A shield with an emblem can be used as a holy symbol for spellcasting. If the spell requires both somatic and material components, no drop is needed. If it requires a somatic component but no material, a free hand is needed. Clerics or paladins can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus, as described in the Spellcasting section. To use a holy symbol, the caster must hold it in their hand and wear it.
Clerics have available ritual spells up to level 6, making them one of the best options for ritual casters. They can substitute a spellcasting focus (for example, a holy symbol) for a spell’s material components, as long as those components are present. The holy symbol must be held in the caster’s hand, and wearing an amulet around the neck doesn’t require taking it off; it just needs to be touched.
No spells require a holy symbol or have one as a component, and only two spells have one as a component. The way spellcasting foci like holy symbols work is that they can replace material components that don’t have a cost listed and aren’t consumed.
Clerics can use holy symbols as spellcasting foci for their spells, but nothing gives them the ability to use any other kind of focus. Most cleric spells require a holy symbol to cast, generally anything 3rd level and up. If a holy symbol is needed, it is listed as a material component. However, not all spells with material components need a holy symbol.
In terms of V,S,M spells, with the M being their holy symbol (which happens to be their shield), spells that require a material component and the M being their holy symbol (which happens to be their shield) are not considered cleric spells.
📹 Holy Symbol of Devine Devotion Magic Item | Crit Academy Dungeons & Dragons Podcast
Holy Symbol of Devine Devotion Magic Item | Crit Academy Dungeons & Dragons Podcast 📢 Get More Details Here: …
Can you use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus?
A holy symbol represents a deity or pantheon and may be utilized as a focal point for spellcasting by a cleric or paladin. In order to utilize this symbol, the caster is required to hold it in hand, wear it in a visible manner, or bear it on a shield. It should be noted that JavaScript may be disabled or blocked by extensions, and cookies may not be supported.
Can a cleric cast a cantrip and a spell in the same turn?
It is only possible to cast another spell during the same turn if it is a cantrip with a casting time of one action. Should a spell be cast as a bonus action, only those cantrips with a casting time of one action may be cast with the aforementioned action during the same turn. The browser in use does not support cookies.
Can your holy symbol be a tattoo 5e?
It is imperative that the holy symbol is clearly discernible; any tattoos that are not visible are not, by definition, holy symbols. It should be noted that JavaScript may be disabled or blocked by an extension, and that your browser does not support cookies.
What does a holy symbol do for a cleric?
A cleric or paladin may utilize a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus, thereby circumventing the necessity for conventional material components. This enables adversaries to remove the holy symbol from their possession during imprisonment, thereby preventing the advantages associated with it. Clicians may display multiple holy symbols in close proximity, thereby illustrating their considerable influence and expertise in the domain of divine spells.
Can clerics cast 2 spells?
As a 3rd-level cleric, you can cast a spiritual weapon as a bonus action, but if you wish to cast another spell during your turn, it must be a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action, such as sacred flame. This rule is commonly understood as saying that if you cast two spells on the same turn, one of them must be a cantrip. However, the lead rules designer of D and D, Jeremy Crawford, recently answered some questions on Twitter about bonus action spellcasting, which made it clear that the rule was not entirely clear. Crawford’s explanation of casting times is crucial for understanding the rules and ensuring that you are not misunderstanding the rules.
Can you cast cleric spells without holy symbol?
The rules stipulate that verbal (V) and somatic (S) spells do not necessitate the utilization of a holy symbol. Moreover, any spell with a material component can be cast employing the specified component, a distinction from the majority of clerical and paladin spells.
What do clerics need to cast spells?
Wisdom represents the capacity to cast cleric spells, which is derived from one’s devotion to a deity. This is employed when a spell makes reference to one’s spellcasting ability and when establishing the saving throw DC for a spell that has been cast. The spell save DC is equal to 8 + the player’s proficiency bonus + the player’s Wisdom modifier, while the spell attack modifier is equal to the player’s proficiency bonus + the player’s Wisdom modifier.
