Best Cleric Builds For Dungeons & Dragons 5e

The Cleric is a vintage class from the early days of Dungeons & Dragons, first appearing in the original Player’s Handbook from 1974. There was a time when Clerics would only serve as healers in a party, but today they’re one of the most diverse classes in D&D 5e and are just as effective as damage dealers or defenders.

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Clerics in D&D continue to be a strong healing class, but a variety of subclasses and deities determine their role. The nature of the power of the Cleric depends on what kind of god they serve and these details are part of a larger build that also includes backgrounds, Feats, and gear selection.

Updated February 11, 2025 by Kristy Ambrose: The D&D Cleric is now a combination class on the same level as a Druid or a Paladin, with an equal amount of range when it comes to gear, spells, and accessories.

There are no rules or regulations as to whether a Cleric is evil or good because this depends on the deity and Domain choice, which means a Cleric can be a beacon of good or a shadow of evil. The new D&D rules that were released last year have some extra features for all classes, including Clerics.

The Best Races For Clerics

Players should check the D&D Player’s Handbook and talk to their Dungeon Master if they have an idea that’s homebrewed or not listed in the usual resources.

When choosing a species, players will want to look for one that boosts their Wisdom score. It’s the most important ability score a Cleric can have.

Name	Source	Description
Aarakocra	Elemental Evil Player’s Companion	+1 to Wisdom and +2 to Dexterity, making this an ideal choice for Clerics who want better melee weapon skills.
Centaur	Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica	The bonuses to both Strength and Wisdom make the Centaur one of the better options.
Firbolg	Volo’s Guide to Monsters	+2 Wisdom makes this one of the best races for Clerics in 5e available.
Druegar	Monsters of the Multiverse	The usual Dwarven Constitution bonus and poison resistance, plus Darkvision and some psionic and arcane powers.
Half-Elf	The Player’s Handbook	+2 Charisma if multiclassing into a Bard or Paladin or the party’s leader. +1 to two other ability scores as an option to improve Wisdom.
Hill Dwarf	The Player’s Handbook	+1 to Wisdom on top of the Constitution bonus Dwarves already have.
Human	The Player’s Handbook	One of the most customizable races in RPG history. A Human makes a great anything with their bonus to every ability score.
Kalashtar	Eberron: Rising from the Last War	+2 to Wisdom and follows it up with a Charisma buff. One of the best races for a 5e Cleric who’s taken a leadership role.
Kenku	Volo’s Guide to Monsters	+1 to Wisdom and +2 to Dexterity. This is the best race for a 5e Cleric who wants to play a morally ambiguous character with Rogue-like traits.
Loxodon	Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica	An obvious choice for players using the module to build a front-line melee Cleric.
Tiefling	The Player’s Handbook	Choose a Bloodline that improves Wisdom, Constitution, or Strength depending on the build.
Variant Human	The Player’s Handbook	Two ability scores of the player’s choice increase by +1, which can be used to raise Wisdom.
Wood Elf	The Player’s Handbook	All of the usual Elven traits along with a +1 to Wisdom, making it one of the best races for a Cleric in 5e.

Several cleric weapons, with a Cleric in the background

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Cleric Ability Scores

The Class Without A “Dump Stat”

Keep in mind that the best races for Clerics in 5e should have bonuses in Wisdom, and ability scores can vary depending on the build and subclass.

The Cerlic’s Ability Scores, Ranked

Wisdom: The Cleric’s spellcasting attribute and their most important ability score regardless of the build.
Constitution: The score that determines hit points. Any healing class should max this out whenever possible.
Dexterity: Depending on the build, players can switch this with Strength. More offensive Cleric builds would prioritize Dexterity.
Strength: For those building a Cleric with more defense and martial prowess in mind, this should be the third most important score instead of Dexterity.
Intelligence: Clerics who value spellcasting ability over party leadership or Persuasion abilities will value this score more than Charisma.
Charisma: Clerics who want to be the face of their party should prioritize this stat over Intelligence.

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Best Divine Domains For Clerics

A Central Part Of A Larger Build

Some Domains might not be available depending on a variety of factors, such as moral alignment, the module being used, or racial background.

The 5th edition D&D Cleric subclasses are organized as Divine Domains, with each determining the types of abilities the Cleric will learn.

