The 5e Cleric Class Reconstructed
Scholars, missionaries, and preachers. Clerics use magic learned through deep devotion and study of a faith. They are commonly, but not always, skilled healers.
This version of the cleric class is designed to be simple. It emphasizes the choice of divine domain and grants powerful late-game domain features earlier. Existing 5e subclasses will all work mechanically with this form of the cleric class. Click here for a summary of changes.
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Navigation
Class Features by Level*
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*For abilities that appear at multiple levels, only the first case is listed. eg. Ability Score Improvement is only listed at level 4.
Spell Slots
Level 1 Clerics
When you create a level 1 cleric, follow these steps to add the following to your character:
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Ability Scores
You can take one of these recommended ability score arrays, or you can roll or assign them yourself. You can switch any two ability scores, but you do not add any further bonuses (they're already included).
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Strength: 14 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 16 Intelligence: 8 Wisdom: 16 Charisma: 10
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Strength: 8 Dexterity: 14 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 16 Charisma: 12
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Feat
You gain a level 1 feat of your choice. You can choose from the feats available to all classes or choose a level 1 class-specific feat, if there is one available.​
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Hit Points
At First Level: 8 + Constitution Modifier
At Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution Modifier
Hit Dice: 1d8 per cleric level
Items
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a mace -OR- one Martial Melee Weapon (if proficient)
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chain mail -OR- scale mail -OR- padded armor
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a light crossbow and 20 bolts -OR- any Simple Weapon
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a holy symbol
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a priest's pack -OR- an explorer's pack
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Multiclass Characters
Instead of leveling up in your original class, you can take a cleric level when you level up. When you do, you gain only a portion of what first level clerics gain.
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Multiclassing Ability Score Requirements
Taking levels in several classes requires exceptional ability. You must meet the multiclassing ability score requirements for both your original class and the class you are multiclassing into.
For clerics you must have:​
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Wisdom: 14
Hit Points
Per Level: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution Modifier
Hit Dice: 1d8 per cleric level
Proficiencies
Class Features​
Class features here are sorted by level. When you reach a level as indicated by the icons on the left, you gain all feature or feature improvements listed between the red lines. For example, at first level clerics gain the Cleric Spellcasting and Divine Domain abilities.
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Cleric Spellcasting
As a cleric, you draw your power from sacred rituals. Most clerics directly worship a single deity and draw power directly from that deity, but some clerics worship multiple gods, or keep faiths that do not have a central figure of worship. Some clerics follow rituals created by faiths they don't agree with. The essential part of drawing power is that each cleric follows the tenets and rituals of a faith. A cleric with the life domain might worship a god of healing, or a pantheon of gods, or merely follow poorly translated rituals from a defunct cult. You use wisdom as your spellcasting ability for cleric spells, since your magic requires an intuitive understanding of your dogma and its applications to the world around you.​​
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Clerics are prepared spellcasters. The Cleric Progression Table shows how many spell slots you have, as well as how many cantrips and spells you have prepared. You can search the list of cleric spells here or see full spell descriptions here.​​​​​
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Holy Symbols as Spellcasting Focuses
You can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus. To do so, you can choose to hold your holy symbol during spellcasting or you can choose to display your holy symbol on your weapon, shield, or armor.
A holy symbol isn't always a symbol of a deity, but a cleric's holy symbol is always symbolic of their beliefs.
Divine Domain
Every cleric's religion has at least one associated Domain. Your choice of Domain represents the tenets of your organized faith. While most faiths in 5e settings revolve around a a single deity, your domain could represent a pantheon, a faith that lacks a deity, or even a religious-like devotion to an ideal or organization. Your domain grants you features at level 3, 6, 10, and 14, also listed below.
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Divine Domains published elsewhere are compatible with this version of the cleric class.​
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Death Domain
A cleric with the death domain follows a religious practice dedicated to death, dying, or magic that corrupts life. Sometimes a death cleric's religion includes worship of undeath or necromancy, but sometimes it is a more benign faith that focuses on the peaceful and natural passage of life into death, or passage into an afterlife.​​
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Death Domain: Extra Spells Prepared
When you reach certain levels as a cleric, you gain the ability to cast higher level spells. When you do, you prepare these additional spells. They do not count against the number of cleric spells you have prepared.
