Baldur’s Gate 3 introduces players to the intriguing combination of healing and dark magic through the Death Domain Cleric. This unique class merges the combative prowess of a Fighter with the sinister abilities of an Oathbreaker Paladin, enabling players to summon the dead as their loyal minions.
Harnessing the potent powers of necromancy, this iteration of the Cleric can manipulate the battlefield by weakening adversaries or resurrecting fallen foes to fight alongside them. If you are eager to impose your will over life and death, let’s delve into creating the ultimate Death Domain Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Optimal Character Creation Settings for Death Domain Cleric
The Cleric class is fundamentally about healing allies and serving as a durable frontline presence. However, the Death Domain excels by not only supporting allies but also debilitating opponents while also maintaining tank-like attributes.
If creating a new character isn’t your preference, consider starting with Shadowheart. As an established Cleric, she can later change her domain by visiting Withers in the game, making her a fantastic starting option.
Ideal Race Choices for Maximum Effectiveness
When selecting a race for your Death Domain Cleric, consider those with higher resilience, unique magical capabilities, or natural strength. Several races stand out as particularly beneficial for Clerics:
|
Race |
Benefits |
|---|---|
| Drow | The Drow excel with Superior Darkvision for exploring dark areas, possess Fey Ancestry for advantage on charm saving throws, and access to the Faerie Fire and Darkness spells for combat advantage. |
| Duergar | Duergar also gain Superior Darkvision and advantage against being charmed or paralyzed, plus they can utilize the powerful Enlarge and Invisibility spells, enhancing their combat effectiveness. |
| Gold Dwarf | Gold Dwarves receive Darkvision and improved saving throws against poison, along with boosted health progression with each level-up, providing excellent survivability. |
| Asmodeus Tiefling | Tieflings generally have Darkvision and fire resistance, while Asmodeus Tieflings get access to the formidable Hellish Rebuke and Darkness spells, adding to their combat versatility. |
While I often default to Tieflings for their fire resistance and spell bonuses, I recommend Drow as the prime choice for a Death Domain Cleric given their useful spells in combat. Alternatively, consider Duergar for their combat adaptability or Gold Dwarves for their robust health upgrades.
Top Starting Spells for Early Advantage
At the beginning of your journey as a Death Domain Cleric, you will receive three cantrips, one unique domain cantrip, and four starting spells, granting you superb flexibility and power. Consider these spells to kick off your adventure:
|
Spell |
Level |
Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bursting Sinew | Cantrip | Detonates a corpse to inflict damage on surrounding foes. |
| Cantrip | A core spell that provides a target with a bonus on ability checks. | |
| Cantrip | Inflicts radiant damage upon an enemy. | |
| Toll the Dead | Death Domain Cantrip | Allows necrotic damage to be dealt to a target, with reduced effectiveness against fully healthy adversaries. |
| 1st-level spell | Deals significant necrotic damage to the selected target. | |
| 1st-level spell | Inflicts heavy radiant damage; the next attack against the target gains advantage. | |
| 1st-level spell | Restores health to a touched creature. | |
| 1st-level spell | Enables you to command a creature to follow precise instructions. |
Clerics have the versatility to change their spells outside of combat. Therefore, feel free to experiment with your spell selection to suit your playstyle.
Command is particularly useful for controlling enemy actions, especially at the start of the game when you can disarm key opponents.Guidance is invaluable outside of combat, enhancing your interactions with NPCs.Bursting Sinew is a particularly entertaining cantrip, enabling battlefield manipulation by exploding corpses effectively.
Ideal Background and Skills Selections
As a Wisdom-oriented class, opting for backgrounds like Acolyte or Folk Hero can significantly enhance your Cleric’s capabilities.
The Acolyte background equips you with Insight and Religion skills, while the Folk Hero background provides Animal Handling and Survival abilities. I generally find the Folk Hero background to be more advantageous due to its versatility; Animal Handling comes in handy throughout various quests, and Survival assists in treasure hunting.
Regarding skill choices, I recommend Insight and Medicine, as these are quintessential Cleric skills that boost your effectiveness both in and out of battle. Insight especially aids in discerning whether NPCs are truthful in their dealings.
