2019-02-25

Cleric Spells Refined

Another follow-up to the Wandering DMs Clerics discussion -- and another kind sharing of spell spreadsheet analysis from a commenter here.

Of course, I'm semi-infamous for not using clerics in my D&D games, and neither does co-Wandering DM Paul; they don't appear in our OED house rules, and the concise OED Book of Spells and Deck of Spells cover only wizard magic. But maybe you've heard: some other people actually do allow Clerical PCs! I'll let you clean up your spit-taked coffee now.

In a spirit of generosity, commenter William Heilman (often commonly posts as baquies) put together a concise listing of OD&D clerical spells, broadly following the stripped-down style of the OED Book of Spells, and put it in a convenient format. With his permission I've shared it on our site here. Blessings upon you all.

11 comments:

  1. Of course everyone is allowed to play with or without them but it’s hard for me to imagine playing D without clerics. They just seem too good both if fluff and crunch to eschew.

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    1. Consider trying out a game without them one time? I've had more than one player surprised to say, "D&D finally feels right without them". I find the cleric fluff fights against the classic pulp-fantasy-skeptical fluff (et. al.), and also simplifies choices around spells and healing.

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    2. No one has ever suggested that to me before in quite that way.

      I don’t know; but it’s a persuasive entreaty.

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    3. The Wandering DMs videos on Clerics and Thieves are good watches. (Actually, all the videos are good watches!)

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    4. I’ve been watching your videos now that I know about them and they’re as fun and interesting as your website.

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    5. I'm so glad! Thank you as well!

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  2. Or sidestep the Cleric class and just give your villainous magic user/arch-priest of Set some serious mojo.
    Thanks for Posting Delta!

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  3. What exactly do the spheres refer to?

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    1. Oh, that was just an attempt on my part to group the spells by theme.
      Green = Druid-y/Witch/nature types
      Black = Evil cult leaders
      White = Healers
      So if you want a game with different flavors of caster without different classes.

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