Domain advice for a Cleric

[caoshunter22]

I'm about to start my first D&D campaign and I've chosen a cleric and plan on roleplaying a diplomatic character. I'm not sure what the right domain to pick is to compliment my character's diplomatic nature.

[Man_Over_Game]

I'm about to start my first D&D campaign and I've chosen a cleric and plan on roleplaying a diplomatic character. I'm not sure what the right domain to pick is to compliment my character's diplomatic nature.

Knowledge, Life, and the new Order Cleric are all great options for diplomacy. Nature can also work, since it regularly communicates with, well, Nature. Knowledge and Order have some mechanical abilities related to gathering information and aiding allies, so they definitely apply. Forge can also apply in a similar way, as their abilities are generally tied to helping people, and can be flavored to "FORGING bonds and QUENCHING the TEMPERS of civilization".

For a Cleric vibe, while being EXPLICITLY focused on diplomacy and peace talks, look into the Redemption Paladin. It plays a LOT like a Cleric, and it's lore and mechanics are all around punishing enemies for aggression, defending allies from pain, and actively promoting diplomacy.

[Grimmnist]

Man_Over_Game posted some great options for domains, I would also like to add that Light domain might fit as well. The idea of spreading light into dark places really fits the diplomacy vibe (plus picking a class that gets Fireball is never wrong).

However, rather than picking based on domain I would recommend picking by deity. Each deity has recommended domains to go with it but your DM is probably fine with you picking a domain not directly associated with the god. Good options include, but are not limited to:

Eldath - Goddess of peace
Lathander - God of birth and renewal
Waukeen - Goddess of trade

I'd recommend doing the Google on those names, see if anything really catches your eye. Good luck with your first campaign!

[Devils_Advocate]

Plane Shift: Amonkhet (https://media.wizards.com/2017/downloads/magic/plane-shift_amonkhet.pdf) has the Solidarity domain. It's basically about cooperation, which is pretty close to diplomacy.

[Trustypeaches]

There aren't really any domains besides maybe Order that are geared towards diplomacy.

That's a character choice you can make and should be able to work with any domain. You might want to ask your DM about letting you make Persuasion rolls with Wisdom instead of Charisma when trying to be diplomatic or defuse a situation.

[KorvinStarmast]

There aren't really any domains besides maybe Order that are geared towards diplomacy.

That's a character choice you can make and should be able to work with any domain. You might want to ask your DM about letting you make Persuasion rolls with Wisdom instead of Charisma when trying to be diplomatic or defuse a situation. Isn't the Order domain still UA, or did that get published in the DM Guild Eberron book?

[Trustypeaches]

Isn't the Order domain still UA, or did that get published in the DM Guild Eberron book?It was published in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica.

[caoshunter22]

Knowledge, Life, and the new Order Cleric are all great options for diplomacy. Nature can also work, since it regularly communicates with, well, Nature. Knowledge and Order have some mechanical abilities related to gathering information and aiding allies, so they definitely apply. Forge can also apply in a similar way, as their abilities are generally tied to helping people, and can be flavored to "FORGING bonds and QUENCHING the TEMPERS of civilization".

For a Cleric vibe, while being EXPLICITLY focused on diplomacy and peace talks, look into the Redemption Paladin. It plays a LOT like a Cleric, and it's lore and mechanics are all around punishing enemies for aggression, defending allies from pain, and actively promoting diplomacy.

Well, thank you for the advice. I decided to follow the life domain for the bonus healing. Unfortunately, my DM is a jack ass and my character died from friendly fire from an NPC at the end of the session. Back to square one.

[Grimmnist]

Unfortunately, my DM is a jack ass and my character died from friendly fire from an NPC at the end of the session. Back to square one.

NPC friendly fire? Ouch, that's harsh. Well, we're happy to give tips for your next character.

[Louro]

NPC friendly fire? Ouch, that's harsh. Well, we're happy to give tips for your next character.
I disagree with your sir. Killing a PC with friendly fire from an NPC in session one? It is just plain stupid. From anotehr PC could be even funny... But from a NPC?

[KorvinStarmast]

It was published in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica.

MtG supplement?

[caoshunter22]

NPC friendly fire? Ouch, that's harsh. Well, we're happy to give tips for your next character.

Yeah, an orc we were fighting was running away and I'm not sure what movement speed orcs have to it stopped on the square beside me. So the DM decided to get a nearby archer that was helping us to take a shot at the orc. Unfortunately, I was blocking orc and had already taken damage from fighting a goblin. So I failed my saving throw and took 8 damage. According to the DM my character is dead rather dying due to that fact I took more damage then I had HP left.

I'd still like to play a cleric but I think this time go for the Trickery Domain this time. I do an okay impersonation of Mark Hamill's Joker so it would be best for roleplaying purposes. Not sure If following that domain would still make me a viable healer though.

[No brains]

Trickery is not as bad as other people make it out to be and it can help with the kind of 'diplomacy' that's just fights hidden really well.

Be sure to consider your other player's picks if you're able. A great ability alone is less powerful than a middling ability that combos well.

[Grimmnist]

I'd still like to play a cleric but I think this time go for the Trickery Domain this time. I do an okay impersonation of Mark Hamill's Joker so it would be best for roleplaying purposes. Not sure If following that domain would still make me a viable healer though.

I'm not the biggest fan of trickery domain but your RP reason sounds solid.

You will certainly be a viable healer, however Life cleric can heal people out of range to prevent being knocked unconscious, other domains are not as good at this. You should instead focus on using healing once your teammates are already unconscious. This works well with Trickery as you are hard to hit with your double up, and you can keep reviving your teammates with Healing Word.

