Cleric domains

[Rebel4ever85]

What i have always loved about clerics is that every time i play a new one i can change diety and get access to a different lot of spells and play style choices. What annoys me about 5E is that firstly there is no choices between domains for a specific deity and so when you pick your chosen god you get your domain. Lets look at the Death domain as an example.

Myrkul - Makes sense. No issues with this.
Kelemvor - Giving an animate dead spell...i doubt it.
Loviatar - If you die you don't feel pain....a good torturer keeps the victim alive. Doesn't really fit if you ask me.
Talona - Again for me...not really! Poison and Disease don't have to kill, often just disable or weaken so lumping this in with necromancy and the dead...kinda pushing it if you ask me.
Shar - She has two domains..i see her far more as trickery and darkness than death, I don't see her as anything like Myrkul or Jergal.
Jergal - Same as Myrkul i have no issues with this.

I don't know but i think they need a few more domains and more flexibility with this...every cleric now seems to play a life or Tempest cleric because those domains are very strong and i think people just add the deity as a second thought to the power...which is fine if that's how you play but for me that just isn't how i create a character. I want spells that give at least a feel of what my characters deity would have them do.

Think i need some DM flexibility here...time to try my persaude skill...if that doesn't work ill go with intimidate! HAH!

[CTurbo]

What i have always loved about clerics is that every time i play a new one i can change diety and get access to a different lot of spells and play style choices. What annoys me about 5E is that firstly there is no choices between domains for a specific deity and so when you pick your chosen god you get your domain. Lets look at the Death domain as an example.

Myrkul - Makes sense. No issues with this.
Kelemvor - Giving an animate dead spell...i doubt it.
Loviatar - If you die you don't feel pain....a good torturer keeps the victim alive. Doesn't really fit if you ask me.
Talona - Again for me...not really! Poison and Disease don't have to kill, often just disable or weaken so lumping this in with necromancy and the dead...kinda pushing it if you ask me.
Shar - She has two domains..i see her far more as trickery and darkness than death, I don't see her as anything like Myrkul or Jergal.
Jergal - Same as Myrkul i have no issues with this.

I don't know but i think they need a few more domains and more flexibility with this...every cleric now seems to play a life or Tempest cleric because those domains are very strong and i think people just add the deity as a second thought to the power...which is fine if that's how you play but for me that just isn't how i create a character. I want spells that give at least a feel of what my characters deity would have them do.

Think i need some DM flexibility here...time to try my persaude skill...if that doesn't work ill go with intimidate! HAH!


Tempest is my favorite, but I don't like that almost all the common deity options that best fit are evil.

[Mr.Spastic]

I think a pretty east solution would be to ask you dm if you can choose the spells and channel divinity together to fit the god more.

In the games I run(all homebrew settings) I mix and match stuff to fit my gods. Sometimes I create different stuff entirely. Like an Ocean Domain I used for worshippers of a sea goddess. They got stuff like water breathing and a swim speed as well as combat bonuses when using a trident and a net.

My point is that yes, the domains don't fit the gods who fall into them. But you and your DM are always allowed to create something new to fit your theme.

[Unoriginal]

What i have always loved about clerics is that every time i play a new one i can change diety and get access to a different lot of spells and play style choices. What annoys me about 5E is that firstly there is no choices between domains for a specific deity and so when you pick your chosen god you get your domain. Lets look at the Death domain as an example.

Myrkul - Makes sense. No issues with this.
Kelemvor - Giving an animate dead spell...i doubt it.
Loviatar - If you die you don't feel pain....a good torturer keeps the victim alive. Doesn't really fit if you ask me.
Talona - Again for me...not really! Poison and Disease don't have to kill, often just disable or weaken so lumping this in with necromancy and the dead...kinda pushing it if you ask me.
Shar - She has two domains..i see her far more as trickery and darkness than death, I don't see her as anything like Myrkul or Jergal.
Jergal - Same as Myrkul i have no issues with this.

I don't know but i think they need a few more domains and more flexibility with this...every cleric now seems to play a life or Tempest cleric because those domains are very strong and i think people just add the deity as a second thought to the power...which is fine if that's how you play but for me that just isn't how i create a character. I want spells that give at least a feel of what my characters deity would have them do.

Think i need some DM flexibility here...time to try my persaude skill...if that doesn't work ill go with intimidate! HAH!

The PHB explicitly says that you can take a Domain different than the "main" one for a god. That domain is just a suggestion, not the only one the god can provided.

Want to be a Tempest Cleric of Moradin? It's possible.

You can also get Domains from a force or a philosophy.

[Daghoulish]

The PHB explicitly says that you can take a Domain different than the "main" one for a god. That domain is just a suggestion, not the only one the god can provided.

Want to be a Tempest Cleric of Moradin? It's possible.

You can also get Domains from a force or a philosophy.

Really? that's pretty cool, can you give a page number? I don't remember reading that.

[Unoriginal]

Really? that's pretty cool, can you give a page number? I don't remember reading that.

For which part?

If it's for the "Domain as suggestion" thing, the section describing the Domains for the deities in the PHB pp. 294-299 is literally called "Suggested Domains".

Unless I'm mistaken, the "forces and philosophies" thing is described in more detail in the Xanathar's.

[Daghoulish]

For which part?

If it's for the "Domain as suggestion" thing, the section describing the Domains for the deities in the PHB pp. 294-299 is literally called "Suggested Domains".

Unless I'm mistaken, the "forces and philosophies" thing is described in more detail in the Xanathar's.

