Do you like the concept of a mixture of an exorcist and an undertaker, grim and sombre, always focused on the decent and secure passage of the souls of the departed to the Afterlife, and ready to annihilate anything that tries to disturb it?
Yes?
Then go for it, no matter the abilities, dice rolls and stats...
Two of the characters in my party both collect trophies from major kills.
Grave domain is about the Grave and really dead staying dead. So a Griffin was fine. I decided that orcs burn their dead so it was okay... Anything "monsters" are okay. But any race that buries their dead. Yeah. We're going to have a problem. And one of them is an ancestral barbarian. He's managed to not use it in front of me for now. That's going to likely change Saturday. Don't know how the cleric is going to deal with that.
It is a support, but a strange one. If you are creative, you can exploit some of it's traits in ways you won't believe, Let me show you the way of the grave domain cleric:
Circle of Mortality
At 1st level, you gain the ability to manipulate the line between life and death. When you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell to a creature at 0 hit points, you instead use the highest number possible for each die.
In addition, you learn the spare the dying cantrip, which doesn’t count against the number of cleric cantrips you know. For you, it has a range of 30 feet, and you can cast it as a bonus action.
Channel Divinity: Path to the Grave
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to mark another creature’s life force for termination.
As an action, you choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you, cursing it until the end of your next turn. The next time you or an ally of yours hits the cursed creature with an attack, the creature has vulnerability to all of that attack’s damage, and then the curse ends.
These two features are what make the grave domain cleric so powerful. They intermix with each other in very interesting ways.
1: Damage. Let's take a look at inflict wounds. 3d10 damage on melee, good scaling, first level. Not bad. It uses attack rolls, meaning that it can crit. Now, lets consider a creature that is paralyzed. You have an instant crit. Now, lets add the vulnerability into the mix: that makes for 12d10 necrotic damage with a first level spell slot. Not only is this damage highly effective if used by you, it can be even more useful in the hands of a barbarian or paladin. That is one reason why this cleric is a good support.
2: Healing. In the circle of mortality, you heal max damage if the person you heal has less than zero hit points. While this is good for normal spells like cure wounds, it gets better. I present to you, Life Transference. You take 4d8 necrotic damage, and you heal someone else twice as much. Nice right? If the person has less than zero hit points, thats 64 health healed. Almost as good as a 6th level spell slot. BUT IT GETS EVEN BETTER. If you play clerics like a tank (note that the "tough" feat would be very helpful for the extreme play I am about to suggest. It might not be accepted by your DM. It is an interpretation of the rules), you can use your OWN CHANNEL DIVINITY ON YOURSELF. You will take 2x the amount of damage, 8d8 with a 3rd level spell slot. Ouch! But you end up healing double that. This makes for 16d8 healing maxed, or 128 damage healed with a 3rd level spell slot. That would take a dying barbarian to the top of their HP.
3: Warding. You gain the ability to cancel out critical hits at 6th level. This ability is an addition to the many abjuration spells in your arsenal.
In all, the grave domain has lots of secrets you can abuse. It is fun to roleplay, play, etc.
It is a support, but a strange one. If you are creative, you can exploit some of it's traits in ways you won't believe, Let me show you the way of the grave domain cleric:
Circle of Mortality
At 1st level, you gain the ability to manipulate the line between life and death. When you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell to a creature at 0 hit points, you instead use the highest number possible for each die.
In addition, you learn the spare the dying cantrip, which doesn’t count against the number of cleric cantrips you know. For you, it has a range of 30 feet, and you can cast it as a bonus action.
Channel Divinity: Path to the Grave
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to mark another creature’s life force for termination.
As an action, you choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you, cursing it until the end of your next turn. The next time you or an ally of yours hits the cursed creature with an attack, the creature has vulnerability to all of that attack’s damage, and then the curse ends.
These two features are what make the grave domain cleric so powerful. They intermix with each other in very interesting ways.
1: Damage. Let's take a look at inflict wounds. 3d10 damage on melee, good scaling, first level. Not bad. It uses attack rolls, meaning that it can crit. Now, lets consider a creature that is paralyzed. You have an instant crit. Now, lets add the vulnerability into the mix: that makes for 12d10 necrotic damage with a first level spell slot. Not only is this damage highly effective if used by you, it can be even more useful in the hands of a barbarian or paladin. That is one reason why this cleric is a good support.
