Mastering the Grave: A Comprehensive Guide to Playing a Grave Cleric in D&D 5e

The Grave Domain Cleric in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is a fascinating and powerful subclass, embodying the delicate balance between life and death. Unlike other clerics who might focus on healing or destruction, the Grave Cleric serves as a sentinel against the unnatural extension of life and the desecration of death’s natural cycle. They are protectors of the threshold, ensuring the dead rest peacefully and that undeath finds no purchase. This guide will provide a detailed walkthrough on how to build, play, and optimize your Grave Cleric, maximizing their unique abilities and contributing effectively to your party.

Understanding the Grave Domain’s Philosophy

Before diving into mechanics, it’s crucial to grasp the core tenets of the Grave Domain. These clerics aren’t morbid figures reveling in death; rather, they are guardians of its proper role. They believe:

• Death is a Natural Part of Life: The cycle of life and death is sacred and should not be disrupted.
• Undeath is an Abomination: Creatures that cling to life unnaturally, such as zombies and vampires, are seen as violations of the natural order.
• Mercy is Paramount: While they oppose undeath, Grave Clerics strive to ease the suffering of the dying and ensure a peaceful transition.
• Balance Must Be Maintained: They actively work to prevent both premature death and unnatural prolongation of life.

These core beliefs inform the Grave Cleric’s actions and decisions, making roleplaying them a unique and rewarding experience.

Building Your Grave Cleric: Step-by-Step

Let’s break down the character creation process, focusing on key choices and their impact on your Grave Cleric:

Step 1: Choosing Your Race

While any race can become a Grave Cleric, some are naturally better suited due to their racial traits and stat bonuses. Here are some strong contenders:

• Variant Human: The bonus feat at level 1 offers incredible flexibility. Choose feats like War Caster, Resilient (Constitution), or Magic Initiate (for additional cantrips). A +1 to two stats makes a balanced character early on.
• Hill Dwarf: +2 to Constitution and +1 to Wisdom are perfect for a cleric, and the extra hit points are always welcome. Dwarven Resilience helps against poison and also a solid choice.
• High Elf: +2 to Dexterity and +1 to Intelligence. This provides an additional cantrip and helps in early-game character building as clerics are not proficient in any skills related to dex.
• Half-Elf: +2 to Charisma and +1 to two other stats, gives you flexibility, and you can take advantage of your extra skills to get proficient in Wisdom Skills like insight and perception.
• Loxodon: +2 Constitution and +1 Wisdom and natural armor gives advantage early in the game and reduces the amount you spend on armor.
• Aasimar (Protector or Scourge): +2 Charisma and +1 Wisdom or +1 Strength. The racial abilities are great for additional roleplay and combat options.

Considerations: Focus on races that provide bonuses to Wisdom (your spellcasting stat) and Constitution (for health and concentration saves). If your strategy includes using weapons, races with bonuses to strength or dexterity might be useful too.

Step 2: Determining Your Ability Scores

Using the Standard Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) or Point Buy system, prioritize the following stats:

1. Wisdom: This is your most important stat, determining your spellcasting ability, spell save DC, and spell attack bonus. Aim for 15 or 16 as your initial value.
2. Constitution: Essential for hit points and maintaining concentration on spells. Aim for at least 14 or 15.
3. Strength or Dexterity: Choose either Strength if you want to use melee weapons or Dexterity for ranged weapons and better Armor Class. Aim for 12 to 14 depending on what you pick.
4. Charisma: While not a core stat, a decent Charisma can be useful for social interactions and persuasion.
5. Intelligence: You probably won’t use this often. If you want some skills in investigation or arcana, assign a moderate score here but it is best left at 10 or 8.
6. Strength: If you chose Dex earlier, then put the lowest value here. This is your dump stat.

Example using Standard Array: Wisdom (15), Constitution (14), Dexterity (13), Charisma (12), Intelligence (10), Strength (8).

Step 3: Choosing Your Background

Your background provides roleplaying hooks, skill proficiencies, and a starting equipment. Here are a few backgrounds that synergize well with a Grave Cleric:

• Acolyte: Provides proficiency in Insight and Religion, fitting for a priest. You are also welcomed in temples.
• Hermit: Offers proficiency in Medicine and Religion, highlighting your connection to nature and understanding of death.
• Sage: Provides proficiency in Arcana and History, highlighting your knowledge of lore and magic.
• Urchin: Provides proficiency in stealth and sleight of hand allowing you to scout better and pickpocket in times of need.
• Haunted one: Provides proficiency in survival and another skill of your choice. This background is great for roleplay and has some unique roleplay options

Considerations: Choose backgrounds that provide proficiencies relevant to your character’s backstory and playstyle. If you plan on roleplaying the character more you should pick backgrounds that provide you with roleplay options.

