Verdict
The best healer in the game and a safe first Cleric. Every slotted healing spell gets a flat bonus, and Preserve Life is a big emergency heal that needs no spell slot. Damage is limited, so it suits a group that wants a dependable support more than a battlefield controller.
How it plays
Most turns you'll cast Bless, Aid or an attack spell. When someone drops, a Healing Word at range or a Cure Wounds in reach gets them up with more Hit Points than a normal Cleric would manage. Preserve Life is for the turn when three allies are all near death. Because it only heals Bloodied creatures, it rewards you for waiting until the fight is going badly.
The flat bonuses mean even low-level slots keep their value as you level.
Features by level
| Level | Feature | What it does, in short |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Disciple of Life | When a spell cast with a slot restores Hit Points, that creature gets 2 plus the slot's level extra Hit Points on the same turn. |
| 3 | Life Domain Spells | Always-prepared healing and protection spells at Cleric levels 3, 5, 7 and 9. |
| 3 | Preserve Life | Channel Divinity, Magic action: a pool of Hit Points equal to five times your Cleric level, split among Bloodied creatures within 30 feet. No one goes above half their maximum. |
| 6 | Blessed Healer | When a slotted spell heals someone else, you regain 2 plus the slot's level in Hit Points. |
| 17 | Supreme Healing | Healing dice from your spells and Channel Divinity aren't rolled. You take the highest number on each die. |
The Life Domain is in the free SRD 5.2, and these levels and effects match the published text. In the older 2014 version Disciple of Life came at level 1 and Preserve Life at level 2.
"This feature can restore a creature to no more than half its Hit Point maximum" (Life Domain, Preserve Life, SRD 5.2, CC-BY-4.0).
Domain spells
These are always prepared and don't count against your limit. Level shown is your Cleric level.
| Cleric level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Aid, Bless, Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration |
| 5 | Mass Healing Word, Revivify |
| 7 | Aura of Life, Death Ward |
| 9 | Greater Restoration, Mass Cure Wounds |
The level 3 and 5 picks are the strongest. Mass Cure Wounds at level 9 overlaps with Preserve Life, so you may use the latter more often.
Healing per slot
Average Hit Points restored to one creature by a single slotted spell. The table adds Disciple of Life (2 plus the slot's level) and assumes a Wisdom modifier of +4. Cure Wounds is 2d8 plus 2d8 per slot level above 1; Healing Word is 2d4 plus 2d4 per level above 1. Roll your own modifier in.
| Slot level | Cure Wounds | Healing Word | Dice, modifier, Disciple |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | 12 | 2d8 / 2d4 + 4 + 3 |
| 2 | 26 | 18 | 4d8 / 4d4 + 4 + 4 |
| 3 | 36 | 24 | 6d8 / 6d4 + 4 + 5 |
| 4 | 46 | 30 | 8d8 / 8d4 + 4 + 6 |
| 5 | 56 | 36 | 10d8 / 10d4 + 4 + 7 |
Cure Wounds heals more per slot, but Healing Word is a Bonus Action with 60 feet of range, so you can heal and still use your action. For a level 1 slot that's 12 Hit Points as a bonus action against 16 as your whole action. Supreme Healing at level 17 raises each of these to the maximum roll.
Preserve Life scales with your level instead of your slots: a pool of 25 Hit Points at Cleric level 5, 45 at 9, 65 at 13 and 85 at 17.
Building one
- Ability scores: Wisdom first, Constitution second. Strength or Dexterity third depending on your armor.
- Divine Order: Protector (martial weapons, heavy armor) puts a healer in the front line. Thaumaturge adds a cantrip and a bonus to Arcana and Religion checks. See the Cleric guide.
- Feats: War Caster protects concentration on Bless or Spirit Guardians. Resilient (Constitution) also works.
- Slot habit: use Healing Word to pick someone up, then act. Save bigger slots for when a single heal won't be enough.
Who should pick it
Pick it if your party lacks a healer or you simply like keeping people alive. Skip it if you want to control the fight or deal damage; another domain or class fits better. For a Cleric with a different flavor, see the Arcana Domain.
Corin Ashdown is the pen name of the editor who writes and checks every guide on Vorbelutrioperbir. How we write and check guides.