D&D 5E Preserve Life (Life Domain Cleric Feature): do you like it?

[Strider1973]

Personally, I don't. I don't like the fact that you can't heal more than half than a creature's maximum hit points. I find it too rigid and even clumsy, in a sense, from a narrative point of view. I would remove the proficiency with heavy armour from the Clerics of Life, and I would remove as well the limitation on the Perserve Life Feature. What do you think about that?
Many thanks!

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I really like that restriction, in context. If the restriction wasn't in place, then there would be a temptation to just get everyone back up to full after every fight, which would be super annoying in terms of the attrition game which expects people to wear down over time.

The restriction means that you can bring someone up from unconscious, all the way to half - where they should feel comfortable participating in combat - but it doesn't let them escape from their beating without consequences. Going into a combat with half HP means they'll have to play more conservatively, unless they want to drop again.

 

[Staffan]

IMO, Preserve Life is either the strongest or second-strongest (after Radiance of the Dawn) 2nd-level Channel Divinity option. It is a pretty big heal (5 hp per level, compared to a maxed cure wounds which weighs in at about 3-4/level), and it lets you spread the healing around, so you can bring two or three allies up after a powerful area attack. It is also not a spell, so you can follow it up with a healing word or mass healing word.

 

[Li Shenron]

I'm not a huge fan either. In theory, I do like the half HP restriction because it differentiates it from all other healing options. In practice, the result for us is that we have a Life Cleric in the party and she has never used it.

 

[Harzel]

I really like that restriction, in context. If the restriction wasn't in place, then there would be a temptation to just get everyone back up to full after every fight, which would be super annoying in terms of the attrition game which expects people to wear down over time.

The restriction means that you can bring someone up from unconscious, all the way to half - where they should feel comfortable participating in combat - but it doesn't let them escape from their beating without consequences. Going into a combat with half HP means they'll have to play more conservatively, unless they want to drop again.

Well, it does require a use of Channel Divinity, so that's once per long rest, or twice after 6th level (or thrice after 18th, but who cares really).

 

[MarkB]

Well, it does require a use of Channel Divinity, so that's once per long rest, or twice after 6th level (or thrice after 18th, but who cares really).

Channel Divinity refreshes after either a short or long rest.

 

[Satyrn]

Personally, I don't. I don't like the fact that you can't heal more than half than a creature's maximum hit points. I find it too rigid and even clumsy, in a sense, from a narrative point of view. I would remove the proficiency with heavy armour from the Clerics of Life, and I would remove as well the limitation on the Perserve Life Feature. What do you think about that?
Many thanks!

I wouldn't remove the heavy armor proficiency. The Life cleric looks to me like the designers intended for it to be the "default" subclass, the option that hearkens back to the earliest editions of D&D the way the Champion does for fighters. Its inclusion in the Basic Rules is the big hint for me, but there's also comments somewhere in the game that suggest this to me, too.

So, to honour that tradition, I wouldn't remove the proficiency.

(Insert argument for restricting Life clerics to bludgeoning weapons only)

 

[Treantmonklvl20]

IMO, Preserve Life is either the strongest or second-strongest (after Radiance of the Dawn) 2nd-level Channel Divinity option.

I don't really agree with this, at least IMO. There are a lot of poor 2nd level channel divinity options, but the Knowledge, Light, Tempest and Trickery domains all have very potent channel divinity options, all of which I would put ahead of Preserve life.

What do you think about that?

I agree with the ability being a bit clunkly. Everyone has to do a calculation to know how much healing they are able to receive. There may be a cleaner way to make it more easily used though. How about decreasing the amount of healing (maybe 3 times your Cleric level instead of 5) and removing the 1/2 HP restriction?

Honestly, removing heavy armor is no big deal. You can get a similar AC with medium, without the Str requirements.

 

[Harzel]

Channel Divinity refreshes after either a short or long rest.

Oops.

 

[Spohedus]

A 6th level life Cleric in a single turn can pretty much erase a fireball or breath weapon with a Preserve Life focused on party members that failed their save and a mass healing word as a bonus action. For a party of four, that is a spike of around 75 healing which totally turns the encounter in the PCs direction. You end up going most rests without using it, but when the going gets tough, and you really need a Channel Divinity feature to change the outcome of a fight, Preserve Life delivers.