I knew about domain clerics, I had read that bit in Xanathar's. I just never noticed that the domains of gods said "suggested domains". I just thought it just said domains, my bad. Thanks for showing me how my mind deleted an important word.

[Unoriginal]

I knew about domain clerics, I had read that bit in Xanathar's. I just never noticed that the domains of gods said "suggested domains". I just thought it just said domains, my bad. Thanks for showing me how my mind deleted a important word.

The Cleric section's wordings for this subject may be confusing:


In a pantheon, every deity has influence over different aspects of mortallife and civilization, called a deity's domain. Ali the domains over which a deity has influence are called the deity's portfolio. For example, the portfolio of the Greek god Apollo includes the domains of Knowledge, Life, and Light. As a cleric, you choose one aspect ofyour deity's portfolio to emphasize, and you are granted powers related to that domain. Your choice might correspond to a particular sect dedicated to your deity. Apollo, for example, could be worshiped in one region as Phoebus ("radiant") Apollo, emphasizing his influence over the Light domain, and in a different place as Apollo Acesius ("healing"), emphasizing his association with the Life domain. Alternatively, your choice of domain could simply be a malter of personal preference, the aspect of the deity that appeals to you most.


Also:


The gods of life promote vitality and health through healing the sick and wounded, caring for those in need, and driving away the forces of death and undeath. Almost any non-evil deity can claim influence over this domain,

Important thing is that it's a "talk with your DM" issue. They may allow you to worship Apollo as a War god, or not.

It's "Suggested Domains" because it's part of their traditional portfolio, but gods are a tricky bunch with influence over many worlds and fates.

Ex: Tiamat created the Evil Dragons, why couldn't she claim some of the Life domain?

[ImproperJustice]

For my cents:

In really liked the idea of the Forge domain. I like the themes of remaking something that may have been broken and applying that concept to people.
As well as having this “man of the people” domain that celebrates hard work and Craftmanship.

It’s been a really enjoyable character to role play.

I think if people focus more on what the domains represent and focus on abilities second, they may get more mileage out of the Cleric class.

[Rebel4ever85]

I knew about domain clerics, I had read that bit in Xanathar's. I just never noticed that the domains of gods said "suggested domains". I just thought it just said domains, my bad. Thanks for showing me how my mind deleted a important word.

I must have done the same thing!

[Quoxis]

If your problem is strictly „those aren’t death gods!“, you might want to look at the description again.
As a death cleric, you get spells related to poison (ray of sickness, cloudkill), painful withering (vampiric touch, blight) and sensory deprivation (blindness/deafness), so poison and torture deities aren’t too far fetched spell-wise.
Feature-wise you learn how to deal more damage (inflicting more pain) to more creatures, and your signature spells can even affect creatures who wouldn’t flinch at necrotic damage otherwise.

[Galadhrim]

Two simple solutions:

First, as has already been stated, in a home game the DM may be amenable to swapping some domain spells to make the character more thematic. Just don't go trying to use it as a method to power game and you should be fine. All the Dm's I've played with have worked with me easily enough.

Second, Your character has access to those spells, but nothing says you have to prepare them. If you don't think a cleric of X god would cast such a spell just don't cast it.

[Millstone85]

Second, Your character has access to those spells, but nothing says you have to prepare them.Well, you don't have to prepare them because they are always prepared.

[DarkKnightJin]

My Death Cleric has a god native to the homebrew setting, and this god is Neutral at the worst. He's not about death, but the afterlife. All are welcome, but he dislikes those that would try to escape their place in the circle of reincarnation that he oversees.

My Cleric has a dislike for the Undead for that reason. I talked about it with the DM, and I now have a Domain spell list that is custom to my Cleric.
Not even another Cleric of the same god would necessarily have all the same spells on their spell list.

Animate Dead, for example, was the first spell to go.
Sure, I can still pick it since it's on the Cleric list.. but it wouldn't make sense for my Cleric to use it.

Tl;dr: Discuss with your DM the options for gods and domains and how they are paired. And possibly if you could have a custom spell list that would fit both the character and the god they serve.

[Naanomi]

My Death Cleric has a god native to the homebrew setting, and this god is Neutral at the worst. He's not about death, but the afterlife. All are welcome, but he dislikes those that would try to escape their place in the circle of reincarnation that he oversees.

My Cleric has a dislike for the Undead for that reason. I talked about it with the DM, and I now have a Domain spell list that is custom to my Cleric.
Not even another Cleric of the same god would necessarily have all the same spells on their spell list.

Animate Dead, for example, was the first spell to go.
Sure, I can still pick it since it's on the Cleric list.. but it wouldn't make sense for my Cleric to use it.

Tl;dr: Discuss with your DM the options for gods and domains and how they are paired. And possibly if you could have a custom spell list that would fit both the character and the god they serve.
So... grave domain then?

[Galadhrim]

Well, you don't have to prepare them because they are always prepared.

You're right. I was just thinking about the cleric list being prepared and forgot that the domain spells are auto-prepared. Thanks for catching that.

[DarkKnightJin]

So... grave domain then?

Sorta, but he was made before Xanathar's was out. And I've spent too much time with him to change domains now.

[Teaguethebean]

I don't know but i think they need a few more domains and more flexibility with this...every cleric now seems to play a life or Tempest cleric because those domains are very strong and i think people just add the deity as a second thought to the power...which is fine if that's how you play but for me that just isn't how i create a character. I want spells that give at least a feel of what my characters deity would have them do.

I personally haven't seen this at my table but I haven't played for long I'll admit but I have seen life, tempest, forge, war, (trickery is my current character). I am also looking forward to play a light cleric someday I hope.