Explaining the D&D Cleric Changes in One Article

Article Key Points

The One DnD playtest has made changes to the Cleric class, including a rework of its signature ability, Divine Intervention, to make it more reliable in casting spells.

The One DnD Cleric class introduces a fresh feature called Divine Order, enabling players to specialize in distinct roles like Protector or Thaumaturge, each offering exclusive abilities.

Among the Cleric subclasses in One DnD, namely Life, Light, Trickery, and War Domains, significant enhancements have been made to their spells and features. These upgrades expand the Cleric's range of options for shielding and providing assistance.

The One DnD playtest is now in its seventh iteration and has made several changes to classes such as the Cleric. Unlike other classes, the Cleric didn't undergo many modifications to its core attributes such as spell slot amount and proficiency bonuses. However, one of its signature abilities, Divine Intervention, received a significant rework. In the current edition, players can call upon their deity for aid and, if they roll a d100 equal to or below their level, they succeed. To address fan feedback wanting a more reliable feature, the One DnD designers introduced a function that allows players to automatically succeed at casting a spell of level 5 or below. In addition to this change, the class also received other updates, including the introduction of Divine Order as a new feature.

Blessed Strikes, a more versatile version of Divine Strikes from previous editions

Improvements to Channel Divinity

Modifications and additions to subclasses

Despite being a replacement, One DnD aims to maintain compatibility with the existing rules of DnD 5th edition. Players need not discard their knowledge and experience gained over the past decade. However, the newest edition introduces fresh content and adjustments to its core elements. Consequently, the designers and developers of DnD are actively utilizing the recent playtests to gather valuable feedback in order to refine and balance the game prior to its anticipated release in 2024.

How the One D&D Cleric’s New Divine Order Feature Works

One DnD's Cleric introduces a brand new ability called Divine Order, allowing players to devote themselves to a sacred role starting from level 1. Among these roles is the Protector, where the cleric gains proficiency in martial weapons and becomes skilled in heavy armor. It serves as an ideal choice for players who prefer a durable build, capable of fulfilling frontline responsibilities for the party.

Thaumaturge — The player gets one extra cantrip from the Cleric spell list and receives a bonus to their Intelligence checks equal to their Wisdom modifier.

One D&D’s Cleric Gets Updates to its Subclasses, Spells, and Other Features

The sixth One DnD playtest laid out changes to the Cleric's Life, Light, Trickery, and War Domains.

Life Domain

This subclass is best for players who want to be a pure healer for their party. Here are some of the notable updates it received:

Preserve Life - Previously, this ability was limited to healing specific creatures through the use of Channel Divinity. However, it now allows players to choose and prepare any Abjuration spell from the Cleric spell list.

Domain Spells - Prayer of Healing has been substituted with Aid, a more dependable method of healing the entire party.

Light Domain

Light Clerics use the power of the sun to burn their enemies and illuminate the truth hiding in the darkness. Significant updates to this subclass include:

The domain spells now include Moonbeam and See Invisibility, emphasizing the subclass' connection to revelations.

Warding Flare has been enhanced with the advantages of Improved Flare, enabling the Cleric to defend allies from enemy attacks.

Trickery Domain

This uses stealth and illusions to deceive others in and out of combat. Here are some of the updates to this Cleric subclass:

- The Blessing of the Trickster ability has been enhanced, allowing players to now apply this Dexterity check boost to themselves.

- The Invoke Duplicity feature has been improved, allowing Clerics to create a duplicate of themselves. This action is now a bonus action and grants the player the ability to teleport when utilizing this feature.

War Domain

This domain is great for those who want a DnD Cleric build that focuses on weapon-based combat. Notable updates include:

Avatar of Battle now provides resistance to both magical and non-magical slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage.

The War Priest feature now grants proficiency in a simple or martial weapon, allowing the player to master it. The bonus attack ability is no longer limited to an attack action and can be recharged during a short rest.

The Cleric class also had significant revisions to certain signature spells. An excellent illustration of this is Banishment, as it now offers banished creatures the opportunity to make a saving throw each round and potentially escape. These alterations and additions to the base class and subclass features provide the Cleric with a wider array of options for self-defense and protecting their comrades.

A new Dungeons & Dragons (DnD) edition is currently under development and is scheduled for release in 2024.

Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons, crafted by Gary Gygax, is a tabletop game that empowers players to fashion their own realms and unite in embarking on thrilling adventures across enigmatic domains revealed in complementary resources. Regarded as one of the most exceptional role-playing games ever devised, it has undergone diverse adaptations into video games and various other forms of media.

Franchise Dungeons & DragonsOriginal Release Date November 30, 1973Publisher Wizards of the CoastDesigner E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z fan, I am excited about the upcoming changes to the Cleric class in One D&D. The new Divine Order feature allows players to specialize in different roles, such as Protector or Thaumaturge, which will add more depth and variety to the class. I also appreciate the updates to the subclasses, such as the Life Domain's Preserve Life ability, which now allows players to choose and prepare any Abjuration spell from the Cleric spell list. This will give Clerics more flexibility and versatility in their healing and support capabilities.

Overall, I think the changes to the Cleric class in One D&D are positive and will make the class more fun and engaging to play. I can't wait to try out the new features and abilities in my next campaign.