Domain Name	Description
Arcana	Allows access to Wizard spells. An ideal choice for Clerics who have a decent Intelligence score and want to cast both damaging and healing spells.
Death	Other RPGs call this class a Shadow Priest. Their primary role is to deal damage, often of the Necrotic type.
Forge	A suitable choice for a Defense role. This is the Battle Cleric who can take damage and cast both offensive and healing spells.
Grave	For damage, buffing, and healing. One of the most versatile Domains.
Knowledge	Expertise in two more skills and more Divination options. A good choice for any Cleric build.
Life	The best choice for a healing build. It’s also a solid Defense option with improved AC.
Light	A Cleric that uses the power of the Sun to do fire and radiant damage. A nice backstory to this is that the Cleric is a follower of a solar deity like Amaunator.
Nature	Allows access to Druid Spells, which include healing and damage options, plus the ability to wear heavier armor than a Druid.
Order	For Clerics who want to multi-class as a Paladin or take the same role as one. Comes with heavy armor and weapon proficiencies.
Tempest	Access to thunder and lightning spells, plus the ability to wear heavy armor.
Trickery	The obvious choice for Clerics that dabble in the Roguish side of life. Offers access to Illusion spells and abilities like stealth.
War	A front-line fighting Cleric with access to heavy armor and a variety of martial weapons and skills.
Twilight	A role that covers both protection and offensive powers. Has access to heavy armor when front-line fighting.
Peace	It’s not an offensive domain, but it excels at protection, buffing, and healing.

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Best Gear For Clerics

Abilities Vary Depending On Domain

Clerics often use blunt or simple weapons, but specific AC proficiency and DPS abilities depend on the deity and domain they have chosen.

Name	Source	Abilities/Stats
Mace of Terror	D&D Player’s Handbook	Use an action to release a wave of terror that inflicts the Frightened condition on enemies.
Guardian Emblem	Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything	The emblem has three charges and can be attached to a shield or suit of armor to turn critical hits against them into normal hits.
Cloak of Displacement	Dungeon Master’s Guide	Makes the wearer seem a few feet away from their actual location, and attackers have Disadvantage when trying to attack.
Adamantine Chain Armor	D&D Free Rules (2024)	The wearer is immune to critical hits, which is ideal for Clerics in any role.
Amulet of Health	D&D Free Rules (2024)	Sets the wearer’s Constitution score to 19, giving them more hit points and improved carrying capacity.
Dragon Scale Mail	D&D Player’s Handbook	Comes in several variations and offers different elemental Resistance depending on the type and color of the dragon.

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Best Skills For Clerics

Choose Depending On The Build

Skills are extra abilities that every character has, and these traits are connected to their Ability Scores.

Clerics generally have a high Wisdom score, but depending on the build, players might want to choose skills that depend on Strength (for fighting Clerics) or Charisma (for leaders or preachy types).

Name	Skill Check	Description
Insight	Wisdom	Used to determine the true intentions of any creature. Handy in public spaces as well as in battle situations when deception is afoot.
Arcana	Intelligence	A smart Cleric can use this to recall more information about spells, magical items, and different planes of existence, among other themes.
Medicine	Wisdom	Ideal and even essential for a healer build. A character with this skill has a better chance of making a successful diagnosis and stabilizing an injured ally.
Religion	Intelligence	Measures the Cleric’s ability to remember the lore, history, and other facts concerning virtually everything connected to religions.
Athletics	Strength	A nice boost for a tank or melee fighting build, this gives a character better agility and accuracy when jumping, running, or swimming.
Persuasion	Charisma	Useful for Clerics who act as the party leader but can have other uses as long as players have the Charisma score to back it up.
Investigation	Intelligence	Related to a healing build, it can help with finding clues related to the nature of injuries, and can also help find hidden items and secret doors.
Perception	Wisdom	Ideal for any character, but it makes sense for the wisest in the party or the character in a leading role to be the first to detect an enemy or hidden object.

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Best Feats For Clerics

The Next Step In A Unique Cleric Build

There are several opportunities for picking the best Feat for a Cleric throughout any campaign, and the player’s choices will vary widely based on their Cleric build.

The following Feats are generally good for a Cleric, regardless of their party role.