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Life Domain
A cleric with the life domain follows a religious practice dedicated to protecting or nurturing life. They are powerful healers, more so than any others, and are often the difference between life and death for an adventuring party. Some may dedicate themselves formally to healing, whereas others might just be dedicated to spiritual practices centered around protecting or nurturing a community.​​
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Life Domain: Extra Spells Prepared
When you reach certain levels as a cleric, you gain the ability to cast higher level spells. When you do, you prepare these additional spells. They do not count against the number of cleric spells you have prepared.
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Other Domain: Extra Spells Prepared
Choose this option if you'd like to use a Divine Domain that comes from a source that isn't Elkan 5e. At this level, you gain access to the first of your Divine Domain's extra spells. Your domain likely lists features at levels 1 and 2 other than new spells. You gain these features at level 3 instead.
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Channel Divinity
Action Cost Varies - 1/Short Rest*
Your connection to your faith allows you to channel divine energy to fuel magical effects. You can use your Channel Divinity to cast one of your prepared domain spells of up to 3rd level without expending a spell slot. When you use Channel Divinity this way, you can cast the spell as if using a 2nd or 3rd level spell slot, provided you are high enough level to cast 2nd or 3rd level spells.
Your chosen Divine Domain will give you more options at higher levels . When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which option to use. Some Channel Divinity effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your cleric spell save DC.
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*At levels 6 and 18, you gain an additional use of Channel Divinity between each short rest.
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Domain Feature
Your chosen Divine Domain grants you a new feature.
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Death Domain: Siphon Life
Bonus Action - 1 Ally (60 ft) - Magical
Immediately after you deal necrotic damage with a spell of 1st level or higher:
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Target regains hit points equal to 5 or twice the spell's level, whichever is higher.
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Death Domain: Channel Divinity: Soul Tether
Action - 1 Creature and 1 Ally (60 ft) - 1 Minute - Channel Divinity - Magical
This ability cannot target constructs.
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First, choose a willing ally who is both conscious and has more than 0 hit points. They are the 'living tether'.
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Second, choose a creature at 0 hit points or a dead creature who has been dead for less than one minute. This creature is the 'tethered soul'.
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The tethered soul becomes conscious, alive (if they were dead), and stops rolling death saves (if they were unconscious). They don't count as dead during the time for the purposes of spells like Revivify. If they lost body parts when they died, they can still act as if they had those parts, the missing parts recreated with spectral remnants of their soul. These spectral body parts disappear at the end of this effect.
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The tethered soul can speak and act normally on their turn. If they were dead, they are added to the initiative directly after your turn.
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Any damage the tethered soul takes is instead dealt to the living tether, and the tethered soul does not suffer death saving throw failures from being attacked. Otherwise, the tethered soul is affected by conditions and other effects normally.
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The creature you select as the tethered soul does not need to be willing or even friendly to you, but you have no control over them.
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After 1 minute or the living tether reaches 0 hit points, the tethered creature falls unconscious or dies again, resuming death saving throws if applicable.​
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This ability can affect undead creatures. If an undead creature is destroyed, you can use this ability to tether them to a conscious ally so long as they were destroyed less than one minute ago, even if they first died long ago.
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Life Domain: Blessed Healing
Your healing spells are more effective. Whenever cast use a spell of 1st level or higher that immediately restores hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.
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Life Domain: Channel Divinity: Preserve Life
Action - Nearby Allies (30 ft) - Channel Divinity - Magical
You expend a use of your Channel Divinity feature. You can’t use this feature on a construct.
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You restore a number of hit points equal to five times your cleric level and divide those hit points among any creatures of your choice within 30 ft.
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Other Domain: Level 3 Features
At this level, your Divine Domain grants you new features. If using a domain not from Elkan 5e, your domain's features are likely listed as level 1 and level 2 features, including at least one Channel Divinity option.
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Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, and 16th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
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Feat
At this level and every level you gain an ability score improvement, you also gain a feat of your choice.