Do all spells need a spellcasting focus?
In the context of the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, proficiency status is exclusively granted to arcane focus swords. This is due to the fact that a spell focus effectively replaces the material component cost of a spell, while the verbal and somatic requirements do not necessitate the use of a focus.
Do clerics need an Arcane focus?
Spell focuses are versatile tools utilized by a multitude of professions, including, but not limited to, clerics, paladins, wizards, sorcerers, druids, bards, and universal components. Such items may be obtained as random loot or purchased from vendors.
What is the most important skill for a cleric?
The Cleric class is a diverse and interesting one, with no two being the same. They are best healers in the game, suitable for introductory players and Dungeons and Dragons veterans. They have some of the best support, utility, and divination options, making them a popular choice for active party members. However, Clerics are also limitless and can be effective in defensive or offensive roles. Wisdom Wisdom (WIS) is the most important stat for Clerics, as it powers their spells and rolls. They are a popular choice for those who want an active role in keeping the party alive.
Can clerics cast unprepared ritual spells?
In Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition, only five classes can cast Rituals by default: Artificers, Bards, Clerics, Druids, and Wizards. These five can cast any spell they know or have in their spellbook as a Ritual. However, any character, even a non-magical one, can pick up the Ritual Caster Feat, which allows them to choose one of the Ritual Casting classes and learn two level 1 spells from their spell list. These spells can only be cast as Rituals, but a Ritual Caster can copy more spells into their Ritual book as they find them.
Copying a spell takes 2 hours and 50 gold pieces for each level of the spell. For example, a level 6 Barbarian trying to copy a level 3 spell would take 6 hours and cost 150gp. However, the benefits of being able to perform magical effects as a non-caster character are significant. Players can also copy spells directly from their companion’s spellbooks, ensuring a well-organized team is always on hand.
📹 A Crap Guide to D&D (5th Edition) – Cleric
Joseph makes a dumb Dungeons and Dragons guide for dumb people intro/outro music is original piece by JoCat This was a …
This is a do-over of the original cleric crap guide, which did not meet my standards for how I want these articles to be. if you REALLY want to watch the original version, just know that it’s totally inaccurate and not in a purposeful or clever way. it is horribly misinformed and based on very little experience. I’m not proud of it. in the future I will do better to research these classes and write them more accurately. youtube.com/watch?v=bStLvnStr-Q
I think this might be my favourite quote from YouTube: “Seriously. With how versatile and independently strong you can build a cleric, you can make up an entire party full of purely priests, call it The A-Men and bust down Tiamat’s door, demanding her launch money. And she would just build her own toilet to give herself swirlies so she wouldn’t have to endure the kind of bullying you were about to give her.”
Absolutely no one in my group wants to play a cleric cause everyone demands they do their job and heal. But I don’t hear them complaining when I put up a blade barrier to protect us while I reattached the wizards severed limb while simultaneously bashing the big bad guys head in with a spiritually dank hammer. All the while hoping my sempai is perusal me from the heavens.
I recently had my first D&D game and I choose life cleric with the persona of a human nun since we needed a healer. Best fucking decision of my life, I didin’t know that what I needed in my existence was becoming a Katamari Damacy rolling out in the wild without worries, hitting like a truck, healing like a Mercy, sniping like a bazooka, tanking like a walking castle Laputa and reminding my partners every 10 minutes to go to mass and confess their sinful attitudes. Thanks Pope Francis.
Keep trying to pause at 1:08 to see JoCat’s easter egg message. “If you found this message, good eye! And I wanna say thank you for taking the time to replay the article enough times to find it. It means so much to me that people are so engaged by my articles that they’re willing to find easter eggs like this. You are the best ❤️ JoCat.”
An actual encounter in my game where I DM Bandit: Kills the Clerics pet owl Jim(barbarian): ooooo you should of not done that Im gonna step away for this one Pyros(wizard): Pray to your gods boy I have a feeling your gonna meet them. Kruk(cleric/fighter): I cast guiding bolt, action surge crit for 45 damage.
