Cleric - Archetypes I (PHB)
Duncehack Edition
Part 2
Skipping the preamble because this is Part 2 of the Cleric redesign.
See Part 1 if any of the introductory stuff matters to you.
Obligatory Natural Crit Plug
Someone else made a thing that lets me make homebrews without having to post them on pastebin or something. They deserve a lot of credit for that.
Obligatory /tg/ Plug
The feedback I got from various Anons on this helped me build it into something that wasn't bad and stupid.
I love you all in a way only abused spouse can possibly understand.
What if I think these are too much?
- Give Trickery Domain the ability to ignore resistance to poison on their Divine Strike
- Give Nature Domain Channel Divinity the ability to charm Monstrosities or Humanoids, but at disadvantage.
Knowledge Domain
The gods of knowledge—including Oghma, Boccob, Gilean, Aureon, and Thoth—value learning and understanding above all. Some teach that knowledge is to be gathered and shared in libraries and universities, or promote the practical knowledge of craft and invention. Some deities hoard knowledge and keep its secrets to themselves. And some promise their followers that they will gain tremendous power if they unlock the secrets of the multiverse. Followers of these gods study esoteric lore, collect old tomes, delve into the secret places of the earth, and learn all they can. Some gods of knowledge promote the practical knowledge of craft and invention, including smith deities like Gond, Reorx, Onatar, Moradin, Hephaestus, and Goibhniu.
At each indicated cleric level, you add the listed spells to your spells prepared.
Knowledge Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | command, identify |
| 3rd | augury, suggestion |
| 5th | nondetection, speak with dead |
| 7th | arcane eye, confusion |
| 9th | legend lore, scrying |
Blessings of Knowledge
At 1st level, you learn two languages of your choice. You also become proficient in your choice of two of the following skills: Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion.
Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those skills.
Channel Divinity: Knowledge of the Ages
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to tap into a divine well of knowledge. As a bonus action, you choose one skill or tool. For the next hour, you have proficiency with the chosen skill or tool.
Channel Divinity: Read Thoughts
At 5th level, you can use your Channel Divinity to read a creature's thoughts. You can then use your access to the creature's mind to command it.
As a bonus action, choose one creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature succeeds on the saving throw, you can't use this feature on it again until you finish a long rest.
If the creature fails its save, you can read its surface thoughts (those foremost in its mind, reflecting its current emotions and what it is actively thinking about) when it is within 60 feet of you. This effect lasts for 1 minute.
During that time, you can use your bonus action to end this effect and cast the suggestion spell on the creature without expending a spell slot. The target automatically fails its saving throw against the spell.
Potent Spellcasting
Starting at 7th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.
Visions of the Past
Starting at 9th level, you can call up visions of the past that relate to an object you hold or your immediate surroundings. You spend at least 1 minute in meditation and prayer, then receive dreamlike, shadowy glimpses of recent events. You can meditate in this way for a number of minutes equal to your Wisdom score and must maintain concentration during that time, as if you were casting a spell.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
- Object Reading. Holding an object as you meditate, you can see visions of the object's previous owner. After meditating for 1 minute, you learn how the owner acquired and lost the object, as well as the most recent significant event involving the object and that owner. If the object was owned by another creature in the recent past (within a number of days equal to your Wisdom score), you can spend 1 additional minute for each owner to learn the same information about that creature.
- Area Reading. As you meditate, you see visions of recent events in your immediate vicinity (a room, street, tunnel, clearing, or the like, up to a 50-foot cube), going back a number of days equal to your Wisdom score. For each minute you meditate, you learn about one significant event, beginning with the most recent. Significant events typically involve powerful emotions, such as battles and betrayals, marriages and murders, births and funerals. However, they might also include more mundane events that are nevertheless important in your current situation.
Reliable Visions
At 17th level, you regain usage of your Visions of the Past feature after a short or a long rest.
In addition, skill and tool proficiencies you gain with your Knowledge of the Ages Channel Divinity use double your proficiency modifier.
Visions of the Past
It's slightly too powerful a divination magic to just shift to 9th level as it was.
So instead, locking it to long rest until 17th seemed a better compromise.
If you're wondering why I moved it at all: because options for action should be introduced early, power should be introduced late.
Reliable Visions
Speaking of introducing power later, this is to keep the Channel Divinity worthwhile in the late game.
Life Domain
The Life domain focuses on the vibrant positive energy—one of the fundamental forces of the universe—that sustains all life. The gods of life promote vitality and health through healing the sick and wounded, caring for those in need, and driving away the forces of death and undeath. Almost any non-evil deity can claim influence over this domain, particularly agricultural deities (such as Chauntea, Arawai, and Demeter), sun gods (such as Lathander, Pelor, and Re-Horakhty), gods of healing or endurance (such as Ilmater, Mishakal, Apollo, and Diancecht), and gods of home and community (such as Hestia, Hathor, and Boldrei).
