Gods of the time domain might include gods who have dominion over the flow of time, destiny or fate, the sun and moon, or the passing of the seasons.
Time Domain Spells
Cleric Level
Spells
1st
Expeditious Retreat, Feather Fall
3rd
Gentle Repose, Hold Person
5th
Slow, Haste
7th
Divination, Freedom of Movement
9th
Hold Monster, Modify Memory
Timeless
The temporal magic you that you wield causes you to age more slowly. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.
Glimpse of the Future
Starting at 1st level, you can give someone a brief glimpse of the future. As a bonus action, you can grant a creature within 30ft that you can see advantage on its next attack roll or saving throw (your choice). This benefit lasts for 3 rounds. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Channel Divinity: Temporal Echo
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to revert the consequences of time passage.
As an action, you present your holy symbol, creating an invisible echo of yourself (that you can see) in the position where you started the turn. This echo lasts for 1 minute, and at the start of every round, it moves up to your position. While the copy exists, you can use your reaction to instantly teleport to it, ending the effect. You return to the hit points and conditions you were under at the beginning of your turn. You also regain spell slots expended during this round. If you spent spell slots over 4th level, you get a 4th level spell slot instead.
Clockspinner
Starting at 6th level you are able to exercise a small amount of control over time. You may add your Wisdom modifier to your initiative rolls. You can also act during a surprise round of combat, although you will act last during it. After the surprise round, you return to your regular place within the initiative order.
Extra Attack
At 8th level, you gain the ability to make your weapon strikes with supernatural speed. When you take the attack action you make an additional attack. When you reach 14th level, you can make two additional attacks.
Timeline Master
Starting at 17th level, you add Time Stop to your cleric spell list, and you can prepare it like any other spell. Additionally, you can now cast spells up to level 3 or use your channel divinity as a bonus action (Temporal Echo now can restore up to 7th level spell slots).
Ok, so I've come up with this idea for a time domain for clerics. What do you all think? I've tried to keep the classic base ideas for various levels (level 8 is melee damage for most clerics, level 1 ability is usable WIS times/day etc), while keeping it pretty balanced. The main thing for this is its Channel Divinity feature, which is kind of inspired by the Doctor Strange movies/comics from Marvel.
I like the Channel Divinity, however, I worry, as you do, it maybe too powerful. Instead of resetting to HP and spell slots one minute before hand, perhaps you regain spell slots equal to half your cleric level, like the wizard's Arcane Recovery, and you regain hit points equal to half your cleric level in d8s. I also like the idea that it is a concentration effect and if it ends, you go back to that state, or give it a set range. I.e. "if you move more than 60 ft away from it, the temporal echo is lost".
For Timeline Master, instead of having Channel Divinity be a bonus action, consider casting spells of 3rd level or lower as a bonus action.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Instead of resetting to HP and spell slots one minute before hand, perhaps you regain spell slots equal to half your cleric level, like the wizard's Arcane Recovery, and you regain hit points equal to half your cleric level in d8s.
I like the Channel Divinity, however, I worry, as you do, it maybe too powerful. Instead of resetting to HP and spell slots one minute before hand, perhaps you regain spell slots equal to half your cleric level, like the wizard's Arcane Recovery, and you regain hit points equal to half your cleric level in d8s.
Mmmm it was not clear enough, maybe: you reset to the start of your turn. Not to 1 minute earlier. It's just that once u create the echo, it lasts for 1 minute (so if u never reset for the minute, you lost the use). So, basically it heals and gives u back the hp/spells you used that round. So, it's maximum 2 spells (if you happened to cast a spell as a reaction), but normally u just regain 1 spell slot you just spent, +the hp you lost this round. So, if u consider a fight lasting 5 rounds, you will regain about 20% of ur hp on average, which is ok. The main thing is, if the enemy decides to focus you, you can essentially negate one round of focus fire.
Edit: It doesn't need a whole lot of changes, I just didn't read it fully. Instead of the echo moving at the end of your turn, it would be easier for players and their DMs if the echo moved at the start of your turn.
Edit 2: Also consider replacing "You go back to the condition you were at the start of your turn, effectively healing the damage you took, removing any condition you received and getting back any spell slot you spent during this turn." with "You return to the hit points and conditions you were under at the beginning of your turn. You also regain spell slots expended during this round."