Recommended Ability Score Distribution
As a blend of spellcaster and frontline combatant, Clerics function much like Paladins but benefit from a wealth of ranged spells. Here’s how you should allocate your ability scores:
|
Ability |
Score |
|---|---|
| Strength | 14 |
| Dexterity | 12 |
| Constitution | 12 |
| Intelligence | 8 |
| Wisdom | 17 |
| Charisma | 13 |
Your Wisdom score should ideally be 17, as it is key for your spell-casting ability. Setting Strength to 14 ensures you can effectively engage in melee combat when necessary.
Dexterity should be at least 12 to optimize your capacity while wearing medium armor that permits Dexterity bonuses.Constitution at 12 gives you additional health, while Charisma should sit at 13 to provide reasonable proficiency in social interactions, leaving Intelligence at 8 as your less critical stat.
Death Domain Cleric Abilities and Feats
Death Domain Clerics possess a repertoire of powerful abilities that enhance their necromantic prowess. These abilities enable them to inflict significant necrotic damage and target multiple enemies with spells.
|
Ability |
Description |
|---|---|
| Reaper | Allows targeting one additional creature with necromancy cantrips normally limited to a single target. |
| Channel Divinity: Touch of Death | Deals extra necrotic damage to your melee attack targets. |
| Inescapable Destruction | Your necrotic damage ignores creature resistance. |
| Divine Strike: Necrotic | Adds necrotic damage to your melee attacks once per turn. |
| Domain Spells | The following spells become available to you: Bone Chill, Bursting Sinew, Toll the Dead, False Life, Ray of Sickness, Blindness, Ray of Enfeeblement, Animate Dead, Vampiric Touch, Blight, Death Ward, Cloudkill, and Contagion. |
Your Channel Divinity allows for increased necrotic damage output, while Divine Strike ensures you can deal additional damage on melee engagements. The ability to ignore resistance to necrotic damage makes the Death Domain Cleric exceptionally formidable.
As you develop your Cleric’s abilities, choosing complementary Feats is vital in enhancing your Cleric experience.
|
Feat |
Description |
|---|---|
| Heavily Armored | Increases Strength by 1 and grants proficiency in heavy armor. |
| Ability Score Improvement | Used to raise both Strength and Wisdom by 1, enhancing your effectiveness further. |
| Savage Attacker | Roll for damage twice and choose the higher result. |
| Tough | Grants 2 additional health points at each level gained. |
Heavily Armored makes your character tankier by improving their armor class, while following up with an Ability Score Improvement raises your Strength to 16 and Wisdom to 18, enhancing your attack capabilities and spell effectiveness.
For offensive boosts, consider Savage Attacker for increased damage output. Alternatively, the Tough Feat can provide significant health boosts, ensuring ongoing survivability. Although Heavy Armor Master Feat can reduce damage taken, it is generally less effective than the aforementioned options.
Essential Spell Selections for Death Domain Cleric
The flexibility of a prepared spellcaster allows Clerics to adapt their spell selections as needed. However, certain spells should always be included to maximize combat potential and utility.
|
Spell |
Level |
Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bursting Sinew | Cantrip | Enables you to detonate a corpse, damaging nearby enemies. |
| Guidance | Cantrip | Provides a target with a bonus on ability checks. |
| Sacred Flame | Cantrip | Inflicts radiant damage on a single target. |
| Toll the Dead | Death Domain Cantrip | Deals necrotic damage to an enemy, lessening impact if they are at full health. |
| Inflict Wounds | 1st-level spell | Inflicts substantial necrotic damage on a target. |
| Guiding Bolt | 1st-level spell | Deals radiant damage; the next attack against the target gains advantage. |
| Cure Wounds | 1st-level spell | Heals a touched creature. |
| Command | 1st-level spell | Enables you to instruct a creature to perform specified actions. |
| Shield of Faith | 1st-level spell | Grants a creature a bonus to its armor class, making them more difficult to hit. |
| Mass Healing Word | 2nd-level spell | Heals all nearby allies within an area. |
| Spiritual Weapon | 2nd-level spell | Summons a spectral weapon to fight alongside your party. |
| Spirit Guardians | 3rd-level spell | Surrounds you with guardians that damage enemies entering their vicinity. |
| Revivify | 3rd-level spell | Enables you to return a fallen ally to life with 1 hit point. |
| Blight | 3rd-level spell | Saps life from a creature, dealing substantial necrotic damage. |
| Mass Cure Wounds | 5th-level spell | Heals up to five nearby allies. |
| Planar Ally | 6th-level spell | Calls forth an ally from another plane to assist in battle. |
The Death Domain Cleric commands a diverse and powerful array of spells. With abilities to reanimate the fallen via Animate Dead or summon creatures through Planar Ally, your impact on the battlefield is significant. The Spiritual Weapon also provides tactical advantages during engagements.