At each indicated cleric level, you add the listed spells to your spells prepared.
Life Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | bless, cure wounds |
| 3rd | lesser restoration, spiritual weapon |
| 5th | beacon of hope, revivify |
| 7th | death ward, guardian of faith |
| 9th | mass cure wounds, raise dead |
Bonus Proficiency
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor and greatshields.
Disciple of Life
Also starting at 1st level, your healing spells are more effective. Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell's level.
Channel Divinity: Preserve Life
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to heal the badly injured.
As a bonus action, you present your holy symbol and evoke healing energy that can restore a number of hit points equal to five times your cleric level. Choose any creatures within 30 feet of you, and divide those hit points among them. This feature can restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum. You can't use this feature on an undead or a construct.
Blessed Healer
Beginning at 5th level, the healing spells you cast on others heal you as well. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature other than you, you regain hit points equal to 2 + the spell's level.
Divine Strike
At 7th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Life's Beacon
At 9th level, when you deal damage with your Divine Strike, you gain temporary hp equal to half the radiant damage done.
In addition, you learn the spare the dying cantrip if you don't already have it. If you do, you may select another cleric cantrip instead. You can cast it as a bonus action and it has a range of 30 feet.
Supreme Healing
Starting at 17th level, when you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell, you instead use the highest number possible for each die. For example, instead of restoring 2d6 hit points to a creature, you restore 12.
Life's Beacon
Two things here:
First, Divine Strike seems bizarre on the one Cleric domain that seems to be the 'dedicated healer' - except when you think about Blessed Healer, their role is also off-tank. So I wanted something to make that stand out some more.
Second, while I think they shouldn't have a better spare the dying than Grave clerics (who I gave extra love to), it would make sense for Life clerics to get at least some mileage out of it.
Light Domain
Gods of light—including Helm, Lathander, Pholtus, Branchala, the Silver Flame, Belenus, Apollo, and Re-Horakhty—promote the ideals of rebirth and renewal, truth, vigilance, and beauty, often using the symbol of the sun. Some of these gods are portrayed as the sun itself or as a charioteer who guides the sun across the sky. Others are tireless sentinels whose eyes pierce every shadow and see through every deception. Some are deities of beauty and artistry, who teach that art is a vehicle for the soul's improvement. Clerics of a god of light are enlightened souls infused with radiance and the power of their gods' discerning vision, charged with chasing away lies and burning away darkness.
At each indicated cleric level, you add the listed spells to your spells prepared.
Light Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | burning hands, faerie fire |
| 3rd | flaming sphere, scorching ray |
| 5th | daylight, fireball |
| 7th | guardian of faith, wall of fire |
| 9th | flame strike, scrying |
Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the light cantrip if you don't already know it.
Warding Flare
Also at 1st level, you can interpose divine light between yourself and an attacking enemy. When you are attacked by a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll, causing light to flare before the attacker before it hits or misses. An attacker that can't be blinded is immune to this feature.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Channel Divinity: Radiance of the Dawn
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to harness sunlight, banishing darkness and dealing radiant damage to your foes.
As a bonus action, you present your holy symbol, and any magical darkness within 30 feet of you is dispelled. Additionally, each hostile creature within 30 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes radiant damage equal to 2d10 + your cleric level on a failed saving throw, and half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that has total cover from you is not affected.
Improved Flare
Starting at 5th level, you can also use your Warding Flare feature when a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you attacks a creature other than you.
Potent Spellcasting
Starting at 7th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.
Undying Light
At 9th level, you regain usage of your Warding Flare feature after a short or a long rest.
In addition, you gain the sacred flame cantrip if you don't already know it. If you do, you may select another cantrip of your choice from the cleric spell list.
Corona of Light
Starting at 17th level, you can use your action to activate an aura of sunlight that lasts for 1 minute or until you dismiss it using another action. You emit bright light in a 60-foot radius and dim light 30 feet beyond that. Your enemies in the bright light have disadvantage on saving throws against any spell that deals fire or radiant damage.
Undying Light
To be blunt... if you didn't grab sacred flame, you're doing it wrong as a light cleric.
Nature Domain
Gods of nature are as varied as the natural world itself, from inscrutable gods of the deep forests (such as Silvanus, Obad-Hai, Chislev, Balinor, and Pan) to friendly deities associated with particular springs and groves (such as Eldath). Druids revere nature as a whole and might serve one of these deities, practicing mysterious rites and reciting all-but-forgotten prayers in their own secret tongue. But many of these gods have clerics as well, champions who take a more active role in advancing the interests of a particular nature god. These clerics might hunt the evil monstrosities that despoil the woodlands, bless the harvest of the faithful, or wither the crops of those who anger their gods.