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Yeah I like it! The main problem was whether or not the explanation was well done, your version seems clearer! I also like the idea of moving it at the start of the turn :)
For Timeline Master, instead of having Channel Divinity be a bonus action, consider casting spells of 3rd level or lower as a bonus action.
Edit: also, I was wondering, do u think i could do both? Or maybe getting that instead of having Time Stop? Another idea was, instead of adding Time Stop to their list, letting them cast it once without expending a spell slot? I kind of feel as it is, the lvl 17 ability is kind of weak compared to the other domains
Instead of the 17th-level feature adding time stop to the cleric spell list for you, time stop and three other spells, one each of 6th, 7th, and 8th level, should be on your list of domain spells.
Edit: Actually, foresight needs to be a domain spell too, so make it two each of 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-level spells.
I know I'm incredibly late but I just wanna say I love this domain so much! Probably my favorite of all now. But I wanted to pitch a small idea. add Foresight & Time Stop as spells you can prepare like other spells but remove the 3rd lvl bonus action stuff. I think it may be to powerful then but if not then keep it in there. Foresight just screams time stuff and it's a shame to leave it out. Else, I love the domain. Probably a little too good at 14th lvl with 3 attacks (4 if dual wielding) but hey. Wizards exist.
I too have been tinkering with time magic, but have shelved the idea indefinitely. The big problems with time magic in D&D have always been about how to keep track of the past. Abilities which require a character (or multiple characters) to keep track of their status over multiple rounds slow the game to a crawl. I like your Channel Divinity option precisely because it puts a limit on the amount of status tracking. I would still caution that a player could potentially be distracted from an encounter by trying to record status, spell slot, HP, and other sorts of changes round-by-round while using this ability. Whatever changes you make to this ability, I would strongly caution against altering it to affect other players or monsters due to the burden it places on other players and the DM.
I too would be wary of granting two extra attacks, let alone one. The war domain cleric, for instance, can effectively attack twoice by using a bonus action, and only a limited number of times per long rest. Virtually every other cleric subclass grants either the Divine Strike or Potent Spellcasting abilities at 8th level. You may want to consider these but it's up to you.
One other suggestion: consider adding to the 1st-level ability some resistance against magical aging. Magical aging is a relatively uncommon monster ability (see the ghost), but it screams of something that a time magician would be able to avoid.
Edit: Actually, foresight needs to be a domain spell too, so make it two each of 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-level spells.
I would caution against this much of a change. The 17th-level arcane domain ability grants one spell each of levels 6-9. It would be quite a bit more powerful to give two of each, even if the 9th-level spells are locked down. If need be, grant access to both Time Stop and Foresight as domain spells, but no more.
TIME DOMAIN
Gods of the time domain might include gods who have dominion over the flow of time, destiny or fate, the sun and moon, or the passing of the seasons.
Time Domain Spells
Cleric Level
Spells
1st
Expeditious Retreat, Feather Fall
3rd
Gentle Repose, Hold Person
5th
Slow, Haste
7th
Divination, Freedom of Movement
9th
Hold Monster, Modify Memory
Timeless
The temporal magic you that you wield causes you to age more slowly. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.
Glimpse of the Future
Starting at 1st level, you can give someone a brief glimpse of the future. As a bonus action, you can grant a creature within 30ft that you can see advantage on its next attack roll or saving throw (your choice). This benefit lasts for 3 rounds. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Channel Divinity: Temporal Echo
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to revert the consequences of time passage.
As an action, you present your holy symbol, creating an invisible echo of yourself (that you can see) in the position where you started the turn. This echo lasts for 1 minute, and at the start of every round, it moves up to your position. While the copy exists, you can use your reaction to instantly teleport to it, ending the effect. You return to the hit points and conditions you were under at the beginning of your turn. You also regain spell slots expended during this round. If you spent spell slots over 4th level, you get a 4th level spell slot instead.
Clockspinner
Starting at 6th level you are able to exercise a small amount of control over time. You may add your Wisdom modifier to your initiative rolls. You can also act during a surprise round of combat, although you will act last during it. After the surprise round, you return to your regular place within the initiative order.
Extra Attack
At 8th level, you gain the ability to make your weapon strikes with supernatural speed. When you take the attack action you make an additional attack. When you reach 14th level, you can make two additional attacks.
