I was wondering what is the closest way of creating a plague doctor in D&D? Which cleric domain makes the most sense?
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Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
Check out Turncloaks podcast by encounter RolePlay, they have a plague doctor in that who is a Cleric of the Grave domain. Its a low magic world so some spells have been reskinned e.g. Inflict wounds is a surgeons knife / scalpel.
Honestly, I'd approach it as a new Domain. . . Contagion Domain.
Contagion Domain Spells
1st - detect poison and disease, identify
3rd - lesser restoration, protection from poison
5th - aura of vitality, remove curse
7th - aura of purity, death ward
9th - circle of power, greater restoration
Medical Expertise
You double your proficiency bonus when using the Medicine skill.
Acolyte of Ailment
Also staring at 1st Level, when you use your Medicine skill to restore a diseased character from 0 HP, your skill is more effective. You restore a diseased character to 2 HP.
Channel Divinity: Diminish Disease
Staring at 2nd Level, as a reaction you can present your holy symbol and evoke resistance to necrotic damage. Choose any creature within 30 feet of you. Your Wisdom modifier determines the number of times you can use this feature per long rest (with a minimum of once.) You may use this feature no more than once in a single turn. You also roll with advantage when you use your Medicine skill.
Improved Treatment
Beginning at 6th level, the healing spells you cast provide temporary hit points. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature, you also provide 1d4 temporary hit points per spell level to that creature as well. This pool of temporary hit points lasts until you rest. Temporary hit points absorb energy, not melee or ranged weapon damage.
Divine Therapy
At 8th level, you gain the ability to absorb necrotic damage. Whenever a necromancy spell is cast at a creature, you can redirect the spell toward you. If you fail the spell save you take half damage. If you succeed, you take no damage. You may use this feature once per long rest.
Marvelous Remedy
Staring at 17th level, you can use your reaction to either absorb necrotic damage or instant kill damage to a creature within 30 feet. Your Wisdom modifier determines the number of creatures you can target (with a minimum of one). When you absorb necrotic damage, your vast knowledge of disease processes informs you on how to unravel dark energy, leaving only positive energy behind, converting 2d4 necrotic damage/spell level into 2d4 healing light. Or, you can use this feature to interrupt the damage that would result in an instant kill to a single creature. You reverse the energy matrix, healing the creature for half the damage. You may use this feature once per long rest.
Been thinking about this all day... Honestly, I had fun putting this together for you. I hope it makes sense. And, of course, it's a jumping off point. Change what you want. Or not at all. Rewrite everything or give it a test run.
I'd just go with basic Life Cleric. There's a handful of spells that deal with diseases (mostly Restoration spells, and one Detect spell), and they're pretty much all general cleric spells. Many diseases inflict with HP loss (the DMG sample disease includes psionic damage, so its not always necrotic)as well as a variety of conditions or exhaustion. Most of these are handled by an application of Lesser Restoration.
You'll also probably want an herbalism kit for making cures or potions and the Medicine skill for diagnosis. I personally find the Healer Kit to be redundant with Spare The Dying unless you also take the Healer feat. Even then, the Healer feat is primarily for treating wounds and not diseases, while we have examples of creating cures for plagues through the use of herbalism, and herbalism can make basic healing potions, so its kind of a toss up on how healy you want to be. I guess I'm just saying that Healer/Healing Kit is possible but not necessary for a plague doctor, but likely necessary for a field surgeon, while herbalism kit is likely necessary.
Alternatively, Paladins and Druids can also become a plague doctor. Druids come with all the same spells a cleric does for handling disease, free proficiency with herbalism kit, and the dream circle comes with some healy buffs. The paladin has less spells to deal with disease, but they come with immunity to disease and can use Lay on Hands to cure diseases in place of using Lesser Restoration, so they can theoretically do as much disease removal as a cleric while not worrying about being infected themselves.
Honestly, I'd approach it as a new Domain. . . Contagion Domain.
Contagion Domain Spells
1st - detect poison and disease, identify
3rd - lesser restoration, protection from poison
5th - aura of vitality, remove curse
7th - aura of purity, death ward
9th - circle of power, greater restoration
Medical Expertise
You double your proficiency bonus when using the Medicine skill.
Acolyte of Ailment
Also staring at 1st Level, when you use your Medicine skill to restore a diseased character from 0 HP, your skill is more effective. You restore a diseased character to 2 HP.
Channel Divinity: Diminish Disease
Staring at 2nd Level, as a reaction you can present your holy symbol and evoke resistance to necrotic damage. Choose any creature within 30 feet of you. Your Wisdom modifier determines the number of times you can use this feature per long rest (with a minimum of once.) You may use this feature no more than once in a single turn. You also roll with advantage when you use your Medicine skill.
Improved Treatment
Beginning at 6th level, the healing spells you cast provide temporary hit points. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature, you also provide 1d4 temporary hit points per spell level to that creature as well. This pool of temporary hit points lasts until you rest. Temporary hit points absorb energy, not melee or ranged weapon damage.
Divine Therapy
At 8th level, you gain the ability to absorb necrotic damage. Whenever a necromancy spell is cast at a creature, you can redirect the spell toward you. If you fail the spell save you take half damage. If you succeed, you take no damage. You may use this feature once per long rest.
Marvelous Remedy
Staring at 17th level, you can use your reaction to either absorb necrotic damage or instant kill damage to a creature within 30 feet. Your Wisdom modifier determines the number of creatures you can target (with a minimum of one). When you absorb necrotic damage, your vast knowledge of disease processes informs you on how to unravel dark energy, leaving only positive energy behind, converting 2d4 necrotic damage/spell level into 2d4 healing light. Or, you can use this feature to interrupt the damage that would result in an instant kill to a single creature. You reverse the energy matrix, healing the creature for half the damage. You may use this feature once per long rest.
Been thinking about this all day... Honestly, I had fun putting this together for you. I hope it makes sense. And, of course, it's a jumping off point. Change what you want. Or not at all. Rewrite everything or give it a test run.
Good luck, and happy adventuring!
I will try it out in an upcoming one shot, though i noticed that it seem very situational. True, it fits the theme but too centered so it might turn out to be weak at a lot of situations.
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Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
This thread reminds me of the old days of D&D, when we used guidelines for character advancement. In 1E we didn't have access to Feats, Archtypes and a range of other class features. We just specified.
Several people have already mentioned to simply pick a class and then only use the features that you would think apply to a Plague Doctor. Just keep in mind, why is this person adventuring? Because monks traveled the Old Word as both scholars and healers, so maybe a Monk or a Druid or a Paladin who focuses on diseases is all you need.
I wasn't trying to make it difficult for you, just giving you some parameters to work with. In the end, you have the idea in your head. All the suggestions we've been posting are intended to help you narrow down your selection, help you figure out this interesting idea.
I went with death. Ended up making one who thought there was correct and incorrect ways to die and correct times for one to die. He believed one should never die by disease, but dying in battle was fine. He felt a hatred towards monstrosities and aberrations as he felt that they were diseased and evil creatures. He followed strict rules. It was a hard to play and complicated character yet fun and made a lot of sense in game.
Thank you so much! I was kinda struggling with the character who I made up on the spot. She was supposed to be a plague doctor but I took cleric instead of wizard (which would have been better) I think this can remedy that if my DM agrees. This is an amazing guide thank you so much!
You'd be really interested in the new Monk Subclass published today in TCE: the Way of Mercy.
The flavor text from Tasha is "Plague doctor—some looks never go out of style."
"Monks of the Way of Mercy learn to manipulate the life force of others to bring aid to those in need. They are wandering physicians to the poor and hurt. However, to those beyond their help, they bring a swift end as an act of mercy.
Those who follow the Way of Mercy might be members of a religious order, administering to the needy and making grim choices rooted in reality rather than idealism. Some might be gentle-voiced healers, beloved by their communities, while others might be masked bringers of macabre mercies.
The walkers of this way usually don robes with deep cowls, and they often conceal their faces with masks, presenting themselves as the faceless bringers of life and death."
You'd be really interested in the new Monk Subclass published today in TCE: the Way of Mercy.
The flavor text from Tasha is "Plague doctor—some looks never go out of style."
"Monks of the Way of Mercy learn to manipulate the life force of others to bring aid to those in need. They are wandering physicians to the poor and hurt. However, to those beyond their help, they bring a swift end as an act of mercy.
Those who follow the Way of Mercy might be members of a religious order, administering to the needy and making grim choices rooted in reality rather than idealism. Some might be gentle-voiced healers, beloved by their communities, while others might be masked bringers of macabre mercies.
