Most clerics use well-established magics to heal their allies. However, some cleric refuse to be bought out by “big celestial”, and choose to use unconventional healing techniques, which have been dismissed by all others. Some are zealots, who wholeheartedly believe what they preach, while others use these lies to profit from the suffering of others. Deities associated with the Alternative Medicine domain are evil aligned gods of deception and misinformation, such as Cyric, Leira, or Fraz-Urb’luu, of disease, such as Talona, Yurtrus, or Zuggtmoy, or of both, such as Baalzebul.

Alternative Medicine Domain Spells

Cleric Level	Spells
1st	inflict wounds, ray of sickness
3rd	blindness/deafness, ray of enfeeblement
5th	bestow curse, stinking cloud
7th	blight, sickening radiance
9th	cloudkill, contagion

Restriction: Intelligence or Aligment

Normal people have the sense not to use Alternative Medicines. However, exceptionally dim-witted individuals may be inclined to choose this domain, as may individuals who seek to fool others for their own benefit. This domain is only available to those who have an Intelligence score of 7 or lower, or those who are evil-aligned.

Your DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign or characters.

Bonus Cantrip

When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the poison spray cantrip if you don’t already know it.

Unimmunzied

Also starting at 1st level, due to your abstinence from scientifically accepted medical treatments, you are more susceptible to disease. You has disadvantage on all saving throws to contract or recover from a disease. You also have disadvantage on saving throws or other rolls to avoid the negative effects of a disease.

Alternative Therapy

At 1st level, you gain the ability to cast some cleric spells using alternative magic techniques. You gain alternative therapy points equal to your cleric level. When you cast certain cleric spells, you can spend 1 alternative therapy point per level the spell is cast at to cast the alternative variant of the spell instead, as described in the Alternative Therapy Spells table. You regain all of your expended alternative therapy points when you finish a long rest. If you begin a long rest with any alternative therapy points remaining, when you finish the long rest, you lose hit points equal to twice the amount of remaining alternative medicine points as a consequence of using the alternative therapies on yourself during that time.

Alternative Therapy Spells

Spell	Change
spare the dying	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a living creature that is unconscious. The creature dies. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
cure wounds	Instead of regaining hit points, the target takes poison damage equal to 2d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.
detect poison and disease	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, all poisons and diseases within 30 feet cannot be recognized for the duration. If the poison or disease is hidden, it is undetectable. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.
healing word	Instead of regaining hit points, the target takes poison damage equal to 3d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 1st.
purify food and drink	Instead of being purified and rendered free of poison and disease, the food becomes poisoned. Any creature that consumes it becomes poisoned for 24 hours.
aid	Instead of increasing current and maximum hit points, each target takes 5 poison damage, and its hit point maximum decreases by 5, to a minimum of 1, for the duration. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage and hit point maximum reduction increase by 5 for each slot level above 2nd.
gentle repose	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a corpse or other remains. The target decays, and cannot be raised from the dead by any means except the wish spell for the duration.
lesser restoration	Instead of curing a disease or condition, the target is either blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned (your choice) until the end of your next turn.
protection from poison	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a creature. For the duration, the target has disadvantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and becomes vulnerable to poison damage.
prayer of healing	Instead of regaining hit points, the targets take poison damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 2nd. The spell’s casting time change to 1 action when cast in this way.
aura of vitality	Instead of regaining hit points, the creature takes 2d6 poison damage.
life transference	Instead of regaining hit points, the creature takes poison damage equal to twice the necrotic damage you take. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage you take increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.
mass healing word	Instead of regaining hit points, the targets take poison damage equal to 3d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 3rd.
revivify	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a creature. If the creature you choose has 30 hit points or fewer, it dies. Otherwise, the spell has no effect. If you cast this spell this way, the material component is not consumed.
aura of life	Instead of affecting non-hostile creature, the spell effects hostile creatures. Each hostile creature in the aura that is not immune or resistant to poison damage has vulnerability to poison damage. In addition, a hostile creature making death saving throws automatically fails one saving throw.
aura of vitality	Instead of affecting non-hostile creature, the spell effects hostile creatures. Each hostile creature in the aura loses resistance to poison damage, and has disadvantage on saving throws against effects that cause any of the following conditions: blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, and stunned.
death ward	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a creature. The first time the target would drop to 0 hit points, it instantly dies, even if it has traits or other effects that would normally allow it to survive, such as the boar’s Relentless trait.
greater restoration	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a creature. It gains one level of exhaustion, and suffers one of the following effects. The target is charmed or petrified until the end of your next turn. One of the target’s ability scores decreases by 10 for until the end of your next turn, to a minimum of 1. The target’s hit point maximum decreases by 50, to a minimum of 1, for 1 minute. If you cast this spell this way, the material component is not consumed.
mass cure wounds	Instead of regaining hit points, the targets take poison damage equal to 5d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 5th.
raise dead	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a creature. If the creature you choose has 60 hit points or fewer, it dies. Otherwise, the spell has no effect. If you cast this spell this way, the material component is not consumed, and the spell’s casting time change to 1 action.
heal	Instead of the spell’s normal effect, choose a creature that you can see within range. The target takes 35 points of poison damage, and becomes blinded and deafened until the end of your next turn. This spell has no effect on constructs or undead. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the damage increases by 5 for each slot level above 6th.
heroes’ feast	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you poison one store of food in range. Any creature that consumes the food has the suffers effects 1 hour after they complete their meal. The creature becomes poisoned and makes all Wisdom saving throws with disadvantage. Its hit point maximum also decreases by 2d10, to a minimum of 1. These effects last for 24 hours.
regenerate	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a creature. The target takes 4d8 + 15 poison damage. For the duration of the spell, the target takes 1 point of poison damage at the end of each of its turns (10 points each minute).
resurrection	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a creature. If the creature you choose has 90 hit points or fewer, it dies. Otherwise, the spell has no effect. If you cast this spell this way, the material component is not consumed.
mass heal	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you deal up to 100 points of poison damage, divided as you choose among any number of creatures that you can see within range. Creatures damaged by this spell become blinded and deafened until the end of your next turn. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
power word heal	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, the target regains takes 50 poison damage. Creature becomes charmed, frightened, paralyzed, and stunned until the end of your next turn and is knocked prone. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
true resurrection	Instead of the spell’s normal effects, you touch a creature. If the creature you choose has 120 hit points or fewer, it dies. Otherwise, the spell has no effect. If you cast this spell this way, the material component is not consumed. The spell’s casting time change to 1 action when cast in this way

