Human Cleric Build Guide

Levels 1-4

At level 1, your immediate priority is survival. Select a subclass that grants Heavy Armor proficiency (Forge Domain is optimal here to bump your AC by another +1). Because your Dexterity is 8, you must wear Chain Mail. Use your Human Versatile trait to take the Magic Initiate (Wizard) Origin feat. Grab Booming Blade, Minor Illusion, and Shield. Shield will save your life when enemies bypass your heavy armor. At level 4, do not increase your Wisdom yet; take the War Caster feat. You will be holding a shield and a holy symbol, and you need advantage on Constitution saving throws to keep your spells active.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 is when you permanently retire your mace. Your melee DPR is stuck at 3.9, but your spell DPR hits 7.8 thanks to Toll the Dead scaling. More importantly, you unlock Spirit Guardians. Cast it using a 3rd-level spell slot, wade into the frontline, and take the Dodge action. Your 8 Dexterity means you will still be targeted, so rely on your heavy armor and Shield spell. At level 8, take the Fey Touched feat. This bumps your 15 Wisdom to 16, and gives you Misty Step—a crucial escape tool since your low Dexterity means you will frequently go last in initiative and get surrounded.

Levels 11-16

By level 11, your HP reaches 69, which is dangerously low for a frontline support. Your spell DPR increases to 10.18. You unlock 6th-level spells, so Heal becomes your primary panic button. At level 12, take the Resilient (Constitution) feat. This rounds your 13 Constitution up to 14, granting you retroactively increased HP and proficiency in Constitution saving throws. Combined with War Caster, your Spirit Guardians concentration is now nearly unbreakable, even when taking 30+ damage hits. At level 16, take an Ability Score Improvement to bump your Wisdom to 18 to increase your spell save DC.

Levels 17-20

In Tier 4, your HP hits 105 at level 17, and your spell DPR caps at 13.2. You finally unlock 9th-level spells; Mass Heal is the only correct choice here, instantly resetting a mathematically lost encounter. At level 19, take an ASI to max your Wisdom to 20. Your capstone at level 20 guarantees Divine Intervention, which you should use to replicate 8th-level spells without material components. Keep your Human Resourceful Heroic Inspiration strictly for saving throws against instant-death effects or brutal Dexterity saves like a Red Dragon's breath weapon, as your -1 DEX modifier offers no innate protection.

Cantrips

Take Toll the Dead immediately; it is the sole reason your spell DPR scales to 13.2 at level 17. Because you are a Human without Darkvision, you absolutely must take the Light cantrip and cast it on your shield so you can see in dungeons. Round this out with Guidance to support your party outside of combat.

Level 1-2 Spells

Healing Word is mandatory to pick up downed allies as a bonus action. Bless remains mathematically relevant from level 1 to 20. At 2nd level, prepare Spiritual Weapon. Your 8 Dexterity means you rarely have bonus action economy from mobility features, so summoning a floating weapon gives you a reliable bonus action attack every turn.

Level 3-5 Spells

Spirit Guardians is the engine of your build. Cast it, walk into melee, and Dodge. Prepare Revivify to act as the party's safety net. At 4th level, Banishment is your best single-target removal; use your Human Heroic Inspiration if you need to reroll a missed spell attack or force a critical save. At 5th level, Greater Restoration is non-negotiable for curing petrification and charm effects.

High-Level Spells

At 6th level, Heal provides a flat 70 HP, bypassing the variance of dice rolls. At 7th level, Word of Recall is your emergency escape hatch when a fight turns against you. For your 8th-level slot, Holy Aura provides advantage on all saving throws to your team, which pairs beautifully with your already-buffed Constitution saves from War Caster and Resilient.

Magic Initiate (Wizard)

Take this at level 1 using your Human Versatile trait. Your 8 Dexterity is a massive liability, leaving you with terrible AC and Initiative. Grabbing the Shield spell gives you a +5 AC reaction once per day, which can prevent a fatal blow in Tier 1. Booming Blade also helps your 14 Strength hit a bit harder before level 5.

War Caster

Take this at level 4. Because your Constitution is only 13, your base concentration checks are weak. War Caster gives you advantage on these checks, which is mandatory because your playstyle revolves around casting Spirit Guardians and standing in the blast zone while enemies try to break your concentration.

