Base Class: Cleric
Agriculture is not only the foundation of all societies, but the seed of civilization as a whole. Gods of the harvest bless those who tend to the farm with a healthy and plentiful crop. While overlooked by many, these gods—examples of which appear on the Harvest Deities table—are quietly worshipped by numerous farmers across the world.
Clerics of the Harvest work to ensure that people are healthy and well-fed. While many are farmers themselves, others travel to small settlements, seeding the fields, feeding the hungry, and using their magic to nurture crop growth. If forced into combat, they avoid violence, instead preferring to ensnare their foes in writhing plants.
| Example Diety | Pantheon |
|---|---|
| Arawai | Eberron |
| Berei | Greyhawk |
| Chauntea | Forgotten Realms |
| Chislev | Dragonlance |
| Merikka | Greyhawk |
| Sheela Peryroyl | Halfling |
| Yondalla | Halfling |
Domain Spells
You gain domain spells at the cleric levels listed in the Harvest Domain Spells table. See the Divine Domain class feature in the Player’s Handbook for how domain spells work.
Harvest Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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1st |
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3rd |
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5th |
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7th |
Evard’s black tentacles (appear as trees or crop stalks), grasping vine |
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9th |
Bonus Cantrips
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the druidcraft and mold earth cantrips if you don’t already know them.
Grow Crops
Also starting at 1st level, you can quickly grow plants to heal your allies and bind your enemies. As an action, you can cause thick crops to burst from the ground in a 5-foot square you can see within 30 feet of you. The area of the crops lightly obscures your allies and is difficult terrain for your enemies. The crops last for 1 minute or until you use this feature again. When you take this action, you can decide whether the crops are helpful or harmful.
If you choose helpful crops, a friendly creature standing in the area of the crops can use a bonus action to eat them, gaining temporary hit points equal to 1d4 plus half your cleric level. Once eaten, the crops can’t provide this benefit until the start of your next turn, when they regrow. The temporary hit points granted by this feature last for 1 hour.
If you choose harmful crops, any hostile creatures standing in the area of the crops when they appear must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or be restrained by crops until it leave their area. A restrained creature can use its action to make a Strength check against your spell save DC, ending the effect on itself on a success.
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: Fruits of the Harvest
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to grow a harvest of magical crops.
As an action, you present your holy symbol and grow a feast containing eight portions of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. A creature which consumes a portion of the feast over the course of 1 minute regains hit points equal to your cleric level, and its hit point maximum increases by the same amount.
The feast spoils after 24 hours or if you use this feature again.
Farmer’s Stride
Beginning at 6th level, plants grow at your feet, impeding your foes and preventing your own movement from being hindered. While you are on the ground, the ground within 10 feet of you is difficult terrain for your enemies, and the distance you are moved by effects that move you against your will is reduced by 10 feet.
In addition, you can pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.
Divine Strike
At 8th level, the nourishment of your harvests have strengthened your body. 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 damage of the same type dealt by the weapon to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Bountiful Harvest
Starting at 17th level, when a creature consumes a portion of your Fruits of the Harvest, it is cured of all diseases and poisons and gains 30 temporary hit points. While it has these temporary hit points, becomes immune to disease and poison, and has advantage on saving throws against effects that cause any of the following conditions: blinded, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, stunned, and unconscious.
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Posted Jan 31, 2022Subclass Analysis
Thematics
Thematically, this subclass’s purpose is very clear; it’s the farming subclass. It is somewhat surprising that such a subclass does not already exist; in pre-industrial societies (i.e. the majority of campaign settings), the large majority of the population is involved in farming. In more advanced societies, with farming machinery and artificial fertilizers, farmers make up a much lower, although still relevant, percentage of the population. For these reasons, a cleric domain concerning the profession seems warranted.
This subclass is mostly concerned with growth and healing, as corresponds with the growing of food. (It should be noted that other types of crops, such as those for textiles, may not fit as well thematically with this subclass, but this shouldn’t be a significant issue.)