Name	Description
Resilient	Important for any healer, this is the Feat that helps with Concentration saves when casting in battle.
Heavily Armored	Strength increases by one, and the Cleric gains Heavy Armor proficiency. Best for defender and melee fighter builds.
Elemental Adept	Ideal for a Cleric that uses spells for damage, this Feat gives their spells the ability to ignore one type of elemental resistance.
Alert	A +5 bonus to Initiative is great for anyone, especially the party leader. It also means that the character can’t be surprised while conscious or when attacked by a hidden enemy.
Shield Master	Ideal for a defender or melee build, this Feat gives the Cleric the Shove ability as a bonus action and allows them to make Dexterity saving throws against spells or attacks.
Skill Expert	Players can use this Feat to increase any Ability Score by one. It’s great for any Cleric build.
Fey Touched	Increases either Wisdom, Charisma, or Intelligence score by +1. Teaches the spell Misty Step and any other spell from the Divination or Enchantment schools of magic.
War Caster	Similar to Resilient, but it’s taken up a notch and is an ideal Feat for Clerics of any build.
Durable	Constitution increases by one, and when the Cleric rolls to regain hit points, how much they regain is determined by their Constitution modifier.
Metamagic Adept	Handy for any spellcaster, but it’s even more useful for Clerics who want to diversify their spells with an ability usually reserved for Sorcerers.
Healer	Restore a dead character or creature with one hit point and heal them for 1d6+4+their number of hit dice. A nice addition to a healer or an extra ability for a defender.
Shadow Touched	Not only great for the stat bonuses and extra spells like Invisibility, but it’s the result of being exposed to the magic of the Shadowfell and has great role-play potential.

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Best Backgrounds For Clerics

Part Of The Build And The Backstory

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The last thing to consider would be a suitable character Background, and there are a few that provide good skills for a Cleric. D&D players should have a d6 and a d8 on hand to determine the smaller details like Flaws and Personality traits.

Name	Sourcebook	Description
Acolyte	Player’s Handbook	Most builds take this background, as it’s the most obvious choice for the class. It includes benefits like Insight and two bonus languages.
Haunted One	Curse of Strahd	This character has a dark secret that follows them everywhere. Benefits include two extra languages and a Monster Hunting Kit.
Witherbloom Student	Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos	Exclusive to Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos, this is ideal for healers or melee fighters who want to expand their casting abilities with spells like Blight and Death Ward.
Cloistered Scholar	Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide	An easy fit for a Cleric’s backstory, this character has increased knowledge of either Nature, Arcana, or Religion along with any two languages the player chooses.
Athlete	Mythic Odysseys of Theros	For a Cleric that focuses more on physical prowess, the Athletic Background also benefits the adventurer with Echoes of Victory. Within 100 miles of the character’s hometown, they have a better chance of meeting friendly strangers who know their name and are willing to offer food, shelter, or information.
Failed Merchant	Acquisitions Incorporated	Perhaps the business failed and you joined a monastery, but there’s a lot of room for creativity here. This Background gives the character bonuses on Persuasion and Investigation along with a set of Artisan Tools.
Faction Agent	Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide	Includes Insight along with Perception and two bonus languages. This is a decent choice for a campaign that involves political intrigue, spies, or a cult.
Sage	Player’s Handbook	A Cleric who is a Sage might be a Librarian, Scribe, or Professor, giving them bonuses in Arcana and History.
Criminal	Player’s Handbook	Also referred to as a Spy for the fainter of heart, this Cleric might come from a dark past that includes handy skills like Stealth and lockpicking.
Hermit	Player’s Handbook	Choosing the Nature Domain makes this a good fit. These Clerics have Insight and Medicine skills and can brew their own potions.
Initiate	Plane Shift: Amonkhet	Found in the Plane Shift – Amonkhet module, the Initiate is steeped in ancient and venerated Cleric-like rituals and traditions.
Archaeologist	Tomb of Annihilation	The cartographer and digging tools are handy anyway, but the character also gets an extra language and a set of traveling clothes.
Courtier	Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide	Clerics who are the face of their party will find this boost to their Persuasion and Insight skills, plus two bonus languages.

Dungeons & Dragons

Created by: E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
Creation Year: 1974
Movie: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

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Best Cleric Builds For Dungeons & Dragons 5e

The Best Races For Clerics