2: Healing. In the circle of mortality, you heal max damage if the person you heal has less than zero hit points. While this is good for normal spells like cure wounds, it gets better. I present to you, Life Transference. You take 4d8 necrotic damage, and you heal someone else twice as much. Nice right? If the person has less than zero hit points, thats 64 health healed. Almost as good as a 6th level spell slot. BUT IT GETS EVEN BETTER. If you play clerics like a tank (note that the "tough" feat would be very helpful for the extreme play I am about to suggest. It might not be accepted by your DM. It is an interpretation of the rules), you can use your OWN CHANNEL DIVINITY ON YOURSELF. You will take 2x the amount of damage, 8d8 with a 3rd level spell slot. Ouch! But you end up healing double that. This makes for 16d8 healing maxed, or 128 damage healed with a 3rd level spell slot. That would take a dying barbarian to the top of their HP.
3: Warding. You gain the ability to cancel out critical hits at 6th level. This ability is an addition to the many abjuration spells in your arsenal.
In all, the grave domain has lots of secrets you can abuse. It is fun to roleplay, play, etc.
Yeah these abilities pair really well with "glass cannon" damage builds too. If you have a low con Paladin, Rogue, Monk, or Bladesinger Wizard you will be their best friend in the world.
2: Healing. In the circle of mortality, you heal max damage if the person you heal has less than zero hit points. While this is good for normal spells like cure wounds, it gets better. I present to you, Life Transference. You take 4d8 necrotic damage, and you heal someone else twice as much. Nice right? If the person has less than zero hit points, thats 64 health healed. Almost as good as a 6th level spell slot. BUT IT GETS EVEN BETTER. If you play clerics like a tank (note that the "tough" feat would be very helpful for the extreme play I am about to suggest. It might not be accepted by your DM. It is an interpretation of the rules), you can use your OWN CHANNEL DIVINITY ON YOURSELF. You will take 2x the amount of damage, 8d8 with a 3rd level spell slot. Ouch! But you end up healing double that. This makes for 16d8 healing maxed, or 128 damage healed with a 3rd level spell slot. That would take a dying barbarian to the top of their HP.
Life transference doesn't roll to restore hit points, it rolls to deal necrotic damage, so circle of mortality does not max out its rolls.
What's the difference in lore and roles between the Death and Grave Domains?
Is Death explicitly evil?
Yes. Grave clerics keep people from dying before their time and hate undead. Death clerics kill people before their time and create undead. In short, grave clerics maintain and revere the line between life and death, while death clerics blur and blaspheme it. The two are opposite.
Oh, I see now, so I'll refrain from playing Death. Is Death even a good domain? In terms of mechanics.
It's debatably OP, which is another reason it's usually restricted to NPCs. (Though not as bad as Twilight Cleric, that subclass needs a big fix before it's allowed at my table.)
Oh lol, I have a V.Human Twilight Cleric in reserve incase my Spores Druid dies. Why does it need to be changed? Personally I think Peace needs a nerf. Order looks pretty good tho.
Oh lol, I have a V.Human Twilight Cleric in reserve incase my Spores Druid dies. Why does it need to be changed? Personally I think Peace needs a nerf. Order looks pretty good tho.
One short reason: circle of power.
Twilight clerics get this at level 9. Very very OP spell. That previously only paladins. And quite high level (17+) at that, had access to.
Really? I thought it was because of the temp HP, free flight from Steps of Night, and the half cover from the capstone essentially providing free AC. Why is Circle of Power so OP?
Really? I thought it was because of the temp HP, free flight from Steps of Night, and the half cover from the capstone essentially providing free AC. Why is Circle of Power so OP?
The channel divinity for sure needs tweaking. But in the grand scheme. Circle of power stops more damage than you could possibly grant temp HP from the divinity. Temp HP doesn’t stack.
and the flight is a non issue. Just the same as a gloomstalker being invisible in the same setting to darkvision based sight is a non-issue.
and while the half cover sounds great. At 17th level. A +2 bump to ac doesn’t do much of anything. And half cover is less meaningful than it is at lower levels where there aren’t ways for things to get around half cover.
Seriously, just imagine a setting. Where you have advantage on all saves vs anything magical. For 10 minutes. Oh. Saved vs fireball? 0 damage. Saved vs disintegrate? 0 damage. Saved vs dragons breath? 0 damage. Etc. and each save is at advantage. Further. Majority of clerics by level 9, especially when proficient with martial weapons and heavy armor. Have war caster for the concentration saves.
Why not create a Grave digger feat. included on Grave domain ????
Can you guess how many possibilities have that feat. ????
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
Do you like the concept of a mixture of an exorcist and an undertaker, grim and sombre, always focused on the decent and secure passage of the souls of the departed to the Afterlife, and ready to annihilate anything that tries to disturb it?
Yes?
Then go for it, no matter the abilities, dice rolls and stats...
Two of the characters in my party both collect trophies from major kills.
