New Clerical Domain

[Hootman]

I can't say I've ever heard of a "Neutral Domain" for clerics (though I'll admit I have not looked, hoping my idea is sufficiently unique not to have appeared here), so I decided to make one myself. After all, there are domains for the extreme alignments, so why not neutrality?

The four original alignment domains, which I used heavily for reference and for the sake of logic, can be found here: Good (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm#goodDomain), Evil (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm#evilDomain), Law (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm#lawDomain), and Chaos (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm#chaosDomain).

And without further ado, the Neutral Domain!
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NEUTRAL DOMAIN

Dieties: Boccob, Fharlanghn, Obad-Hai
Granted Power: ???

Neutral Domain Spells
Protection from Extremes*: +2 to AC and saves, counter mind control, hedge out elementals and outsiders.
Spiritual Weapon: Magic weapon attacks on its own.
Magic Circle Against Extremes*: As Protection spells, but 10-ft. radius and 10 min./level.
Striking Indifference: Damages and status effects non-NN creatures.
Dispel Extremity: +4 bonus against attacks by extreme* creatures.
Diefic Sword: As Mordenkainen's Sword, but use your Wis bonus to determine its attack bonus.
Edict of Balance: Kills, paralyzes, slows, or deafens non-NN subjects.
Detachment: +4 to AC, +4 resistance, and SR 25 against aligned, non-NN spells.
Summon Monster IX**: Calls extraplanar creature to fight for you.

*Extreme Alignments: LG, CG, LE, CE
**Cast as a True-Neutral spell only


INDIVIDUAL SPELL DESCRIPTIONS

Protection from Extremes*:
Abjuration [Neutral]
Level: Neutral 1
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No; see text

This spell functions like Protection from Evil, except that the deflection and resistance bonuses apply to attacks from extremely aligned creatures, and extremely aligned summoned creatures cannot touch the subject.

*Extreme alignments: LG, CG, LE, CE


Spiritual Weapon:
Evocation [Force]
Level: Neutral 2, Clr 2, War 2
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect: Magic weapon of force
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

The original spell description can be found here. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/spiritualWeapon.htm) My only addition is this:

Neutral
Quarterstaff


Magic Circle Against Extremes*:
Abjuration [Neutral]
Level: Neutral 3
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Area: 10-ft.-radius emanation from touched creature
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No; see text

This spell functions like Magic Circle Against Evil, except that it is similar to Protection from Extremities instead of Protection from Evil, and it can imprison a non-True Neutral called creature.


Striking Indifference:
Evocation [Neutral]
Level: Neutral 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area: 20-ft.-radius spread
Duration: Instantaneous (1d4 rounds); see text
Saving Throw: Will partial
Spell Resistance: Yes

You summon unaligned force to smite your enemies. This power takes no form; with your pity turned from them, foes are smote by uncaring energy. Only creatures that are not of the True Neutral alignment are harmed by this spell.
The spell deals 1d8 points of damage per two caster levels (maximum 5d8) to an extreme creature (or 1d6 per caster level, maximum 10d6, to an extreme outsider) and causes it to be afflilcted with a status condition for 1d4 rounds. If the creature is good, they are sickened; if the creature is evil, they are blinded; if the creature is lawful, they are slowed; if the creature is chaotic, they are dazed.
If the target creature is aligned along both the good/evil and lawful/chaotic axes, roll 1d2 to determine which of the appropriate status effects the target receives. For example, if a Lawful Good creature were hit with this spell, roll 1d2 to determine whether they are sickened (for their good alignment) or slowed (for their lawful alignment).
A successful Will save reduces damage to half and negates the status effect. The effects cannot be negated by Remove Disease or Heal, but Remove Curse is effective.
The spell deals only half damage to creatures who are Neutral along one axis, but the appropriate status effect still occurs. Such a creature can reduce the damage in half again (down to one-quarter) and resist the status effect with a successful Will save.