Step 4: Selecting Your Starting Equipment

As a cleric, you’ll typically start with:

• A mace or warhammer (if you go strength) or a light crossbow (if you go dex)
• Scale mail (if you are proficient with medium armor) or leather armor (if you choose dex or are not proficient with medium armor).
• A light shield
• A holy symbol
• An explorer’s pack
• A priest’s pack

Considerations: Adapt your choices based on your chosen weapon and playstyle. Make sure you grab a holy symbol, as you will need one to cast cleric spells.

Step 5: Understanding the Grave Domain Features

At 1st level, you gain the following Grave Domain features:

• Circle of Mortality: When you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points to a creature with 0 hit points, you instead use the highest number possible for each die. This significantly enhances your ability to bring allies back from the brink of death.
• Eyes of the Grave: You learn the *Spare the Dying* cantrip, which is always prepared for you and doesn’t count against your prepared cantrips. You also gain advantage on attack rolls against undead creatures.

At higher levels, your Grave Domain expands with:

• Channel Divinity: Path to the Grave (2nd level): As an action, you can curse a creature to be vulnerable to the next instance of damage from your team. The creature will be vulnerable to the damage type and source if applicable.
• Sentinel at Death’s Door (6th level): When an ally within 30 feet of you takes critical damage, you can use your reaction to turn that critical hit into a normal hit.
• Potent Spellcasting (8th level): You add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.
• Keeper of Souls (17th level): If a creature is brought back from the dead while within 30 feet of you, that creature will regain hit points equal to twice the creatures level.

These features shape your role as both a healer and protector of the boundary between life and death.

Playing Your Grave Cleric: Strategies and Tactics

Now that you’ve created your Grave Cleric, let’s explore how to play them effectively:

Combat Roles

• Healer and Support: Your primary role is to keep your party alive. Use *Healing Word* for quick heals, *Cure Wounds* for more substantial healing, and *Circle of Mortality* to efficiently bring dying allies back into the fight.
• Debuffer: *Path to the Grave* allows you to make a creature vulnerable to your allies’ attacks. Plan with your party to maximize this damage opportunity.
• Undead Hunter: *Eyes of the Grave* grants advantage against undead. Choose spells that are effective against undead to capitalize on this advantage.
• Protector: Sentinel at Deaths Door allows you to turn critical hits into normal hits, making you a great protector in the midst of battle
• Damage Dealer: Your cleric cantrips will deal additional damage thanks to Potent Spellcasting at 8th level, making you a good backup DPS

Spell Selection

Clerics have access to a wide range of spells. Here are some suggestions for a Grave Cleric:

Cantrips

• Spare the Dying: Essential for stabilizing dying allies, especially since its free with your subclass.
• Toll the Dead: A powerful damage cantrip.
• Guidance: Incredibly useful for skill checks, increasing the success rate of you and your team.
• Sacred Flame: A reliable damage cantrip, dealing radiant damage which is useful against undead.
• Light: Provides a light source, a must have for most teams.

1st Level Spells

• Healing Word: The best healing spell available early on due to its range and bonus action cast time.
• Cure Wounds: A potent healing spell you should keep prepared if you need to heal a lot of hitpoints.
• Guiding Bolt: A powerful attack spell that also grants advantage to the next attack roll against the target, making it great for combos with your *Path to the Grave*
• Bless: A solid buff for your entire team that increases their attack and save throw success rate.
• Shield of Faith: Provides additional AC to an ally, helping them to survive.

2nd Level Spells

• Spiritual Weapon: A powerful bonus action attack that you can use every turn.
• Lesser Restoration: A crucial spell for removing common conditions.
• Silence: A useful spell for shutting down spellcasters.
• Prayer of Healing: A powerful out-of-combat healing spell for use after a battle.
• Hold Person: A fantastic crowd-control spell that can remove a target from a battle for up to 1 minute.

3rd Level Spells

• Revivify: Brings a recently deceased character back to life, vital for a grave cleric.
• Dispel Magic: Removes harmful magical effects, extremely useful for dealing with curses.
• Spirit Guardians: A damage spell that deals damage to enemies that enter your space.
• Mass Healing Word: A group healing spell that heals your entire team if they are close enough.
• Animate Dead: A great option for some necromancy and damage dealing.

