Shadowheart Honor Mode Build

Life or Light Domain Cleric

Shadowheart (Domain Cleric)

Hybrid healer and radiant breaker prepared for the Honor Mode attrition war.

Role: Primary Healer & Crowd ControlDifficulty: Honor ModeLevel Range: 1-12Guide Owner: Kevin

Origin & Identity

  • Race / Subrace: High Half-Elf
  • Background: Acolyte
  • Guardian: Shar's Emissary

Shar trains Shadowheart to walk the knife-edge between secrecy and salvation; lean into her half-elf versatility for darkvision scouting and the occasional weapon swap.

Class Path

  • Main Class: Cleric (Life or Light Domain)
  • Primary Focus: Sustain & Radiant Pressure

Light Domain offers Fireball-lite nuking and Warding Flare for defense. Pick based on party composition. I typically go with Light now that I'm more comfortable. My first HM playthrough, I took life for the extra security of amazing heals. They definitely don't get used much, but when you're up against the wall they saved me a few times. So choose based Life if you're not confident or less risk averse

Ability Scores

Shadowheart's stat spread leans into concentration, Wisdom save DCs, and survivability while keeping Dexterity viable for ranged options.

AbilityBaseAdjustmentsFinalNotes
Strength8+08Not required—let Lae'zel or Karlach handle athletics checks.
Dexterity15+015Pairs with medium armour and Shield of Faith to keep AC respectable.
Constitution15+217Ability points go here early; you must pass those concentration saves in Honor Mode.
Intelligence8+08We offload Arcana checks to Gale or the Bard.
Wisdom15+116Primary spellcasting stat; pushes Sanctuary and Command DCs.
Charisma8+08Shadowheart cedes face duties—keep rapport bonuses for approval scenes.

Spellbook & Cantrips

Rotate between buffs, radiant damage, and emergency control to stabilise Honor Mode tempo.

Cantrips

  • Guidance — throw it on every skill check queue, even mid-combat.
  • Toll the Dead — favourite single-target finisher against wounded foes.
  • Sacred Flame — radiant option when enemies shrug off necrotic.

Level 1 Spells

  • Guiding Bolt — ranged burst plus party-wide advantage.
  • Sanctuary — buys time to regroup or revive without drawing aggro.
  • Healing Word — bonus-action safety net you can fire from the backline.
  • Bless or Command — depends on what you feel like using, I rarely use either.

Life Domain prep adds Bless and Cure Wounds power boosts; Light Domain grants Burning Hands and Faerie Fire for front-loaded AoE.

Proficiencies & Kits

Skills

  • History — anchors lore checks and ancient device prompts.
  • Medicine — stabilise without burning spell slots or potions.

Instruments & Tools

  • Herbalism Kit — craft basic healing draughts to stretch resources.
  • Religion — default expertise for Shar/SelĂ»ne lore; lean on it during pivotal dialogues.

Swap in Insight or Nature if you respec companions—Shadowheart flexes easily into Wisdom-based checks.

Combat Script & Tactics

Shadowheart's action economy runs on buffs and single-action lockdowns.

  • Open with Bless (Life) or Faerie Fire (Light) when initiative cooperates; otherwise, Sanctuary your glass cannon.
  • Channel Divinity (Turn Undead / Preserve Life) stabilises undead-heavy packs—use it early before the damage spikes.
  • Keep Command prepped for mages and melee brutes; "Drop" disarms Honor Mode threats instantly.

Roleplaying Hooks

Shadowheart's Shar allegiance clashes with the party's growing moral core—lean into internal conflict and hard bargains with SelĂ»nite NPCs.

Playing mediator between Lae'zel and Gale buys approval while preserving her secret; use downtime chats to foreshadow the looming Selûne pivot.

Shadowheart — Level 2

  • Spell: Create Water — extinguish hazards, pre-set Fog for opportunistic lightning combos, and fuel Life Domain Preserve Life.
  • Features: Channel Divinity unlocks; decide encounter-by-encounter whether the heal burst or Turn Undead keeps the party alive.

Shadowheart — Level 3

  • Spell: Silence or aid. I think Life gets aid by default, but if you're light you need to pick it manually. If Life you can get silence for some situations.

Shadowheart - Level 4

  • Cantrip: Thaumaturgy, doesn't really matter though
  • Feat: War caster, advantage on con checks, easier concentration
  • Spells: Pickup silence, useful sometimes, the rest aren't usually

Shadowheart - Level 5

  • Spells:I had guiding bolt, sanctuary, healing word, mass healing word, cure wounds, aid, remove curse, spirit guardians