Dispel Extremity:
Abjuration [Neutral]
Level: Neutral 5
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target or Targets: You and a touched extremely aligned creature from another plane; or you and an enchantment or aligned spell on a touched creature or object
Duration: 1 round/level or until discharged, whichever comes first
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: See text

This spell functions like Dispel Evil, except that you are surrounded by an invisible energy with faint sparkles, and the spell affects extremely aligned creatures and spells rather than evil ones.

*Extreme alignments: LG, CG, LE, CE


Diefic Sword:
Evocation [Force]
Level: Neutral 6
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One sword
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell is identical to Mordenkainen's Sword ("www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesSword.htm) ((Ignore that it says "Mage's Sword" and not Mordy's, because it's the same thing.)) except that the sword's attack bonus is determined by your caster level + your Wis bonus with an additional +3 enhancement bonus.

Focus: A miniature platinum sword with a grip and pommel of copper and zinc. It costs 250gp to construct.


Edict of Balance:
Evocation [Neutral, Sonic]
Level: Neutral 7
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 40 ft.
Area: Non-True Neutral creatures in a 40-ft.-radius spread centered on you
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Will negates; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

Any non-True Neutral creature within the area of an Edict of Balance spell suffers the following ill effects.

{table=head]HD|Effect


Equal to caster level|
Deafened

Up to caster level -1|
Slowed, Deafened

Up to caster level -5|
Paralyzed, Slowed, Deafened

Up to caster level -10|
Killed, Paralyzed, Slowed, Deafened[/table]

The effects are cumulative and concurrent. No saving throw is allowed against these effects.
Deafened
The creature is deafened for 1d4 rounds.
Slowed
The creature is slowed, as by the slow spell, for 2d4 rounds.
Paralyzed
The creature is paralyzed and helpless for 1d10 minutes.
Killed
Living creatures die. Undead creatures are destroyed.

Furthermore, if you are on your home plane when you cast this spell, non-True Neutral extraplanar creatures within the area are instantly banished back to their home planes. Creatures so banished cannot return for at least 24 hours. This effect takes place regardless of whether the creatures hear the Edict of Balance. The banishment effect allows a Will save (at a -4 penalty) to negate.

Creatures whose HD exceed your caster level are unaffected by Edict of Balance.


Detachment:
Abjuration [Neutral]
Level: Neutral 8
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 20 ft.
Targets: One creature/level in a 20-ft.-radius burst centered on you
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

A dim aura of sparkles surrounds the subjects, protecting them from attacks, granting them resistance to spells cast by extremely aligned creatures, and slowing extremely aligned creatures when they strike the subjects. This abjuration has four effects.

First, each warded creature gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC and a +4 resistance bonus on saves. Unlike Protection from Extremes, this benefit applies against all attacks, not just against attacks by extremely aligned creatures.

Second, a warded creature gains spell resistance 25 against aligned spells and spells cast by extremely aligned creatures.

Third, the abjuration blocks possession and mental influence, just as Protection from Extremes does.

Finally, if an extremely aligned creature succeeds on a melee attack against a warded creature, the attacker is afflicted with a specific condition depending on their alignment. If the attacker is good, they take 1d6 points of temporary Strength damage; if the attacker is evil, they are blinded; if the attacker is lawful, they are slowed; if the attacker is chaotic, they are confused. If the attacker is aligned along both the good/evil and lawful/chaotic axes, roll 1d2 to determine which of the appropriate status effects the target receives. For example, if a Lawful Good creature were the attacker, roll 1d2 to determine whether they are sickened (for their good alignment) or slowed (for their lawful alignment).

A successful Fortitude save negates the Strength damage and the blindness. A successful Will save negates the slowing and the confusion. Either save is made against the save DC for Detachment.

Focus
A tiny reliquary containing some sacred relic, such as a scrap of parchment from a text expounding on the virtues of balance. The reliquary costs at least 500 gp.

