Current Events > Why do Clerics in D&D always wield maces?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Seems an odd weapon for a holy person.
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To beat the light into you?
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Because you haven't played 5e, where about one third of clerics have martial weapons proficiency.
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Darkman124 posted...

Because you haven't played 5e, where about one third of clerics have martial weapons proficiency.

I haven't played any of them. I'm going off the adaptations.

I would have thought a cleric's preferred weapon would be a staff.
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Spilling blood was a no-no for holy men back in the old editions, so blunt weapons only.

Crushing skulls was fine though
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Older editions D&D clerics we're not allowed to use bladed or sharp weapons "to avoid spilling blood"

This was widely recognized as stupid and they introduced concepts like "well maybe your cleric has a religion where swords are awesome"
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DrizztLink posted...

Spilling blood was a no-no for holy men back in the old editions, so blunt weapons only.

Crushing skulls was fine though

Tyranthraxus posted...

Older editions D&D clerics we're not allowed to use bladed or sharp weapons "to avoid spilling blood"

This was widely recognized as stupid and they introduced concepts like "well maybe your cleric has a religion where swords are awesome"

Ah, okay.
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Darkman124 posted...

Because you haven't played 5e, where about one third of clerics have martial weapons proficiency.

clerics with maces is really really old

but i don't know the origin.
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DK9292 posted...

Darkman124 posted...

Because you haven't played 5e, where about one third of clerics have martial weapons proficiency.

I haven't played any of them. I'm going off the adaptations.

I would have thought a cleric's preferred weapon would be a staff.

Staves are generally two handed, and mostly used by wizards and similar unarmored casters because they need a free hand to mess with components.

Clerics are intended to be servants of gods that put themselves directly in harm's way; they typically have armor and shield proficiencies and as such will usually use a shield and a one handed weapon.

Per the old lore of not spilling blood, this led to use of maces. In 5e, some clerics can use basic edged weapons along with maces and blunt weapons, others can use all weapons.
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spilling blood bad
murder ok
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How does a mace not spill blood?
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Mango Sauce posted...

spilling blood bad
murder ok

The idea of older editions is that you're exclusively fighting monsters or evil aligned people.
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Interesting topic/10
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That's quite interesting.

I've tried to get into D&D in the past, but I struggle to see past the stats and ye olde waffle. The monsters especially I hate how they don't seem to tell you WHAT the damn thing is, just what it can do. I still don't know what the fuck a huecuva is or what sets it apart from other undead.
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Irony posted...

How does a mace not spill blood?

Because Gygax got all his knowledge of historical context from Hollywood movies.
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Irony posted...

How does a mace not spill blood?

if it's a blunt mace it wouldn't

obviously if we're talking a morningstar or a bladed mace that's different
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DK9292 posted...

That's quite interesting.

I've tried to get into D&D in the past, but I struggle to see past the stats and ye olde waffle. The monsters especially I hate how they don't seem to tell you WHAT the damn thing is, just what it can do. I still don't know what the fuck a huecuva is or what sets it apart from other undead.

Try 5E it's basically made to address complaints like this. The starter kit gets most of the bullshit it if the way but only goes to level 5
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YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

Irony posted...

How does a mace not spill blood?

if it's a blunt mace it wouldn't

obviously if we're talking a morningstar or a bladed mace that's different

Nah you can totally spill blood with a blunt mace.
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Tyranthraxus posted...

Try 5E it's basically made to address complaints like this. The starter kit gets most of the bullshit it if the way but only goes to level 5

Hm, might do.

GOATTHlEF posted...

Hecuevas are undead that spawn from evil clerics. They like to track down and torture priests/clerics of the light to prove some kind of point corphish.

Then what makes them any different from Liches? Lack of regeneration?
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DK9292 posted...

Then what makes them any different from Liches? Lack of regeneration?

Liches are arcane, Hecuevas divine.
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This nerd shit man
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DrizztLink posted...

DK9292 posted...

Then what makes them any different from Liches? Lack of regeneration?

Liches are arcane, Hecuevas divine.

That sounds like propaganda.
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DK9292 posted...

DrizztLink posted...

DK9292 posted...

Then what makes them any different from Liches? Lack of regeneration?

Liches are arcane, Hecuevas divine.

That sounds like propaganda.

Two different types of magic.

Wizards use arcane, clerics divine magic.
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Liches intentionally take out their soul and put it in a phylactery to be immortal.
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DrizztLink posted...

Two different types of magic.

Wizards use arcane, clerics divine magic.

What's the difference?

Ranting Nord posted...