Additionally, whenever you finish a long rest, you can prepare one of the following alternative techniques to heal or protect yourself or others.

• Crystal Healing. You infuse a crystal worth at least 10 gp with healing energy. As an action, a creature can focus on the healing energy from the crystal, healing 0 hit points.
• Homeopathy. You create an extremely dilute solution of a poison worth at least 10 gp. As an action, a creature can drink the solution, and does not gain immunity to the poison.
• Herbal Remedy. You spend 10 gp to grow a special herb. As an action, a creature eat the herb, and gain 0 temporary hit points.

Channel Divinity: Plague

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to infect others with a horrid disease.

As an action, choose one creature within 30 feet of you that is not an undead or construct. This creature succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your cleric spell save DC or become poisoned suffer one of the following effects:

• Agonizing Disease: At the beginning of each of their turns, or every hour out of combat, the target must roll a d4. On a 1, the target is overcome with pain, and becomes incapacitated until the beginning of their next turn.
• Consumptive Disease: At the beginning of each of their turns, or every hour out of combat, the target must roll a d6. On a 1, the target gains one level of exhaustion.
• Deadly Disease: At the beginning of each of their turns, or every hour out of combat, the target must roll a 2d20. On a 2, 3, or 4, the target dies.
• Debilitating Disease: At the beginning of each of their turns, or every hour out of combat, the target must roll a d4. On a 1, the target's Constitution score decreases by 1. The target dies if this reduces its Constitution to 0.
• Paralytic Disease: At the beginning of each of their turns, or every hour out of combat, the target must roll a d8. On a 1, the target becomes paralyzed until the beginning of their next turn.
• Psychotic Disease: At the beginning of each of their turns, or every hour out of combat, the target must roll a d6. On a 1, the target acts as if under the effects of the enemies abound spell until the beginning of their next turn.

The first time a creatures enters within 15 feet of a creature with a disease, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your cleric spell save DC. On failure, it becomes poisoned and contracts the disease.

Every 24 hours, a creature with the disease can repeat its saving throw against this effect. If it succeeds on its saving throw, the effects ends. If a creature succeeds on a saving throw against this effect, it it cannot contract any disease that originated from this use of Plague.

Detoxification

Beginning at 6th level, you gain the power to “detox” other creatures. Creatures that are immune to poison damage are now resistant to poison damage dealt by you. (Spells or other effects that ignore poison resistance can be be applied in conjunction with this feature.) Additionally, you ignore immunity to the poisoned condition.

Aromatic Strike

At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with essential oils. 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 poison damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Master Quack

Starting at 17th level, your mastery of naturopathy reaches its peak, allowing you to emit an aura of death and sickness. Creatures within 60 feet you suffer the following effect, provided they are not behind total cover:

• Hostile creatures in the area can’t regain hit points.
• Hostile creatures in the area take the maximum possible damage from any poison damage rolls.
• Hostile creatures that die within the area can’t be raised from death by any means except the wish spell, and spells of your choice that raise dead automatically fail within the area.
• The first time on each turn a friendly creature in the area hits another creature with an attack, that creature take an extra 25 poison damage.