*Extreme alignments: LG, CG, LE, CE


Summon Monster IX**:

Conjuration (Summoning) [see text for summon monster I]
Level: Neutral 9, Chaos 9, Clr 9, Evil 9, Good 9, Law 9, Sor/Wiz 9

This spell functions like summon monster I, except that you can summon one creature from the 9th-level list, 1d3 creatures of the same kind from the 8th-level list, or 1d4+1 creatures of the same kind from a lower-level list.

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And that's all of it! I took the majority of spell descriptions from real spells, as you probably noticed. I simply modified them to match what I needed them to match for the domain.

You also may have noticed that I have no "Granted Power" for this domain. That's because I have no idea what to make it. There are no such things as "Neutral spells" except for the few I have created here for the sake of the domain. And adding +1 to ALL aligned spells would be silly, because the Neutral domain cleric doesn't GET any extras of those. But even worse would be to NON-aligned spells, which include almost every spell in the book. So suggestions on that would be appreciated.

I chose Spiritual Weapon and the equivalent of Mordenkainen's Sword because A) their levels roughly matched, and B) I wanted two attacking spells that had no real affiliation with an alignment. Force is the closest to Neutral I can imagine you can get for damage type (not counting, you know, melee attacks) anyways, so it seems to fit.


And I admit that, yes, this domain is probably a tad stronger than the other 4 alignment domains, but I think it is worth it. It is thus far as close to balanced as I could make it, so I am pleased with it. A cleric must also be True Neutral to even take this domain, which is unusual at best in my experience. This could even result in a little more love for the 3 neutral gods, whom I have never seen used.....ever, by a cleric as yet.

Soooo.....critique? Please?

[Naihal]

There's a Balance domain in Spell Compendium, try that.

Also, your link to Mage's Sword is broken, try replacing it with this. Mage's Sword (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesSword.htm)

[TheLogman]

I'd bump up the levels of all the "Anti-extreme" spells. Up by one, since they are more useful (affect 4 alignments instead of 3), and are more effective more often. Granted, the standard one affects 3 alignments, but this one affects the most common ones.

If not for the Magic Circle and Dispel, then for the Edict of Balance and Striking Indifference, as the limiting factor of the other 4 alignments of that spell is that they only affect certain guys, those two would affect almost everything you see.

[Armads]

Edict of Balance is overpowered. It hurts pretty much everything you meet and does the same thing as Holy Word (and Holy Word's a very powerful spell by itself).

The status effect from Striking Indifference should be nerfed (except for the good one). Blinding/Dazing/Slowing for 1d4 rounds is basically an instant win for a party.

The Protection from Extremes (and Magic Circle against Extremes) should be left as they are. They're very good for 1st (and 3rd) level spells, but they'd be underpowered for 2nd (and 4th) level spells.

Detachment is also overpowered, for the same reason as Edict of Balance.

[Maldraugedhen]

Dispel Extremity!


Augh! My arm!

[Hootman]

There's a Balance domain in Spell Compendium, try that.

Also, your link to Mage's Sword is broken, try replacing it with this. Mage's Sword (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesSword.htm)

...I definitely used that identical link, and I have no idea why it doesn't want to work. But it should be fixed now.

Also, I don't actually have any books outside of the 3 core ones, but I'm fairly certain one of my friends has it. I guess I'll look into it...?




I'd bump up the levels of all the "Anti-extreme" spells. Up by one, since they are more useful (affect 4 alignments instead of 3), and are more effective more often. Granted, the standard one affects 3 alignments, but this one affects the most common ones.

If not for the Magic Circle and Dispel, then for the Edict of Balance and Striking Indifference, as the limiting factor of the other 4 alignments of that spell is that they only affect certain guys, those two would affect almost everything you see.


To be honest, I don't think that the slight effect difference between nailing 3 alignments to nailing 4 alignments is really all that big a deal. Also, this was meant to mirror the original 4 alignment domains; they have essentially identical spells, so I see no reason why a Neutral Domain shouldn't play copy-cat. There was just no logical way I could see of building it to effect the same number of alignments.

