History of the Cleric Fantasy Character Class In RPGs (& Mythology)

Nearly every western fantasy RPG out there has character classes and builds which boil down to four general archetypes: the sword-slinging warrior, the fireball-chucking mage, the backstabbing rogue, and lastly, the “Cleric” or “Priest,” who keeps the other three archetypes on their feet with blessings and healing spells. How did the concept of the Cleric character class first take shape, though? The answer to this question lies in the not-so-distant past of the 1970s, where playtests of the original Dungeons & Dragons system took place, as well as in historical and theological accounts of monastic orders, wandering miracle-workers, and holy prophets in Europe, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.

In the 1980s, there was a massive “Satanic Panic” in the United States similar to the Comic Book Scare of the 1950s, where certain religious figures and advocacy groups accused Dungeons & Dragons of promoting devil-worship and the practice of black magic. To support their accusations, these people pointed to the presence of demons, devils, and monsters in the sourcebooks of D&D, failing to recognize that these beings were antagonists meant to be banished and overcome, particularly for players who took on the roles of holy priests and other evil-smiting warriors.

In RPGs ranging from tabletop games like D&D to video games like Dark Souls, the Cleric, Priest, or White Mage straddles the line between sword-slinger and spell-caster, being both proficient with the use of armor and weapons (particularly the Mace) and empowered with divine magic from their patron god/goddess, magic that is used to heal grievous wounds, cure ailments, bless other people, and most iconically, banish unholy beings like demons and the restless dead. Stories of “Holy Warriors” or “Miracle Workers” has been around since ancient times, but the notion of “Magical Priest Heroes” really took off in fantasy games and fiction during the late 1970s, when Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson were refining the concept of Dungeons & Dragons through countless games played with their friends.

The Cleric’s Origins In Dungeons & Dragons

As detailed in the “A Handful of Class-ic Histories” article by Shannon Appelcline on the official D&D website, the Cleric was the third iconic class to show up in early D&D, after the “Fighting-Men” and “Magic-Users” first portrayed in Gary Gygax’s “Chainmail” rules for fantasy wargaming. According to veteran D&D designer Mike Carr, the Cleric might have first appeared in the Castle Blackmoor campaign hosted by D&D co-creator Dave Arneson, where Mike tried to create a character with holy vampire-hunting powers; if his recollections are correct, this goes far to explain the Cleric’s iconic “Turn Undead” power, in which by brandishing a holy symbol they can force undead creatures to shrink back and flee.

Vampire-hunting aside, the Cleric was also a very useful addition to early Dungeons & Dragons, which focused less on broad narrative arcs and more on carefully exploring intricately deadly dungeons filled with monsters, traps, and treasures. The Cleric’s healing and support magic acted as a counter to the steady attrition of health, spells, and supplies warriors and wizards would suffer as they descended deeper into a dungeon, while their ability to wield weapons and wear armor made them a tougher equivalent to the notoriously squishy “Magic-User” class. Odder quirks of the early Dungeons & Dragons Cleric class, such as their abilities to summon plagues and their restriction of only using blunt weapons, can be traced to Gary Gygax’s familiarity – and lack of familiarity – with ancient pantheons of gods, holy prophets from the Bible, and the “Militaris Ordo” of the Middle Ages.

The Cleric’s Origins In History, Myth, And Theology

In Dungeons & Dragons, Pillars of Eternity, and other western fantasy RPGs, most Clerics or Priests usually devote themselves to a single deity within a polytheistic pantheon – a God or Goddess of War, Harvest, Justice, Love, Trickery, Storms, or other domains. Furthermore, the strength of a Cleric’s divine magic is usually tied to the intensity of their faith and their belief in the moral principles their deity upholds. Ancient polytheistic faiths usually didn’t work this way in real life, though.

For most historical “Pagans,” religion was a transactional arrangement between a civilization and their patron deities, a form of divine diplomacy where people gained the favor of their gods/goddesses by giving them offerings and sacrifices. For this reason, both laypeople and priests in these societies would worship multiple deities based their personal needs – victory in warfare, safety on a sea-voyage, smoothness of childbirth – rather than their belief in the morals those gods upheld.

They might exist in a world with a polytheistic pantheon, but the pious Clerics in Dungeons & Dragons’ games bear a far closer resemblance to monotheistic Hebrew prophets like Moses and Elijah from the Old Testament – not only in their use of divine powers such as healing, summoning insect plagues, or calling down pillars of fire, but for their belief in their god’s power and moral superiority. Visually, most Clerics (and certain types of Paladins) also happen to be modeled after the Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller, and other monastic warrior of Europe who fought battles and guarded pilgrims during the Crusades.

Additionally, the D&D Cleric’s signature bludgeoning weapons were inspired by the historical Odo of Bayeux, a Norman Bishop said to have fought in the Battle of Hastings with a club. This story would later lead to the false assumption that warrior priests in the Middle Ages were forbidden from wielding weapons with a blood-letting edge, and is the reason why Clerics and maces are usually found in close proximity in tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, as well as in fantasy RPGs in other forms of media.

Source: Dungeons & Dragons

About The Author