The walkers of this way usually don robes with deep cowls, and they often conceal their faces with masks, presenting themselves as the faceless bringers of life and death."
oh it's out ? and it has a plague doctor (of sort) subclass? i am getting this book asap! thanks for informing me!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
i dont know if you want to stick to cleric, but in tashas cauldron of everything, theres a monk subclass that literally gets a plague docter mask. its called the way of mercy. hope this helps!
My Question would be what aspect of Plague Doctors are you wanting to play? Are you going for more the forboding idea of them that came along in the wake of some less than studious individuals, Are you going for the idea of helping the helpless that actually drove the idea of Plague doctors to begin with. Or are you looking for some other aspect around the concept.
Because that can change how you approach it quite alot. And might even lean towards different classes and not only Domains. Though if you really want to be cleric there are lots of ways to do it as a Cleric as well.
My Question would be what aspect of Plague Doctors are you wanting to play? Are you going for more the forboding idea of them that came along in the wake of some less than studious individuals, Are you going for the idea of helping the helpless that actually drove the idea of Plague doctors to begin with. Or are you looking for some other aspect around the concept.
Because that can change how you approach it quite alot. And might even lean towards different classes and not only Domains. Though if you really want to be cleric there are lots of ways to do it as a Cleric as well.
The answer is both, I had this idea of a plague doctor who's part of a plague stricken place and pretty much killed everyone there. Of course the horrors of what had been seen there has spread around the globe so now people fear those who wear the plague doctor attire because it could mean he could be infected with it or possibly heard rumors of it existence in other regions. My character is a plague doctor and was infected and in his dream he saw someone who might be responsible for the plague and on his dying breath made a bargain with death to roam around the world and help curing diseases by absorbing them unto himself as a way to show death he isn't avoiding but trying his best to save those who's death is too premature while also help finding the said person responsible for it.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
My Question would be what aspect of Plague Doctors are you wanting to play? Are you going for more the forboding idea of them that came along in the wake of some less than studious individuals, Are you going for the idea of helping the helpless that actually drove the idea of Plague doctors to begin with. Or are you looking for some other aspect around the concept.
Because that can change how you approach it quite alot. And might even lean towards different classes and not only Domains. Though if you really want to be cleric there are lots of ways to do it as a Cleric as well.
The answer is both, I had this idea of a plague doctor who's part of a plague stricken place and pretty much killed everyone there. Of course the horrors of what had been seen there has spread around the globe so now people fear those who wear the plague doctor attire because it could mean he could be infected with it or possibly heard rumors of it existence in other regions. My character is a plague doctor and was infected and in his dream he saw someone who might be responsible for the plague and on his dying breath made a bargain with death to roam around the world and help curing diseases by absorbing them unto himself as a way to show death he isn't avoiding but trying his best to save those who's death is too premature while also help finding the said person responsible for it.
the way you describe him makes him sound much more like an undying warlock (sword coast adventurer's guide) who made a pact with some deathless entity in order to become more like an undead being as you level up, letting you reattach limbs and go without food and drink as well as making undead ignore you, also sounds like an grave domain cleric (xanatar's guide to everything) who is devoted to the gods of death, making shure the right people die and making shure certain people do not die premautrely
"Gods of the grave watch over the line between life and death. To these deities, death and the afterlife are a foundational part of the multiverse. To desecrate the peace of the dead is an abomination. [...] Followers of these deities seek to put wandering spirits to rest, destroy the undead, and ease the suffering of the dying. Their magic also allows them to stave off death for a time, particularly for a person who still has some great work to accomplish in the world. This is a delay of death, not a denial of it, for death will eventually get its due." i think your character concept might work best as an grave cleric, you get spells that cure disease, heal, inflict wounds, and temporarily prevent death
both of these (grave and undeath) also have the advantage of giving you subclass at 1st level, rather than the plague doctor monk who has to gain two levels that have nothing to do with any of your character concept and just make you good at martial arts and punching people before that sweet juicy hands of harm and healing
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
I think it's funny cuz im gonna try running a first Warforged plauge doctor that resistance to it already and denies poison damage period so if anyone have thoughts about this idea let me know cuz I wanna try to run one cuz my backstory is his creator was a Plague doctor and made him for help before his own passing where the warforg follows in his footsteps helping others with his masters plague doctor outfit
I was wondering what is the closest way of creating a plague doctor in D&D? Which cleric domain makes the most sense?
