God for war/life cleric

[Senjou]

Hello, I am going to start a new campaign tomorrow and I still have to choose between War or Life cleric what do you suggest? And furthermore, as life cleric which god would be a god which allows both the life and the killing? Like a god of balance.

Thank you very much

Senjou

[lunaticfringe]

Bahamut, The Silver Flame, Ulaa

[Findulidas]

I personally prefer life and thats all you are going to get from anyone else I think. Read a guide if you want to understand the mechanics and reasons as to pick either.

[ThurlRavenscrof]

Ilmater could be a good choice for a life cleric. God of healing but also of suffering and endurance

[MeeposFire]

I vastly prefer life personally (also tempest or arcana but you do not want that) as its abilities I thin are overall better and it is quite fun (for one getting radiant damage is very cool especially when you fight undead or some types of fiendish creatures).

As for deity it depends on what is available to you in your campaign.

[Slipperychicken]

Athena is sometimes regarded as a maternal or healing figure as well as a cunning warrior. There's also the aspect of giving aid to heroes which can easily be emphasized.

I'd pick life cleric. The healing boosts help a lot. If you use preserve life wisely (let them get low to use all 5xlvl points) you can make your party extremely resilient in terms of hit-points while conserving precious spell slots. Personally I keep a small spreadsheet of the party's life totals so I know the most efficient way to divvy it out before following up with a mass healing word. A life cleric shines most in a party with multiple dedicated damage-dealers that can get frequent short rests but fewer long rests. Parties with long adventuring days often fall prey to simple hit point and spell-slot attrition, and a dedicated healer can really help mitigate that.

And that's not counting the life domain spells. They're pretty much all no-brainer picks, leaving you some flexibility with your prepared spells. I like stocking up on condition-removal because status effects can be real party killers. Remember all those times someone got screwed by a cursed magic item, spell effect, or possession? Those are common threats and PCs' longevity often hinges on dealing with them quickly and efficiently.

[Herobizkit]

Being a Dragonborn Life Cleric of Bahamut would be pretty sassy. Yes, it's not statistically optimal, but damn if it doesn't ooze flavor.

From a FR wiki:

"Bahamut accepted only clerics of good alignments. Whether they were dragons, dragonborn, half-dragons, or other beings attracted to his philosophy, clerics of the Platinum Dragon always had to strive to take constant but subtle actions on behalf of good while trying to do as little harm in the process as possible.

Non-draconic clerics of Bahamut typically learned his teachings at the foot of a wyrm, usually a gold or silver dragon in humanoid form. Teacher and student often traveled to see the effects of injustice and cruelty firsthand."

And you can still have a knightly/warrior persona:

"Bahamut's dogma was based on justice, nobility, protection and honor. He taught his followers to always uphold the highest ideals of honor and justice, to be constantly vigilant against evil and to oppose it from all fronts, and to protect the weak, liberate the oppressed and defend just order. Bahamut advocated a “greater justice” that included fighting against evil and toppling oppressive regimes."

[The Ship's dog]

I really like War Clerics. They can be the massive tanks and damage dealers that Tempest Clerics can be, but also be great enablers using War God's Blessing.

[EvilAnagram]

Ah, War God's Blessing. So many good memories.

Anyways, any neutral nature deity is a good candidate for a life deity and doesn't mind the cycles of life playing out as they will.