Cleric A cleric was a divine servant of one or more gods , serving them with martial might and divine magic fueled by their own strength of faith . As agents of a divine authority , clerics were empowered both by ritual training and their god ' s particular favor . Relatively rare , clerics inspired both reverence and terror , depending on their aims and who they serve . Perhaps the best known — and most infamous — cleric on Toril was Fzoul Chembryl before his ascension to god hood . Other well - known clerics were Cadderly Bonaduce , a Chosen of Deneir , and Qilue Veladorn , one of the Seven Sisters and a cleric of Eilistraee . Culture . Religion was deeply important to the majority of people on Toril , who felt that the gods were a very real and active presence in their lives , something that was not very far from the truth . For this reason , serving the gods was something that most people did as just a regular part of their lives . Clerics were elite agents of gods , empowered beyond the capabilities of regular priest s and sworn to follow and obey the tenets of their religion in ways that the average mortal couldn ' t . Some clerics served primordial s or even fiend s , offering foul sacrifices in exchange for a portion of the fiend ' s might , but the majority remained servants of the truly divine . Clerics had to be close to the alignment of their patron , usually within one step of the deity ' s alignment or less . Gods were as varying as people and , as a result , so were their divine agents , such as clerics , who might be good or evil , lawful or chaotic , dependent on who they worshiped and why . Good clerics healed and protected , helping those in need while evil clerics terrorized and destroyed , increasing the power of their deity and themselves . Generally , non - evil clerics were more common , since good or neutral deities tended to attract more worshipers than evil ones did . However , some evil gods , such as Bane , were popular in their own right , with a large legion of followers and clerics willing to do their bidding . Similarly , though many clerics belonged to orderly and structured churches , chaotic gods had clerical servants as well . Relatively few priests became wandering clerics , leaving for adventure only if they felt compelled to do so for their god , perhaps out of a desire to spread their deity ' s works or by order of their superiors and the church hierarchy . A few clerics took on the adventuring lifestyle for more mundane reasons . Regardless of motivation , clerics were highly valued companions , serving as healers and occasional leaders to their compatriots . Additionally , clerics may have been specialized in ways , based on the deity they worship , that put them on agreeable terms with other adventurers . The most active clerics were typically human s or dwarves , though half - elven , elven , and dragonborn clerics were also relatively common . Nearly all clerics are ordained members of a religious organization of some kind , though a few operate more independently and even those who are bound to a hierarchy do not necessarily answer to a direct superior . Most clerics make their career choice relatively early in life , though some are compelled to service unwillingly by their god . Churches are often , but not always , tied to a specific god and a few gods preside over more than one church at once , some of which war with one another over differing interpretations of their god ' s ( or pantheon ' s ) dogma . Abilities . Clerics commonly used light or medium armor , shield s , simple weapons , and divine magic as their chief tools while adventuring . Many clerics were also skilled in the use of heavy armor . Clerics augmented these spell s , also known as " prayers , " through holy symbol s of their deity that they wore or carried with them . Clerics were also experts in casting ritual s , enhanced spells that require an incredible amount of time and preparation to use but which often had dramatic effects . Others might instead choose to be trained in preparing alchemical recipes . Clerics could also learn to directly access the power of their deity through their body in an ability known as Channel Divinity . This power manifested it in several ways , the most common of which was the ability to turn undead , repelling or even destroying the undead . A few clerics learned instead to control the undead , particularly those of an evil nature . A cleric might have also gained an individual variant of Channel Divinity based on their domain specialization or the nature of deity they worshiped . Clerics of Mielikki and Sune , for example , had access to wildly different variants of Channel Divinity . Sufficiently experienced clerics could even invoke their deity ' s intervention directly , without using Channel Divinity . If successfully petitioned , the deity ' s aid could come in one of several forms , from a spell to something more unusual . Such calls for aid , however , were difficult to make and the gods were disinclined to respond much more often than once a tenday . Clerics were powerful healers thanks to special training and the blessings of their gods , both of which increased the potency of the curative prayers available to them . Many clerics were capable of