and Cantrips. This option provides flexibility for game play choice, but having to make the choice means that a Cleric will have to choose to be better at one.

At 9th level we see a new ability, Commune. This gives a Cleric the spell Commune always prepared. This ability is not awful, since part of a Cleric is reaching out to their entity from time to time, but I do not think this is a complete feature. I talked about this briefly in the Ranger review, but I feel like a class feature that makes a single spell prepared always and nothing else is light on feature and flavor. While the Cleric is a full caster and it does not tax their spell slots as much, it still feels bland. I understand this is part of the replacement for the 2014 Divine Intervention that starts at level 10, but I want a little more. Clerics are supposed to be the most in touch with their deity. Maybe they could have an additional option when casting the spell.

At 10th level, we see Divine Intervention getting a change. Now the ability allows a Cleric to cast a 5th level or lower Divine Spell without a spell slot or needing material components. This is an action to cast. This replaces the percentile dice chance that left the intervention up to the DM. I really like this change. While this new version reduces the narrative implications by having specification for what the spell does, we now have an ability with more exact wording that maintains its power by offering a large amount of spells. For DMs, they will have less to do with this ability. For Players, they now have an ability they can rely on during the game.

At level 14, we see Improved Blessed Strikes, that gives additional abilities to the Blessed Strike option chosen back at 7th level. The extra damage die increases if you chose weapon attacks, and Divine cantrips give Temporary Hit Points to you or another creature within 60 feet of yourself. I like that the options here are branching off, and that it’s based on your level 7 choice instead of being able to choose one. 

At 20th level, we have the capstone Greater Divine Intervention. Improving the 10th level feature, this now allows for the spell chosen to be Wish. When you cast the spell using this ability, you ignore the stress caused by doing something other than casting a spell. However, you cannot use this ability again for 2d4 days. This keeps the ability reliable while maintaining the power that was available in the original 20th level ability. Tying it to Wish means that there are defined rules for what the spell can do, and that will make it easier for DM. There is some room for the players to try something unique, but at 20th level it makes sense entirely.

Sermon on the Core

This new version of the Cleric class does a good job at reigning in some of the power given by the previous version. Channel Divinities have had their usage per rest reduced, as well as the power of their abilities reduced as well. Divine Order fixes some of my complaints that Holy Order had, though I would have restricted the core class a bit more. Divine Intervention now gives a concrete, reliable benefit instead of being a gamble. Blessed Strikes now makes the player choose instead of providing an increase across the board.

The biggest changes I would make would reduce the capabilities of the Cleric down at core level, and take away Medium Armor (and maybe Shield) Proficiency, putting it behind the level 1 Protector option. That prevents the class from being able to cover too many roles at once, and potentially stepping on the toes of other players at the table. The utility is still there, but they have to choose it. I also would want to fix Commune, and have the level 9 feature give some sort of extra benefit besides having the spell always prepared.

Diving into the Divine

Besides the core class, we have a mix of new and old subclasses to look at it. This document provides an updated version of the Life, Light, Trickery and War Domains. One change across the board for all the subclasses (though technically a change to Life Cleric) is that Domain Spells include 1st level spells again. The Life Cleric play test included two level 3 spells. The new version now includes additional 1st level spells on top of those.

The Essence of Healing: The Life Domain

The healing-focused Life Domain, which was in the previous play test as well, and had some adjustments. Preserve Life, now one of the 3rd-level class features, has been changed to allow the spending of Channel Divinity uses in place of spell slots when casting Abjuration spells. This requires a use of Channel Divinity per spell level cast. This replaces the healing Action that gave 5 HP per Cleric Level to any creature within 30 feet.

Besides moving healing to the Abjuration school, this means that a Cleric can now cast defensive magic through their Channel Divinity. This means that the ability will be able to both heal and protect well with spells like Shield of Faith. Mechanically, this feels like it will expand the utility of a Life Cleric. Being able to not just heal, but mitigate damage, will mean that they can better support their companions. It strays a bit from the traditional focus on healing, but I don’t think it’s too much.

Finally, we see that Supreme Healing, the 17th level feature, now also works on the healing Channel Divinity and for spells. Otherwise, everything remains the same. This feels like necessary, especially after my last comment about healing.

Overall, these seem like solid adjustments. Nothing really exciting here to praise or complain about. It makes this class a little better at support, which i think works well.

Illuminating Changes: The Light Domain

Another iconic option, the Light Domain, comes next in our list. Starting off our review, we see some new spells added to this list. Spells like Moonbeam, See Invisibility, Arcane Eye, and Scrying have joined the more traditional option. This does a good job to expand on the idea of what “Light” encompasses, now focusing on giving information and dispelling secrets.

Warding Flare has been improved and given the Improved Flare ability from the start. Originally, at 6th level a Light Cleric could expand the use of this ability to others, and now that happens when they learn the ability. Makes sense to me, it makes the subclass a bit more support focused.

Revealing Light, which took the place of Improved Flare, is the new feature at 6th level. This gives a free cast of See Invisibility as a bonus action, as well as giving the benefit to allies within 10 feet of you and making 10 feet of Bright Light. I like this a lot more than the replaced feature, Improved Flare. While See Invisibility has some limitations RAW due to how Invisibility works, this is still a powerful ability. That it provides the effect to your allies and makes light makes it even better.

The last ability, Corona of Light, has been expanded to affect Radiance of Dawn, forcing Disadvantage on saving throws against it. A minor change to an already powerful feature, and a nice extra bit of utility.