Wait, a youtuber who is ACTUALLY WILLING to not only go back on their content to correct inaccuracies but also able to put in the work at a timely manner to make the changes that most others would ignore and not care about…. fuuuuuuck…. this is the first website I’ve ever hit that bell icon for… nice job Jocat!
ok i had a great evening the other day when the cleric in our party decided that some a-hole wizards who stole out shit had to die so he invoked the mfing POWER OF RA and rolled a 16 on his divine intervention percentile role(we are all level 16 now) and holy crap that was awesome, my character (who is not a follower of Ra) the conversation went like this: me: Is that your god? friend: yes me: What’s his name? friend: Ra me: PRAISE RA!
“They have so many teeth-grindingly infuriating spells at their disposal on top of all that that dungeon masters all over the world universally agreed to ban clerics from the game so as not to make encounters absolute nightmares to give proper challenge without throwing approximately 20 black dragons at one cleric alone to keep it balanced.” This line feels like it was ghostwrote by Matt Mercer after yet another instance of dealing with Caduceus “if it breathes it’s a BANE TARGET” Clay. As a support main, I wholeheartedly support this article. Clerics are super fun to play when you really have a chance to stretch their capabilities as divine casters. There’s a reason my main in BG3 is gonna be a cleric, and it’s not just because I don’t trust the AI to heal me. (Also Light Domain best domain don’t @ me)
One of my players has started playing an Order Cleric, and it is hilarious to watch a Lawful Neutral cleric being played like an Inquisitor. He’s cold and clinical, so every time he heals I describe how uncomfortable a feeling it is compared to other clerics. Normally being healed feels like slipping into a warm bath or receiving a kindly embrace. With him it’s like an alien presence is reaching into the character to pull their wounds close. “You feel better, but you also feel vaguely violated by the clinical nature of the healing.”
“Now I know this might sound rather odd, But sometimes the best in the squad Is the one with the cross Who can smite like a boss By harnessing the birch-slap of god. With a mace that even ogres will flee, They will cast and crush things with glee. Some think they’re not strong, And those people are wrong. Welcome to a crap guide to DnD.”
I remember the first cleric I ever made, I always ended up as the support caster so I made a tabaxi war cleric who was nicknamed “the party’s daddy” because someone introduced him as “their hot friend” and he of corse, kicked ass. He’s the character that really gave me resect for clerics and realized that they aren’t a weak class and that they can be a really cool and strong character if built right.
Oh my GOD finally! Someone agrees with me! I’ve been DM’ing only recently and I thought I was doing something wrong. CLERICS ARE RIDICULOUS. Oh so you have a big encounter early level where it’s supposed to bring you down to near death? Cleric just used two spells, killed the big baddie in one hit and just healed himself and his entire party back to full. Me (as DM): welp time to throw a young dragon into this… Out heal that cleric! Cleric: rolls natural 20 on a spell attack two shots dragon… Me: I’m out
Both guides are accurate, it’s just a matter of which edition of DnD you’re playing. Welcome to the world of RPG game balance where because nobody wants to play the healer, but the designers assumed every party would have one, the healer now has to be able to be so customizable that they basically get to take the other class’ Legos and build their own tree-fort of a class out of them.
That totally kills me. Describing clerics as people who took their fanboying power to the next level. PS: I love how you cram so much stuff into sometimes as little as one frame. My eyes will catch something then I’ll have to go back frame by frame until I find it. I also love how you call yourself out with the MH SnS. And don’t think I didn’t spot your Wiggler hat being one of Tiamat’s heads.
FINALLY!!! Took me 40 tries and almost breaking my space key to time it right, but I finally caught the right frame for the laptop message! Now, let’s see what it says… “If you found the message, Good eye! And I wanna say thank you for taking the time to replay the article enough times to find it. It means so much to me that people are so engaged by my articles that they’re willing to find Easter eggs like this. You are the best! <3 Jocat." Aww, that's sweet! ^3^
Hey Jocat, just heard the recent news about you quiting. It would be selfish of me to tell you not to, so instead, I will thank you for everything you’ve done. You are the reason that I got into D&D 8 years ago, and i have watched these articles throughout all of the years. Don’t let people get to you, you are appreciated!
