According to the second edition Player's Handbook, the cleric class is similar to certain religious orders of knighthood of the Middle Ages such as the Teutonic Knights, the Knights Templar, and Hospitalers, which combined military and religious training with a code of protection and service. The cleric, as part of the "priest" group, was one of the standard character classes available in the second edition Player's Handbook. The cleric was available as a character class in the game's "Basic" edition.Īdvanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition The speciality cleric and cleric spell sphere concepts were first introduced in the Dragonlance Adventures hardcover book (1987). : 145 The cleric's hit dice improved to a d8, clerics could now cast one spell as 1st level characters, and the wisdom score now provided clerics with a spell bonus whereas a low wisdom score imposed a chance of spell failure. The cleric was presented as one of the five core classes. The cleric was one of the standard character classes available in the original Player's Handbook. The clearest way to understand the distinction is to envision the archetypes as relating primarily to Archbishop Turpin and Roland as models.Īdvanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition When the paladin character class was introduced in Supplement I – Greyhawk (1975), the potential for confusion between the roles of the two classes arose. Gary Gygax added the restriction on weapon types, influenced by a popular interpretation of the Bayeux Tapestry where Odo of Bayeux is depicted with a mace in hand, though this is sometimes conflated with Archbishop Turpin : 85–86 of Chanson de Roland fame, who actually wields both spear and a sword called " Almace". "The cleric's power to repel the undead had its roots in Dracula, which coined the popular term 'undead' and established a vampire hunter's ability to turn away vampires by the presentation of a crucifix (a holy symbol)". The cleric character class began as a simulation of vampire hunting clergy, such as seen in B grade " Hammer Horror" films, specifically created to oppose a vampire player character called "Sir Fang". Since then, followers gained when creating a stronghold include " Turcopole"-type horsed crossbowmen, there is already a hint of the crusades as an inspiration, as seemingly later confirmed by Len Lakofka. In addition, they are able to use more of the magical items than are the Fighting-Men." As is typical of the terse manner of the original rule books, little more is said about the cleric class. : 18 In the original edition, the class is described as gaining "some of the advantages from both of the other two classes (Fighting-Men and Magic-Users) in that they have the use of magic armor and all non-edged magic weapons (no arrows!), as well as a number of their own spells. The cleric character class first appeared in the original edition of Dungeons & Dragons. 1.4 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition.
Clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic ( thaumaturgy). The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ĭleric A Dungeons & Dragons character class Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points.