Fey Touched

Take this at level 8 to increase your 15 Wisdom to 16. The real prize here is Misty Step. With your terrible Initiative from the -1 Dexterity modifier, enemies will often block your path or surround you before you can act. Misty Step allows you to reposition without triggering opportunity attacks.

Resilient (Constitution)

Take this at level 12 to bump your 13 Constitution to 14. This instantly grants you 12 extra maximum HP and proficiency in Constitution saving throws. When stacked with War Caster, you will almost never drop concentration on your high-level spells, cementing your role as an immovable support anchor.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

You must start with Chain Mail and a Shield. With your 8 Dexterity, medium armor would leave you severely vulnerable. Grab a standard Mace for your 14 Strength, and ensure you have a Holy Symbol emblazoned on your shield to act as your spellcasting focus.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Upgrade to Splint Armor, and eventually Plate Armor, as soon as you can afford it. Your 14 Strength allows you to wear Chain and Splint without a movement speed penalty, but you will need 15 Strength for Plate, so you might suffer a 10-foot penalty unless you find Mithral Plate. Seek out an Amulet of the Devout +1 to boost your spell save DC.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

Because your Dexterity saving throws are terrible, hunt for a Cloak of Displacement. Imposing disadvantage on attack rolls against you is mathematically superior to flat AC increases. Secure a +2 Shield to stack with your heavy armor, turning you into a walking fortress while concentrating on spells.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

Aim for an Amulet of the Devout +3 to maximize the success rate of your Banishment and Toll the Dead. If possible, acquire Plate Armor of Etherealness; it provides premium AC and gives you an untouchable escape route if you get cornered and lack the movement speed to flee.

As a Human Cleric with this stat array, you are a slow, heavily armored Support caster. You cannot sneak, you cannot see in the dark, and your initiative is terrible. Therefore, you need a party that can dictate the terms of engagement and protect you while you set up your area-of-effect spells.

A Paladin is your best friend. Their Aura of Protection will add their Charisma modifier to your saving throws, which is desperately needed to patch up your -1 penalty to Dexterity saves. When you cast Spirit Guardians, the Paladin can stand next to you, creating an impenetrable frontline block.

You also desperately need a scout who can operate in the dark, like a Gloom Stalker Ranger or a Rogue. Because you lack Darkvision, you will be holding a Light-infused shield. A good scout can push ahead of your light radius, identify threats, and fall back to your illuminated safe zone, ensuring you aren't ambushed before your terrible initiative roll even comes up.

Fighter 2 dip

Taking two levels of Fighter is a potent choice for this build. You gain the Defense Fighting Style, which adds +1 to your AC—crucial for surviving with low Dexterity. More importantly, Action Surge allows you to cast Spirit Guardians and immediately take the Dodge action on the exact same turn, turning you into an untouchable blender.

Druid 1 (Circle of Stars) dip

If you have 13 Wisdom and 13 Charisma (which you do), a dip into Stars Druid is incredible. The Dragon Starry Form ensures you cannot roll lower than a 10 on Constitution checks to maintain concentration. Plus, accessing the Druid spell list lets you pick up Absorb Elements, perfectly covering your glaring weakness to high-damage Dexterity saves like fireball.

• Ignoring Heavy Armor: With an 8 Dexterity, trying to wear Medium Armor caps your AC at 13 plus your shield. You must pick a subclass like Forge or Life to access Heavy Armor, or you will die in Tier 1.
• Hoarding Heroic Inspiration: The Human's Resourceful trait gives you Inspiration every long rest. Don't save it for a perfect moment; use it on the first failed concentration save or critical Banishment attack roll you face.
• Attacking in Melee after Level 5: Your 14 Strength gives you a pathetic 3.9 DPR at level 5. Stop swinging your mace. Cast Toll the Dead for 7.8 DPR instead, and use your action to Dodge if you are concentrating.
• Forgetting Light Sources: Humans do not have Darkvision. If you walk into a dungeon without casting the Light cantrip on your shield, you will suffer disadvantage on all attacks and grant enemies advantage against you.