casting the " healing word " prayer , while more experienced clerics were often capable of much more . Some clerics were also trained in transforming other prayers into powers of healing or , if the cleric worshiped a non - good god , into spells of necrotic power . Some clerics had additional abilities less common among their compatriots . Several clerics learned , in addition to the " gentle repose " ritual known to many of them , the ritual of " Simbul ' s conversion " , which allowed a cleric to convert their prayers into healing energy . A fewer number of clerics , generally evil in alignment , learned instead to convert this stored energy into negative energy for the purpose of harming enemies . Many clerics were also fluent in Supernal or Abyssal and their related dialects . Domain specialization . In addition to the abilities common to all clerics , clerics also could access a number of powers through aspects of their god ' s portfolio known as divine domain s . At the beginning of their career , a cleric chose one - or occasionally two - of the domains associated with their patron deity , giving them access to a number of unique prayers and abilities . These domains allowed clerics to prepare each day from a list particular to that domain , in addition to their more general prayers . Each domain also had a number of other benefits associated with it . For example , the Tempest domain allowed its clerics to return an enemy attack with thunderous or electrical power . Similarly , the Life domain made clerics more adept at casting healing prayers . While not every cleric specialized in a particular domain , most did . Some of the most commonly accessed domains are listed below . Knowledge domain . Used commonly by worshipers of scholarly deities such Oghma or Mystra , the Knowledge domain attracted those who believed learning was an end unto itself . Some deities presiding over the Knowledge domain were secretive and jealously guarded what they and their followers knew , while others promoted the spread of knowledge through the construction of libraries and universities . Other gods , like Gond , were more interested in the practical application of knowledge , rather than its research and discovery . Clerics adhering to the Knowledge domain gained a number of abilities from their training . Some of these new skills were relatively mundane , such as learning another language or two . Others were considerably more powerful though , such as the ability to mentally " read " an object - to discover the details of its recent past . Life domain . The favorite of healers or those active in the fight against undeath , the Life domain was presided over by a number of diverse powers , from agricultural deities such as Chauntea to the sun god Lathander to deities of healing like Ilmater . The Life domain , which encompassed both healing and radiant - powered prayers , was fueled by the power of positive energy , found in the Positive Energy Plane . As a general rule , non - evil deities preferred this domain to evil ones . The Life domain provided a number of unique abilities to its practitioners , encompassing both manifestations of positive energy . Among the healing abilities gained by Life domain clerics was the " preserve life " ability , a form of Channel Divinity that allowed the caster to restore a severely wounded creature up to roughly half of its peak potential . In addition , experienced Life domain clerics obtained the ability to infuse their weapons with radiant energy drawn from the Positive Energy Plane . Light domain . Gods of light such as Helm or Lathander presided over this domain , which represented ideals such as renewal , truth , vigilance , and beauty . Some Light domain gods like Milil were patrons of the arts , while others , such as Helm were stalwarts of duty , devoted to the expulsion of lies and the banishment of darkness . The Light domain was generally favored by non - evil deities . The abilities of Light domain clerics were generally light or fire - flavored . Among the most basic of these skills gathered was the " light " cantrip . Additionally , extremely experienced clerics specializing in the Light domain could generate an aura of bright light that lasted for up to a minute , shining into a space of up to 90 feet in radius as well as enhancing any spells cast in the area using fire or radiant power . Nature domain . While many priests who served nature deities like Silvanus or Eldath are druid s , clerics were also numbered among their servants . Many clerics who did venerate the gods of the wilderness made use of the Nature domain , which granted them some semblance of control over wild animals and plants alike . Whereas their druid compatriots were secretive and reclusive by inclination , clerics in the service of nature took a more active role , championing the cause of their gods by hunting evil monsters , blessing harvests , or bringing a famine upon their enemies . Clerics specializing in the Nature domain had a number of abilities to claim as their own . One such ability was their ability to calm animals or plants , reducing their hostility for a period of up to a minute or so . With additional training , Nature domain clerics could learn even to control such creatures , commanding them to do as they wish . Tempest domain . The Tempest domain was the abode of a diverse array of gods , from storm gods like Talos to ocean gods like Umberlee . What all of these gods held in common was a violent temperament and a penchant for inspiring fear . Clerics who served these gods were much the same , wielding their powers to strike terror into the faithful , either to force the wicked back to righteousness or in order to compel ritual offerings in exchange for safety . The abilities granted by Tempest domain deities to their clerics were destructive by their very nature . One such boon was the " destructive wrath " variation of Channel Divinity , which increased the deadliness of electrical or sonic attacks cast by the cleric . In addition to such deadly powers , the most experienced Tempest domain clerics were also capable of flying , so long as they were neither indoors or underground . Trickery domain . Not all clerics were inclined to seriousness or self - righteous zeal . The clerics who served gods of the Trickery domain - a lot which includes Tymora , Beshaba , and Garl Glittergold - were mischievous troublemakers by their very nature , more akin to a rogue than a paladin by temperament . Clerics of this domain mocked the powerful and defied tradition , disrupting " polite society " wherever they went . Some were freedom - fighters , some were criminals , and others were just pranksters . Whatever their specific method , these clerics preferred to challenge , rather than accept , the conventional order of things . Because Trickery domain clerics were more inclined to deception and misdirection than direct conflict , their abilities similarly diverged from some of the more martial characteristics of other priests . For example , many of the spells wielded by such clerics were illusion s or enchantment s , rather than direct attacks . Likewise , Trickery domain clerics could use a form of Channel Divinity known as " invoke duplicity " , which allowed them to create one or more phantasmal copies of themselves , for the purpose of distraction or remote spellcasting . War domain . War was a common part of mortal life and so it should come as little surprise that there were many clerics who devoted themselves to the gods of war . The nature of such gods varied somewhat , from champions of honor like Torm to pillars of destruction like Gruumsh , but they all held in common an interest in the act of fighting , watching over those in battle who offered them tribute . Clerics specializing in the War domain served these deities . As might be expected , the abilities of War domain clerics enhanced such priests ' ability to fight on the front - line . Early on , War domain clerics were trained in the use of heavy armor and martial weapons , giving them additional protection and making them deadlier foes . With more experience , War domain clerics could also use " guided strike " , a variant of Channel Divinity that allowed them to attack with foes with an uncanny degree of precision . Cleric variants . In addition to ( or instead of ) specializing in a domain , several clerics differentiated themselves to some small degree by focusing their training in a certain way . These different forms of cleric training often determined the specific abilities and approaches taken by clerics in their careers . Most clerics belonged to one of the following practices . Battle cleric . Instead of focusing simply on their role as healers and inspirational icons of their deity , battle clerics preferred to get into the thick of a fight , leading the charge of the faithful . These clerics were almost always physically well - built , building their muscles and fortitude to make them effective melee combatants in their god ' s service . These clerics still put an emphasis on strong judgment and awareness of both others and oneself , but an additional priority was put on physical power , as was leadership ability and strength of personality . Devoted cleric . Devoted clerics took the opposite philosophy of battle clerics and put all of their efforts into becoming the very best ministers of the faithful that their god had to offer . Wholeheartedly loyal to their god and his or her followers , devoted clerics trained primarily in prayers that enabled or healed their allies . For this reason , devoted clerics felt that wisdom and charisma were of far greater importance than physical strength , though they did not wholly abandon its usage . Shielding cleric . Shielding clerics , like devoted clerics , believed that it was more important to protect and shield allies rather than to fight directly . While other clerics often used prayers to both deal damage and inspire their allies , shielding clerics hung back , using their divine gifts to heal and protect others rather to deal attacks . When shielding clerics did strike , it was often from afar , rather than in a melee . For instance , unlike battle clerics and devoted clerics , shielding clerics didn ' t have the ability to use the " turn undead " prayer . Instead , shielding clerics channeled their deities ' divine power through the " healer ' s mercy " prayer . Shielding clerics also put a higher emphasis on wisdom and charisma than strength , similar to devoted clerics .