[Top 5] D&D: Best Cleric Multiclass (2023)

"No ordinary priest, a cleric is imbued with divine magic." - Player's Handbook

Cleric is usually the secondary class when multiclassing. Rather than putting the majority of their level investment in cleric, people usually prefer to dip into it for only a few levels.

This is because just a few levels in cleric gets you a lot of extra features and abilities. Domain features and bonus proficiencies are immediately available at level one, and you get Channel Divinity at level two. Their flexible style of spellcasting is a major bonus too.

But while they offer a lot as a secondary class, clericsdon’t actually benefit much from dipping into others.

That said, there are definitely viable and fun multiclass builds possible if you want cleric as your core class! This article is here to help you consider the best options with all of their associated benefits and drawbacks.

5. Cleric/Bard

[Top 5] D&D: Best Cleric Multiclass (1)

A cleric/bard is a devout musician spreading their gospel through the power of song and story. This is the ultimate support player with a variety of skills and expertise, healing spells, and buffing abilities.

While the cleric/bard has support utility and roleplaying potential, it isn't the most optimized by a long shot. One specific problem is that the two classes' ability scores are in conflict with each other, as clerics use Wisdom to cast their spells and bards use Charisma.

The best version of this multiclass would be a Knowledge Domain cleric with a College of Lore bard.

Why Cleric/Bard Is Great

  • Combining the features, spells, and abilities of these two classes creates a powerful support cleric.
  • As the bard is a full spellcasting class, you continue to advance your spellcasting and retain all your potential spell slots
  • You get access to some unique bard spells like Dissonant Whispers and Vicious Mockery.
  • Bard gives access to Jack of All Trades, which lets you add half your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make that doesn't already include it.
  • You also get Bardic Inspiration and Cutting Words. Bardic Inspiration is a buff that lets you give a teammate one of your bardic inspiration die to add to one of their rolls, and Cutting Words is a debuff that lets you subtract one of your Bardic Inspiration die from one of your enemies Attack rolls, ability checks, or a damage rolls.

4. Cleric/Druid

[Top 5] D&D: Best Cleric Multiclass (2)

This is essentially a shaman whose divine power is directly connected to the ancient and holy forces of nature.

Clerics and druids are easy to multiclass together because they both use Wisdom as their primary spellcasting modifier. You can dip into druid without losing out on spell slot advancement and certain druid spells work surprisingly well with cleric abilities.

There is a significant downside, however, which is that druids can’t wear metal armor or use metal shields.

Why Cleric/Druid Is Great

  • Both clerics and druids prepare their spells, instead of having to commit to learning them. This means you have a huge pool of spells that you can immediately make use of from both classes.
  • Druids also have some great unique spells like Entangle and Moonbeam. Shillelagh is a nice enhancement for melee attacks, though it could also be accessed through the Nature Domain.
  • Clerics don’t benefit from the druid's Wildshape as much as some of the other classes, but it still adds utility and has versatile applications.
  • The biggest boon to this combination is the Disciple of Life feature from the Life Domain combined with the druid’s Goodberry and Healing Spirit. All of your healing abilities and spells are powerfully enhanced by Disciple of Life, and the first level Goodberry ends up restoring a whopping 40 hit points.

3. Cleric/Sorcerer

[Top 5] D&D: Best Cleric Multiclass (3)

Even just a single level dip into sorcerer can be worthwhile, especially with the early benefits associated with various sorcerer origins.

Divine Soul is probably the most synergetic with the cleric class, though a Tempest Domain cleric with some levels as a Storm sorcerer is also relatively common.

The drawback here is that the cleric and sorcerer use different ability scores for spellcasting, and needing high scores in both Wisdom and Charisma could spread your cleric a little thin.

Why Cleric/Sorcerer Is Great

  • Since it’s a full spellcasting class, you can take levels in sorcerer without losing any advancement of spells or spell slots.
  • One level of sorcerer gives the Shield spell, which is a super useful defensive option for clerics.
  • If you choose the Divine Soul origin, you also get the first level ability Favored By The Gods. If you fail a saving throw or miss with an attack roll, you can roll 2d4 and add it to the total, possibly changing the outcome.
  • If you decide to go beyond a single level, your cleric can capitalize on metamagic. It’s a great way to boost versatility for any spellcaster, and there are quite a few cleric spells that benefit greatly from metamagic like Heightened Spell, Extended Spell, or Twinned Spell. Quickened Spell and Distant Spell can save a life when used with healing spells.
  • Sorcerer gives you access to a whole new litany of spells, including ones that inflict higher amounts of damage when compared to the cleric's typical damage output. You might get a chance to pick up the legendary Fireball.