At each indicated cleric level, you add the listed spells to your spells prepared.
Nature Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | animal friendship, speak with animals |
| 3rd | barkskin, spike growth |
| 5th | plant growth, wind wall |
| 7th | dominate beast, grasping vine |
| 9th | insect plague, tree stride |
Acolyte of Nature
At 1st level, you learn one druid cantrip of your choice. You also gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Nature, or Survival.
Bonus Proficiency
Also at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor and greatshields.
Channel Divinity: Charm Natural Creature
As as a bonus action, you present your holy symbol and invoke the name of your deity. Each beast or plant creature that can see you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is charmed by you for 1 minute or until it takes damage. While it is charmed by you, it is friendly to you and other creatures you designate.
Monstrosities and Humanoids, despite being products of the natural world, have a strained relationship with it. They may also be targeted with this feature, however they have advantage to the saving throw.
Dampen Elements
Starting at 5th level, when you or a creature within 30 feet of you takes acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage, you can use your reaction to grant resistance to the creature against that instance of the damage.
Divine Strike
At 7th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 cold, fire, or lightning damage (your choice) to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Master of Nature
At 9th level, you gain the ability to command natural creatures. While creatures are charmed by your Charm Natural Creature feature, you can take a bonus action on your turn to verbally command what each of those creatures will do on its next turn.
Elemental Resistance
At 17th level, when you take acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage, you can grant yourself resistance to that instance of the damage.
When you use this feature, you cannot use it again until the beginning of your next turn.
Nature Channel Divinity/Master of Nature
The original writeup is too situational is what it comes down to. Opening it up to more commonly faced creature types, even at disadvantage, helps the archetype out dramatically.
Moving Master of Nature to 9th because it already has strong limitations (immediately breaking on recieving damage).
Elemental Resistance
To give Nature some much needed resistance in the late game.
Tempest Domain
Gods whose portfolios include the Tempest domain—including Talos, Umberlee, Kord, Zeboim, the Devourer, Zeus, and Thor—govern storms, sea, and sky. They include gods of lightning and thunder, gods of earthquakes, some fire gods, and certain gods of violence, physical strength, and courage. In some pantheons, a god of this domain rules over other deities and is known for swift justice delivered by thunderbolts. In the pantheons of seafaring people, gods of this domain are ocean deities and the patrons of sailors. Tempest gods send their clerics to inspire fear in the common folk, either to keep those folk on the path of righteousness or to encourage them to offer sacrifices of propitiation to ward off divine wrath.
At each indicated cleric level, you add the listed spells to your spells prepared.
Tempest Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | fog cloud, thunderwave |
| 3rd | gust of wind, shatter |
| 5th | call lightning, sleet storm |
| 7th | control water, ice storm |
| 9th | destructive wave, insect plague |
Bonus Proficiencies
At 1st level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons, heavy armor and greatshields.
Wrath of the Storm
Also at 1st level, you can thunderously rebuke attackers. When a creature within 5 feet of you that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to cause the creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. The creature takes 2d8 lightning or thunder damage (your choice) on a failed saving throw, and half as much damage on a successful one.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Channel Divinity: Destructive Wrath
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to wield the power of the storm with unchecked ferocity.
When you roll lightning or thunder damage, you can use your Channel Divinity to deal maximum damage, instead of rolling.
Thunderbolt Strike
At 5th level, when you deal lightning or thunder damage to a Large or smaller creature, you can also push it up to 10 feet away from you.
Divine Strike
At 7th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 lightning or thunder damage (your choice) to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Endless Spark
At 9th level, you regain usage of your Wrath of the Storm feature after a short or a long rest.
In addition, when you use your Thunderbolt Strike feature, you may use your reaction to move half your speed. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Stormborn
At 17th level, you have a flying speed equal to your current walking speed whenever you are not underground or indoors.
Thunderbolt Strike
Opened up the damage types to make it a more reliable.
Endless Spark
To give Tempest Clerics more mobility around combat. Battlefield control seems to be their core strength.
Trickery Domain
Gods of trickery—such as Tymora, Beshaba, Olidammara, the Traveler, Garl Glittergold, and Loki—are mischief-makers and instigators who stand as a constant challenge to the accepted order among both gods and mortals. They're patrons of thieves, scoundrels, gamblers, rebels, and liberators. Their clerics are a disruptive force in the world, puncturing pride, mocking tyrants, stealing from the rich, freeing captives, and flouting hollow traditions. They prefer subterfuge, pranks, deception, and theft rather than direct confrontation.
At each indicated cleric level, you add the listed spells to your spells prepared.