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You gain no new class features at this level. As always, see the Cleric Table to see new spell slots.
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Channel Divinity Improvement
You can now use Channel Divinity twice between short or long rests, instead of once.
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Domain Feature
Your chosen Divine Domain grants you a new feature.
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Death Domain: Draw Upon Vitality
Bonus Action - 1 Ally (60 ft.) - Magical
After you roll damage with a spell that deals necrotic damage, you can choose to sacrifice life energy to empower the spell.
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Target loses hit points equal to two times the spell's level (or 2 hit points for cantrips).
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You then reroll the spell's damage. You must take the second roll.
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Life Domain: Infused Healer
The healing spells you cast on others heal you as well. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that immediately restores hit points to a creature other than you, you regain hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.
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Other Domain: Level 6 Feature
At this level, your Divine Domain grants you one or more new features.
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You gain no new class features at this level. As always, see the Cleric Table to see new spell slots.
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Ability Score Improvement
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
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Feat
You gain a feat​ of your choice.
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You gain no new class features at this level. As always, see the Cleric Table to see new spell slots.
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Domain Feature
Your chosen Divine Domain grants you a new feature. If using a domain not from Elkan 5e, your ability or abilities for this level may be listed under level 8.
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Death Domain: Death Touched
You master using death magic to harm others, and gain defenses against it as well.
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When you deal necrotic damage, you ignore resistance to necrotic damage.
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You are immune to disease and the drained condition.
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Resistance to necrotic damage.
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Resistance to poison damage.
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Life Domain: Healing Overflow
Once per turn, when you use a spell to restore more hit points to a creature than the creature is missing, you can instead restore those extra hit points to another creature within range of the spell.
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Other Domain: Level 10 Feature
At this level, your Divine Domain grants you a new feature. If using a domain not from Elkan 5e, your domain's feature is likely listed at level 8. If the feature you gain at this level adds damage to your weapon attacks, you cannot also benefit from the cleric feat Holy Strikes.
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You gain no new class features at this level. As always, see the Cleric Table to see new spell slots.
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Ability Score Improvement
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
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Feat
You gain a feat​ of your choice.
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You gain no new class features at this level. As always, see the Cleric Table to see new spell slots.
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Domain Feature
Your chosen Divine Domain grants you a new feature. If using a domain not from Elkan 5e, your ability or abilities for this level may be listed under level 17.
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Death Domain: Reaper
Reaction- 1 Creature (60 ft.) - 1 Round - Magical
When a creature regains hit points or gains temporary hit points, you can hit them with a surge of necrotic energy.
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Any healing or temporary hit points the target just received are lost.
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The target cannot be healed, gain temporary hit points, or benefit from any regeneration or similar feature.
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Life Domain: Supreme Healing
When you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell, you instead use the highest number possible for each die. For example, instead of restoring 2d6 hit points to a creature, you restore 12.
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Other Domain: Level 14 Feature
At this level, your Divine Domain grants you new features. If using a domain not from Elkan 5e, your ability for this level may be listed under level 17.
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You gain no new class features at this level. As always, see the Cleric Table to see new spell slots.
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Ability Score Improvement
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
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Feat
You gain a feat​ of your choice.
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You gain no new class features at this level. As always, see the Cleric Table to see new spell slots.
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Channel Divinity Improvement
You can now use Channel Divinity three times between short or long rests, instead of twice.
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Superior Ability
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2, to a maximum of 22.
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Divine Intervention
Action - 1/Long Rest - Magical
You ask for assistance from your deity or the cosmic force that grants you your power, asking them to intervene when your need is great. If you want, you can automatically cast any cleric spell of 8th level or lower or one of your domain spells without expending a spell slot.
You can also ask for assistance in a less specific way, such as by saying, "May the Lord of Light carry us to safety." In this case, your GM decides exactly how the Divine Intervention manifests. Your GM may choose to replicate a cleric or domain spell, or they might choose another effect, which cannot heal or damage creatures for more than 100 hit points total. Generally, anything beyond the scope of power of a 9th level spell is impossible, but Divine Intervention may do a weaker, but similar effect.
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