Overall, Light Cleric has had minor but impactful changes. We see a bit more utility and support (similar to Life Cleric), as well as some minor offensive buffs. Nothing feels too powerful an addition, nor does anything feel underpowered.

Mischief and Magic: The Trickery Domain

Second to last, we have one of the more unique domains for the Cleric Class, Trickery Domain. This mischief-focused class has more access to stealth and illusion than the other domains, and has always been an interesting option. 

Starting out, we see Invisibility added to the domain spells, as well as including Pass without Trace from the original 3rd level slot. Blessing of the Trickster has been expanded as well. Where it was previously Touch, it now has a range of 30 feet and can be used on the caster themselves. The Channel Divinity option Invoke Duplicity now takes a Bonus Action, does not require Concentration, and teleports the user 30 feet upon using it.

A solid set of feature changes to start off the Trickery Domain, all giving a bit more utility for this character. Now that Blessing of the Trickster has range and can be cast on the Cleric, it will be much easier to give a character that advantage to stealth, or allow the cleric themselves to be sneaky in the name of their entity. Invoke Duplicity also feels a bit more powerful, and now can get the user out of danger in a pinch.

At 6th level, Trickster’s Magic allows a Trickery Domain Cleric to cast Illusion spells that normally take an Action as a Bonus Action. Clerics can use this a number of times a day equal to the cleric’s Wisdom Modifier, minimum 1. This replaces Cloak of Shadows, which would just make the user Invisible until the start of their next turn, and would go away if they cast a spell or attacked. This feels like a much better option. The ability is much faster now, working off a Bonus Action. It is more universal since it does not just give the effects of Invisibility, and it is more interesting.

The last ability, Improved Duplicity, has been entirely replaced from the core version. Teleportation distance has increased to 120 feet, and the movement of each of the duplicates is up to 60 feet. The advantage on attack rolls now extends out to allies and the cleric, and when the Illusion ends, it gives a number of hit points equal to the user’s cleric level to themselves or a creature within 5 feet of it. This replaces the original option, which just increased the amount of duplicates to four, and allowed you to move them all up to 30 feet each. A much better option here than the previous. Again, we have support through the use of this ability, and much more utility overall.

The changes to Trickery Domain might be my favorite on the Cleric Subclasses yet. We see a much more capable cleric through this subclass, one that is much more adept at quickly using illusion magic to cause confusion and mayhem when needed. Better support, better access to magic, better Duplicity. All around wins for this Domain.

Battle Blessings: The War Domain

Our final Domain is the offensively focused War Domain Cleric. This option allows players to hit harder and more often, imbuing themselves with a blessing from their war god. Starting off, we see that the spells have replaced Flame Strike with Destructive Wave. War Priest has been expanded to give…you guessed it…a single use of Weapon Mastery, changeable on a Long Rest. The Bonus Action weapon attack option has also been increased to recover on a Short Rest instead of just a Long Rest. Finally, Guided Strike now can be used on the user or a creature within 30 feet of themselves. The ability also functions as a Reaction to a missed attack roll instead of after a roll but before the DM confirms if it hits or not.

These all feel like solid options, Weapon Mastery included. The change in spells makes for a much more divine feeling option, since Destructive Wave does Thunder and either Necrotic or Radiant damage. An individual who has devoted themselves to worshiping war would definitely be trained with a weapon, and the Mastery represents that well. Finally, Guided Strike’s expansion does a good job of providing support earlier for Characters. These are solid options.

War God’s Blessing has been redesigned since the developers have moved its ability to Guided strike. This ability now allows for a single casting of Shield of Faith for free, per rest. When the spell is cast on another creature, it also benefits the cleric. I don’t know if I like this ability. It does a good job of providing more support options for the cleric, and it replaces a feature that got moved to 3rd. But this is another way for characters to get AC increases throughout the party easily. This could easily push a front line martial to be untouchable, or make a caster harder to hit. But I would rather see some sort of offensive benefit instead, or a more interesting option besides a flat AC increase.

The last ability, Avatar of Battle, has had a minor change. The resistance to damage now includes magical attacks instead of just non-magical attacks. At 17th level, this makes sense. If you are going to give resistance, you might as well offer it for magical sources and non magical.

War Domain Cleric has had some agreeable changes pointing towards support, but needs some work. I am happy to see Guided Strike and the 2014 War God’s Blessing worked into one ability, so that this cleric can be helpful earlier on. The flat AC option because of Shield of Faith feels bland. 

Final Thoughts on Cleric Transformation

One of the unifying changes with all the subclasses is to make them better at providing support to the party, either through expanding the target of abilities or to make abilities that benefit others stronger. Cleric has always been a class that looks to support others, and I think these minor changes have helped a lot. Across the subclasses there were some minor changes I did not like, but overall nothing terrible enough to note in any meaningful way. 

Closing Prayers

With that, we finish the Cleric, and start our progress through looking at the Priest Group updates. A very popular class in the current game, it has always been one to allow a lot of options. I have seen (and played as) clerics who can cast spells in the back with the Wizard, front line fight with the Paladin, and do everything in between. Some of these characters could do all of those at once, without having to give up anything significant. I think the changes have done a good job to make that a little less prevalent while offering the choices that were originally available. With the subclasses also pushing more support, I think this will help create a character that works well with the group, and can harness those abilities to better support their companions.