2. Cleric/Ranger

[Top 5] D&D: Best Cleric Multiclass (4)

The ranger is considered one of the more underpowered classes in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, but they actually have a lot to offer when combined with a core cleric class.

Both use Wisdom as their primary ability score. While the ranger isn’t a full spellcasting class, it still largely maintains your spellcasting progression as you level up and the two classes actually have great spell synergy.

In terms of roleplaying, this character could be a lone nature-worshipping priest living isolated in the wilderness, the last member of a forgotten religion, or a holy hermit who shuns civilized society.

Why Cleric/Ranger Is Great

  • You get the Favored Enemy feature, which works well with the stereotypical cleric who might have a strong dislike or even hatred of undeads and fiends. You also get Natural Explorer, which gives you a bunch of bonuses while traveling through your chosen Favored Terrain.
  • Rangers have the Hunter’s Mark spell, which can end up inflicting a lot of bonus damage when cast with higher-level cleric spell slots.
  • This multiclass is also the easiest route for the cleric to gain an extra attack, which you get with five levels in ranger.
  • Gloomstalker is a great ranger subclass that gives worthwhile abilities for any build, but especially a class that is Wisdom-based. Dread Ambusher gives your initiative rolls a bonus equal to your Wisdom modifier, increases your walking speed by 10 feet during your first turn, and lets you make an additional attack that inflicts an extra 1d8 of damage.
  • There’s also Umbral Sight, which either gives or enhances darkvision and grants you invisibility while in darkness.
  • This combination also has access to the same superpowered healing abilities as the cleric/druid subclass. If you choose the Life Domain, you get Disciple of Life which makes all of your healing spells more effective. This means more powerful versions of Goodberry and Healing Spirit.

1. Cleric/Paladin

[Top 5] D&D: Best Cleric Multiclass (5)

Clerics and paladins are both defined by their devotion to a specific deity or spiritual ideal, with the cleric traditionally portrayed as a pious and peaceful healer and the paladin as a powerful holy warrior.

While most clerics tend to avoid the frontline, this multiclass is an effective way of achieving a more martial cleric that combines the hit points and combat abilities of the paladin with the versatility of the cleric spell list and their higher number of spell slots. If you are looking for a tougher, more martial cleric then this is the best option.

There is one issue with this multiclass. There’s conflict between the classes primary ability scores, as cleric is Wisdom-dependent while dipping into paladin requires a score of 13 in both Strength and Charisma.

Why Cleric/Paladin Is Great

  • Two levels in paladin lets you pick a Fighting Style, any of which gives a bonus to your combat abilities.
  • Divine Sense is a level one paladin class feature that lets you detect the presence of any Celestial, Fiend, or Undead within 6o feet. You can use this in combination with the cleric’s Turn Undead ability, which compels undead creatures to move as far away from your party as possible and limits their action to dashing or attempting to escape an effect that is preventing it from moving.
  • The paladin’s Lay On Hands ability is an additional avenue to healing yourself or party members that doesn’t require the use of a spell slot.
  • One of the biggest appeals of this multiclass is the use of the paladin's Divine Smite with the cleric's more numerous spell slots. Additionally, it scales with the level of the spell slot you use to cast it, not with your paladin level.
  • You gain an extra attack at level five, if you commit to gaining more levels in paladin at the risk of losing out on higher level cleric abilities and spells.

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FAQs

What is the best multiclass with a cleric? ›

Clerics and Druids are easy to multiclass together because they both use Wisdom as their common spellcasting ability score. Clerics can invest in Wisdom to improve their spellcasting. They can use Dexterity or Strength to wear medium or heavy armor (depending on the Cleric domain's armor proficiency).

