The Arcana Domain holds a special place in my heart. I played one a couple of years back and really enjoyed the character's RP. That being said, I felt the original SCAG version left something to be desired and had a few faults. I was really excited to see it return in the latest UA, and wanted to share my thoughts.
Arcane Domain Spells -Overall I am a fan of some of the changes made here. One of the main complaints I had about the 2014 spell list when playing the character was that so many of the spells granted had a costly material component, so it felt like I had to pay to play my subclass. The only spells that have a cost now are Leomunds Secret Chest and Teleportation Circle. I would maybe swap Secret Chest for something Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum to help reduce the overall spell list cost, but thats just my opinion.
Arcane Initiate - I like that you can now swap your wizard cantrips as part of level up, although I dislike that they no longer count as Cleric cantrips, as you now lose out on synergy with Potent Spellcasting. I feel like Expertise in Arcana is a little awkward, as you could have already gained proficiency in Arcana at Level 1 as part of your Divine Order. Expertise is definitely an improvement, but may still feel redundant for a Thaumaturge cleric. I also think it would be more interesting if Arcane Initiate granted you a different bonus depending on your chosen Divine Order.
Modify Magic - I'll be honest, I do not like this Channel Divinity option. I feel like at this point in 5e's development abilities that grant Temp HP or apply a penalty to an enemy's saving throw are a dime a dozen. Arcane Abjuration was not fantastic (only potentially turning a single target) but I liked the idea of basically extending a Cleric's Turn Undead to other extra planar creatures. It feels unique and also feels like a natural extension of a Cleric who studies the arcane.
Dispelling Recovery - I like that this ability was modified to allow for removal when you remove a condition, not just when you restore Hit Points. I dislike that it is now Wis mod / LR uses, but I understand that they are now balancing a free, B.A casting of a 3rd level spell rather than an ability that scales with slot level used. You now have the potential to dispel a 9th level spell effect using this ability with a 1st level healing spell. I do wish they would add something to make this ability less niche. It is basically only useful against enemy spellcasters, even less so now that alot of them have non-spell magical abilities. It would be nice if the ability could be used to end common conditions that come with alot of non-spell magical abilites - like Charmed or Frightened.
Arcane Mastery - No real additional notes here. One thing I think would be cool add on would be if this ability let you pick from Wizard spells of 5th level or lower in addition to Cleric spells for your Divine Intervention feature, but thats really not a necessary change.
As on final side note, before this UA came out I had been playing with my own version of a revision and wanted to share that here for comparison
Level 3: Arcana Domain Spells
Your connection to this divine domain ensures you always have certain spells ready. When you reach a Cleric level specified in the Arcana Domain Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
You familiarity with arcane magic bolsters the sacred role chosen as part of your Divine Order, as outline below:
Protector. You learn the Blade Ward cantrip and always have Magic Weapon prepared.
Thaumaturge. You learn one cantrip of your choice from the Wizard spell list and always have Identify prepared.
Any spells gained from this feature count as Cleric spells for you.
Level 3: Otherworldly Abjuration
You can use your divine influence to abjure magical and otherworldly creatures. Choose two of the following creature types when you gain this feature: Aberrations, Celestials, Constructs, Elementals, Fey, or Fiends. Each time you use your Turn Undead Channel Divinity you can target creatures of one of the chosen types instead of Undead.
You can choose an additional creature type for this feature when you reach 5th, 8th, 11th, and 14th level in Cleric. Each time you gain a level in Cleric, you can also replace one of the creature types chosen with another listed above. After you reach 5th level in Cleric, your Sear Undead feature also affects any creature of the types chosen for this feature.
Level 6: Dispelling Rites
When a spell you cast with a spell slot restores Hit Points to a creature, you can disrupt the flow of magic surrounding that creature in one of the following ways:
Exorcism. You can end the Charmed or Frightened condition on the creature or an effect causing it to be Possessed.
Spell Break. You can end one spell of your choice that is affecting the creature if the spell’s level is equal to or less than the level of the spell slot you used.
Level 17: Major Arcana
Choose four spells from the Wizard spell list, one from each of the following levels: 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th. The chosen spells are always prepared and count as Cleric spells for you.
Additionally, when you use your Divine Intervention feature to cast a spell of level 5 or lower, you can choose either a Cleric or Wizard spell that doesn’t require a Reaction to cast.
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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, it's imo the best out of this UA. I would play this without complaint. I've played one before with the 2014 ruleset and I enjoyed it. I really like the change with Modifiy Magic. The turning in the 2014 rules I never really used. This one will see usage.
I'm pretty pleased with the new Arcana cleric. I took played one, and enjoyed it. This is even better. I am not 100% certain it's my favorite domain, but it's certainly in consideration. I've very pleased with the changes they have made.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
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The Arcana Domain holds a special place in my heart. I played one a couple of years back and really enjoyed the character's RP. That being said, I felt the original SCAG version left something to be desired and had a few faults. I was really excited to see it return in the latest UA, and wanted to share my thoughts.