Trickery Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | charm person, disguise self |
| 3rd | mirror image, pass without trace |
| 5th | blink, dispel magic |
| 7th | dimension door, polymorph |
| 9th | dominate person, modify memory |
Blessing of the Trickster
Starting when you choose this domain at 1st level, you can use your action to touch a willing creature other than yourself to give it advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. This blessing lasts for 1 hour or until you use this feature again.
You may also use this feature on yourself, however once you do, you must take a short or long rest before doing so again. You may have another creature benefitting from this blessing while it is active on you.
Channel Divinity: Invoke Duplicity
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to create an illusory duplicate of yourself.
As a bonus action, you create a perfect illusion of yourself that lasts for 1 minute, or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell). The illusion appears in an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you. As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the illusion up to 30 feet to a space you can see, but it must remain within 120 feet of you.
For the duration, you can cast spells as though you were in the illusion's space, but you must use your own senses. Additionally, when both you and your illusion are within 5 feet of a creature that can see the illusion, you have advantage on attack rolls against that creature, given how distracting the illusion is to the target.
Channel Divinity: Cloak of Shadows
Starting at 5th level, you can use your Channel Divinity to vanish.
As a bonus action, you become invisible until the end of your next turn. You become visible if you attack or cast a spell.
Divine Strike
At 7th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with poison—a gift from your deity. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 poison damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Trickster's Guile
At 9th level, your Divine Strike treats immunity to poison as resistance, and ignores poison resistance.
In addition, your Invoke Duplicity no longer requires concentration.
Improved Duplicity
At 17th level, you can create up to four duplicates of yourself, instead of one, when you use Invoke Duplicity. As a bonus action on your turn, you can move any number of them up to 30 feet, to a maximum range of 120 feet.
Blessing of the Trickster
It was alright, but unless your party only has 1 non-stealthy character, you don't see much use of it.
This version has the rest restriction to prevent it from being just 'permanent stealth advantage on the cleric'.
Trickster's Guile
Trickery domain is a case of 'everyone can diagnose the problem, no one can figure out the solution'. It's a weapon focused domain but it has no access to heavier armour or better weapons and has the worst damage type on its divine strike, but it has the ability to crit fish.
It has the tools to be one of the best supportive clerics in the game (basically being able to heal at range with the Invoke Duplicity), but the concentration requirement kills that idea quickly becuase bless is often both easier to use, and better at the job.
So I put in this feature to get that all done.
War Domain
War has many manifestations. It can make heroes of ordinary people. It can be desperate and horrific, with acts of cruelty and cowardice eclipsing instances of excellence and courage. In either case, the gods of war watch over warriors and reward them for their great deeds. The clerics of such gods excel in battle, inspiring others to fight the good fight or offering acts of violence as prayers. Gods of war include champions of honor and chivalry (such as Torm, Heironeous, and Kiri-Jolith) as well as gods of destruction and pillage (such as Erythnul, the Fury, Gruumsh, and Ares) and gods of conquest and domination (such as Bane, Hextor, and Maglubiyet). Other war gods (such as Tempus, Nike, and Nuada) take a more neutral stance, promoting war in all its manifestations and supporting warriors in any circumstance.
At each indicated cleric level, add the listed spells to your spells prepared.
War Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | divine favor, shield of faith |
| 3rd | magic weapon, spiritual weapon |
| 5th | crusader's mantle, spirit guardians |
| 7th | freedom of movement, stoneskin |
| 9th | flame strike, hold monster |
Bonus Proficiencies
At 1st level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons, heavy armor and greatshields.
War Priest
From 1st level, your god delivers bolts of inspiration to you while you are engaged in battle. When you use the Attack action, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Channel Divinity: Guided Strike
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to strike with supernatural accuracy. When you make an attack roll or skill check for a shove or grapple action, you can use your Channel Divinity to gain a +10 bonus to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses.
Channel Divinity: War God's Blessing
At 5th level, when a creature within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll or a skill check for a shove or grapple action, you can use your reaction to grant that creature a +10 bonus to the roll, using your Channel Divinity. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses.
Divine Strike
At 7th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 damage of the same type dealt by the weapon to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
War God's Furour
At 9th level, you regain the use of your War Priest feature after a short or a long rest.
In addition, you gain the extra attack feature.
Avatar of Battle
At 17th level, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.
Guided Strike/War God's Blessing
Opening this out to shove/grapple actions to help bridge the disparity between this and the Strength Cleric equivalents (which is just 'on any strength check, including attacks and saves').
War God's Furour
War Cleric is probably the weakest of the Cleric archetypes, yet it has a feature and spell list that seem ripe for gish abuse.
Thing is... going anyone with extra attack at 5th level is just better for that kind of thing.
So I'm giving them arguably the strongest 9th level of all the archetypes.