One of the most overpowered classes inDungeons & Dragons, Clerics can be a lot more than the party’s healers. Having a character closely attached to religion gives you immense power, and it also gives you a lot of roleplaying opportunities when creating the character. And that gives you many backstory opportunities for such a character. However, too many options can get us stuck on what to do about it.
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Not only we’ll show you some basic backstory concepts that you can expand upon, but you can also mix these concepts to create your own thing, helping you kickstart your character’s story.
10The Good Samaritan
Probably the most cliché take on a Cleric, sure, but being good isn’t a bad thing. you’re able to simply be someone who dedicated their life to doing good and received godly powers to do so. It’s an effective concept ifyou wish to make a pacifist, for example.
It’s also very fitting if you want to be a healer because you may focus solely on helping those in need and let your friends do the damage. Besides, you can still help out with the occasional damage.
9Messiah
No better inspiration for a Cleric than religion itself. Taking the good guy one step further, you can create a character who is destined to save the world - or one that believes that, at least. You can even have a corrupt church against you, creating a moral dilemma of who really represents thegod in question.
Not only this works well for a character backstory, but it’s also a powerful motivation to keep you going forward, no matter the cost. Because saving everyone is the noblest objective of all, is it not?
8Zealot
A better choice if you wish to follow neutral or evil deities. A person who walks around the world doing their god’s bidding, but said bidding may be a bit… complicated, depending on which god you follow.
An extremist, you’ll follow their way regardless of how bloodied your hands will have to be. And, depending on how your relationship with the rest of the party goes,you’re able to redeem yourselfa bit and follow another god. Or you can convert the rest of the party.
7Redemption
No one is above making mistakes. If you’re seeking a character who is a bit grayer in their moral area, you can do a former criminal, one who found salvation through religion. They can be someone who made a bad choice or even someone who lived a life of crime for many years before something made them change their life completely.
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Now, you wish to atone for past choices. And, even though you’re trying to fix things, this allows your DM to make your past come back to haunt you through NPCs who were affected by your choices. How many good deeds will it take to clean your slate?
6Choose A God Based On What You Want To Represent
Briefly touched on the previous entry, the gods you follow don’t need to be good. The god you choose to serve will likely be a significant part of your Cleric’s backstory. Think of what attributes you wish to represent and serve, and see which god fits the description.
The aforementioned Zealot would work wonders with an evil god, but you could also be a cultist, with a large group of allies or even followers depending on your position. Or you could follow a more neutral god, where you intervene little with mankind’s affairs. You could follow a nature god, and be more concerned with animals and plants than other people. See which options are available and go for them.
5Exorcist
Save people who are already dead. Protect the living from the dead’s desperation. There is no class more fitting for such a task than the Clerics -though Paladins are a close second. You can have a character focus on purifying damnation, with cleansing rituals and fighting the dead, if necessary.
This can give you both a good reason to be a powerful combatant and a more supportive role, detecting good and evil, analyzing the area you are in, and getting rid of undead and similar. All fun options to play with.
4Monster Hunter
Why stop at the undead, when you can take the fight to the fiends as well? There is a good chanceyour god will have enemies, and they can have an army of demons or devils to help them. Thus, it’s your job to thin this army, one soldier at a time.
A Cleric whose job is to hunt these monsters is the perfect way to show your friends that Clerics are more than a walking healing potion. War Clerics, show the world your god’s wrath!
3Avatar
Your divine powers may come to you because you were chosen to represent your deity personally. No churches, no cults, no dogmas. You represent them. Perhaps only you, perhaps a selected few, but nothing big. Why though?
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That’s up to you or your DM. They need you for something, your personality matches theirs, who knows? Not only does this work as a backstory, but understanding your god’s intentions is a good motivator too.
2Personal Connection
This one even ties in well with the previous one, but it can be used in many ways. You and your god have a personal, direct relationship with one another. They’re not only your master but also a friend. Maybe you are their descendant. Maybe when you needed help, they approached you personally.
The only thing you need to be careful of here is, if your god is such a direct ally, why don’t they solve every problem you have? You’ll need a reason for that. Maybe they’re trapped somewhere, and you need to save them. Regardless, that’s an important topic to clear out.
1Former Non-Believer
Contradictions are fun. Though Atheist is a term that doesn’t work in D&D, your character can be someone who doesn’t put faith in gods, and thinks little of them - until something made them look at things differently.
A tragic life that made them turn to religion, or maybe the personal touch mentioned before, where a god actively wants to make your character change their mind about having faith in gods. No better way to change your mindthan feeling their powers through your veins, right?
