You’ve picked the Grave Domain Cleric because you want to be the thin line between life and death. You want to cancel crits. You want to max out healing on downed allies. But then you look at your first-level ribbon feature, Eyes of the Grave 5e, and you kinda wonder if it’s actually worth the ink on the character sheet. Honestly? It's niche.
It's very niche.
If you’re playing a campaign focused on political intrigue or fighting nothing but giant insects in a jungle, this ability is going to sit there gathering dust. But the moment you step into a crypt, it changes everything. This isn't just a "detect undead" button. It’s a tactical radar that prevents your party from getting TPK’d by a hidden Banshee or a Vampire Spawn clinging to the ceiling in the dark.
How Eyes of the Grave 5e Actually Works
Let’s get the mechanics out of the way first because people constantly misinterpret what this does. At 1st level, you gain the ability to sense the presence of the undead. You use an action to open your awareness. For a moment—until the end of your next turn—you know the location of any undead within 60 feet that isn't behind total cover or protected from divination magic.
You can use this a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier. You get those uses back after a long rest.
Here is the thing most players miss: total cover. If a skeleton is inside a stone sarcophagus with a heavy lid, you don't see it. If a ghost is inside a thick stone wall, your "eyes" don't catch it. This is a massive limitation compared to something like a Paladin’s Divine Sense, which has its own set of rules. However, where Eyes of the Grave 5e shines is in its specificity. You aren't sensing "good or evil." You are sensing the literal perversion of the cycle of life. It’s flavor meets function in a way that feels incredibly satisfying when you actually sniff out a hidden threat.
The Problem With the Total Cover Rule
Most DMs and players struggle with the "total cover" clause. It basically means you have to have a clear line of effect to the creature. If you’re standing in a hallway and there’s a zombie in the room next to you behind a closed wooden door, do you sense it? Technically, by the strict RAW (Rules as Written) of 5th Edition, a closed door provides total cover.
That feels bad. It really does.
Jeremy Crawford, the lead rules designer for D&D, has clarified similar mechanics in the past, noting that "total cover" is a specific keyword. If the undead is hidden by darkness, invisible, or just tucked behind a tapestry, Eyes of the Grave 5e reveals them. But the moment there is a solid wall or a floor between you and the monster, the signal goes dead. Smart Grave Clerics learn to use this feature while moving through a room, "pinging" the area from different angles to clear corners and avoid being ambushed by Shadows hiding in the rafters.
Why the 2024 Update Changes the Conversation
With the release of the updated 2024 Player’s Handbook (often called 5.5e or One D&D by the community), many Cleric features saw a polish. While the core Grave Domain Cleric originated in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, the way we view "Detection" spells and features has shifted toward being more utility-heavy without burning as many resources.
In the old 2017 version of the subclass, this feature felt a bit like a "tax" you paid to get to the "Circle of Mortality" feature. But in modern playstyles, where DMs are using more complex maps and verticality, the 60-foot radius is huge. Think about it. Sixty feet is the entire breadth of most encounter maps. You are essentially a walking sonar for the most dangerous creature type in the game.
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Tactical Applications: More Than Just a Flavor Win
Don't just use this when the DM says, "The room feels cold." Use it when you're suspicious.
Suppose your party enters a dusty banquet hall. The Paladin senses nothing because their Divine Sense is limited by a similar "total cover" rule, and maybe they’re out of charges anyway. You use Eyes of the Grave 5e. Suddenly, you realize that three of the "statues" lining the walls are actually Ghouls. You’ve just turned a surprise round for the enemy into a surprise round for your party.
- Scouting: Send the Rogue in, but stand at the doorway. Ping the room. If you sense something, the Rogue knows exactly where not to step.
- Invisible Stalkers (The Undead Kind): If you're fighting a Poltergeist or an invisible Wraith, this feature is your best friend. It doesn't give you the "See Invisibility" benefit of ignoring disadvantage, but knowing the exact location (the square) is half the battle.
- Identifying Fakes: Is that a corpse on the floor or a zombie waiting for you to walk past? Stop guessing. Use the feature.
Comparing Eyes of the Grave to Divine Sense
People love to compare this to the Paladin’s Divine Sense. It’s a fair fight. The Paladin can sense celestials, fiends, and undead. The Grave Cleric only senses undead. On paper, the Paladin wins.
But wait.
The Grave Cleric is a full caster. Your Wisdom modifier is almost certainly going to be higher than a Paladin's Charisma modifier in the early-to-mid game. This means you usually have more "pings" per day. Furthermore, the Grave Cleric’s identity is built around the "Sanctity of Death." You aren't a generic holy warrior; you are a specialist. When you use Eyes of the Grave 5e, you are acting as the party’s forensic expert. You find the leak in the plumbing of the universe.
The "Total Cover" Workaround for DMs
If you’re a DM and you have a Grave Cleric at your table, don't be a jerk about the total cover rule. If they are in a graveyard and sense "nothing" because everyone is six feet under in coffins, the feature feels useless. Consider allowing the Cleric to sense a "faint, muffled resonance" if the undead are behind thin cover like a wooden coffin lid or a thin floorboard. It keeps the mystery alive without making the player feel like they wasted their subclass choice.
Consistency matters. If you let it work through a door once, let it work through a door every time.
Is It Underpowered?
Basically, yes and no. It’s underpowered if you compare it to a Twilight Cleric’s "Twilight Sanctuary" (which is arguably broken). But D&D isn't always about the biggest numbers. It’s about the right tool for the right moment. Eyes of the Grave 5e is a narrative tool. It’s a way for the DM to feed you information and for you to feel like a badass who can see things others can’t.
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In a campaign like Curse of Strahd, this feature is an S-tier ability. In a campaign about fighting Orcs? It's an F-tier. Context is everything in tabletop RPGs.
Real World Example from the Table
I once saw a Grave Cleric save a party from a total wipe in a one-shot. They were exploring an old manor. The DM had hidden three Will-o'-Wisps in the chandeliers. The party was low on health and looking for a place to short rest. The Cleric felt "off" and used Eyes of the Grave 5e.
The DM had to reveal them.
The party didn't rest there. They moved to a different wing of the house. If they had stayed, the Wisps would have attacked during the rest, likely killing at least one PC. That’s the "hidden" power of this feature. It’s not about the damage you deal; it’s about the damage you prevent by simply knowing the enemy is there.
Actionable Next Steps for Grave Clerics
If you're playing a Grave Cleric or planning to build one, here is how you maximize this feature starting tonight:
- Check your Wisdom mod: Ensure you know exactly how many uses you have. Mark them on your sheet. Don't be stingy—you get them back on a long rest, and at early levels, you probably have 3 or 4.
- Ask about the environment: Before using the feature, ask the DM about the materials in the room. "Is this a stone floor or wood?" This helps you determine if the "total cover" rule is going to block your senses from the cellar below.
- Coordinate with the Paladin: If you have a Paladin in the party, don't overlap. Let them use Divine Sense for Fiends, and you handle the Undead. You can cover twice the ground this way.
- Roleplay the "Ping": Don't just say "I use my ability." Describe how your eyes turn gray, or how you feel a cold chill in the direction of the hidden skeleton. It makes the "ribbon" feature feel like a core part of your hero's journey.
- Prepare for the "Total Cover" conversation: Talk to your DM outside of the session. Ask how they rule "total cover" for this specific ability. Knowing their stance beforehand prevents an argument at the table when you're trying to find a Lich behind a secret door.