Peace Cleric 5E Guide | New Domain in Tasha’s Cauldron

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has something to say about “peace” being boring. Clerics that worship the short list of peace-oriented gods are not only more than capable of bringing the harm; they are essential members for most parties! Unlike most implementations of a Pacifist class, the Peace Cleric is instead about keeping the party together, as a strong unit, to tackle problems together. So, let’s bring on the togetherness, with our Peace Cleric 5E guide.

The Tranquility Bringer: Peace Cleric 5E

To say the Peace Domain Cleric is just an aggressive cleric in disguise would be incorrect. The Peace Cleric brings some options to solve problems without violence through their spells and first class features. However, after that, the Cleric excels in a 10-minute buff that allows the party’s Tank to take the damage when others would get dangerously harmed. The Barbarian is going to be one happy fella with a Peace Cleric at their side, which is pretty ironic!

Peace Domain Spells

First, we get a list of Peace Cleric spells that the Cleric can use their spell slots to cast all the time.

Heroism is a bit situational, more useful for the Frighten immunity than the temporary hitpoints. Still, if your Fighter is getting hit every turn, getting 3-5 health per turn will keep them alive. Sanctuary tends to be a more useful spell for avoiding damage, but against monsters with high Wisdom saves, it’s kinda worthless. So, both of these spells are fine, though usually situational.

Aid is a good spell, boosting your temporary HP gain by a lot… though 5 hp isn’t a huge amount. This is just not usually going to be enough to stop things. Warding Bond allows you to take half the damage that a target takes, and the target gets a +1 bonus to AC and saves. That’s pretty stellar, since the Cleric has decent health.

Beacon of Hope is, again, situational. It can be good for ensuring you max out your healing spells, but you’re spending a 3rd level spell slot to ensure your healing spells are good… That’s somewhat strange. Use this for the Wisdom save or death save advantage instead, since that’ll save you against casters. Sending just delivers a message, so situational.

Aura of Purity gives immunity to becoming diseased and resistance to poison, as well as advantage on most dangerous condition effects. Because the list of effects is so large, you can find a ton of situations where this will be useful, like against Mummies… But you’re essentially using this for advantage against one or two specific conditions in a fight. At least it lasts 10 minutes, so you can use your Concentration for a long time. Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere is a Paralysis effect, but doesn’t allow for the target to be attacked or damaged at all. The creature that is inside can’t make a save every turn, however. If you need a creature to be out of the fight for a minute, then this might work better than Banishment.

Greater Restoration is one of the best situational healing spells, in that you never know when you might need it. Now it’s always in your pocket, which is undeniably good. Rary’s Telepathic Bond lasts an hour, which is perfect for out-of-combat situations, or when the party needs to split. It’s also a Ritual spell, so it doesn’t need to necessarily spend 5th level slots.

All in all, I’m not a huge fan of this list. A lot of spells are at their most useful in only specific cases, which isn’t necessarily bad. But, domain spell lists are at their best when you are able to find a reason to cast them a ton; they’re here to replace your situational spells that you memorized in the morning. That being said, there’s enough here to work just fine.

Implement of Peace

At 1st level, you have a proficiency to choose from!

You gain proficiency in the Insight, Performance, or Persuasion skill (your choice).

In order of what you should prefer, from least to greatest, Performance is first. 5E didn’t give Performance the best reputation, since it does so little right out of the box. Most DMs allow it to work for money-making, or distraction making. You could get creative with it, but it’s rare that Performance will do anything more than Persuasion.

That being said, Persuasion suffers from your Charisma. As a Cleric, your Charisma will likely not be insanely high. Persuasion is probably the job for the Rogue, Bard, or Sorcerer in your party. If you need to be the party’s talker, then this will be here for you.

However, Insight is great for you! Your Wisdom is kind of insane. Nobody will be able to get past your extremely high ability to read the room, or understand lies. You’ll be critical for conversations with thieves, vagabonds, politicians, or even Paladins! You’ll be one of the best conversationalists in the room, just by understanding everything that was said!

Emboldening Bond

The final level 1 domain power is your main gimmick, and… it’s actually pretty impressive!