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
Check out Turncloaks podcast by encounter RolePlay, they have a plague doctor in that who is a Cleric of the Grave domain. Its a low magic world so some spells have been reskinned e.g. Inflict wounds is a surgeons knife / scalpel.
This is an interesting question.
Honestly, I'd approach it as a new Domain. . . Contagion Domain.
Contagion Domain Spells
1st - detect poison and disease, identify
3rd - lesser restoration, protection from poison
5th - aura of vitality, remove curse
7th - aura of purity, death ward
9th - circle of power, greater restoration
Medical Expertise
You double your proficiency bonus when using the Medicine skill.
Acolyte of Ailment
Also staring at 1st Level, when you use your Medicine skill to restore a diseased character from 0 HP, your skill is more effective. You restore a diseased character to 2 HP.
Channel Divinity: Diminish Disease
Staring at 2nd Level, as a reaction you can present your holy symbol and evoke resistance to necrotic damage. Choose any creature within 30 feet of you. Your Wisdom modifier determines the number of times you can use this feature per long rest (with a minimum of once.) You may use this feature no more than once in a single turn. You also roll with advantage when you use your Medicine skill.
Improved Treatment
Beginning at 6th level, the healing spells you cast provide temporary hit points. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature, you also provide 1d4 temporary hit points per spell level to that creature as well. This pool of temporary hit points lasts until you rest. Temporary hit points absorb energy, not melee or ranged weapon damage.
Divine Therapy
At 8th level, you gain the ability to absorb necrotic damage. Whenever a necromancy spell is cast at a creature, you can redirect the spell toward you. If you fail the spell save you take half damage. If you succeed, you take no damage. You may use this feature once per long rest.
Marvelous Remedy
Staring at 17th level, you can use your reaction to either absorb necrotic damage or instant kill damage to a creature within 30 feet. Your Wisdom modifier determines the number of creatures you can target (with a minimum of one). When you absorb necrotic damage, your vast knowledge of disease processes informs you on how to unravel dark energy, leaving only positive energy behind, converting 2d4 necrotic damage/spell level into 2d4 healing light. Or, you can use this feature to interrupt the damage that would result in an instant kill to a single creature. You reverse the energy matrix, healing the creature for half the damage. You may use this feature once per long rest.
Been thinking about this all day... Honestly, I had fun putting this together for you. I hope it makes sense. And, of course, it's a jumping off point. Change what you want. Or not at all. Rewrite everything or give it a test run.
Good luck, and happy adventuring!
I'd just go with basic Life Cleric. There's a handful of spells that deal with diseases (mostly Restoration spells, and one Detect spell), and they're pretty much all general cleric spells. Many diseases inflict with HP loss (the DMG sample disease includes psionic damage, so its not always necrotic)as well as a variety of conditions or exhaustion. Most of these are handled by an application of Lesser Restoration.
You'll also probably want an herbalism kit for making cures or potions and the Medicine skill for diagnosis. I personally find the Healer Kit to be redundant with Spare The Dying unless you also take the Healer feat. Even then, the Healer feat is primarily for treating wounds and not diseases, while we have examples of creating cures for plagues through the use of herbalism, and herbalism can make basic healing potions, so its kind of a toss up on how healy you want to be. I guess I'm just saying that Healer/Healing Kit is possible but not necessary for a plague doctor, but likely necessary for a field surgeon, while herbalism kit is likely necessary.
Alternatively, Paladins and Druids can also become a plague doctor. Druids come with all the same spells a cleric does for handling disease, free proficiency with herbalism kit, and the dream circle comes with some healy buffs. The paladin has less spells to deal with disease, but they come with immunity to disease and can use Lay on Hands to cure diseases in place of using Lesser Restoration, so they can theoretically do as much disease removal as a cleric while not worrying about being infected themselves.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
Play testing is a must whenever anything new is attempted. That's the only way you know how to get the bugs out.
It's a work in progress. Keep us posted!
This thread reminds me of the old days of D&D, when we used guidelines for character advancement. In 1E we didn't have access to Feats, Archtypes and a range of other class features. We just specified.
Several people have already mentioned to simply pick a class and then only use the features that you would think apply to a Plague Doctor. Just keep in mind, why is this person adventuring? Because monks traveled the Old Word as both scholars and healers, so maybe a Monk or a Druid or a Paladin who focuses on diseases is all you need.