What is the most powerful multiclass in DND? ›

Dungeons & Dragons: 12 Best Multiclassing Combinations
  1. 1 Wizard, Up To Artificer 5.
  2. 2 Rogue, Up To Sorcerer 6. ...
  3. 3 Monk, Up To Fighter 4. ...
  4. 4 Druid, Up To Cleric 5. ...
  5. 5 Cleric, Up To Rogue 3. ...
  6. 6 Barbarian, Up To Paladin 6. ...
  7. 7 Cleric (Any Subclass) / Up To Swashbuckler Rogue 3. ...
  8. 8 Valor Bard / Up To Devotion Paladin 2. ...
Sep 2, 2022

What is a good multiclass for life cleric? ›

Life Cleric pairs nicely with the 1st level Goodberry spell. The Druid cantrip Shillelagh would allow him to made WIS-based melee attacks, if he's wanting to be more of a frontliner. Also gets him some basic Wild Shape capabilities for out of combat scouting/exploration.

What stats do you need to multiclass into cleric? ›

Prerequisites
ClassAbility Score Minimum
ClericWisdom 13
DruidWisdom 13
FighterStrength 13 or Dexterity 13
MonkDexterity 13 and Wisdom 13
8 more rows

What is the most broken multiclass 5e? ›

The warlock and sorcerer are one of D&D 5e's most infamous multiclass combos. A build combining the two is often dubbed the "coffeelock." This build takes advantage of the warlock's ability to regain spell slots on a short rest and the D&D sorcerer's ability to convert spell slots into sorcery points.

What is the most overpowered character in DnD? ›

The most overpowered DnD build of all is the Bear-barian; a druid barbarian multiclass that can tank almost anything. For this DnD build players will be starting with a druid, taking Circle of the Moon at level two to allow them to Wild Shape as a bonus action and for better choices for combat Wild Shapes.

What is the most overpowered DnD Class 5E? ›

The paladin is perhaps the most powerful combatant of all of D&D 5e's classes. It combines the best aspects of the fighter and cleric into a single character. Paladins get a fighter's weapons, spellcasting like a cleric, and several unique features. These make paladins terrifying to fight.

Why is cleric so strong? ›

Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative magics available to them. With divinely-granted abilities over life or death, they are also able to repel or control undead creatures.

How do you make a strong cleric? ›

To build a cleric, make Wisdom your highest score, followed by Constitution. Choose an odd-numbered Constitution score. Traditionally, clerics rely on Strength, but a cleric's cantrips can bring more damage than weapon attacks, especially with the Blessed Strike option in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

What cleric subclass does the most damage? ›

The Light Cleric is a Controller and a Striker, specializing in dealing damage both to single targets and to areas. Clerics already have the best Radiant damage spells in the game, and the Light Domain supplements those spells with some of the best Fire damage spells.

What is the most important skill for cleric? ›

Wisdom (WIS) is your most important stat, followed closely by Constitution (CON) and Strength (STR). How you want to play your cleric will determine how important STR ultimately is, but remember that no matter how you build your DDO character, CON determines your hit points (HP) and thus, your survivability.

Can a cleric follow two gods? ›

Most often, one church means one god, but there are exceptions: Some worlds allow clerics of a pantheon, who serve a whole group of gods equally. They can't just pick two or three at random - it's a known form of worship defined by the setting. Some worlds allow clerics of an alignment.

Is cleric a hard class to play? ›

The cleric has a spell called divine intervention, which needs to be used in the correct situation. Using the spell effectively isn't the easiest thing, which is another thing that makes cleric a bit more difficult. The most common role for clerics to play is that of the primary healer.

What is the most powerful cleric subclass? ›

And all it takes is your Channel Divinity. This is admittedly not very much, but it outperforms spells at comparable or higher levels. This is why Twilight wins out as the strongest/best in our list of best cleric subclasses.

Which cleric is the best healer? ›

Clerics of the Peace Domain are among the best healing party members in all of D&D. A subclass that focuses on the bonds of one's party, these clerics can improve the saving throws of their allies, and even allow them to take hits for each other.

What cleric spell does the most damage? ›

Inflict WoundsPHB: Inflict Wounds is the highest single-target damage of any 1st-level spell (though Magic Missile is still better in some ways).

What is the least played class in 5e? ›

“In the last eight years, as we have looked at player data, we have found that for as beloved as the Druid is from a sentiment standpoint, in actual play the Druid is the least played class in Fifth Edition of the classes that are in the player's handbook,” Crawford reveals.

