Death Domain Cleric Guide for Beginners: Mastering the Death Cleric in D&D 5e

The Death Domain Cleric is a master of necrotic magic, destruction, and undeath, channeling the dark power of deities who govern death, decay, and the afterlife. Introduced in the Dungeon Master’s Guide as an evil-aligned subclass, the Death Cleric is perfect for players who want to command necrotic energy, wield potent necromantic spells, and devastate enemies with divine wrath.

Unlike traditional Clerics who focus on healing, Death Clerics specialize in necrotic damage, manipulating the undead, and enhancing their offensive capabilities. If you love the idea of a dark priest wielding death magic to annihilate foes and raise undead servants, this subclass is for you!

Why Play a Death Domain Cleric?

Key Benefits

• Powerful Necrotic Damage – Your spells deal more necrotic damage than any other Cleric subclass.
• Necromantic Minions – Gain access to Animate Dead and other undead-controlling spells.
• Double-Dipping Cantrip Damage – Use Toll the Dead or Chill Touch with extra damage.
• Strong Melee & Spell Hybrid – Wield martial weapons and enhance melee combat with necrotic magic.
• Great Roleplay Potential – Be a necromantic priest, a dark warlord, or a grim reaper’s chosen.

Compared to other Clerics, Death Clerics excel at offensive spellcasting and undead control rather than healing and support.

Core Features

Key Mechanics and Abilities

Bonus Proficiencies (Level 1)

• Gain martial weapon proficiency, making you a better melee combatant than most Clerics.
• Example: Wield a greataxe or longsword while casting Inflict Wounds.

Reaper (Level 1)

• Can target two creatures at once with necromancy cantrips, as long as they are within 5 feet of each other.
• Gain an extra necromancy cantrip from any spell list.
• Example: Cast Chill Touch on two enemies at once, doubling your damage output.

Channel Divinity: Touch of Death (Level 2)

• Deal extra necrotic damage equal to 5 + 2 × your Cleric level when hitting a creature with a melee attack.
• Example: At level 6, a melee attack deals 5 + (2 × 6) = 17 extra necrotic damage.

Inescapable Destruction (Level 6)

• Necrotic damage ignores enemy resistance, making you deadlier against normally resistant foes.
• Example: Undead creatures usually resist necrotic damage, but yours bypasses their resistance.

Divine Strike (Level 8)

• Once per turn, add 1d8 necrotic damage to a weapon attack (increases to 2d8 at level 14).
• Example: Your longsword attack now deals 1d8 + Strength modifier + 1d8 necrotic damage.

Improved Reaper (Level 17)

• Now target two creatures with all necromancy spells of 1st–5th level, instead of just cantrips.
• Example: Cast Inflict Wounds on two enemies at once, doubling its impact.

These features make Death Clerics some of the most dangerous damage-dealers in the game, amplifying necrotic magic and melee combat alike.

Suggested Ability Scores

• Primary: Wisdom – Boosts spellcasting and necrotic damage.
• Secondary: Constitution – Increases survivability.
• Tertiary: Strength or Dexterity – For melee combat (Strength) or ranged attacks (Dexterity).

Recommended Races

Since Death Clerics focus on necrotic damage and melee combat, the best races include:

• Reborn – Undead-themed race with resistance to poison and advantage on death saves.
• Shadar-Kai Elf – Resistance to necrotic damage and teleportation for mobility.
• Tiefling (Mephistopheles or Zariel) – Fire resistance and innate spellcasting.
• Variant Human – Gain a free feat like War Caster or Magic Initiate at level 1.

Playing as a Death Domain Cleric

Role in a Party

• Melee & Spell Hybrid – Enhance weapon attacks with necrotic magic.
• Undead Master – Control hordes of undead with Animate Dead.
• High-Damage Spellcaster – Devastate enemies with necrotic spells.

Compared to other Clerics, Death Clerics focus on offense and undead manipulation rather than healing and defense.

Tips for New Players

• Use Touch of Death strategically – Death Domain Cleric in D&D
• Ignore enemy necrotic resistances – Death Domain Cleric in D&D
• Target grouped enemies with Reaper – Death Domain Cleric in D&D
• Balance melee and spell use – Death Domain Cleric in D&D

Roleplay Suggestions

• The Dark Acolyte – A Death Domain Cleric in D&D
• The Necrotic Warlord – A Death Domain Cleric in D&D
• The Grim Reaper’s Chosen – A Death Domain Cleric in D&D

Gear and Dice Recommendations

Suggested Equipment

Weapons

• Greatsword or Greataxe – Best for Strength-based melee combat.
• Mace or Quarterstaff – Fits the necromancer aesthetic.

Armor

• Scale Mail or Half Plate – Best AC while maintaining movement flexibility.
• Shield – Boosts AC for better survivability.

Magic Items

• Staff of the Necromancer – Enhances necrotic spells and undead control.
• Amulet of the Devout – Boosts spell save DC and gives extra Channel Divinity.
• Cloak of the Reaper – Enhances necrotic resistance and spell effectiveness.

Dice Recommendations from Runic Dice

Enhance your dark, death-themed character with these necrotic dice sets:

• Obsidian Death: For black and red hues evoking necrotic energy, consider the Synthetic Gemstone Two Tone Red/Black DND Dice Set. This set features a striking contrast of fiery red and enigmatic black, capturing the essence of necrotic power.
• Grim Reaper’s Call: To represent undeath with bone-colored dice featuring dark swirls, the Smoke and Blood Resin DND Dice Set is an excellent choice. It showcases a blend of smoky grays and deep reds, evoking the eerie presence of the Grim Reaper.
• Dark Runes: For purple and silver tones capturing forbidden magic, the Purple Gemstone Amethyst DND Dice Set offers a rich, royal purple hue with a polished finish, embodying the mystique of arcane secrets.

Advanced Tips and Tricks

Optimization Strategies

• Feats:

  • War Caster – Helps with concentration checks for Animate Dead and Spirit Guardians.
  • Polearm Master – Enhances melee combat with extra attacks.
  • Tough – Extra HP for survivability.

• Multiclassing:

  • Sorcerer (Shadow or Divine Soul) – Metamagic enhances necrotic spellcasting.
  • Paladin (Oathbreaker) – Melee combat and necrotic synergy.

The Death Domain Cleric is an offensive powerhouse and necromantic specialist, perfect for players who want to wield divine destruction, manipulate undead, and deal devastating necrotic damage. If you want to become a master of death and decay, this subclass is for you.