You can forge an empowering bond among people who are at peace with one another. As an action, you choose a number of willing creatures within 30 feet of you (this can include yourself) equal to your proficiency bonus. You create a magical bond among them for 10 minutes or until you use this feature again. While any bonded creature is within 30 feet of another, the creature can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw it makes. Each creature can add the d4 no more than once per turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

You essentially have a 10-minute Guidance that you can place on 2-6 characters. Early on, this ability will be difficult to use. Try to use it after you’ve just taken a Short Rest and know you’ll be able to use it for the full 10 minutes (or close to the full 10 minutes). Unlike Guidance, this doesn’t use your concentration, nor is it touch range. So, it’s like an incredible, Mass Guidance that isn’t burnt when used. Pretty fantastic!

A d4 means you gain an average of 2-3 to that attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. A 10% to 15% chance to succeed is solid, especially if you can apply it to multiple people for 600 rounds. You’ll be able to buff your entire party at a +4 Proficiency Bonus; so at level 9. What’s really important is that this can be used per turn, not per round. You can add it to your attack roll, then add it to multiple save rolls during the turns of enemies. Super useful. 

This is a great ability, and it only gets better as time goes on. Use it wisely and you’ll see just how powerful peace can be! The Emboldening Bond 5E feature is a powerful option for first-level characters.

Channel Divinity: Balm of Peace

Your channel divinity option is extremely strong, for a few reasons!

You can use your Channel Divinity to make your very presence a soothing balm. As an action, you can move up to your speed, without provoking opportunity attacks, and when you move within 5 feet of any other creature during this action, you can restore a number of hit points to that creature equal to 2d6 + your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1 hit point). A creature can receive this healing only once whenever you take this action

Okay, so this is better than it seems. Being able to spend an action to move is good. This means you can cover double the amount of ground in a turn; 60 feet in a round, without needing to take the Dash action. Admittedly, this is still an action, but you’re basically taking Dash and Disengage at the same exact time; you don’t provoke either! When you’re surrounded by enemies, that extra distance can really matter.

In addition, you heal all creatures that you move next to by a decent amount (if you want to). This means this is an escape, a heal, and a movement option all at once! Unfortunately, it doesn’t heal too much, so it’s better as an area-of-effect heal than a single target one.

All in all, it’s solid! You’ll find this useful every now and then, and it’s arguably one of the best Channels, just because of how many roles it fills.

Protective Bond

At level 6, you get a new buff for your Emboldening Bond which changes its usefulness.

The bond you forge between people helps them protect each other. When a creature affected by your Emboldening Bond feature is about to take damage, a second bonded creature within 30 feet of the first can use its reaction to teleport to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the first creature. The second creature then takes all the damage instead.

This is most useful when you have a specific party member who wants to take damage. This is usually a Barbarian, and having a spell that guarantees that your Barbarian eats a ton of damage will make your Barbarian pretty happy; the damage does not say it ignores Resistance, so the Barbarian’s Rage will cover your party quite nicely. It does teleport the creature as well, which can be perfect or an unfortunate but necessary cost.

You can also use this as a… really weird teleport option. Say, for example, there’s a person in a jail cell. You’re outside of it. You use your action to Bond with them, and then prick yourself with a needle. The person in the cell can then use their reaction to teleport out and take the needle damage, moving them out of the jail cell with no spell slots used! That’s really neat!

Mostly, however, this lets you put as much damage as possible on a single target, allowing you to heal one specific person more than others. That’s what you want as a healer, and you can also make sure that everyone who was bonded to each other will stay alive. Perfect!

Potent Spellcasting

Your level 8 damage boost is a Cantrip spam buff.

You add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.

On average, a Cleric gets to 20 Wisdom by the end of their career; any higher requires specific magic items. So this adds 5 damage to your cleric cantrips, if you want to have a safe guess. That’s stellar, but obviously not useful if you plan on being a weapon-oriented Peace cleric. Just sit back and let your cantrips speak for themselves. If you want to use weapons, consider asking your DM for the Optional Rule for Clerics, adding a d8 to both cantrips and weapon attacks rather than just your cantrips. Cantrips do tend to be a little better than weapons, however, so you might want to keep this around.