Class Overview
This subclass excels in two major areas: healing and battlefield control. While healing is a relatively common focus of cleric subclasses, and a general capability of clerics, battlefield control is not something that the majority of clerics are capable of, with the obvious exception of spirit guardians, creating a unique niche for this class. This subclass is also completely shut down by flying monsters, so it is useful to have a backup plan for such encounters.
1st Level: Domain Spells
As previously mentioned, this subclass revolves around healing and battlefield control. This should be immediately obvious, with all but one of the spells falling into one of those categories. As with most cleric domains, there are some good spells (web, plant growth) and some poor spells (grasping vine, mass cure wounds). Judging the subclass based only on each spell in a vacuum would indicate that this is a strong domain spell list, but considering how many of the spells are redundant with each other, it is likely only moderately good. Still likely above average, compared to other cleric subclasses. Some spells, (i.e. web and Evard’s black tentacles) will need reflavoring, but this shouldn’t be an issue. Also not that all of the battlefield control spells require (or strongly encourage, in the case of web) the spell to be cast on the ground.
1st Level: Bonus Cantrips
Both of these cantrips are very clearly related to growing plants. It is worth noting that while no other classes get two cantrips, some do get a cantrip combined with another benefit in one feature, such as the Death or Grave domains. Druidcraft is purely utility, but mold earth has some situational in-combat applications.
1st Level: Cultivate Crops
This feature emphasizes the two facets of this class. Helpful crops are useful for both in-combat and out-of-combat healing. The former has the disadvantage of requiring an ally to be in a particular location. Harmful crops are useful for battlefield control, acting as a single-target entangle spell. Neither of these used are extremely strong, but the versatility and ability to be used often makes this feature moderately strong. Not that they only work on grounded creatures.
2nd Level: Channel Divinity: Fruits of the Harvest
This feature provides strong out-of-combat healing, combined with some utility. It is worth noting that one could carry part of the food, and consume it later, if needed. A weight for this food is not provided, but I would recommend 1-2 lbs. per portion. I suspect that this Channel Divinity, while not providing a great advantage when used, will be used almost every time it is available. Note that while the increase to a creature’s hit point maximum doesn’t stack, their ability to regain hit points does.
6th Level: Farmer’s Stride
The first part of this feature has obvious applications in battlefield control. Note that it synergizes particularly well with spirit guardians. Also note that this feature doesn’t work if either the cleric or their foes are flying or swimming. While the former is uncommon, the latter is fairly common, limiting the feature’s utility. That being said, when it applies, the feature is fairly strong, and works well with the class’s spells. It’s worth noting that restricting the movement of enemies is less useful if it only affects enemies near you, as this feature does. The second half of this feature isn’t as useful as it initially seems, since forced movement is very uncommon in monsters, but it is still useful nonetheless. The final benefit of this feature isn’t very useful, but does allow the cleric to move through the area of a plant growth, which can be tactically strong.
8th Level: Divine Strike
This subclass may be slightly more inclined to melee weapons, as opposed to cantrips, due to their 6th level feature. The damage type is good, unless the cleric doesn’t have a magical weapon, which is fairly likely. Regardless, this feature is mostly irrelevant, as clerics won’t be cantrips or weapons to great effect at this level, so neither of these differences matter much.
17th Level: Bountiful Harvest
An improvement to the subclass’s Channel Divinity. This feature will definitely be useful, considering the frequency with which the Channel Divinity will be used. The immunities and condition resistances are useful, but will likely not be present for long, considering the relatively small amount of temporary hit points. It is also worth noting that the temporary hit points are somewhat redundant with Cultivate Crops, and will likely free up the feature to be used more in-combat.
Recommended Builds:
This class is fairly versatile, and will work with most builds that would work for other clerics. Feats or multiclasses that provide a bonus to initiative, such as the Alert feat or the War Magic subclass, as they will allow you to control the battlefield more effectively. Also useful are spells or other abilities that cause forced movement, to maintain creatures in the affected areas. This class also works well with other characters that make attacks (i.e. martials or warlocks), since it has many ways of implementing the restrained condition. For the same reason, the freedom of movement is useful, since it allows the cleric to cast many of their spells without them affecting them or the party. For the same reason, the ring of free action is also useful.
Any feedback on this subclass is welcome!