This is made as part of a series of threads entitled FIFY WoTC. As requested by Agilemind, I am reimagining the Nature Domain cleric. Its main Channel Divinity and the improvement of it at 17th level focuses on charming animals, which is a pretty niche feature and one that is already somewhat replicated by the spell Animal Friendship which appears as part of the domain spell list.
Here, I am taking some inspiration from the Arcana Domain, Forge Domain, and Ranger class to try and imagine more mechanically interesting and flavorful features for the Nature Domain Cleric. Let me know what you think.
Nature Domain (FIFY)
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.
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you learn two druid cantrips of your choice. These cantrips count as cleric cantrips for you, but do not count against the number of cleric cantrips you know. Whenever you gain a level in this class which would grant an Ability Score Improvement, you can replace one cantrip you gained from this feature with another cantrip from the druid spell list.
You also gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Nature, or Survival.
Bonus Proficiencies (FIFY)
Also at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor and woodcarver’s tools.
Channel Divinity: Fruit of the Land (FIFY, new feature)
Starting at 2nd level, by conducting a one minute ritual you can use your Channel Divinity to forage the natural magic which suffuses the land around you. At the end of this ritual, you and up to six creatures of your choice gain temporary hit points equal to your Cleric level + Wisdom Modifier. If you conduct this ritual in a natural environment, you and each other chosen creature gains an additional effect, depending on the type of environment you are in:
Arctic. Each creature gains resistance to cold damage.
Coast. Each creature gains a swim speed equal to its walking speed.
Desert. Each creature gains resistance to fire damage.
Forest. Each creature can take the Hide action as a bonus action, and can attempt to hide even when they are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
Grassland. The number of temporary hit points each creature receives from the ritual increases by an amount equal to half your Cleric level (rounded down).
Mountain. Each creature gains a climbing speed equal to its walking speed. They’re also acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet.
Swamp. Each creature gains resistance to poison damage and has advantage on saving throws against poison and disease
Underdark. Each creature gains darkvision out to a range of 30 feet. If you already have darkvision, it is extended by 30 feet.
This benefit lasts until the creature completes a long rest or gains temporary hit points from this feature again.
Channel Divinity: Arborian Metamorphosis (FIFY, new feature)
Starting at 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity to return objects to a more natural form. As an action, you can touch a nonmagical object and transmute it into wood. You can target an object even if it is already partially or entirely made of wood. If the object is a weapon or a piece of armor, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll or AC it offers, respectively. If such an object is worn or carried by another creature, it instead imparts a -2 penalty to each.
You may also use this feature to target a surface instead of an object. The maximum area affected by this feature is a 5-foot cube. Targeting a surface may alter any hit points or damage thresholds it has or impart some other effect, at the DMs discretion. For example, targeting a metal gate with this channel divinity may render a section of it easier to break through. Any surface targeted by this feature becomes flammable.
This transformation lasts for 1 minute, but ends early if you use this feature again.
Dampen Elements (FIFY)
Also at 6th level, when another creature within 30 feet of you takes acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage, you can use your reaction to cast Absorb Elements, expending a spell slot as normal, targeting that creature instead of yourself with the spell.
Divine Strike
At 8th 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.
Natural Divinity (FIFY, new feature)
Starting at 17th level, each of your Channel Divinity options improve to reflect your mastery over nature:
Turn Undead. Each time you use this feature, you can choose to target one of the following creature types instead of undead: beasts, monstrosities, or plants. Your Destroy Undead feature can also affect the chosen creature type depending on the targets' CR.
Fruit of the Land. Each time you use this feature, you can choose one environmental effect in addition to any gained based on the environment you use it in.
Arborian Metamorphosis. The bonus (and penalty) imparted by this feature onto weapons or armor increases to +3 (-3).
The Grassland option for Fruit of the Land is completely useless. Temporary Hit Points don't stack, and the feature already gives Temp HP by default, which means the creatures that you target have to choose between getting HP equal to half your Cleric level or equal to your Cleric level + Wisdom modifier. I would recommend a speed boost for Grassland instead, maybe just +5 feet.
Why do they get Divine Strike and heavy armor proficiency? Neither are really things that I associate with nature (or that any of the other abilities support), especially since all heavy armors are made of metal.
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Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
The Grassland option for Fruit of the Land is completely useless. Temporary Hit Points don't stack, and the feature already gives Temp HP by default, which means the creatures that you target have to choose between getting HP equal to half your Cleric level or equal to your Cleric level + Wisdom modifier. I would recommend a speed boost for Grassland instead, maybe just +5 feet.
Why do they get Divine Strike and heavy armor proficiency? Neither are really things that I associate with nature (or that any of the other abilities support), especially since all heavy armors are made of metal.
The intention for the Grassland option was for it to simply increase the amount of temp HP everyone gets rather than be an extra instance. I will try to clarify the language for this. That being said, a base speed bonus wouldnt be bad either.
