Editing Cleric (section)

===[[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons#AD&D 2st Edition|Second Edition]]===
In 2nd edition AD&D, "hybrid" healer classes became more interesting to play than the baseline cleric, already a hybrid as we've noted.

The druid class got buffed, with several new powers not least shapeshifting (Da Bears!). Using ranged and powerful attack spells like Fire Seeds, Call Lightning, and The Creeping Doom, a druid could run your clerical Elders all the way back to Salt Lake City. If you wanted to focus on the undead-battling aspect, which druids don't got, you could play a paladin, who had obtained a few upgrades not least better healing powers.

Many players chose to play one of those other classes, where their combat clout or attack spells let them be somebody, instead of being Nurse Hello, R.N.

To staunch the mass apostasy, TSR released optional rules for "Priests of Special Mythoi", which allowed you to handpick your spells and new, otherwise unattainable buffs, right from the Players Handbook. By using the rules in the Dungeon Master's Guide for creating a new character class, a player could create a lean but tough priest of a special mythos that advanced in level at a decent pace. In contrast, the baseline cleric only received a buff common to all priests, extra "bonus" spells per day for having a high Wisdom score.

Setting-by-setting, ''[[Dark Sun]]'' is notable for having [[Templar]]s instead of clerics. These were bad guys so that setting was free to buff them as the plot needed.