Timeline Master
Starting at 17th level, you add Time Stop to your cleric spell list, and you can prepare it like any other spell. Additionally, you can now cast spells up to level 3 or use your channel divinity as a bonus action (Temporal Echo now can restore up to 7th level spell slots).
Ok, so I've come up with this idea for a time domain for clerics. What do you all think? I've tried to keep the classic base ideas for various levels (level 8 is melee damage for most clerics, level 1 ability is usable WIS times/day etc), while keeping it pretty balanced. The main thing for this is its Channel Divinity feature, which is kind of inspired by the Doctor Strange movies/comics from Marvel.
Edit: followed @Astromancer 's suggestion
I like the Channel Divinity, however, I worry, as you do, it maybe too powerful. Instead of resetting to HP and spell slots one minute before hand, perhaps you regain spell slots equal to half your cleric level, like the wizard's Arcane Recovery, and you regain hit points equal to half your cleric level in d8s. I also like the idea that it is a concentration effect and if it ends, you go back to that state, or give it a set range. I.e. "if you move more than 60 ft away from it, the temporal echo is lost".
For Timeline Master, instead of having Channel Divinity be a bonus action, consider casting spells of 3rd level or lower as a bonus action.
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Instead of resetting to HP and spell slots one minute before hand, perhaps you regain spell slots equal to half your cleric level, like the wizard's Arcane Recovery, and you regain hit points equal to half your cleric level in d8s.
This definitely needs to be made clearer.Edit: It doesn't need a whole lot of changes, I just didn't read it fully. Instead of the echo moving at the end of your turn, it would be easier for players and their DMs if the echo moved at the start of your turn.
Edit 2: Also consider replacing "You go back to the condition you were at the start of your turn, effectively healing the damage you took, removing any condition you received and getting back any spell slot you spent during this turn." with "You return to the hit points and conditions you were under at the beginning of your turn. You also regain spell slots expended during this round."
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Yeah I like it! The main problem was whether or not the explanation was well done, your version seems clearer! I also like the idea of moving it at the start of the turn :)
Those Extra Attacks worry me.
Instead of the 17th-level feature adding time stop to the cleric spell list for you, time stop and three other spells, one each of 6th, 7th, and 8th level, should be on your list of domain spells.
Edit: Actually, foresight needs to be a domain spell too, so make it two each of 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-level spells.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
I know I'm incredibly late but I just wanna say I love this domain so much! Probably my favorite of all now. But I wanted to pitch a small idea.
add Foresight & Time Stop as spells you can prepare like other spells but remove the 3rd lvl bonus action stuff. I think it may be to powerful then but if not then keep it in there.
Foresight just screams time stuff and it's a shame to leave it out. Else, I love the domain. Probably a little too good at 14th lvl with 3 attacks (4 if dual wielding) but hey. Wizards exist.
I too have been tinkering with time magic, but have shelved the idea indefinitely. The big problems with time magic in D&D have always been about how to keep track of the past. Abilities which require a character (or multiple characters) to keep track of their status over multiple rounds slow the game to a crawl. I like your Channel Divinity option precisely because it puts a limit on the amount of status tracking. I would still caution that a player could potentially be distracted from an encounter by trying to record status, spell slot, HP, and other sorts of changes round-by-round while using this ability. Whatever changes you make to this ability, I would strongly caution against altering it to affect other players or monsters due to the burden it places on other players and the DM.
I too would be wary of granting two extra attacks, let alone one. The war domain cleric, for instance, can effectively attack twoice by using a bonus action, and only a limited number of times per long rest. Virtually every other cleric subclass grants either the Divine Strike or Potent Spellcasting abilities at 8th level. You may want to consider these but it's up to you.
One other suggestion: consider adding to the 1st-level ability some resistance against magical aging. Magical aging is a relatively uncommon monster ability (see the ghost), but it screams of something that a time magician would be able to avoid.
I would caution against this much of a change. The 17th-level arcane domain ability grants one spell each of levels 6-9. It would be quite a bit more powerful to give two of each, even if the 9th-level spells are locked down. If need be, grant access to both Time Stop and Foresight as domain spells, but no more.
This is so overpowered. The extra attack alone is op, but so is the Channel Divinity.