Expansive Bond

You’ve waited for 9 levels for the final ability of a peace cleric, but here it is; level 17 itself!

The benefits of your Emboldening Bond and Protective Bond features now work when the creatures are within 60 feet of each other. Moreover, when a creature uses Protective Bond to take someone else’s damage, the creature has resistance to that damage.

Fine! That’s good! Doubling the range of your main gimmick is wonderful, since it lets you expand the battlefield greatly. This can help you avoid most Area of Effect spells or Mass spells, which is good at this point; there are a ton of level 9 spells that don’t work as well when you’re 60 feet apart.

You also guarantee that your Protective Bond lands on someone with Resistance. Theoretically, if nobody wants to use their reaction on anything else, this gives your “party” resistance four times per round. That’s not terrible! It’s a huge source of damage reduction, but your party has to be willing to take hits. Hopefully your party has learned to work as a team at this point, because this feature is now incredible, rather than just fine.

Best Race for Peace Clerics

Like most clerics, Peace clerics want as much Wisdom as they can manage. High Wisdom boosts the DC of spells like Sanctuary, making them much more useful in fights. Afterwards, keeping yourself alive becomes a priority; Dexterity increases your AC and saves, and Constitution increases your health.

Hill Dwarf

Because of that, Hill Dwarf might work well for you! Hill Dwarves gain +2 Constitution, +1 Wisdom. Not bad at all, if your primary objective is to survive! Dwarves are good, in that they don’t need Strength to be good in heavy armor (if you’re willing to eventually gain proficiency in them). So, in the very late game, you can consider getting that proficiency and having low Dexterity and low Strength! Dwarven Resilience and Dwarven Toughness will keep you alive super well. Sometimes, to be peaceful, you have to take a beating!

Wildhunt Shifter

These hunters from Eberron: Rising from the Last War might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to Peace. But, their Shifting ability is actually pretty fantastic for you! These guys get +2 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity, which is a really good stat spread. Shifting gives you a huge amount of temporary hit points once per rest. Natural Tracker is good for your skillset, and when you’ve shifted, you have advantage on Wisdom checks and can’t have advantage rolled against you for attacks. So, you can shift to talk to people, and roll advantage on Insight. That’s pretty cool! And, you’ll be tankier if it breaks into a fight, since it’s harder to sneak attack or even hit you. Walk in harmony with nature, friend!

Peace Domain Cleric Gods

Unsurprisingly, clerics who wish to follow the Peace domain should follow some fairly specific deities. These deities are powerful, but use that power solely to inspire peaceful conflict resolution and unity between living beings. Below are some examples of some recommended deities. If your setting does not have these gods, then don’t fret! Simply look for a god or goddess that closely matches the qualities that you can see in this list. Those will be a fantastic choice for your Peace cleric.

Angharradh (Forgotten Realms, Elven)

Angharradh is the Queen of Arvandor and the Triune Goddess. She holds three aspects: Hanali Celanil, Sehanine Moonbow, and Aerdrie Faenya. This goddess is a symbol of the peace and unification of the elven kingdom of Arvandor. She is an ancient goddess who, in modern times, has lost much of her power, as her three aspects have drifted farther and farther apart.

Angharradh has less to do with the spirit of peace, and more to do as a major character in a time of peace. Her unification of Arvandor is historically known to all Elvenkind, and thus many pay tribute to her during times where they wish for peace to return.

A Peace Cleric of Angharradh worships the three aspects, but mostly focuses on the unification of the three. Angharradh herself caused Arvandor to be a realm of peace. The fact that Angharradh has been mostly split in recent times has caused Peace Clerics under her wings to be largely nostalgic. They wish to return to a time where the full power of Angharradh led the elves to a peaceful coexistence.

These clerics should embrace what Angharradh stands for. While many will follow one of her aspects more closely than the others, these clerics strive to regain the goddess’s lost vigilance. They might yearn for the past to return, or they might simply wish for their potent goddess to bring another peaceful spell to the plane.

Angharradh is a wonderful example of a Peace goddess: A god who performed an act of great neutrality and war-ending action in their history that the Peace Clerics wish to emulate.