4th Level Spells

• Guardian of Faith: A spell that summons a powerful guardian that deals massive amounts of radiant damage
• Death Ward: Prevents your party members from dying from death effects.
• Banishment: An important crowd control spell that can remove a powerful enemy from combat.
• Divination: Provides guidance, allowing you to understand how the future might be.

5th Level Spells

• Raise Dead: A more powerful revival spell, for those that died for longer than a minute ago.
• Holy Weapon: Imbues a weapon with divine magic, providing it with damage buffs.
• Greater Restoration: Removes various harmful conditions that are harder to get rid of.
• Mass Cure Wounds: A powerful healing spell for multiple party members.
• Planar Binding: Allows you to control and use the services of an extraplanar being.

Considerations: Prioritize spells that synergize with your Grave Domain abilities and address your party’s needs. Remember to prepare a mix of healing, damage, and support spells. Change your prepared spells based on what you are about to face, since Clerics can change prepared spells after a long rest.

Roleplaying as a Grave Cleric

Roleplaying is a key aspect of D&D. Here are some tips for portraying a Grave Cleric:

• Balance and Reverence: Emphasize the importance of natural death. Show respect for the deceased and oppose undead.
• Quiet and Observant: You are a watcher of the boundary between life and death. Your character might be introspective, listening more than speaking.
• Moral Compass: You believe in mercy and aiding the suffering. You oppose evil, but in a way that is different from paladins who are more zealous.
• Internal Struggle: A Grave Cleric might struggle with the fine line between preserving life and accepting death.

Example: Your character might be reluctant to use revival magic unless absolutely necessary. They might be uncomfortable with necromancy spells that raise undead, viewing them as unnatural.

Optimizing Your Grave Cleric

Here are some tips for optimizing your Grave Cleric:

• Feats:
  • War Caster: Advantage on concentration saves and the ability to cast spells as an opportunity attack.
  • Resilient (Constitution): Proficiency in Constitution saving throws, vital for maintaining concentration.
  • Magic Initiate: Learn additional cantrips and a 1st level spell from another class.
  • Lucky: Reroll attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks.
  • Tough: Provides you with additional HP, making you harder to bring down.
• Multiclassing:
  • Fighter: Starting with one level of Fighter grants proficiency in Heavy Armor and gives the character access to a fighting style like Defense.
  • Druid: Starting with one level of druid will provide the character with shillelagh making a good melee option using their Wisdom stat.
• Magic Items:
  • Amulet of the Devout: Increases your spell attack bonus and spell save DC.
  • Periapt of Wound Closure: Stabilizes you when you fall to 0 hit points.
  • Staff of Healing: Adds additional healing abilities and spell options.
  • Shield +1 or better: Provides you with a higher AC, making you tankier.
  • Armor +1 or better: Provides you with a higher AC, making you tankier.
• Team Synergy: Coordinate your *Path to the Grave* with party members that deal heavy damage, such as a rogue’s sneak attack, a paladin’s smite, or a fighter’s action surge.

Level Progression Guide

Here’s a suggested progression path for your Grave Cleric through the early levels:

• Levels 1-3: Focus on understanding your Circle of Mortality and Eyes of the Grave. Make use of cantrips like Toll the Dead and Sacred Flame. Use spells like healing word, guiding bolt, bless, and cure wounds. Focus on survivability and healing.
• Levels 4-6: By now you should have your Channel Divinity, Path to the Grave, and Sentinel at Death’s Door. Coordinate your *Path to the Grave* with your teammates and make sure to use your reaction when an ally takes a critical hit. At level 4 get a feat to improve your Concentration checks.
• Levels 7-10: Your spells are getting stronger. Focus on damage options like spiritual weapon, and other combat options like Spirit Guardians. Potent Spellcasting is a great buff to your cantrips. Prepare to use Mass Healing Word when needed.
• Levels 11-15: By now you should have Revivify, Raise Dead, and other higher-level spells, making you a powerful cleric. Start thinking about adding a multiclass if you want to get more survivability or damage.
• Levels 16-20: Keeper of Souls will let you heal your allies greatly if you can revivify them, and you have access to some of the best spells in the game like Divine Intervention, Holy Aura and others.

Conclusion

The Grave Domain Cleric is a versatile and powerful class in D&D 5e. They are not just healers; they are protectors of the delicate balance between life and death, with a unique playstyle that centers around supporting their allies while opposing unnatural extensions of life. By understanding their core philosophy, choosing the right race, stats, background, and equipment, and utilizing their unique class features and spells effectively, you can create a memorable and impactful character. Remember that a grave cleric does not focus on dealing damage. Instead, the class provides support in the form of healing, damage mitigation, and providing damage buffs. So keep that in mind when creating and playing this unique class.