No words for how much I love these. I have showed these articles to everyone at my station (most of us are gamers) and me and my daughter use many if these lines. I’ve always played cleric since AD&D and I use alot if these un game. “Does my hand smell bad to you” and everyone knows I just cast inflict Wounds lol. A new gaming store opened up over here and I will make sure everyone knows of these. Please keep them coming.
“It’s easy to forget why so many uncultured swine consider the Cleric a designated healer. Anyone who does has either never played the class or considers the Sword and Shield a viable weapon in Monster Hunter…. wait”. Loved that line because I found your website because of those guides. don’t worry, I know SnS is your true waifu.
Once I played cleric at a table with party of 1st level characters. Sorc and Rogue activated the master trap, which made all enemies in the dungeon attack us at once. Now my healing was so strong (d8+6) that could pick anyone from 0 to full hp. Hence I was reserving it for anyone who would fall, not fighter-oh-that-zombie-hit-me-for-6hp (shut up you have second wind). But I became leader and ordered party to kill damage dealers first, while I and fighter were tanking off enemy tanks, and no one fell on the floor. (DM was known to do TPKs, he was not happy)
You forgot Spirit Guaridans. The first time I ever ran a 5e game, for players that were also 1st timers, because all of us were old hand power gamers new only to this system, I prepped an enemy NPC with that for an ace in the hole, then almost lost my shit laughing when it turned out unbeknowst to either of us, one of my players was keeping it up her sleeve in the same fashion and cast it the turn after, then started e planning what it did (because she didn’t catch on that it was the spell the bad guy just cast beforehand). I moved away from using it as GM once that surprise was lost, but it remained a mainstay of the party for the duration of the campaign, gaining the nickname “The Spirit Blender”
@JoCat Only noticed the Easter Egg just now, after not noticing it for the past dozen or so re-watches. Wasn’t looking for it, just noticed the blip this time. That said, you’re welcome, and an inspiration to aspiring animators. You manage to blend stylised with recognisable well, and your more cutesy stuff has a major Alfred J. Kwak feel to it (the gobbo ones especially). Continue being awesome, good wriggler sir.
1:08 If you found this ??? stage, good eye! And I wanna say thank you for taking the time to replay the article enough times to find it. It means so much to me that people are so engrained by my articles that they ‘re willing to find easter eggs like this. You are the best ❤ Jocat. Aww. You’re welcome, man.
Red Dragon: Time to die, mortal! You will pay for tresspassing in my lair! Not a single fragment will remain of your existence after I’m done with you. This vile transgression will not go unpunished, fool! Cleric: Shut it! Right now, I suggest you pick a God and pray once I send you to meet them myself, ya big dumb lizard! Red Dragon: Why am I hearing boss music?
I became a tempest cleric cause I wanted to be a healer because of my characters background but I also wanted to blow shit up. (Also because of my backstory.) My character isn’t even super religious she just did research on some forms of healing magic and one day got these powers (at least that’s what I’m going with for now).
Ha, funny story about inflict wounds. I was playing a ranger who accidentally murdered the cleric in a dungeon that was cursed to make anyone inside look like monsters. And well….the boss of the dungeon was a necromancer aaaaand I took 30 damage from inflict wounds from said cleric. I don’t know how my ranger survived that boss fight at lv 3.
Spoiler warning. If you Look closely, you can see a secret message in this article, at 1:08. It is only a split second at best. So here is the message for everyone: IF YOU FOUND THIS MESSAGE, GOOD EYES! AND I WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR TAKEING THE TIME TO REPLAY THE article ENOUGH TIMES TO FIND IT. IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME THAT PEOPLE ARE SO ENGAGED BY MY articleS THAT THEY’RE WILLING TO FIND EASTER EGGS LIKE THIS. YOU ARE THE BEST <3 JOCAT.
