Domain-Only Casting -- What Happens to the Cleric?

[wayfare]

Hey All:

A buddy was tossing around the idea of playing a caster who's spell list is entirely based off of domains. Otherwise, its a normal cleric. What Tier would this guy fall into if I allowed 4 domains for the spell list?

[CyberThread]

I would say....tier 2 or tier 3 depends on what domains they pick and if tehy really want those spells. If they get all the spells they would want anyways, they would be above a favored soul or sejuna ((some fancy casting class name)).


As you would still have more spell choice ,a nd just about the same spells per day for casting.

[Amnestic]

4 Spells/Spell Level...

But they still get their other class features (DMM PERSIST GO) and there's a fair few really tasty domains (Trickery!).

Probably Tier 3, possibly T2 with the right domain picks.

[Eldan]

Quite a bit more limited. Probably a T3. I mean, even T3 has the chance to become seriously borked with some optimization. If a Beguiler is T3, so is this.

As a side-effect, extra domains just became a lot more valuable.

[Eslin]

Spontaneous or prepared?

The class is tier 2, potential game breaking but limited options.

[Flickerdart]

The Divine Crusader PrC and Ardent are basically already this. It can be a little limiting, especially since many domains/mantles include spells that are just better versions of what you already have. A built-in feature to get more domains would make the user a solid T3.

[Cog]

Many domains have strong granted powers. You might want to spread those out, giving the new class only two domains at first level, and acquiring additional ones later, kind of like the Ardent's mantles are spaced. Alternatively, they could get the spell list of all their domains right at the start, but get the domain abilities spaced out a little to keep the class from being too front-loaded.

[Namfuak]

I'd probably say it's a tier 2 by literal definition, because you can still get access to game-breaking things, but more likely it would be a tier 3 if the person wasn't intentionally trying to get those game-breaking things. Granted, I think it could very quickly slip to tier 4 or 5 if the person building it was not smart with his domain choices.

Of course, by using cloistered cleric, extra domain, and all the prestige classes that grant domains this cleric could possibly drag himself back into tier 1, or at least more solid tier 2.

[Big Fau]

Looking at the Core-only domains, I can say it would have problems at the lower levels (very few options). However, it would be far easier to create balanced domains than it would be to rebalance the Cleric's entire spell list.


If restricted to Core or Core+SC, the Domain-only Cleric would be a low/mid Tier 2.

[wayfare]

Many domains have strong granted powers. You might want to spread those out, giving the new class only two domains at first level, and acquiring additional ones later, kind of like the Ardent's mantles are spaced. Alternatively, they could get the spell list of all their domains right at the start, but get the domain abilities spaced out a little to keep the class from being too front-loaded.

Yeah, i was figuring domain abilities at 1, 5, 10, 15, prepared casting.

Would this be any more/less powerful if Favored Soul abilities replaced the cleric abilities?

[Fouredged Sword]

Favored soul has horrid abilities, so less power.

I would do the following.

Gets 2 domains at level 1
Gets an extra domain at level 5, 10, 15, and 20

Acts as a spontaneous caster who uses the domain spells as spells known.
Sorcerer spell slot progression.

Cleric class features. Turn undead is replaced with the Channel energy PF cleric feature (to assist in party healing with clerics who don't have healing spells)

Optional ACF - Domain focus.
Available at level 1, 5, 10, 15, 20
Class feature lost - You don't gain a domain at this level (you get 1 at 1st, zero at all others)
Gained - Pick a domain, your CL for all spells from this domain is three higher. You count as three higher level for your domain power from this domain. You can use the domain spells as a SLA's once per day each, but only if you have a spell slot high enough to cast the spell.

Substitute domain is not a spell.

[GreenSerpent]

I'm actually going to use this for my sorta-fix of Core. Now to think of ideas like this for Sorceror, Druid, Wizard and Cleric... *hmms*

(Spirit Shaman and Favoured Soul will be along similar lines)

[Pesimismrocks]

I would like to point out here is already a cleric variant called the evangelit that gets a bonus domain at every 5 levels instead of turn undead. It seems to me that your just removing the cleric additional spell casting instead. I'd make it have an extra domain at every 3 levels. Not much of a change but just a little more versatility.
As for tier, it cries hugely on domain. An animal, good, law, war one would be tier 4 while a time fate undead summoner one would be tier 2

[HunterOfJello]

Low Tier 2 - Tier 4 depending on the domains chosen. At low levels it'll be harder to get higher in the tiers and at high levels it'll get easier (many of the best spells in the game are in cleric domains).