What is the least favorite class in D&D? ›

Druids on the other hand are the least popular class to play in DnD. Druids are fairly complicated to play with all the different shapeshifting abilities, and this complexity doesn't necessarily reward you with a very strong class.

What class has the highest damage in D&D? ›

1 Wizard - School Of Evocation

As Evocation spells tend to be some of the highest damaging in the game, it's no surprise that the Wizard's School of Evocation is one of the best DPS subclasses in D&D, abling its adherents to deal massive amounts of damage quickly.

Who is #1 D&D villain? ›

1 Strahd Von Zarovich Holds His Entire Campaign Together

Unlike other villains, Strahd doesn't have a grand plan the players are trying to stop. Instead, their goal is to kill him, while he disrupts and encourages them in equal measure, furthering other small schemes.

What is the hardest enemy in D&D? ›

The 24 Strongest Boss Monsters In Dungeons & Dragons, Ranked
  • 12 Marilith.
  • 11 Dracolich.
  • 10 Balor.
  • 9 Purple Worm.
  • 8 Death Slaad.
  • 7 Pit Fiend.
  • 6 Dragon Turtle.
  • 5 Empyrean.
Apr 9, 2023

What is the tankiest class in D&D? ›

Barbarian is the tankiest, followed by paladin.
...
They can easily keep up with Paladins and Fighters as a primary tank.
  • d10 hit dice, same as the Fighter and Paladin.
  • Access to healing including Healing Spirit.
  • Defense Fighting Style.
  • Medium Armor is only 1 point behind Heavy, tied if you take the Medium Armor Master.
Jun 20, 2018

What is the most powerful 5E build? ›

The best D&D 5E character builds are:
  • Half-elf Lore Bard.
  • Human Polearm Fighter.
  • Warforged Cleric.
  • Aasimar Redeemer Paladin.
  • Half-elf Sorlock.
Apr 18, 2023

What is the smartest class in DnD? ›

Rank the classes by intelligence
  • Wizard- arcane students.
  • Cleric- being a priest of a religion generally requires study and intelligence.
  • Rogue- classic nimble mind and feet.
  • Bard- jack of all trades demand mental prowess.
  • Druid- knowledge of nature, plants, animals, etc.
  • Ranger- same as Druid with less spells.
Nov 28, 2015

Which DnD class is the fastest? ›

The fastest a character can be without spells would be a Monk with the mobile feat dashing. Monks in 5th edition gain a bonus to their movement up to 30ft. Wood Elves have the fastest move speed on the ground with 35, already giving our punchy boy a 65 ft per turn. With the mobile feat it becomes 75 feet.

What is the best human class D&D? ›

Warlock. Perhaps the best of the three Charisma classes for Humans, the Warlock still relies a lot on getting that +2 Charisma from your race. Half-Elves just tend to do the job better here, unless you want that Feat for whatever reason.

Is it worth it to multiclass as a cleric? ›

By using different subclasses, fans can create synergistic multiclass builds that optimize a character's capabilities. Clerics make a fantastic base for multiclassing due to their versatility and variety of domain options.

Should I multiclass my cleric? ›

Clerics make for some of the best classes to multiclass, and a big part of this is because clerics get a lot of proficiencies and bonus spells even at level 1. A level or two of cleric can make a huge difference for any class.

Which is stronger cleric or paladin? ›

While it is possible for clerics to end up wearing heavy armor or use martial weapons, only the paladin automatically gets these proficiencies. Tack on the paladin's d10 hit die versus the cleric's d8 hit die and it becomes immediately apparent that the paladin is the better option to tank with.

What is the best basic weapon for a cleric? ›

As a Cleric, you can use a staff, spellbook, and mace, amongst others. It's generally best to stick with the mace and shield combo for basic fights and switch to a magical weapon for healing, buffs, and magical attacks. The Spellbook comes highly recommended thanks to its high speed.

Do clerics need a god? ›

Clerics DO NOT need to worship a god. Clerics can believe in a philosophy so strongly that they can manifest their powers.

Can you be a chaotic good cleric? ›

Can a cleric be Chaotic Good? In Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, a cleric can be Chaotic Good if that's the alignment of their deity.

What is the most offensive cleric domain? ›

Clerics of the Death Domain are some of the most offense-oriented clerics around. These clerics gain the Channel Divinity ability Reaper, which allows them to deal substantial additional necrotic damage to foes they make melee attacks against.