Berronar Truesilver (Forgotten Realms, Dwarven)

The Mother of Safety is the Dwarven Matron deity. Her protective gaze watches over the entirety of Dwarves. Married to Moradin, Berronar takes on the form of authority figure while the other dwarves work. Her skilled negotiation and calm demeanor kept the Dwarven pantheon from falling apart during intense clan wars.

Berronar embodies peace in a race known for their bickering. Her Clerics serve as bodyguards of the home, keeping the peace within the clans and acting as teachers and healers for all in their community. As the moral compass, they can be very slow to embrace change. Their churches have a definite structure to them, but the congregation and clerics alike know they are part of a loving home.

Peace Clerics of Berronar are the police of their community. They are here to ensure that the Clan does not tear itself apart during times of strife, and act as a force of unification within their community. They will only come to blows if they know there is no other option… Which makes them a skilled Dwarven diplomat!

In a party, these Clerics should act as adoring parental figures, but ones who immediately deny change or risk unless convinced otherwise. They know what everyone’s roles are, and seek to fill their role as caring mother or father the best they can.

If you want to be the peacemaker, but in almost a threatening way, then Matron goddesses like Berronar can be exactly what you’re looking for.

Boldrei (Eberron)

Boldrei is the Protector of hearth and home in the Eberron universe. The champion of Civilization, Boldrei pushes against the wild outside the best she can in order to protect the communities she loves. Similar to Berronar, she acts as the matron of the Sovereign Host pantheon.

Like other Matron deities, Boldrei embodies peace through unity and trust. Civilization thrives on peacetime and teamwork. So, Boldrei ensures that Civilization continues to prosper.

However, Boldrei is willing to embrace change and differences if it can support to community. What she despises are the “savage wild” that threatens to bring down Civilization. Peace Clerics of Boldrei will enforce the peace in the party by attempting to quell wild impulses. While they will not go so far as to oust the party Druid for using Wild Shape, they will likely find fault with them introducing a pet to the party that isn’t properly trained. Aspects of chaos being introduced to a civilization will weaken it, and in the cracks more chaos will flow through.

Thus, Peace Clerics of Boldrei should remain vigilant of their “nest.” If you want a god who is vigilant and threatening to chaos, while being caring for those around them, then you could choose a much worse Peace Goddess than one like Boldrei!

Cyrrollalee (Forgotten Realms, Halfling)

The Halfling Deity of trust, friendship, and hospitality, Cyrrollalee embodies many traits that other races adore about Halflings. Her holy symbol being an open door, she offers a very tolerant ear to all who wish to befriend the Halfling people.

Cyrrollalee is perhaps the most tolerant example of a Matronly deity that we’ve discussed thus far. Cyrrollalee is a prime example of a host, and frowns upon any who treat their guests poorly. As such, her main targets of wrath are those who commit crimes against homeowners. 

A Peace Cleric of Cyrrollalee will be that proverbial “open door” to those they meet. They have learned to care for their guests more than they care for their children. They are quick to trust others and are skilled diplomats. They can make wonderful conversation and know etiquette of most regions that they wander to.

However, a Peace Cleric of Cyrrollalee will not tolerate crimes such as burglary. An adventurer of Cyrrollalee will need heavy convincing before doing anything harmful to a home. Specifically, they will need clarification and proof that any such crime will be beneficial to the peace of the community as a whole.

A tolerant matron like Cyrrollalee makes for a fantastic deity for a Peace Cleric. However, it can be a bit difficult to find a deity like her in any setting.

Eldath (Forgotten Realms)

Eldath is the Green Goddess of the Bedine people. She shows herself as a lake spirit and serves as the guardian of groves or watersheds. She would only appear in areas of immense calm and unity between the elements of the natural world. A deity of Druids, Eldath is a pacifist who fights for peace and comfort for all.

Eldath is the epitome of the Peace Cleric doctrine. Rather than attempting to unify specific aspects of society or communities, this goddess will always deign to find a peaceful solution to any issue. For this reason, she is worshiped by druids who wish to coexist with civilization, seeing Eldath as a valuable bridge between nature and technology.

