Soul Domain

This is an initial draft version which has not been playtested for balance.

The Soul domain is concerned with the capturing and preservation of life force. While some deities in the Soul domain seek to enrich the health of the living by taking advantage of the life force released by natural death, others see life force as a constant which can only be redistributed, seeking to cull weaker creatures in order to empower the stronger few. While gods of many alignments involve themselves in the Soul domain due to its endless possibilities for healing and harm, clerics who practice life stealing are often met with high prejudice due to its close ties to necromancy. Regardless of the deity's personal motivations for doing so, the Soul domain seeks to embolden the living by capturing the very essence of suffering and death and putting it to use. For some, it is an attempt to ease the sting of death. For others, it is a celebration of it.

Domain Spells

1st-level Soul Domain feature

You gain domain spells at the cleric levels listed in the Soul Domain Spells table. See the Divine Domain class feature for how domain spells work.

Soul Domain Spells

CLERIC LEVEL	SPELLS
1st	inflict wounds, healing word
3rd	spiritual weapon, ray of enfeeblement
5th	bestow curse, vampiric touch
7th	blight, stoneskin
9th	contagion, reincarnate

Soul Storing

1st-level Soul Domain feature

You gain the ability to store life energy within your soul and release it in restorative or destructive bursts. This energy is manifested as Necrotic Energy dice, which are each a d4. You have a number of these dice equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all your expended Necrotic Energy dice when you finish a long rest.

When you reach certain levels in this class, the size of your Necrotic Energy dice increases: at 5th level (d6), 11th level (d8), and 17th level (d10). The powers below use your Necrotic Energy dice.

Release Positive Energy. Once per turn when you restore hit points to a creature using a spell of 1st level or higher, you can expend one Necrotic Energy die, rolling it and granting the creature temporary hit points equal to the number rolled plus your Wisdom modifier.

Release Negative Energy. Once per turn when you deal damage to a creature using a spell of 1st level or higher, you can expend one Necrotic Energy die, rolling it and dealing additional necrotic damage to the creature equal to the number rolled plus your Wisdom modifier.

Capture Energy

1st-level Soul Domain feature

You learn the chill touch cantrip, which counts as a cleric spell for you. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with chill touch and deal damage to it, you can steal a portion of its life force to regain one expended Necrotic Energy die.

Channel Divinity: Transfer Life

2nd-level Soul Domain feature

You can use your Channel Divinity to instantly channel life energy from one creature to another.

When you or a creature within 30 feet of you takes damage, you can use your Channel Divinity as a reaction to restore hit points to yourself or to a different creature of your choice within 30 feet of you. The number of hit points restored equals half the damage taken by the first creature. The damaged creature and the creature you choose to heal must be two different targets.

Empowered Soul

6th-level Soul Domain feature

You gain the ability to release more powerful bursts of necrotic energy when channeling your deity's mercy or wrath.

When you cast a spell and expend a Necrotic Energy die, you can choose to expend all of your remaining Necrotic Energy dice, adding up each roll and using the total in place of the single die. Your Wisdom modifier is added only once, after the total is determined. After you use this feature, you then regain all of your expended Necrotic Energy dice.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Potent Spellcasting

8th-level Soul Domain feature

You add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.

Master of Fates

17th-level Soul Domain feature

Your mastery of healing and destruction allows you to take advantage of the deadliest blows to your allies or enemies.

When you use your Transfer Life ability, you can grant the first creature resistance or vulnerability to the triggering damage (your choice). The second creature of your choice still heals half of the attack's damage before the resistance or vulnerability imposed by this ability is applied.