Can a cleric beat a paladin? ›

A cleric CAN fight, but a Paladin will always be a better fighter. A Paladin CAN cast spells, but the Cleric is always going to be a better spellcaster. If we're going by roles; the Cleric is the best healer in the game (except MAYBE a Lore Bard who uses Magical Secrets for healing spells from cleric and paladin).

What is better cleric or warlock? ›

A cleric has no real power, and instead acts as a sort of gateway for their deity's power. Meanwhile, a warlock has power permanently granted to them via a pact with a powerful being that doesn't necessarily need to be a deity.

What should clerics focus on? ›

Despite all the different subclasses and playstyles, all Clerics will follow the same basic rules. They're primary spellcasters, so (and there is no arguing allowed here) maxing out their Wisdom (Wis) score is always going to be top priority, as it's their spellcasting ability.

How to do more damage as a cleric? ›

If you want to deal more damage, or you're running solo Cleric, you might want to pick up Undead Slaying for that extra damage boost to undead and Blunt Weapon Mastery to improve your mace damage.

How many spells should a cleric have? ›

Clerics can take as many spells as equal to their wisdom modifier plus their current cleric level and are not restricted to the spells attached to their deity's chosen domain - which grants them a lot of freedom. On top of this, clerics are capable of casting ritual spells.

Can you be a cleric of Vecna? ›

Clerics of Vecna's church spearhead work toward the faith's overall goal: acquiring secrets that can be used to gain power and leverage Vecna's dominion over all things.

Can you be a cleric of Tiamat? ›

Clergy and Temples

Clerics of Tiamat are primarily occupied by the twin tasks of acquiring an ever-increasing hoard of wealth for the faith and sabotaging the faiths of other deities. As a result, they occupy most of their waking hours with an unending series of thefts, assassinations, acts of vandalism, and arson.

Can you have a godless cleric? ›

Clerics are driven by their faith; that faith gives them the connection to the source of magic that they need. Sometimes the source will be a divinity, and sometimes that faith will be in a divinity, but neither is mechanically necessary. The narrative point is up to the DM. No, a cleric doesn't need to worship a god.

What class makes the best cleric? ›

The Ranger class will make the cleric better in melee, and the cleric class will allow the ranger access to heavier armor. One of the best features of this combination is that both the cleric and ranger classes use wisdom for their spellcasting.

What is the most popular DND class? ›

Although it's always been true, some players may be surprised to see that Fighter is the most popular class by a decent margin. Fighters have been a staple of D&D since the earliest days and they are a popular choice about purists, but also have an appeal to new players as a simple class to start out with.

Is a cleric fighter multiclass good? ›

Why Play a Fighter Cleric Multiclass? Fighter and cleric are debatably the most versatile core classes in 5e and by combining them you have possibly the widest range of options possible.

Is a cleric wizard multiclass good? ›

Why Play a Cleric Wizard Multiclass? With full access to both class spell lists and with divine spells and arcane spells these mages essentially have about 90% of the game's spells at your fingertips. No other dual-classed character gets you this much access to additional spellcasting options.

What is the best cleric subclass for healer? ›

Clerics of the Peace Domain are among the best healing party members in all of D&D. A subclass that focuses on the bonds of one's party, these clerics can improve the saving throws of their allies, and even allow them to take hits for each other.

Is cleric Bard a good multiclass? ›

Clerics run into a common problem for a bard multiclass: differing spellcasting ability scores. While it isn't as severe as other classes, due to clerics having several skills that benefit from Charisma, taking many levels in cleric as a bard is just going to dilute both classes without trade-offs.

Why is cleric the best class? ›

More generally, Clerics are the best healers in the game, and have among the best support, utility, and divination options in the game. However, they are by no means limited to healing and support roles. Clerics have abundant offensive options, and can even be effective with weapons.

Is a cleric better than a warlock? ›

After considerable scrolling on the internet, it is pretty one-sided that the Cleric is considered one of the strongest classes in game, while Warlocks are at the lower spectrum of power.

How to be a powerful cleric? ›

To build a cleric, make Wisdom your highest score, followed by Constitution. Choose an odd-numbered Constitution score. Traditionally, clerics rely on Strength, but a cleric's cantrips can bring more damage than weapon attacks, especially with the Blessed Strike option in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

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