Current Build Summary
Half-Elf Life Domain Cleric 4 | WIS 17 (+3) | CHA 16 (+3) | DEX 16 (+3) | CON 12 (+1) | HP 16 | 250 gp
Prepared: Bless, Healing Word, Sanctuary, Guiding Bolt, Prayer of Healing, Enhance Ability, Augury Cantrips: Sacred Flame, Guidance, Thaumaturgy Carrying: Chain Shirt, Shield, Mace, Boots of Elvenkind, Ring of Fire Resistance
Selena is the party's primary healer and, by a wide margin, its most fragile member. Everything below is about that second fact.
Sixteen Hit Points Is the Whole Problem
At level 4 with CON 12, the expected range is roughly 22 to 27. Sixteen is what a level 3 with poor rolls looks like.
Check this on D&D Beyond before anything else. If hit points were rolled rather than averaged and the rolls were bad, it is real and everything below matters more. If a level's hit points were never applied, it is a sheet error worth about ten points of health.
Either way, as things stand, a single hit from anything in this dungeon drops her. The ogres were doing 18 to 24 a swing. That is not "she might go down" — that is "she goes down, from full, to one hit."
Priority Changes
1. Wear Heavier Armour — You Are Trained For It
Life Domain grants heavy armour proficiency. She is wearing a chain shirt.
| Armour | AC | Cost | With shield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chain Shirt (now) | 13 + DEX (max 2) = 15 | — | 17 |
| Chain Mail | 16, no DEX | 75 gp | 18 — Stealth disadvantage |
| Splint | 17, no DEX | 200 gp | 19 — Stealth disadvantage |
Splint costs 200 gp and she has 250. That is two points of AC for money she is not otherwise spending, on the character who least survives being hit.
The cost is Stealth disadvantage — but she is wearing Boots of Elvenkind, which give advantage on Stealth. The two cancel out, so she rolls normally in splint exactly as she rolls normally now.
That interaction is the best thing on this sheet and nothing is currently using it.
2. Prepare Shield of Faith
First level, bonus action, +2 AC for 10 minutes on concentration. In splint with a shield that is AC 21.
She has seven prepared slots and is spending one on Augury, which has not been cast in two sessions. That is the swap.
3. Ask Elaris for Temporary Hit Points Every Rest
Inspiring Leader gives 9 temporary hit points per short rest. On a 16 HP character that is a 56% increase in effective health, free, repeatable.
It should be automatic after every short rest and it currently is not.
Spell Usage
| Spell | Usage |
|---|---|
| Healing Word | Bonus action, 60 feet — the get-up spell. Cast it and still take an action the same turn. |
| Bless | Best opening move with a full party: +1d4 to attacks and saves for three allies. |
| Guiding Bolt | 4d6 radiant, and the next attack against that target has advantage. Your actual damage. |
| Sanctuary | Bonus action, and specifically good on herself — attackers must pass a WIS save to target her. |
| Prayer of Healing | Ten minutes. Short-rest healing, not combat healing. |
| Enhance Ability | Situational. The second-best swap candidate after Augury. |
Disciple of Life is easy to forget: every healing spell of first level or higher restores an extra 2 + the spell's level. Healing Word at first level is 1d4+3+3, not 1d4+3 — the domain feature nearly doubles the small heals.
Next Level-Up Plan
Level 5 brings third-level spells and Spirit Guardians, which is the strongest spell a cleric gets at this tier — sustained damage she can hold while still healing, rather than choosing between the two.
It also brings Revivify, which consumes 300 gp of diamond per casting. Worth buying the diamond before it is needed rather than after. The party already found a 100 gp diamond ring; two more like it and the party has a resurrection in the bag.