I wasn't trying to make it difficult for you, just giving you some parameters to work with. In the end, you have the idea in your head. All the suggestions we've been posting are intended to help you narrow down your selection, help you figure out this interesting idea.
Unearthed Arcana druid - circle of spores is a great fit for this. In my opinion.
Jesus Saves!... Everyone else takes damage.
I went with death. Ended up making one who thought there was correct and incorrect ways to die and correct times for one to die. He believed one should never die by disease, but dying in battle was fine. He felt a hatred towards monstrosities and aberrations as he felt that they were diseased and evil creatures. He followed strict rules. It was a hard to play and complicated character yet fun and made a lot of sense in game.
druids or rouges make good medics as well if you are good at reflavouring
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Thank you so much! I was kinda struggling with the character who I made up on the spot. She was supposed to be a plague doctor but I took cleric instead of wizard (which would have been better) I think this can remedy that if my DM agrees. This is an amazing guide thank you so much!
You'd be really interested in the new Monk Subclass published today in TCE: the Way of Mercy.
The flavor text from Tasha is "Plague doctor—some looks never go out of style."
"Monks of the Way of Mercy learn to manipulate the life force of others to bring aid to those in need. They are wandering physicians to the poor and hurt. However, to those beyond their help, they bring a swift end as an act of mercy.
Those who follow the Way of Mercy might be members of a religious order, administering to the needy and making grim choices rooted in reality rather than idealism. Some might be gentle-voiced healers, beloved by their communities, while others might be masked bringers of macabre mercies.
The walkers of this way usually don robes with deep cowls, and they often conceal their faces with masks, presenting themselves as the faceless bringers of life and death."
oh it's out ? and it has a plague doctor (of sort) subclass? i am getting this book asap! thanks for informing me!
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
i dont know if you want to stick to cleric, but in tashas cauldron of everything, theres a monk subclass that literally gets a plague docter mask. its called the way of mercy. hope this helps!
My Question would be what aspect of Plague Doctors are you wanting to play? Are you going for more the forboding idea of them that came along in the wake of some less than studious individuals, Are you going for the idea of helping the helpless that actually drove the idea of Plague doctors to begin with. Or are you looking for some other aspect around the concept.
Because that can change how you approach it quite alot. And might even lean towards different classes and not only Domains. Though if you really want to be cleric there are lots of ways to do it as a Cleric as well.
The answer is both, I had this idea of a plague doctor who's part of a plague stricken place and pretty much killed everyone there. Of course the horrors of what had been seen there has spread around the globe so now people fear those who wear the plague doctor attire because it could mean he could be infected with it or possibly heard rumors of it existence in other regions. My character is a plague doctor and was infected and in his dream he saw someone who might be responsible for the plague and on his dying breath made a bargain with death to roam around the world and help curing diseases by absorbing them unto himself as a way to show death he isn't avoiding but trying his best to save those who's death is too premature while also help finding the said person responsible for it.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
the way you describe him makes him sound much more like an undying warlock (sword coast adventurer's guide) who made a pact with some deathless entity in order to become more like an undead being as you level up, letting you reattach limbs and go without food and drink as well as making undead ignore you, also sounds like an grave domain cleric (xanatar's guide to everything) who is devoted to the gods of death, making shure the right people die and making shure certain people do not die premautrely
"Gods of the grave watch over the line between life and death. To these deities, death and the afterlife are a foundational part of the multiverse. To desecrate the peace of the dead is an abomination. [...] Followers of these deities seek to put wandering spirits to rest, destroy the undead, and ease the suffering of the dying. Their magic also allows them to stave off death for a time, particularly for a person who still has some great work to accomplish in the world. This is a delay of death, not a denial of it, for death will eventually get its due."
i think your character concept might work best as an grave cleric, you get spells that cure disease, heal, inflict wounds, and temporarily prevent death
both of these (grave and undeath) also have the advantage of giving you subclass at 1st level, rather than the plague doctor monk who has to gain two levels that have nothing to do with any of your character concept and just make you good at martial arts and punching people before that sweet juicy hands of harm and healing
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
the death domain is good for PD. i cant thi k of anything else
I think it's funny cuz im gonna try running a first Warforged plauge doctor that resistance to it already and denies poison damage period so if anyone have thoughts about this idea let me know cuz I wanna try to run one cuz my backstory is his creator was a Plague doctor and made him for help before his own passing where the warforg follows in his footsteps helping others with his masters plague doctor outfit