Summary
Clericsare the chosen of their gods, and can function as divine protectors or destroyers while enacting their deity’s will. Naturally, a being of any race could gain the gods' favor, but inBaldur’s Gate 3, some of the options will make your journey easier than others.
The game’s races come with a wide variety of bonuses, and while many of them can be of great help to a Cleric, others are of little use. Fortunately, this list is here to help you decide which races you should consider when creating your next Cleric, and which you should probably leave alone.
Advantage Against Being Poisoned And Resistance To Poison Damage
Dwarven Toughness
Maximum Hit Points Increased By One Each Level
Clerics will generally position themselves near the front lines of combat; some of their Domains even get heavy armor to help them survive. But unlike more conventional tank classes, such as Fighters or Paladins, Clerics have life totals comparable to Bards or Warlocks.
Playing a Gold Dwarf helps even the playing field a bit. Dwarven Resilience will protect you from any poisons, while the Gold Dwarves unique trait, Dwarven Toughness, gives you the extra hit points necessary to keep you from getting flattened while walking forward to protect your team.
Advantage Against Being Charmed And Immunity To Magical Sleep
Drow Magic
Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire, Darkness
In addition to being an interesting race from a role-play perspective, Drow get several advantages that make them excellent Clerics. Perception proficiency and Superior Darkvision are both nice to have, and Fey Ancestry protects you from some nasty effects.
The racial spells Drow get can also make a significant difference;Dancing Lightsisn’t great, but Faerie Fire and Darkness are both solid options for a Cleric. Light Domain Clerics do have access to the former, but none of the Domains can use Darkness under normal circumstances.
Advantage On Intelligence, Charisma, And Wisdom Saving Throws
Speak With Animals
Gain The Ability To Speak With Animals
Nature Domain Clerics can use the Speak with Animals spell, but what if you want to play some other kind of Cleric while still talking to your furry friends? Well, that’s where Forest Gnomes come in, letting you chat with squirrels no matter which Domain you choose.
These diminutive forest dwellers get other useful abilities as well, the most important of which is the excellent Gnome Cunning. Getting blanket protections against effects targeting three different ability scores is substantially better than most other racial traits.
Description
Halfling Luck
Single Reroll Of Ones On Ability Checks, Saving Throws, And Attack Rolls
Strongheart Resilience
Strongheart Halflings get some tools that are helpful for keeping your Cleric alive. Being able to protect themselves from poisons (the Strongheart-specific feature) and Fear is useful for Clerics of any Domain.
However, it’s no secret that the real reason to play a Halfling is for Halfling Luck. How useful re-rolling attacks is will vary somewhat depending on your chosen Domain, as some will be more likely to make attack rolls than others, but the effect will come into play outside combat no matter what.
Fleet Of Foot
Increased Movement Speed
Wood Elves are the sprinters of Baldur’s Gate 3, getting more movement speed than any other race (aside from Wood Half-Elves, whose Shield proficiency is redundant for Druids). Their speed is great for both melee-focused Clerics, who want to get up close and personal, and Clerics that try to keep their enemies at a distance.
The obvious comparison for Wood Elves is the Drow, who appeared earlier on this list. Wood Elves get all the same bonuses Drow do, but exchange the narrow usefulness of spells for the more broadly applicable movement speed.
Gain The Enlarge And Invisibility Spells
Duergar Resilience
Advantage On Saving Throws Against Illusions, Being Charmed, Or Paralyzed
A large part of what makes Duergar powerful Clerics comes from the potency of their Duergar Magic. Enlarge could come in handy for more melee-focused Clerics, but Invisibility is the spell you’re really looking for.
Even the sneakyTrickery Domain Clericscan only turn invisible with their Channel Divinity ability, and they can only do it when obscured by darkness. In addition to the spells, Duergar get Dwarven Resilience (the same ability as Gold Dwarves and Strongheart Halflings) and the additional protection of Duergar Resilience, keeping them safe from psychic attacks.
Gain Limited Access ToMage Hand, Enhanced Leap, And Misty Step
Astral Knowledge
Gain Proficiency In All Skills Associated With A Given Stat Until Long Rest
Githyanki are arguably Baldur’s Gate 3’s strongest race in a vacuum, so it’s no surprise that they make good Clerics. Astral Knowledge is one of the few racial abilities that is truly exceptional, allowing you to perform adequately in areas normally outside a Clerics expertise, like diplomacy or thievery.
A Githyanki Cleric will also get racial spells from their Githyanki Psionics that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. Mage Hand and Enhance Leap are both solid options, while Misty Step is great for maneuvering your Cleric around the battlefield.
