Refractory mortar can be used as a watery slip, dipping the bricks and setting them immediately. It is as Thomas says permanent; it is also the required bonding agent for masonry
heaters built to code. Fireclay slip is not acceptable by code, if that matters to you.
For structures on the scale of a typical
RMH, fireclay would work fine. If you plan to build a bell-style heater with a tall cavity, I think it would be distinctly safer to use refractory cement. Fireclay is strictly a bedding and gap-sealing agent, lending no structural strength beyond dry-stacking.