Kelemvor's domain

[Millstone85]

It would appear that the death domain was designed for the cleric of an evil god of death and undeath. They went so far as to hide it in the DMG as a villainous option, alongside the antipaladin, which is quite the strange decision considering the PHB's school of necromancy for wizards and the SCAG's undying patron for warlocks (or any warlock patron for that matter).

Kelemvor, I hear, is a different sort of reaper. He does not consider himself an enemy of the living or the dead, while he will not tolerate the mess that is the living dead. Anyway, the (only) suggested domain for the god and his clerics is death.

How well does it refluff? Can you efficiently fight the undead as a death cleric?

I have a friend who played a cleric of Kelemvor in 4e. His character spent much of the campaign trying to lift a curse that kept a soul bound to a weapon. The cleric also made clear that he would never try to resurrect anyone, not even with a ritual that brings you back completely alive. There is a possibility my friend might want to adapt that character for 5e, but I fear it wouldn't work so well.

[Dimolyth]

Death Domain for clerics has the only one spell which will be banned for Kelemvor - animate dead. All other features are about using necrotic energy. Penetrating necrotic resistance - is a feature that allows to hurt undead with your signature spells. Chill Touch cantrip grants disadvantage to undead targets.
So, with an exception of one domain spell, death domain fits for Kelemvor cleric entirely. And even then - having the spell auto-prepared doesn`t mean using it. I would not bother to refluff it for another spell though.

[Inevitability]

I made a thread about this some time ago (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?381203-How-do-I-justify-this).

I'm going to echo the replies I got there and recommend you ask for a houserule that swaps Animate Dead for Speak With Dead for certain deities.

[Corran]

How about removing animate dead (and any similar spells), and buff a tiny bit the destroy undead ability. It is a highly situational ability (targets undead), and it is very reflective of your cleric's faith. So buffing this ability would make such clerics stand out at what they are supposed to do (ie destroy undead).

[Millstone85]

Death Domain for clerics has the only one spell which will be banned for Kelemvor - animate dead. All other features are about using necrotic energy.
So, with an exception of one domain spell, death domain fits for Kelemvor cleric entirely. And even then - having the spell auto-prepared doesn`t mean using it.You are right. I guess the only question left is if a cleric of Kelemvor would be good at fighting the undead.


Penetrating necrotic resistance - is a feature that allows to hurt undead with your signature spells.But necrotic resistance is not that widespread among the undead. Some, like ghouls, skeletons and zombies, can already be hurt by necrotic energy just fine. Others, like ghosts, mummies and wraiths, are immune to such damage. So okay, you get to insult some undead, like liches and vampires, by hurting them with necrotic energy as if they were lesser deados. It is not that thrilling.


Chill Touch cantrip grants disadvantage to undead targets.You won't be able to cast it as a cleric spell, though, so you need high charisma or intelligence in addition to wisdom. This also means that the spell doesn't ignore necrotic resistance.


I made a thread about this some time ago (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?381203-How-do-I-justify-this).Thank you for the link. I read the thread and it was interesting.


I'm going to echo the replies I got there and recommend you ask for a houserule that swaps Animate Dead for Speak With Dead for certain deities.
How about removing animate dead (and any similar spells), and buff a tiny bit the destroy undead ability. It is a highly situational ability (targets undead), and it is very reflective of your cleric's faith. So buffing this ability would make such clerics stand out at what they are supposed to do (ie destroy undead).Good ideas. But how about modifying the 1st and 6th level domain features? Reaper (variant): The character learns Chill Touch as a cleric cantrip. Inescapable Destruction (variant): Undead creatures have vulnerability to necrotic damage dealt to them by the character's cleric spells and Channel Divinity options.

[SharkForce]

you get chill touch from a cleric ability. therefore it is a cleric spell. your version uses wisdom.

[Millstone85]

you get chill touch from a cleric ability. therefore it is a cleric spell. your version uses wisdom.Similar class features in the post-errata PHB, such as the warlock's Pact of the Tome, precise that you use the spells as if they were from your class. Because the post-errata DMG made no such effort with this death cleric feature, I assumed it worked differently. But it is true that the errata might just have made a general rule more obvious.

In that case, the death domain for clerics is already very fitting as it is.

[SharkForce]

Similar class features in the post-errata PHB, such as the warlock's Pact of the Tome, precise that you use the spells as if they were from your class. Because the post-errata DMG made no such effort with this death cleric feature, I assumed it worked differently. But it is true that the errata might just have made a general rule more obvious.

In that case, the death domain for clerics is already very fitting as it is.

well, where would you be getting the ability to cast as anything BUT a cleric? you're not a sorcerer, or a wizard, or a warlock. you're a cleric. you cast spells as a cleric. you don't cast spells as a wizard or a sorcerer, because you are a cleric. you have precisely one class ability that gives you any spellcasting modifier at all, and the ability it uses is wisdom. you have no class abilities giving you intelligence or charisma as your spellcasting modifier.

if you go and read the spell, it doesn't say it is a wizard or a sorcerer spell, it just says it's a cantrip, and directs you to make a ranged spell attack. which, again, you only have *one* class ability that gives you a spell attack modifier, and it is a cleric ability and uses wisdom.

[Millstone85]

if you go and read the spell, it doesn't say it is a wizard or a sorcerer spellNo but the feature has you take the spell from a list, which does identify it as a sorcerer, wizard or warlock spell. This is why similar features bother to precise that the borrowed spell now counts as a spell of your class.


you only have *one* class ability that gives you a spell attack modifier, and it is a cleric ability and uses wisdom.Point taken.