Arcane Domain Spells -Overall I am a fan of some of the changes made here. One of the main complaints I had about the 2014 spell list when playing the character was that so many of the spells granted had a costly material component, so it felt like I had to pay to play my subclass. The only spells that have a cost now are Leomunds Secret Chest and Teleportation Circle. I would maybe swap Secret Chest for something Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum to help reduce the overall spell list cost, but thats just my opinion.
Arcane Initiate - I like that you can now swap your wizard cantrips as part of level up, although I dislike that they no longer count as Cleric cantrips, as you now lose out on synergy with Potent Spellcasting. I feel like Expertise in Arcana is a little awkward, as you could have already gained proficiency in Arcana at Level 1 as part of your Divine Order. Expertise is definitely an improvement, but may still feel redundant for a Thaumaturge cleric. I also think it would be more interesting if Arcane Initiate granted you a different bonus depending on your chosen Divine Order.
Modify Magic - I'll be honest, I do not like this Channel Divinity option. I feel like at this point in 5e's development abilities that grant Temp HP or apply a penalty to an enemy's saving throw are a dime a dozen. Arcane Abjuration was not fantastic (only potentially turning a single target) but I liked the idea of basically extending a Cleric's Turn Undead to other extra planar creatures. It feels unique and also feels like a natural extension of a Cleric who studies the arcane.
Dispelling Recovery - I like that this ability was modified to allow for removal when you remove a condition, not just when you restore Hit Points. I dislike that it is now Wis mod / LR uses, but I understand that they are now balancing a free, B.A casting of a 3rd level spell rather than an ability that scales with slot level used. You now have the potential to dispel a 9th level spell effect using this ability with a 1st level healing spell. I do wish they would add something to make this ability less niche. It is basically only useful against enemy spellcasters, even less so now that alot of them have non-spell magical abilities. It would be nice if the ability could be used to end common conditions that come with alot of non-spell magical abilites - like Charmed or Frightened.
Arcane Mastery - No real additional notes here. One thing I think would be cool add on would be if this ability let you pick from Wizard spells of 5th level or lower in addition to Cleric spells for your Divine Intervention feature, but thats really not a necessary change.
As on final side note, before this UA came out I had been playing with my own version of a revision and wanted to share that here for comparison
Level 3: Arcana Domain Spells
Your connection to this divine domain ensures you always have certain spells ready. When you reach a Cleric level specified in the Arcana Domain Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
Cleric Level
Spells
3
Arcane Lock, Detect Magic, Magic Missile , Nystul’s Magic Aura
5
Dispel Magic, Magic Circle
7
Arcane Eye, Mordenkainen’s Private Sanctum
9
Bigby’s Hand, Planar Binding
Level 3: Arcane Order
You familiarity with arcane magic bolsters the sacred role chosen as part of your Divine Order, as outline below:
Protector. You learn the Blade Ward cantrip and always have Magic Weapon prepared.
Thaumaturge. You learn one cantrip of your choice from the Wizard spell list and always have Identify prepared.
Any spells gained from this feature count as Cleric spells for you.
Level 3: Otherworldly Abjuration
You can use your divine influence to abjure magical and otherworldly creatures. Choose two of the following creature types when you gain this feature: Aberrations, Celestials, Constructs, Elementals, Fey, or Fiends. Each time you use your Turn Undead Channel Divinity you can target creatures of one of the chosen types instead of Undead.
You can choose an additional creature type for this feature when you reach 5th, 8th, 11th, and 14th level in Cleric. Each time you gain a level in Cleric, you can also replace one of the creature types chosen with another listed above. After you reach 5th level in Cleric, your Sear Undead feature also affects any creature of the types chosen for this feature.
Level 6: Dispelling Rites
When a spell you cast with a spell slot restores Hit Points to a creature, you can disrupt the flow of magic surrounding that creature in one of the following ways:
Exorcism. You can end the Charmed or Frightened condition on the creature or an effect causing it to be Possessed.
Spell Break. You can end one spell of your choice that is affecting the creature if the spell’s level is equal to or less than the level of the spell slot you used.
Level 17: Major Arcana
Choose four spells from the Wizard spell list, one from each of the following levels: 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th. The chosen spells are always prepared and count as Cleric spells for you.
Additionally, when you use your Divine Intervention feature to cast a spell of level 5 or lower, you can choose either a Cleric or Wizard spell that doesn’t require a Reaction to cast.
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, it's imo the best out of this UA. I would play this without complaint. I've played one before with the 2014 ruleset and I enjoyed it. I really like the change with Modifiy Magic. The turning in the 2014 rules I never really used. This one will see usage.
I'm pretty pleased with the new Arcana cleric. I took played one, and enjoyed it. This is even better. I am not 100% certain it's my favorite domain, but it's certainly in consideration. I've very pleased with the changes they have made.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha