Life Domain 5e cleric subclass
The healer’s healer: every healing spell does more, and the domain’s own spells keep the party on its feet.
Jump to: Features by level · Playing the Life Domain · 2014 features · What changed in 2024 · 2024 features · Common questions
Life Domain at a glance
- Class
- Cleric
- Subclass type
- Divine Domain, chosen at 1st level (level 3 in 2024)
- 2024 rules
- Same name, revised in the SRD 5.2
- Key abilities
- Wisdom, then Constitution
- Spells
- 2014: Life Domain Spells; 2024: Life Domain Spells
- Source
- System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2 (Player’s Handbook 2014 and 2024)
The cleric class page has the class features this subclass builds on, and the cleric spell list the rest of your spells come from.
Life Domain features by level
The cleric subclass features you gain at each cleric level, in the 2014 rules and the 2024 rules. Each one links to its full text below.
Who the Life Domain suits
The Life Domain is for players who want to keep everyone else alive and enjoy doing it. It is the most straightforward cleric domain and a good first cleric: your job is clear, your spells are strong, and the domain makes every heal bigger.
It isn’t only a healer. A Life cleric still has the cleric’s full spell list, so it can fight with Spiritual Weapon and Spirit Guardians and heal in between.
How the Life Domain plays
2014 rules. You choose the domain at 1st level. Bonus Proficiency gives you heavy armor, so a Life cleric can stand in plate beside the fighter. Disciple of Life adds 2 + the spell’s level to every healing spell of 1st level or higher, for each creature it heals: a 1st-level Cure Wounds heals 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier + 3. At 2nd level, Channel Divinity: Preserve Life spends your action to share out five times your cleric level in hit points among creatures within 30 feet, up to half of each one’s maximum, which is ideal when several allies are down.
Blessed Healer (6th) heals you for 2 + the spell’s level whenever you heal someone else, Divine Strike (8th) adds 1d8 radiant damage to one weapon hit each turn (2d8 at 14th), and Supreme Healing (17th) makes your healing spells use the highest number on every die.
2024 rules. You choose the domain at level 3. Disciple of Life now needs a spell slot, Preserve Life uses a Magic action and heals only Bloodied creatures (and can include you), and Supreme Healing also covers Channel Divinity. Heavy armor and Divine Strike are gone from the domain: in 2024 every cleric can pick heavy armor with the Protector Divine Order at level 1, and Divine Strike is a Blessed Strikes option at level 7.
Ability scores for a Life cleric
Wisdom first: it powers your spell save DC and adds to most of your healing. Constitution second, for hit points and concentration on spells like Bless and Spirit Guardians. In heavy armor (2014 Bonus Proficiency or the 2024 Protector order), Strength matters only for plate’s Strength 15 requirement, and Dexterity can be low.
With the standard array: Wisdom 15, Constitution 14, Strength 13, Charisma 12, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 8 for a heavy-armor build, or swap Strength and Dexterity for a light-footed healer in medium armor.
Spells and feats to pair with it
Disciple of Life rewards spells that heal several creatures at once, since each one gets the bonus: Prayer of Healing, Mass Healing Word and Mass Cure Wounds. Healing Word is the best way to get a fallen ally up without giving up your action. Your domain spells add Bless and Cure Wounds at the start, Revivify at 5th level, and in 2024 Aid from level 3.
For feats, War Caster or a Constitution increase protects concentration. In 2024, Magic Initiate from the druid list adds two druid cantrips and a level 1 spell such as Goodberry. Alert helps a healer act early, before an ally drops.
Life Domain features (2014 rules, SRD 5.1)
The Life domain focuses on the vibrant positive energy—one of the fundamental forces of the universe—that sustains all life. The gods of life promote vitality and health through healing the sick and wounded, caring for those in need, and driving away the forces of death and undeath. Almost any non-evil deity can claim influence over this domain, particularly agricultural deities (such as Chauntea, Arawai, and Demeter), sun gods (such as Lathander, Pelor, and Re-Horakhty), gods of healing or endurance (such as Ilmater, Mishakal, Apollo, and Diancecht), and gods of home and community (such as Hestia, Hathor, and Boldrei).
Life Domain Spells
1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th level
How it works: Domain Spells on the cleric page.
Life Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Bless, Cure Wounds |
| 3rd | Lesser Restoration, Spiritual Weapon |
| 5th | Beacon of Hope, Revivify |
| 7th | Death Ward, Guardian of Faith |
| 9th | Mass Cure Wounds, Raise Dead |
Bonus Proficiency
1st level
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor.
Disciple of Life
1st level
Also starting at 1st level, your healing spells are more effective. Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell's level.
Channel Divinity: Preserve Life
2nd level
How it works: Channel Divinity on the cleric page.
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to heal the badly injured.
As an action, you present your holy symbol and evoke healing energy that can restore a number of hit points equal to five times your cleric level.
Choose any creatures within 30 feet of you, and divide those hit points among them. This feature can restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum. You can't use this feature on an undead or a construct.
Blessed Healer
6th level
Beginning at 6th level, the healing spells you cast on others heal you as well. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature other than you, you regain hit points equal to 2 + the spell's level.
Divine Strike
8th level
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Supreme Healing
17th level
Starting at 17th level, when you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell, you instead use the highest number possible for each die. For example, instead of restoring 2d6 hit points to a creature, you restore 12.