A cleric was actually my first true DND character- a Verdan (though he didn’t know it at the time) Cleric of Meriader who is currently married to the parties barbarian Tiefling. There is a LOT of Lore around that whole spiel and currently they have a daughter and a plan for 2 sons, but at the end of the day- my goblinoid cleric just wants to serve his god and open an Inn. He’s a very simple guy who loves cooking.
i had to friking turn the speed to .25 and go back and forth trying to pause at the right time to get the laptop msg that says “If you found this message, good eye! and i wanna say thank you for taking the time to replay the article enough times to find it. it means so much to me that people are so engaged by my articles that they’re willing to find easter eggs like this. You are the best (heart)Jocat.”
Wait how are Clerics OP? I play a Life Cleric in 5e and I can’t do crap. Most of my spell slots I have to save up to save everyone else’s ass when they do something stupid so while I do have all the spells you listed…I never get to use them :/ So Clerics aren’t that OP…unless your party is actually smart enough NOT to run head on into danger…because we only get slots back after a long rest. Which is eight hours. So I have 6 spell slots currently. I’d say typical battles see me using shield of faith on myself (so I don’t die and can healbot everyone), then a mix of cure wounds/healing word as needed. My damage output is confined to my mace (which sucks) and sacred flame (which sucks SO much because I can never hit anything with it!). I know this article is a joke but I see people in the comments saying Clerics are OP. Maybe Clerics other then Life?
“The support who bought a taser” Almost LITERALLY my cleric; she was a homebrew witch class with massive healing output who was reincarnated and found herself closer to the nature goddess she worshipped and so took up the mantle of cleric. Unfortunately, this came not long after her hometown was ravaged by a rakshasha and that sweet peaceful firbolg became full of very directed rage and chose to embody the fury of nature. Tempest cleric!
Forge Clerics are fun. Just casually hybrid a few levels of Artificer with it and laugh at the DM when he realizes you’re basically handing out weapon imbuements alongside buffs and are a walking Home Depot that just needs some spare cash and time to make literally any tool for the job. Plus you become fireproof and have stuff Clerics are normally not allowed to get.
First, loved this. Second, I’m almost always cleric of Rao with Knowledge as my thing. You make us sound so OP, but my only OP moment was truly during Curse of Straud when I used my signature spell “Sacred Flame” to my hearts desire. Also, never been banned from gaming because of being a cleric, but parties have been skeptical until I introduce myself. One intro included knocking out two of the party because one thought I was a thief and the dragonborn tried to kiss my hand with a low charisma.
Thanks to the joke about the A-Men, my first time Dmming, I made a team of Paladins and Clerics called The A-Men, who the PCs could pay a deposit to (though the first time was free). They’d get a signaling stone. If a PC drops or they found that an encounter was too tough, they could call the A-Men, who were the fantasy ambulance service. They had casters making portals, then the clerics and paladins would jump through and fight as much as necessary, drag the players back to their home base, and help them get health back. It wasn’t an instant save (they’d take 1D4 rounds to arrive, and the person with the stone had to be conscious to use it) but it was a safety measure. They were also just great NPC characters. 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration, Jocat!
My DM through an Ogre at our lvl 1 party because we were steamrolling through a mine of kobolds. The ogre had the misfortune of stepping through a portal next to my War Domain Cleric who rolled a 19 for initiative, cast a Inflict Wounds (Nat 20 crit), and then used War Preist to deal 52 damage and set it up for the rogue to kill on his first turn.
I’m a drow death cleric whose god is literally the god of death and also rebirth in my GM’s world. Most of my attacks are necrotic and my reaper skill allows me to cast any necro cantrip on two targets instead of one. Also due to a previous event in a previous campaign with my characters husband pulling a deck of many things (A absent minded but smart Orc wizard) has her head not attached to her body and keeps it in place with a thick metal choker that uses a key. It’s actually been pretty useful in distracting things to think she died near by. She even carries around a pouch of fake blood to really sell the distraction. She’s also has a mild french accent and is really sweet, bubbly and likes to make people pancakes. D&D is a lot of fun. First time playing Cleric too.
