After playing this domain over a year, and comparing its features to others, here are some tweaks I'm suggesting. No changes to the domain spells, because those were already its strongest point, and I think they compliment the "feel" or "story" of this domain very well.
I also think the strength of this domain comes from its versatility. They can have a roguish lean to them if you want to play up more of a thief archetype, and have the potential to be great in social/out of combat situations if you want to play up more of a "party face" type of character.
I compared Trickery against Knowledge domain, and the unearthed arcana Twilight domain. Both had two or more special features at level 1, and neither required concentration for their extra use of Channel Divinity at level 2. My thought process is that if Knowledge can give itself proficiency with a skill or tool for ten minutes and not concentrate, and if Twilight can move around its sanctuary sphere without concentrating, then I think it's fair to remove concentration from Invoke Duplicity.
I also added some extra benefits to Improved Duplicity. I figure that Greater Invisibility is a 4th level spell, and wouldn't be too powerful to apply to a 17th level character's subclass capstone, especially since it only lasts until the end of that character's next round.
I'd love to hear your feedback!
Bonus Proficiencies
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you become proficient in your choice of two of the following skills: Deception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth.
Instead of one or two of the bonus skills, you may choose proficiency with one or two of the following tools: Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit, Gaming Set, Poisoner’s Kit, or Thieves’ Tools.
Blessing of the Trickster
Starting when you choose this domain at 1st level, you can use your action to touch a willing creature, including yourself, to give it advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. This blessing lasts for 1 hour or until you use this feature again.
Channel Divinity: Invoke Duplicity
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to create an illusory duplicate of yourself.
As an action, you create a perfect illusion of yourself that lasts for 1 minute (or until you are incapacitated or die). 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 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity to vanish.
As an action, you become invisible until the end of your next turn. You become visible if you attack or cast a spell.
Divine Strike
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy — 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 psychic damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
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. As a reaction, you can trade places with one of your duplicates.
Additionally, when you use Cloak of Shadows, the invisibility is not ended by attacking or casting a spell, as though you are under the effect of thegreater invisibility spell.
Thank you! It's my first time tweaking a subclass. I figure that if a person sticks with a class that long then their high-level features should be worth sticking around for. Aside from any racial features or taking feats instead of ASIs, there aren't many options for clerics to do anything with their reactions in general, aside from a few domains that have some features (Light and War come to mind).
I debated between making the swap a bonus action or reaction, and opted for reaction. Aside from not having a lot to do with our reactions, I think it's a nice way to potentially give us some ways to avoid taking damage, and makes having our Invoke Duplicity up more valuable. RAW, Invoke Duplicity eats up a lot of resources by taking our concentration just to have it going, and our bonus action to move it. Not many people are going to be interested in using ID as-written when they could be using Bless, or Spirit Guardians, or Spiritual Weapon, right? And that's just as lower levels.
I thought thematically it has a nice feel to it, like, "haha, you thought you were going to hit me with that weapon attack, or catch me in that area of effect!"
I also considered giving Minor Illusion at level 1, but thought that the extra skills or tools made up for it.
After playing this domain over a year, and comparing its features to others, here are some tweaks I'm suggesting. No changes to the domain spells, because those were already its strongest point, and I think they compliment the "feel" or "story" of this domain very well.
I also think the strength of this domain comes from its versatility. They can have a roguish lean to them if you want to play up more of a thief archetype, and have the potential to be great in social/out of combat situations if you want to play up more of a "party face" type of character.
I compared Trickery against Knowledge domain, and the unearthed arcana Twilight domain. Both had two or more special features at level 1, and neither required concentration for their extra use of Channel Divinity at level 2. My thought process is that if Knowledge can give itself proficiency with a skill or tool for ten minutes and not concentrate, and if Twilight can move around its sanctuary sphere without concentrating, then I think it's fair to remove concentration from Invoke Duplicity.
I also added some extra benefits to Improved Duplicity. I figure that Greater Invisibility is a 4th level spell, and wouldn't be too powerful to apply to a 17th level character's subclass capstone, especially since it only lasts until the end of that character's next round.
I'd love to hear your feedback!
Bonus Proficiencies
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you become proficient in your choice of two of the following skills: Deception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth.
Instead of one or two of the bonus skills, you may choose proficiency with one or two of the following tools: Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit, Gaming Set, Poisoner’s Kit, or Thieves’ Tools.
Blessing of the Trickster
Starting when you choose this domain at 1st level, you can use your action to touch a willing creature, including yourself, to give it advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. This blessing lasts for 1 hour or until you use this feature again.
Channel Divinity: Invoke Duplicity
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to create an illusory duplicate of yourself.
As an action, you create a perfect illusion of yourself that lasts for 1 minute (or until you are incapacitated or die). 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 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity to vanish.
As an action, you become invisible until the end of your next turn. You become visible if you attack or cast a spell.
Divine Strike
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy — 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 psychic damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
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. As a reaction, you can trade places with one of your duplicates.
Additionally, when you use Cloak of Shadows, the invisibility is not ended by attacking or casting a spell, as though you are under the effect of the greater invisibility spell.
Your Improved Duplicity update leans hard into the Loki feel. I love it.
Partway through the quest for absolute truth.
Thank you! It's my first time tweaking a subclass. I figure that if a person sticks with a class that long then their high-level features should be worth sticking around for. Aside from any racial features or taking feats instead of ASIs, there aren't many options for clerics to do anything with their reactions in general, aside from a few domains that have some features (Light and War come to mind).
I debated between making the swap a bonus action or reaction, and opted for reaction. Aside from not having a lot to do with our reactions, I think it's a nice way to potentially give us some ways to avoid taking damage, and makes having our Invoke Duplicity up more valuable. RAW, Invoke Duplicity eats up a lot of resources by taking our concentration just to have it going, and our bonus action to move it. Not many people are going to be interested in using ID as-written when they could be using Bless, or Spirit Guardians,
or Spiritual Weapon, right? And that's just as lower levels.I thought thematically it has a nice feel to it, like, "haha, you thought you were going to hit me with that weapon attack, or catch me in that area of effect!"
I also considered giving Minor Illusion at level 1, but thought that the extra skills or tools made up for it.
I'm glad you like it!
I do like your changes, but it's important to note that Spiritual Weapon does not require concentration.
Removing concentration from Invoke Duplicity is such an important change, though.
Oh right, derp. I forget what I was thinking of when I mentioned "spiritual weapon."