Both Divine Strike and Heavy Armor proficiency come from the original iteration. I toyed with removing the heavy armor proficiency, but decided to leave it for the time being. The idea that this Cleric might want to be more Druid-like and not wear metal armor is actually one of the initial inspirations for the Arborian Metamorphosis CD.
One thing to consider is that since this Cleric gets Druid cantrips, they may want to pick up Shillelagh, which Divine Strike would work well with. I also think with the potential weapon-augmentation from the new Arborian Metamorphosis CD that Divine Strike will synergize better than say, Potent Cantrip. That being said, I could always meet in the middle and give them an ability similar to Blessed Strikes from TCoE that works with both cantrips and weapon attacks, so that regardless of what cantrips they choose from Acolyte of Nature or how they use their CD they can feel some benefit.
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Honestly I don't see the point in there being a nature-themed cleric at all, when there's the druid sitting right there
If there are nature gods and nature temples, somebody has to take care of things and preach and whatnot. Druids don't really do a whole lot of visible religion things, more quiet worshippers. That is, if you want Druids to worship gods at all, which personally I'm not a big fan of.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Honestly I don't see the point in there being a nature-themed cleric at all, when there's the druid sitting right there
If there are nature gods and nature temples, somebody has to take care of things and preach and whatnot. Druids don't really do a whole lot of visible religion things, more quiet worshippers. That is, if you want Druids to worship gods at all, which personally I'm not a big fan of.
I guess that makes sense. It just feels a little redundant. A lot of 5e's subclasses feel like that; why is there a cleric alongside a celestial warlock and a divine soul sorcerer?
Honestly I don't see the point in there being a nature-themed cleric at all, when there's the druid sitting right there
Mechanically, there is definitely some redundancy, but for this revision I did try to make things that felt unique from what other clerics or the druid could offer.
Thematically, I envision Nature Domain clerics as those that make offerings to gods and goddesses of agriculture for bountiful harvests and favorable weather. I envision Druids having an intimate relationship with "nature" itself and all the primal magics which suffuse it. If Druids seek any sort of blessings at all, it is not from a divine entity but from the land, the air, and the sea itself.
This is made as part of a series of threads entitled FIFY WoTC. As requested by Agilemind, I am reimagining the Nature Domain cleric. Its main Channel Divinity and the improvement of it at 17th level focuses on charming animals, which is a pretty niche feature and one that is already somewhat replicated by the spell Animal Friendship which appears as part of the domain spell list.
Here, I am taking some inspiration from the Arcana Domain, Forge Domain, and Ranger class to try and imagine more mechanically interesting and flavorful features for the Nature Domain Cleric. Let me know what you think.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
I like it. Just a cthings.
The Grassland option for Fruit of the Land is completely useless. Temporary Hit Points don't stack, and the feature already gives Temp HP by default, which means the creatures that you target have to choose between getting HP equal to half your Cleric level or equal to your Cleric level + Wisdom modifier. I would recommend a speed boost for Grassland instead, maybe just +5 feet.
Why do they get Divine Strike and heavy armor proficiency? Neither are really things that I associate with nature (or that any of the other abilities support), especially since all heavy armors are made of metal.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
The intention for the Grassland option was for it to simply increase the amount of temp HP everyone gets rather than be an extra instance. I will try to clarify the language for this. That being said, a base speed bonus wouldnt be bad either.
Both Divine Strike and Heavy Armor proficiency come from the original iteration. I toyed with removing the heavy armor proficiency, but decided to leave it for the time being. The idea that this Cleric might want to be more Druid-like and not wear metal armor is actually one of the initial inspirations for the Arborian Metamorphosis CD.
One thing to consider is that since this Cleric gets Druid cantrips, they may want to pick up Shillelagh, which Divine Strike would work well with. I also think with the potential weapon-augmentation from the new Arborian Metamorphosis CD that Divine Strike will synergize better than say, Potent Cantrip. That being said, I could always meet in the middle and give them an ability similar to Blessed Strikes from TCoE that works with both cantrips and weapon attacks, so that regardless of what cantrips they choose from Acolyte of Nature or how they use their CD they can feel some benefit.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Are there any other ideas or feedback for this?
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Honestly I don't see the point in there being a nature-themed cleric at all, when there's the druid sitting right there
[REDACTED]
If there are nature gods and nature temples, somebody has to take care of things and preach and whatnot. Druids don't really do a whole lot of visible religion things, more quiet worshippers. That is, if you want Druids to worship gods at all, which personally I'm not a big fan of.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
I guess that makes sense. It just feels a little redundant. A lot of 5e's subclasses feel like that; why is there a cleric alongside a celestial warlock and a divine soul sorcerer?
But anyway, thanks for the explanation.
[REDACTED]
Mechanically, there is definitely some redundancy, but for this revision I did try to make things that felt unique from what other clerics or the druid could offer.
Thematically, I envision Nature Domain clerics as those that make offerings to gods and goddesses of agriculture for bountiful harvests and favorable weather. I envision Druids having an intimate relationship with "nature" itself and all the primal magics which suffuse it. If Druids seek any sort of blessings at all, it is not from a divine entity but from the land, the air, and the sea itself.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!