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So I'm getting into a D and D 5th edition group with a few others and after some time I've decided to play as a Dwarf Cleric. I haven't played any RPG's (except for Deathwatch) in quite a while, so I don't quite know what to expect. Are there any big things I should try to avoid doing as a cleric? Things I shouldn't try to do?

Don't use Wisdom as a dump stat, other than that go nuts. I suppose you could figure out what kind of cleric you are: healer, buffer, warrior priest, ect.

5E is pretty flexible compared to 3.X and 4E. Unlike with those games, "optimization" is not much of an issue in 5E. Focus on roleplaying your PC, see where the character development takes her or him, and forget about "builds."

Don’t heal the elf
Tell them to walk it off
No beer = No heals

I think that covers the basics. See how your party dynamic settles out, and what kind of character you want to play.

Just remember, you are not their heal bot, and if they want to pull the crazy, they can enjoy being unconscious for a while while you work with the sensible people.

YMMV

In the meta game:

1. You are not a 'heal bitch'.
2. You are versatile second line warrior, with access to a range of control spells, hexes and augments.
3. You control as and when you use them, which means that tactical synergy defers to you, and or the party bard or paladin if present.
4. This means you are major decision maker in combat planning.
5. You are not a 'heal bitch'.

In role playing:

Never forget that playing a cleric means you are playing a religious militant. Your god is not just a source of spells to cast, your god is also the focus of your entire career, likely your entire life, never forget tis, and dont let others forget it either.
Work up some tenets of your religion with the GM. Do you have holy vows to fulfill, foods to avoid, heretics to smite and/or populace to convert to the one true way?

Orlanth is correct, you are not just there for healing.

BUT your survivability is crucial in dispensing heals to those in need. I does the party no good if you get smacked unconscious while trying to heal/buff party members.


Sanctuary is a good spell at keeping yourself or someone else safe for a turn or two.
Spoiler for a story on being a 5e cleric


But think about what you want to do besides cast spells. My cleric is basically a Valkyrie, so she has a high WIS and STR and a decent CON. She casts buffs, heals when necessary, and can take a hit or two on the front lines. Outside of combat, she's giving last rites to those wounded in combat sending them to Valhalla, training with the fighter so they're both on top of their game (I'm tempted to take a level or 2 of fighter). And personally I'm trying to find some religious texts for Norse so I can make my character seem more like a worshiper of Odin and the rest of the Norse pantheon.

Enjoy being the lynch pin of survival in combat!

Healing is very important, but you're not the band-aid. Once you get that expectation started, it's very hard to fix.

You need to play yourself as the tactician. Heal people as much as you need to, but also do anything else the party needs you to do in order to survive.

I find it's always fun when roleplaying a Cleric to think of some basic tenets for your faith and trying to stick with them.

Often Fantasy faiths can involve taking certain virtues or traits and pushing them to the extreme, so the tension of trying to live your faith can make for some interesting roleplaying.

It's also fun to implement ideas as they come to you and then stick to them.

The 5e player's guide gives several pantheons of gods including real world pantheons, and most settings come with a gaggle of gods to follow.

I prefer my clerics to be smart and savvy. I think there's nothing particularly enjoyable about the dumb fundamentalist cleric approach, though unfortunately intelligence does tend to get dumped a little!

(I used to think that battling clerics was really silly and "unrealistic", but actually history is choc full of warrior clerics and bishop-generals.)

One important point for you to consider is how you will interact with communities. You have access to powerful healing magic- will you be free with it in the communities you come in contact with (most of whom will have very limited access to any kind of spellcasting or magical healing)? Or will you require the "going rate" in contributions to the church?

If there's anything I've learned from Critical Role, it's, "don't p*** off your God."