[Grimmnist]

Yeah, an orc we were fighting was running away and I'm not sure what movement speed orcs have to it stopped on the square beside me. So the DM decided to get a nearby archer that was helping us to take a shot at the orc. Unfortunately, I was blocking orc and had already taken damage from fighting a goblin. So I failed my saving throw and took 8 damage. According to the DM my character is dead rather dying due to that fact I took more damage then I had HP left.


I'm a little confused about why you died there. The PHB rules are: "Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 Hit Points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum."

A level 1 cleric should have max health of 8 + your Con mod, so unless you have a negative con modifier and started at 1 health that couldn't have killed you.

[CantigThimble]

The level 6 knowledge domain channel divinity can be good for diplomacy, depending on your opinion of the relationship between mind reading/control and diplomacy.

(Note that it is effectively undetectable as, unlike other channel divinities, it does not require you to present your holy symbol or speak an invocation. It's basically a subtle detect thoughts with the option of following up with a suggestion where you know the target will fail their saving throw. The detect thoughts effect isn't even a spell.)

[sophontteks]

If your DM isn't planning on running a straight combat fest, and is planning the make diplomacy a worthwhile persuit, you may want to look at it as a team effort. That is to say a cleric doesn't hold all the cards in diplomacy, but he can hold a powerful role with the right friends.

Clerics aren't the best talkers, but they are wise. They often know things, like a person's motives, their ambitions, their honestly, etc. Vital things that are crucial to good diplomacy. All they need is a talkative envoy who can convey their insight with charisma.

Using spells like guidance and enhance ability a cleric can empower the talker of the group, and help the talker know when he is being bamboosaled. In turn the cleric can assist the talker in the conversation, shedding words of wisdom into the conversation to give the talker advantage or help cover for them if they fumble.

While clerics aren't the best talkers primarily their authority as a man of the cloth is invaluable in creating dialogues in the first place. Some gabby charlatin may not get a fair audience with respectable people without a cleric vouching for him in the first place.

Anyway, thats my piece. Social encounters can be really fun team experiences, and I enjoy them far more then combat. Its a very unappreciated staple of roleplaying games.

[caoshunter22]

I'm a little confused about why you died there. The PHB rules are: "Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 Hit Points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum."

A level 1 cleric should have max health of 8 + your Con mod, so unless you have a negative con modifier and started at 1 health that couldn't have killed you.

I have a con mod of 2 and when I got hit by the arrow I had 4 HP. So I don't know if getting for 8 damage would count as massive damage but like I said my DM is a jack ass and I'm at his mercy since I'm not all that knowledgeable about that game.

[CantigThimble]

I have a con mod of 2 and when I got hit by the arrow I had 4 HP. So I don't know if getting for 8 damage would count as massive damage but like I said my DM is a jack ass and I'm at his mercy since I'm not all that knowledgeable about that game.

Well, for your future reference you only die to massive damage if you are overkilled by an amount equal to your maximum hp. So if you have 10 max hp and are currently at 4 hp then you would only suffer massive damage if you took at least 14 damage.

[Grimmnist]

I have a con mod of 2 and when I got hit by the arrow I had 4 HP. So I don't know if getting for 8 damage would count as massive damage but like I said my DM is a jack ass and I'm at his mercy since I'm not all that knowledgeable about that game.

The rule is: "When damage reduces you to 0 Hit Points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum."

In your case: The 8 damage reduced you from 4 to 0 with 4 damage remaining, the 4 damage is less than your hit point maximum (your hp max is probably 10) so you should have been knocked unconscious.

I don't know what to tell you, but the DM does sound like a jack ass, I'm really just bummed that this is your first campaign, lotta better DMs out there.

[caoshunter22]

The rule is: "When damage reduces you to 0 Hit Points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum."

In your case: The 8 damage reduced you from 4 to 0 with 4 damage remaining, the 4 damage is less than your hit point maximum (your hp max is probably 10) so you should have been knocked unconscious.

I don't know what to tell you, but the DM does sound like a jack ass, I'm really just bummed that this is your first campaign, lotta better DMs out there.

Thank you for the info. I don't have much of a social life so I'm very limited on who I can play D&D with. I've looked at some meet up groups in my city and the groups don't appear to be noob friendly.

[Grimmnist]

Thank you for the info. I don't have much of a social life so I'm very limited on who I can play D&D with. I've looked at some meet up groups in my city and the groups don't appear to be noob friendly.

Hey if you're here on the forums you won't be a noob for long, and I'm glad you have given up on the campaign and D&D as a whole after what sounds like a bad experience.

Hopefully your experience improves as you develop more of a rapport with the DM. Since it is your first time maybe he was trying to haze you or something? Get you comfortable with the concept of characters dieing? I don't agree with any of how he did it but hopefully the weird/inconsistent rulings don't continue. If they do, well just post a thread asking help making a super optimized character we'll see if we can blindside him with a Sorcadin (Paladin/Sorcerer) or something.

[caoshunter22]

Hey if you're here on the forums you won't be a noob for long, and I'm glad you have given up on the campaign and D&D as a whole after what sounds like a bad experience.

Hopefully your experience improves as you develop more of a rapport with the DM. Since it is your first time maybe he was trying to haze you or something? Get you comfortable with the concept of characters dieing? I don't agree with any of how he did it but hopefully the weird/inconsistent rulings don't continue. If they do, well just post a thread asking help making a super optimized character we'll see if we can blindside him with a Sorcadin (Paladin/Sorcerer) or something.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was something like hazing. Ok, I'm someone who likes playing healing roles in RPG's and MMO's so I'll ask for optimized healing characters. Thank you for helping me out.