Liches intentionally take out their soul and put it in a phylactery to be immortal.

That's what I meant. When you destroy a Lich, as long as it's soul is in-tact it can regenerate. I assume when a huecuva is dead, it's dead.
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Arcane comes from the Weave, magic itself.

Divine comes from an entity.

So a wizard learns spells to affect reality, a cleric prays to a patron and receives spells.
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DrizztLink posted...

Arcane comes from the Weave, magic itself.

Divine comes from an entity.

So a wizard learns spells to affect reality, a cleric prays to a patron and receives spells.

Ah... so in terms of gameplay, a wizard is like your typical RPG mage who can cast spells whenever they want as long as they have MP, while a cleric needs permission from whatever deity they worship. Correct?

GOATTHlEF posted...

Methods. Liches are the big bads. Hecuevas are mid level management politoed

Ah. So again, following the gaming analogy, a Hecueva would be a mid-boss while a Lich would be a final boss?
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Clerics usually have a holy weapon that's favoured by their Diety. As it is, a mace is a blunt weapon, which is great for dealing with Undead (resists pierce/slash damage), which is a cleric's primary enemy.
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DK9292 posted...

Ah... so in terms of gameplay, a wizard is like your typical RPG mage who can cast spells whenever they want as long as they have MP, while a cleric needs permission from whatever deity they worship. Correct?

Not quite.

Mechanically it's the same, but I'll use Baldur's Gate era:

Mages learn spells from scrolls. They can memorize X spells per level per day. Gotta learn the spell, but they have it forever.

Clerics get their spells directly from their patron. They can memorize X spells per level per day, but have access to the whole list. They can lose favor with the patron and thus lose access.

Then these days you have Warlocks, who get magic from weaker demonic patrons. Unlimited spells per day, but weaker spells and less selection.
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Source is also the difference between Wizards and Sorcerers. Wizards study forever and practice all their lives to learn magic. Sorcerers get bitten by a dragon or are just born with something that lets them cast spells.

Lich/Hecueva speaks to motivation too. A Lich did it to themselves so they think it's cool and awesome and want to stay that way and is probably hatching evil plans. Hecueva are cursed and probably having a bad time.
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Ranting Nord posted...

Sorcerers get bitten by a dragon or are just born with something that lets them cast spells.

More spells per day, less selection.

They choose spells at levelup, can't learn from scrolls.

Think the guy who never studies versus the guy who studies constantly. They get the same grade, but the studier can move into more fields because he's not relying on natural aptitude.
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Lemme bust your head up with a mace and see if blood don't gush out

Shit don't make no god damn sense. And apparently there is a huge fucking difference between a Paladin and a Cleric.
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I was a barbarian, I just smashed elves with an axe
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Yeah, this is part of the reason I struggled to get into it.

Irony posted...

I was a barbarian, I just smashed elves with an axe

I'd probably do the same.
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DnD and 5e especially is one of those games you can do with it what you want. Want a grid map and minis and combat and strategy? Done. Want no map and nothing but story telling? Done (Watch Acquisitions Inc, the C-team). Don't want to worry about Liches? Fight nothing but Orcs and Trolls. Want your Cleric to be an evil son-of-a-gun who shoots people with a gun and draws his magic from demons? Cool, roll with it. I DM'd a one-shot with some friends who were new to it and the Rogue found a Great Axe and he loves hitting things with it and doesn't care about sneak attack. Maybe I'm a lax DM, but I'm there to let everyone have a good time and make dreams come true if you can roll it.
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Ranting Nord posted...

but I'm there to let everyone have a good time and make dreams come true if you can roll it.

https://m.imgur.com/r/greentext/gTBIaTb
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Ranting Nord posted...

Maybe I'm a lax DM, but I'm there to let everyone have a good time and make dreams come true if you can roll it.

Best way, in my opinion.
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because they're supposed to fight undead (they all have turn undead) and maces are better than swords for fighting bone people
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Because Bishops used to go to war with their kings and they used to crack skulls open with maces. It was something about not using swords for some reason.
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Cause it is a better weapon to kill armored foes?
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DrizztLink posted...

Ranting Nord posted...

but I'm there to let everyone have a good time and make dreams come true if you can roll it.

https://m.imgur.com/r/greentext/gTBIaTb

Lol
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A mace deals slightly less damage than a broadsword. That's why.
The "no shedding blood" nonsense is just an attempt to thinly justify the game mechanisms and the attempt to balance clerics into slightly less health and slightly less damage output - not just being "heal-fighters" that would make "violence-fighters" meaningless.