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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Quick check of a cleric domain



MrStabby
2017-02-25, 02:56 PM
I am wanting to play a cleric of a sea god in an upcoming game but really wanted a god of the depths rather than the storms on the surface so wanted to skip the tempest domain (also I had played one before). The themes I wanted were tentacle monsters from the deep and a sense of the deep cold of the sunless trenches under the sea.

I was going to pitch the following to the DM but thought I would share to see if anyone would think it inappropriate or had any improvements to offer.

Level 1
You gain proficiency with heavy armour and martial weapons.

Also at level 1 You may breath underwater and you gain a swim speed equal to your movement speed. You gain darkvision to 30ft unless you already have darkvision. If you do, the radius of your darkvision is increased by 30 ft.


Level 2
Channel divinity
Draw on the depths: As a reaction, when a creature within 30ft of you would take damage, you may expend a use of your channel divinity to give that creature immunity to fire and radiant damage until the end of your next turn (I made it immunity rather than resistance like nature clerics dampen elements as it used up a limited resource and it is a much narrower range of damage it helps against)

Level 6
Grasping Touch
Whenever you hit an enemy with a melee weapon attack you may have that enemy make a strength saving throw (DC is 8+proficiency modifier + strength modifier) or become grappled. (yeah, more tentacle theme)

Level 8
Divine Strike
Bonus d8 cold damage rising to 2d8 at level 14

Level 17
Whenever you would deal cold damage you may add your wisdom modifier to the damage dealt. (somewhat unimaginative, but then i doubt the campaign will get this far)



Domain Spells
Level 1
Speak with animals, Armor of Agathys

Level 2
Hold Person, Darkness

Level 3
Hunger of Hadar, Water Breathing

Level 4
Evard's Black Tentacles (so I like tentacles), Polymorph (worried about this one a bit as it is a great spell not already on the cleric list - but light gets fireball, trickery also gets polymorph... I tell myself it's ok)

Level 5
Hold Monster, Maelstrom (from elemental evil)

TinyBlooper
2017-02-25, 06:01 PM
Overall, it looks fine to me. Here's my breakdown:

Level 1 - Balance-wise, this seems fine, though I'm not sure how heavy armor and martial weapons fit in with the sea god theme. Maybe change that to reduced/removed penalties for fighting underwater?

Level 2 - Immunity to fire and cold seems a little more in line with the lore, but it seems balanced enough.

Level 6 - If they fail the save, are you grappling the target, or is it being magically grappled and you can go off and do other things? The latter seems very powerful for an at-will ability.

Level 8 - Standard, all good here.

Level 17 - This seems pretty weak compared to the other cleric domains. Life gets maxed healing, light gives everyone disadvantage on saves against fire and radiant, tempest lets you fly, etc. Maybe change it to something like this:
Crushing Depths: Those who dare strike at [name of god]'s chosen will be crushed by the ocean's weight. Whenever a creature hits you with a melee attack, they must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, they take 1d8 bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone.

Domain Spells - I'm not great with spell balance, so I won't comment on these. They look fine at a glance, though.

Ziegander
2017-02-25, 06:28 PM
Instead of heavy armor and martial weapons, how about something similar to the Mariner fighting style? Maybe +1 to AC while you wear light or no armor, the swim speed, and advantage on checks and saving throws to resist being grappled or restrained.

Oh, and yeah, I don't know how or why the sea would grant immunity to radiant, change that to cold instead.

Spell list is begging for Control Water.

Otherwise, yeah, I really dig this.


Crushing Depths: Those who dare strike at [name of god]'s chosen will be crushed by the ocean's weight. Whenever a creature hits you with a melee attack, they must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, they take 1d8 bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone.

Or, "whenever you deal cold damage to a creature you may spend your bonus action to deal additional bludgeoning damage equal to 1d8 plus your Wisdom modifier. If you do, that creature must succeed at a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC or be knocked prone." Just a different take.

MrStabby
2017-02-25, 06:29 PM
Overall, it looks fine to me. Here's my breakdown:

Level 1 - Balance-wise, this seems fine, though I'm not sure how heavy armor and martial weapons fit in with the sea god theme. Maybe change that to reduced/removed penalties for fighting underwater?

My take was that if a cleric domain got a weapon damage boost then it got at least one of martial weapon or heavy armour proficiency. As the other abilities were situational I gave it both.

The swim speed already eliminates many of the penalties for fighting underwater.




Level 2 - Immunity to fire and cold seems a little more in line with the lore, but it seems balanced enough.

Level 6 - If they fail the save, are you grappling the target, or is it being magically grappled and you can go off and do other things? The latter seems very powerful for an at-will ability.

Yeah the immunity from fire and cold seemed right, but some of the other features were above average in my estimation so I narrowed the damage types a little.

For the grapples - yeah you have to grapple them still, although I might see if the free hand condition could be waived.




Level 8 - Standard, all good here.

Level 17 - This seems pretty weak compared to the other cleric domains. Life gets maxed healing, light gives everyone disadvantage on saves against fire and radiant, tempest lets you fly, etc. Maybe change it to something like this:
Crushing Depths: Those who dare strike at [name of god]'s chosen will be crushed by the ocean's weight. Whenever a creature hits you with a melee attack, they must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, they take 1d8 bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone.

Yeah, it's a weak ability - kind of filler. I much prefer your ability. Knocked prone is pretty good vs creatures moving more than half their movement to get to you.



Domain Spells - I'm not great with spell balance, so I won't comment on these. They look fine at a glance, though.


Thanks for the input. It's appreciated.

zeek0
2017-02-26, 07:59 AM
My quick comment is that wearing heavy armor on a boat is a good way to get yourself starving to death at the bottom of the ocean.

edit: Or, well, I suppose you can take the armor off. But it better be before the pressure crushes you like a tin can. To say nothing of the bends.