As for Edict of Balance & Striking Indifference, effecting the 8 alignments seemed the only choice. No way I was going to limit it to the extreme four--the other 4/7th level aligned spells get a power boost, why not mine? It would be much too weak at that level compared to its compatriot spells: why choose the neutral domain to smite extremists when you're going to be fighting evil some 90% of the time, especially if it doesn't even have an effect spread equal to the Good Domain spells?



Edict of Balance is overpowered. It hurts pretty much everything you meet and does the same thing as Holy Word (and Holy Word's a very powerful spell by itself).

The status effect from Striking Indifference should be nerfed (except for the good one). Blinding/Dazing/Slowing for 1d4 rounds is basically an instant win for a party.

The Protection from Extremes (and Magic Circle against Extremes) should be left as they are. They're very good for 1st (and 3rd) level spells, but they'd be underpowered for 2nd (and 4th) level spells.

Detachment is also overpowered, for the same reason as Edict of Balance.


......Edict of Balance is supposed to do the same thing as Holy Word. And Blasphemy. And Word of Chaos. And Dictum. It's the fusion of those 4 spells into one, which all do essentially the same thing. Those spells effect 3 radically opposed alignments and 3 partially opposed alignments. However, the point of neutrality is that it tries to avoid EXTREMISM, and in the D&D world that means that there 4 four extreme alignments (not counting True Neutrality, which can technically be considered a form of extremism if you want to argue semantics) to be especially resistant towards. And, by proxy, there are 4 half-extreme alignments. I knew from the beginning that it would be a little over-powered, but I really saw no other solution that could both be balanced AND efficient.
By the way: I'm fairly certain most would agree that the majority of monsters that oppose the PCs are evil, no? And Holy Word totally obliterates them. But Edict of Balance can only really blast 2/3 of the evil alignments, and NE is a fairly common alignment as far as I know, especially considering how many undead are just wandering around this crazy world.

Also, I see no problem with Striking Indifference where the status effect is concerned. The four aligned domains have IDENTICAL spells; Striking Indifference simply combines all of the possible status effects into one spell. If a party faces a crowd of all evil monsters and this spell is cast, it would be the same as if the Holy Smite spell had been cast...more or less. Of course, the secondary alignments of the creatures comes into effect: if they are neutral, they automatically take half damage (unless the make the save to reduce it further). If lawful, they have a 50-50 chance at being EITHER blinded OR slowed. If chaotic, it is 50-50 between being blinded and dazed. But no matter what, no target creature can have more than one status effect per casting of the spell, meaning that the caster has a little more versatility in terms of effects, but deals half damage at most to anything with one neutral axis. Sure, 4 alignments are effected strongly, but 4 are also effected weakly, and any being has the chance to shrug off the status effect and cut damage down.

Detachment is in the same boat as Edict of Balance, except that it ONLY effects the extreme alignments, in the same way that Shield of Law only effect chaotic creatures, and so on for the other alignment spells. And I still see no way to make it better/different without scrapping the spells and making whole new ones. Which would defeat the purpose of a new "aligned" domain based off the real aligned domains.



Augh! My arm!

........Thank you.








Alright, so, clearly I'm going to be getting a lot of criticism about how "over-powered" my spells are. While I can see how one would arrive at such a conclusion, I don't personally agree with it. First of all, I had to take the most reasonably logical approach deciding how many alignments are effected. Everything else was left up to the PHB, because I really took everything right from there so that my domain would match up as seemlessly as possible with the rest of the alignment domains.

Neutrality has some high prices, which I was actually considering adding as some sort of "Prerequisite" or "Restriction" or something: the DM would have to carefully watch the PC, making certain they remained within the boundaries of their alignment much more strictly than any other Player Character.

Oh, right. And I also wanted to mention that the Summon Monster IX seemed UNDERPOWERED for this domain, if only because I can't think of any NN monsters that would be good to summon off the top of my head. I should probably draw up a list, or something....



...And I still don't have a granted power. How sad. And for the time being, that's all I have to say. Until the next round of comments!