Peace Clerics of Eldath are typically closer to Druids in activity, and perhaps multiclass with Druid. This is not required, however. These clerics should attempt to never use violence unless they see no other possible option to keep the peace. They should avoid violence like the plague and use their healing and mind-altering magic to bring situations back to a calm standstill. They are unbreakable foundations of their moral code. If you want a goddess fully dedicated to peace, pacifist gods like Eldath work great.

Paladine (Dragonlance)

Paladine is from the older setting of Dragonlance. He serves as a representative of leadership amongst the gods, and is the patron deity of Good in the realm. He also serves as the god of Redemption. He despises all Evil gods, but only truly despises the unredeemable.

Paladine is a fatherly deity, who mixes peace with authority. At his position as leader, he deigns to use his power to solve issues before they can come to blows. His wisdom and charisma are massive aides to his cause, as the leader of the gods of Good can call upon many potent allies during times of need. He is also seen as a martyr, as he willingly gave up his godly status to preserve the peace between good and evil.

Peace Clerics of Paladine are incredible leaders. Rather than attempting to unify others, they demand unity between those they have authority over. This can make them quite the boorish leader, but a good Peace Cleric of Paladine should be seen more as a caring, loving father figure who would do anything to make sure nobody got hurt. They follow in their god’s footsteps, ensuring that they are punished before anyone else would be. Should you want to be a Peace Cleric who leads the way, find a leader god like Paladine.

Rao (Greyhawk)

In the Greyhawk realm, Rao serves as the mediator between multiple gods. Rao is seen not as a mere diplomat, but as a force of reason that no god can resist. Reason must be observed, or else peace is impossible.

Peace Clerics of Rao are the first to know that, sometimes, the only reasonable answer is violence. While they are trained diplomats, they are also skilled fighters. There is only so much you can do when a rabid dog bears down on a child. 

Rao’s dogma of reason may lead to some emotionless decisions. Strong emotion can lead to quick decisions, which is not what Rao believes will lead to a perfect world. Because of this, Raoan priests are slow to respond to situations, especially if they are not given the full details of what is going on.

However, in and out of combat, none can match the steely resolve of a Raoan priest. There are few better debaters or fighters – they are steeled to all aspects of combat or conversation other than pure reason. Reason and intelligence can lead to a god being a fantastic choice for a Peace Domain cleric.

Example Feats for Peace Clerics

The following are a few feats that can benefit a Peace Cleric. Peace Clerics really benefit to getting to 20 Wisdom, and that should be your priority. However, if you find yourself looking for feats, these options can aid you.

Fey Touched

Fey Touched will allow you to gain a +1 to Wisdom, so you’re not going to lose out on all of your Ability Score improvement at this level. More importantly, it gains you access to two new spells!

One is Misty Step, a 2nd level spell that you can cast once for free, and then you can use spell slots to cast it again. Misty Step is a fantastic use of a Bonus Action! You can get out of a dangerous situation, teleport between positions with ease, or even solve puzzles by ducking through iron bars or a crack in the wall! We love Misty Step here, so we can’t recommend this feat enough… If you can afford it.

You also gain a 1st level spell that you can cast once for free. For this, we recommend Silvery Barbs, a very strong spell from Strixhaven. However, you can also choose strong options like Hex/Hunter’s Mark, Command, Charm Person, Sleep, or even Tasha’s Hideous Laughter. This spell is quite versatile, making it a very good option for clerics looking to expand their early-game options a bit.

Heavily Armored

Peace Clerics do not gain access to Heavy Armor proficiency for free. Because of this, some Clerics might want to invest in more armor. You gain a Strength bonus, which isn’t fantastic, but it can help with carrying capacity. Much more importantly, you can wear heavy armor. 

Heavy Armor includes Full Plate, which sets your AC to 18 without any enchantments on it. A full, +3 Full Plate is 21 AC! That makes you hard to hit, and hard to put down, without some luckier rolls. As a Peace Cleric, the harder you are to knock out, the harder it is to take out your party. So, investing in defense can be a very wise maneuver.

If you’re worried about defense, but can spare 12-14 Dexterity for Medium Armor, then you can instead consider Tough instead.

Metamagic Adept

Metamagic Adept is the ultimate emergency feat, and should only really be considered at the highest possible levels. It gives you 2 Sorcery Points that you can spend on your choice of 2 Metamagic options. We suggest getting metamagic like Quickened or Twinned Spell. Extended is also stellar. 