One of the standout spells at your disposal is Spirit Guardians, which can deal damage to enemies while protecting you as you maneuver through combat. Additionally, maintaining a selection of healing spells like Mass Cure Wounds, Cure Wounds, and Revivify ensures your party’s survival, particularly in dire situations.
Utilizing Sanctuary can protect valuable NPCs or allies who find themselves on the brink of death, giving you an edge in critical encounters.
Recommended Equipment for Death Domain Cleric
Your Cleric can utilize various weapons and armor, especially with proficiency in heavy armor, to enhance survivability and effectiveness in combat situations.
One of the premier choices for armor is the Helldusk Armor, which offers significant advantages without requiring heavy armor proficiency, allowing the use of other beneficial feats.
|
Equipment |
Slot |
Description |
|---|---|---|
| Helldusk Armor | Chest | Grants Fly spell, inflicts burn damage for three turns upon successful saving throws, provides fire resistance, and reduces incoming damage by 3. |
| Blood of Lathander | Weapon | Grants the Sunbeam spell, blinds undead, and can revive you if defeated. |
| Selune’s Spear of Night | Weapon | A powerful spear suitable for frontline engagements. |
| The Sacred Star | Weapon | Offers Radiating Orb, which lowers enemy attack rolls by 1. |
| Viconia’s Walking Fortress | Off-Hand | Enhances armor class and allows for defensive maneuvers against foes. |
| Shield of Devotion | Off-Hand | Grants an extra spell slot, significantly boosting your versatility in combat. |
| Balduran Helmet | Head | Heals for 2 hit points each turn, increases armor class and saving throws. |
| Mask of Soul Perception | Head | Boosts attack rolls, initiative, and perception checks by +2. |
| Boots of Persistence | Feet | Grants Freedom of Movement, overcoming difficult terrain. |
| Cloak of Displacement | Back | Imposes disadvantage on enemy attacks until they successfully strike. |
Utilizing the Blood of Lathander weapon during Act 1 provides remarkable utility—it can not only blind undead but, upon defeat, bring you back into the fight. If you prefer melee combat, Selune’s Spear of Night is an excellent choice, while The Sacred Star provides valuable debuffs to your enemies.
For an off-hand option, Viconia’s Walking Fortress enhances defensive capabilities while allowing you to push enemies back. Meanwhile, the Shield of Devotion ensures you are never short on spell slots throughout your adventures.
I highly recommend Helldusk Armor for its numerous advantages, including maneuverability on the battlefield with the Fly spell. If preferred, allocate this gear to an Oath of the Crown Paladin instead, making Reaper’s Embrace Armor a worthy alternative.
For headgear, the Balduran Helmet is unmatched due to its healing ability and defensive bonuses. Additionally, the Mask of Soul Perception significantly enhances attack capabilities.
When it comes to footwear, Vital Conduit Boots help stabilize health in combat, especially when utilizing concentration spells like Spirit Guardians. Alternatively, Boots of Persistence will keep you agile across uneven terrain.
Choosing the Cloak of Displacement can greatly reduce incoming damage, providing you with vital survivability alongside high armor class benefits—aptly reinforcing your defending role. If preferred, pass this cloak to another party member while the Nymph Cloak grants strategic control over situations using Dominate Person.
Ultimately, I suggest leveraging the Legacy of the Masters for its attack roll bonuses, although Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength can provide a significant increase to your damage output.
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