Grave domain is about the Grave and really dead staying dead. So a Griffin was fine. I decided that orcs burn their dead so it was okay... Anything "monsters" are okay. But any race that buries their dead. Yeah. We're going to have a problem. And one of them is an ancestral barbarian. He's managed to not use it in front of me for now. That's going to likely change Saturday. Don't know how the cleric is going to deal with that.
Any opinions on that?
It is a support, but a strange one. If you are creative, you can exploit some of it's traits in ways you won't believe, Let me show you the way of the grave domain cleric:
These two features are what make the grave domain cleric so powerful. They intermix with each other in very interesting ways.
1: Damage. Let's take a look at inflict wounds. 3d10 damage on melee, good scaling, first level. Not bad. It uses attack rolls, meaning that it can crit. Now, lets consider a creature that is paralyzed. You have an instant crit. Now, lets add the vulnerability into the mix: that makes for 12d10 necrotic damage with a first level spell slot. Not only is this damage highly effective if used by you, it can be even more useful in the hands of a barbarian or paladin. That is one reason why this cleric is a good support.
2: Healing. In the circle of mortality, you heal max damage if the person you heal has less than zero hit points. While this is good for normal spells like cure wounds, it gets better. I present to you, Life Transference. You take 4d8 necrotic damage, and you heal someone else twice as much. Nice right? If the person has less than zero hit points, thats 64 health healed. Almost as good as a 6th level spell slot. BUT IT GETS EVEN BETTER. If you play clerics like a tank (note that the "tough" feat would be very helpful for the extreme play I am about to suggest. It might not be accepted by your DM. It is an interpretation of the rules), you can use your OWN CHANNEL DIVINITY ON YOURSELF. You will take 2x the amount of damage, 8d8 with a 3rd level spell slot. Ouch! But you end up healing double that. This makes for 16d8 healing maxed, or 128 damage healed with a 3rd level spell slot. That would take a dying barbarian to the top of their HP.
3: Warding. You gain the ability to cancel out critical hits at 6th level. This ability is an addition to the many abjuration spells in your arsenal.
In all, the grave domain has lots of secrets you can abuse. It is fun to roleplay, play, etc.
My only good homebrews: Races, Subclasses.
An aspiring DM and Homebrewer. Ask me if you need anything.
Yeah these abilities pair really well with "glass cannon" damage builds too. If you have a low con Paladin, Rogue, Monk, or Bladesinger Wizard you will be their best friend in the world.
Life transference doesn't roll to restore hit points, it rolls to deal necrotic damage, so circle of mortality does not max out its rolls.
What's the difference in lore and roles between the Death and Grave Domains?
Is Death explicitly evil?
Yes. Grave clerics keep people from dying before their time and hate undead. Death clerics kill people before their time and create undead. In short, grave clerics maintain and revere the line between life and death, while death clerics blur and blaspheme it. The two are opposite.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
Oh, I see now, so I'll refrain from playing Death. Is Death even a good domain? In terms of mechanics.
It's debatably OP, which is another reason it's usually restricted to NPCs. (Though not as bad as Twilight Cleric, that subclass needs a big fix before it's allowed at my table.)
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
Oh lol, I have a V.Human Twilight Cleric in reserve incase my Spores Druid dies. Why does it need to be changed? Personally I think Peace needs a nerf. Order looks pretty good tho.
One short reason: circle of power.
Twilight clerics get this at level 9. Very very OP spell. That previously only paladins. And quite high level (17+) at that, had access to.
Watch me on twitch
Really? I thought it was because of the temp HP, free flight from Steps of Night, and the half cover from the capstone essentially providing free AC. Why is Circle of Power so OP?
The channel divinity for sure needs tweaking. But in the grand scheme. Circle of power stops more damage than you could possibly grant temp HP from the divinity. Temp HP doesn’t stack.
and the flight is a non issue. Just the same as a gloomstalker being invisible in the same setting to darkvision based sight is a non-issue.
and while the half cover sounds great. At 17th level. A +2 bump to ac doesn’t do much of anything. And half cover is less meaningful than it is at lower levels where there aren’t ways for things to get around half cover.
Seriously, just imagine a setting. Where you have advantage on all saves vs anything magical. For 10 minutes. Oh. Saved vs fireball? 0 damage. Saved vs disintegrate? 0 damage. Saved vs dragons breath? 0 damage. Etc. and each save is at advantage. Further. Majority of clerics by level 9, especially when proficient with martial weapons and heavy armor. Have war caster for the concentration saves.
for level 9. Thats waaaaay powerful.
Watch me on twitch
Oh yeah, Circle of Power is amazing. It seems to be Magic Resistance + Evasion, which are both very good separately, but together. My god.