What changed in 2024
The 2024 Player’s Handbook revised the Life Domain, and the System Reference Document 5.2 has the new version. The biggest differences in play:
- The domain starts at level 3 instead of 1st level, and loses its heavy armor proficiency and Divine Strike (every 2024 cleric can choose heavy armor with the Protector order and Divine Strike with Blessed Strikes).
- Disciple of Life only applies to spells cast with a spell slot. Preserve Life only heals Bloodied creatures, and can heal you.
- Domain spells change: Aid, Mass Healing Word, Aura of Life and Greater Restoration replace Spiritual Weapon, Beacon of Hope, Guardian of Faith and Raise Dead, and you gain them at cleric levels 3, 5, 7 and 9.
Feature by feature
- You choose it at level 3 instead of 1st level, like every subclass in the 2024 rules.
- Moved: Life Domain Spells, 1st level → level 3; Disciple of Life, 1st level → level 3; Channel Divinity: Preserve Life (now Preserve Life), 2nd level → level 3.
- 2014 features with no 2024 feature of the same name (some were reworked into others): Bonus Proficiency and Divine Strike.
- Spells added to the list: Aid, Mass Healing Word, Aura of Life and Greater Restoration.
- Spells no longer on it: Spiritual Weapon, Beacon of Hope, Guardian of Faith and Raise Dead.
Life Domain features in the 2024 rules (SRD 5.2)
Soothe the Hurts of the World
The Life Domain focuses on the positive energy that helps sustain all life in the multiverse. Clerics who tap into this domain are masters of healing, using that life force to cure many hurts.
Existence itself relies on the positive energy associated with this domain, so a Cleric of almost any religious tradition might choose it. This domain is particularly associated with agricultural deities, gods of healing or endurance, and gods of home and community. Religious orders of healing also seek the magic of this domain.
Level 3: Disciple of Life
When a spell you cast with a spell slot restores Hit Points to a creature, that creature regains additional Hit Points on the turn you cast the spell. The additional Hit Points equal 2 plus the spell slot's level.
Level 3: Life Domain Spells
Your connection to this divine domain ensures you always have certain spells ready. When you reach a Cleric level specified in the Life Domain Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
Life Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Prepared Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Aid, Bless, Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration |
| 5 | Mass Healing Word, Revivify |
| 7 | Aura of Life, Death Ward |
| 9 | Greater Restoration, Mass Cure Wounds |
Level 3: Preserve Life
As a Magic action, you present your Holy Symbol and expend a use of your Channel Divinity to evoke healing energy that can restore a number of Hit Points equal to five times your Cleric level. Choose Bloodied creatures within 30 feet of yourself (which can include you), and divide those Hit Points among them. This feature can restore a creature to no more than half its Hit Point maximum.
Level 6: Blessed Healer
The healing spells you cast on others heal you as well. Immediately after you cast a spell with a spell slot that restores Hit Points to one or more creatures other than yourself, you regain Hit Points equal to 2 plus the spell slot's level.
Level 17: Supreme Healing
When you would normally roll one or more dice to restore Hit Points to a creature with a spell or Channel Divinity, don't roll those dice for the healing; instead use the highest number possible for each die. For example, instead of restoring 2d6 Hit Points to a creature with a spell, you restore 12.
Common questions
Does Disciple of Life work on every creature a spell heals?
Yes. The bonus applies to each creature a qualifying spell restores hit points to, so Mass Cure Wounds or Prayer of Healing adds it to every target.
Does Disciple of Life work with cantrips or potions?
No. In 2014 it applies to spells of 1st level or higher; in 2024 to spells cast with a spell slot. Potions and other healing that isn’t your spell don’t count.
How much does Preserve Life heal?
Five times your cleric level, divided as you like among creatures within 30 feet, and it can’t raise a creature above half its hit point maximum. In 2014 it can’t heal undead or constructs; in 2024 it only heals Bloodied creatures.
Does a Life cleric get heavy armor?
In the 2014 rules, yes, from Bonus Proficiency at 1st level. In the 2024 rules the domain doesn’t grant it, but any cleric can take heavy armor training by choosing the Protector Divine Order at level 1.
When do you choose the Life Domain?
At 1st level in the 2014 rules and at level 3 in the 2024 rules.
Are Life Domain spells always prepared?
Yes, in both editions. They don’t count against the number of spells you prepare.
The Life Domain compared with other options
| Page | How it compares |
|---|---|
| Cleric class | Channel Divinity, Turn Undead and the full cleric spell list every domain builds on. |
| Circle of the Land | The druid’s spell-heavy circle: less healing, more control and utility. |
| Oath of Devotion | A holy warrior who heals with Lay on Hands and fights in the front rank. |
| Healing Word | The bonus action heal every Life cleric keeps prepared. |
How to build a cleric with the Life Domain
Open the builder, choose the 2014 or 2024 rules on the first step, pick Cleric as your class, and choose the Life Domain as your divine domain once your character is 1st level (3rd in the 2024 rules). The builder works out everything the rules can: hit points, Armor Class, attack bonuses, spell save DC and the subclass’s spells.
Other SRD subclasses
- Path of the Berserker Barbarian
- College of Lore Bard
- Circle of the Land Druid
- Champion Fighter
- Way of the Open Hand Monk
- Oath of Devotion Paladin
- Hunter Ranger
- Thief Rogue
- Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer
- The Fiend Warlock
- School of Evocation Wizard
Back to the Cleric class or all classes.