The bit “Clerics are a religious fandoms in a D&D world, that are so crazy into their deities, they’ve turned their fangirling power into something, that can actually pack a punch.” Is so good, that i’m determined to only refer to clerics this way from now on. Thank you, #JoCat, you magnificent serpent.
In the campaign I’m in right now, we have a arococra (spelling) light domain cleric that when we came up to a horde of zombies flew up into the air told the druid to cast fairy fire which gave him advantage on turn undead. He casted it by snapping. Roughly 20 zombies died in a cone aiming down at them. The DM was sooooo pissed
i’m ashamed to admit how long it took me to get the “A-Men” joke, but oh man when i did, hahaha good stuff, love these articles, i have some players that were new to dnd and werent sure about what to class to roll, i recommended these articles just as a way to softball them in. i ended up with a Cleric, a Bard, a Ranger and a Warlock. and they had a whole lot of fun
10 years ago a crack crusading unit was sent to prison by a inquisitorial court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Waterdeep underground. Today, still wanted by the inquisition, they survive as soldiers of faith. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Men.
I made a war cleric that fought more like a Paladin. Gave him two-levels into paladin because my friends kept joking about it so he got Divine Smite. Then tough, heavy armor, sword and shield, and sentinel. Maxed dex, wis, and Con with portent of health (up to 19) and charged into the fray like a true holy warrior laying the smack down.
One of my favorite D&D characters I played was a half-drow Genasi cleric of Tempus(Strength Domain as UA was allowed). All of 95 pounds of zealous smite-y fury in a 5’2 package. Don’t think they healed once that adventure. Did throw a stalagmite though and make a rather impressive nuisance of themself with spiritual guardians and a Warhammer.
my first cleric, a wood elf: somehow had more HP than the paladin, was known for dishing out damage while healing, and nearly TPK’d the ranger after being charmed by Strahd(sy) with a single attack, sending the poor bastard into a wall. she was also weirdly good at throwing daggers, better than the rogues and rangers she traveled with. my second cleric, a moon elf: somehow has stats (and the luck) of a commoner and the aim of a stormtrooper with her sacred flame which has miraculously NOT hit a party member yet (but has gotten close).
The forest needs to be cleared of monsters before the road can be built. The Healer “Yo gods its ya girl. Grid coordinate are 9 o’clock north 6 o’clock south 2 o’clock west 4 o’clock east fire for effect.” There was a bright flash of light and half of the forest was gone. The Healer smiles innocently. The Archer “This is now on the list of things The Healer is not allowed to do again.”
so once upon a time a tiny wee little halfing cleric and a hulking half orc barbarian had a disagreement in character. To this end the half orc decided to challenge the halfling to a duel. Whilst they were both level 5. I as the DM said take it easy on them. You only have one of these, The half orc player said “Don’t worry I won’t break them… much”. I deadpan said “I wasn’t talking to you”
My first character was a tiefling cleric and there was a bard in my first party. The DM helped her make her character and made her vicious mockery fire damage. There were a few points before the one shot that she asked if she could use her spells on me and many of them were fire related. As a tiefling, I was fire resistant so all they’d do would be burning my clothes off. Thankfully, she didn’t do anything like that during our session.
I was never into clerics because of the diety thing, then I found out u can play them with a diety that’s just a force or philosophy. A cleric of rage, kinda like a sith,. A cleric of the elemental air, a badass storm priest,. And also just a cleric of surtur are now some of my favorite character concepts
During my d&d session we finally got to the material plane and we desperately needed money so I decided well I’m a nature cleric I used website divinity to summon all the nearby animals to me and me and my party fucking SLAUGHTERED THEM ALL AND SOLD THEIR PELTS TO THE LOCAL SHOP KEEPER. My DM and even all my party members were like what the hell are you sure you want to do that? That’s the most metal thing ever 😅