These metamagic options will essentially cause one to two of your spells per day to become incredibly powerful. This won’t come up often, but when it does, it’ll completely change the flow of a fight by allowing you to affect 2 people with your strong cleric spells, or make 1 person your Dominate Person thrall for even longer! This is a niche pick that you should only consider if you want to shotgun out powerful magic in emergencies.

Shadow Touched

This is basically a weaker version of Fey Touched. Shadow Touched gets you that +1 Wisdom, just like Fey. However, the spells are different. You get Invisibility for free once per day, and then you learn it as a Cleric spell. Invisibility is a key spell for scouts and for the start of combat, and can save your hide during stressful fights. However, it is not as impactful for spamming as Misty Step, and has a few less combat scenarios where it’s really strong. Good use of Invisibility is critical, though, so this is still a great pick-up.

Your 1st level spell options are admittedly lacking. We recommend Cause Fear, False Life, or Ray of Sickness. Silent Image can work if you are creative, but you have a free cast of this spell! You should have something that you’re going to use a lot in this slot. If you’re desperate to learn Invisibility, this feat at least comes with some additional perks.

Skill Expert

This feat is incredibly basic. You get to improve any Ability Score that you’d like by 1. Nice! You also get to become proficient in a skill. This can let you learn a new Talking skill, like Deception or Intimidation. Alternatively, you can get something like Perception and really work your high Wisdom!

Finally, you get Expertise in a skill of your choice. Because you are the Peace domain, you can use this feat to become the party’s best Diplomat by investing this into Persuasion. Or, you can put this into Medicine to guarantee cures of specific conditions. Really fun, flavorful skill. We’d recommend this for slower, more RP oriented campaigns where combat only rarely happens.

Strixhaven Initiate and Mascot

These are… a bit weird. Let’s go over why I like them.

To start, Strixhaven Initiate gives you a few spell options. You learn two cantrips from a set list of options, and then a 1st level spell from a few spell lists. You get to cast the 1st level spell for free, and you otherwise learn it. We suggest choosing any option that does not give you an option from the Cleric list. Personally, we like Prismari or Quandrix the best. These can give your Peace Cleric some weird utility options, like Shield.

Then, with Strixhaven Mascot, you get a Familiar! The familiar is a very basic one. Prismari  gives you an elemental with a good ranged attack and the ability to charm targets. Quandrix gives you the ability to move through walls or go into very small containers. The other aspects of this feat lets your familiar fight by itself, or… you can teleport and swap with your familiar. With the Quandrix familiar, you can teleport through walls. For a 2nd level spell slot! At maximum! That’s a really fun combo!

This feat chain is not optimal. However, the combo gives you good utility and incredible mobility and scouting options.

Multiclassing for Peace Clerics

Peace Clerics can make use of a few different classes to make their lives a bit easier.

Druid

Druids are spellcasters, so you do not lose any spell progression for multiclassing into them. But, you’re going to want to get to level 2. Level 2 Druids get access to their Circles. These are options that can improve your utility while offering defensive options for your Cleric. 

We like Dreams, Land, Shepherd, Stars, or Wildfire as options. That’s a lot, but each of these Circles can give your Cleric a lot of good options to support your allies. Check them all out and determine what can best benefit your party! The Circle of Dreams, for instance, gives a lot more healing to the party while Land gives you a ton of additional spell options.

Fighter

Level 2 Fighter is very good, as well! At level 1, a Fighter gains +1 to your AC if you choose that Fighting Style, or you can use a Shield to protect your allies. You can also heal yourself as a bonus action, which definitely helps.

Level 2 is where Fighter shines, though. Action Surge is bonkers on a Cleric. You can cast Breath of Life and Flamestrike in the same round! Or Banishment and Heal! That can swing a fight right back into your favor. Getting to level 3 isn’t super necessary, though that does give you a spell slot back if you choose Eldritch Knight.

Monk

Monk Multiclasses can be a little dangerous, but works well for Peace! Unarmored Defense is perfect for Clerics, as Clerics tend to get to 20 Wisdom often. This lets you take your armor off without losing much AC at all, and can sometimes be even better than Medium Armor. Martial Arts isn’t too important, but can give you a small burst of damage in emergency situations. A one-level dip can give you stellar defensive options. If you decide to get to level 2, which we do not recommend, you can get a small boost of movement speed and some good bonus actions to work with.

How to Play a Peace Cleric in 5E

Peace Clerics have a very weird playstyle in combat. If you’re scratching your head about how to play this domain, we can help you with a few basic tips.

Out of Combat

• You are the voice of reason. Out of combat, a Peace Cleric should be trying to avoid fights while keeping the party unified and happy. Use your Persuasion or Insight skills to identify problematic situations and try to weave out of them safely. You should be a part of most conversations, even if you’re not the one talking. Try to use magic like Calm Emotions to nullify fights and resume discussion.
• Emboldening Bond can be used out of combat. A d4 might not sound like much, but you can use it with Guidance to give your allies an impressive bonus to ability checks. Don’t be afraid to use this ability to ensure that conversations go well!

In Combat

• You Can Rarely Play the Pacifist, and that’s okay. If you don’t know what you’re doing, the Peace Domain is focused on preserving peace no matter the cost. Sometimes, that means you’ll have to fight. If you are sure that your party can handle threats while you sit back and heal or buff, then go for it! Otherwise, use Cantrips from a distance to deal damage to enemies so your party can preserve the peace faster.
• Emboldening Bond is Impressively Powerful. Do not doubt how strong this spell is! The moment that a fight seems like it might be difficult, use this ability. 10 minutes is 600 rounds, so you might be able to take on 2-3 fights with the same use of Bond. And, as you level up, you’ll gain more uses of it?
• Who should I use Emboldening Bond on? Priority for Emboldening Bond should be damage dealers that rely on attack rolls, such as Rogues or Fighters. They will appreciate the attack roll bonus the most. While everyone will love the bonus to Saving Throws, focus on who will use the bonus most often. Also, remember that they have to be relatively close to each other the entire time! You can stay 30 ft away from the frontline and archers to make sure everyone is buffed by Emboldening Bond.
• Balm of Peace is used in emergencies. This ability is okay, but only if people are unconscious or that a heal will be required to cure a debuff. Otherwise, this is a pretty pathetic use of your action. Instead, you can use your action to improve your party, such as with Shield of Faith or Guiding Bolt.
• Protective Bond is a risky ability. The ability to teleport to threats is handy, especially for slow characters like Fighters. However, and this is important: everyone can use this ability. Is the Fighter one step away from the grave? Maybe the Wizard can take the hit. You can eat some damage so your Rogue can get the kill next round. It’s not just the tanks that can use this ability! Talk with your party to maximize the damage that everyone can take, so you can make sure that the fight ends with everyone safe and conscious.

Peace Cleric 5E FAQ

Here, we answer all of the burning questions about playing a Peace domain cleric in 5E.

Is Peace Cleric Good?

If you enjoy providing support and utility to your party, the Peace Cleric is a great option. If your goal is to primarily deal damage, you might have better options.

Can Balm of Peace Heal Multiple Creatures?

Yes, Balm of Peace can heal multiple creatures with a single use of this feature. Under the rules as written, there are only two limiting factors on when a Peace Cleric can use Balm of Peace. The first is that you must move within 5 feet of them before you can use it. Given the limitations of space and time, you can only reach so many creatures when using your full movement. The second limitation is that a creature can only benefit from this once per use of Balm of Peace. While you can’t use this to repeatedly heal the same character, you could easily restore HP to your entire party with a little planning beforehand. Unfortunately, balm of peace does not heal the caster.  

Can You Use Emboldening Bond on Yourself?

As a Peace Cleric, you can use Emboldening Bond on any creature – including yourself. The only limitation is that you cannot use Emboldening Bond more than a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. Whether or not your character is the ideal target for Emboldening Bond is up to you.

Conclusion – Our Take on the Peace Domain

The Peace Domain is a stellar option for a cool support build. It’s one of the better late-game options for a Cleric and a fine addition from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, but you will feel a little limited early on. If you’re looking for a build that really blossoms at level 9, then do consider the Peace domain!