Reworking the Death domain power

[Quietus]

You may use a death touch once per day. Your death touch is a supernatural ability that produces a death effect. You must succeed on a melee touch attack against a living creature (using the rules for touch spells). When you touch, roll 1d6 per cleric level you possess. If the total at least equals the creature’s current hit points, it dies (no save).

I think it can be widely agreed that the Death domain power is one of the weakest ones - possibly worse even than the +1 caster level. You get one shot at it, using your CLERIC level rather than full caster level, for what is likely to be just a few d6's after you prestige out. So, I've considered ways to change it.

How overpowering would it be, say, to give it what amounts to the "reliable" tag from fourth edition? So you'd get "If this total does not equal the creature's current hit points, your Death Touch for the day is not used up. No creature may be the target of your Death Touch more than once per day"

Also, I considered... why not allow it to be applied to nonmagical objects, in an "everything dies" way? Same caveat as above, and treat Hardness as additional HP for this purpose. Alternatively, maybe allow this option as a feat, where you expand Death Touch from "living creatures" to "includes objects".

[SurlySeraph]

Letting it not be used up is certainly reasonable. I wouldn't let it apply to objects, though; that's more the Destruction domain's thing.

You could also change it to a save-or-die, but that might be a bit much to give a first-level character.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Maybe you could add the Cleric's WIS modifier?

[Mastikator]

How do you kill an inanimate object?

[Jeff240sx]

I think it can be widely agreed that the Death domain power is one of the weakest ones - possibly worse even than the +1 caster level. You get one shot at it, using your CLERIC level rather than full caster level, for what is likely to be just a few d6's after you prestige out. So, I've considered ways to change it.

How overpowering would it be, say, to give it what amounts to the "reliable" tag from fourth edition? So you'd get "If this total does not equal the creature's current hit points, your Death Touch for the day is not used up. No creature may be the target of your Death Touch more than once per day"

Also, I considered... why not allow it to be applied to nonmagical objects, in an "everything dies" way? Same caveat as above, and treat Hardness as additional HP for this purpose. Alternatively, maybe allow this option as a feat, where you expand Death Touch from "living creatures" to "includes objects".

What powers the Domain? Clearly not caster level. But probably more than just Cleric level.
Perhaps Turning level? I've not played a multiclassed cleric enough to know if that's enough.
Or Turning level + 1/2 all other class levels? That should net a reliable 15d6 1/day, to 20d6 in a full-Turning build.

[JellyPooga]

Basing it off of Turn or Rebuke Undead effective level would probably a good way to go if it were not for the slew of items that boost it...there's all sorts of abuse possible there.

Making it "reliable" would boost it a little, but if you're only rolling 5d6 (because there's very little point in taking Cleric beyond 5th level), it's still not going to be anything to shout about.

Basing off of caster level or adding 1/2 all other levels (or similar) doesn't seem right to me, either...why should my Domain power improve if I'm focusing on martial or skill-based abilities? My Sneak Attack as a Rogue doesn't improve when I take Fighter levels, so why should Domain powers do the same?

About the only boost that really makes sense to me would be to allow Prestige Classes that either require the Death Domain (e.g. True Necromancer) or are clearly un/death AND Cleric oriented (e.g. Master of Shrouds) to stack with Cleric levels for purposes of the Domain power. This would have to be judged on a case-by-case basis by the GM and still wouldn't be a massive bonus.

[Ingus]

The easiest way is just to link this ability to caster level. And believe me, it is not underpowered. Not at all

[Irreverent Fool]

The easiest way is just to link this ability to caster level. And believe me, it is not underpowered. Not at all

Not a lot of PrCs advance turning and allow full progression.

If I were to try to salvage this ability, I would simply make it equal to caster level and usable three times per day. Death effects with no save are pretty useful.

If most other domain powers were linked to cleric level, I'd say otherwise, but any cleric with two braincells to rub together is going to PrC out unless he really likes turn undead for some reason. The ability needs that at the very least to be brought up to par.

Three times per day brings it out of the realm of "too awesome to use". Two times per day would really just change it to "once per day and then too awesome to use".

Three times per day means the cleric will actually get to use the power. However, at this point you may want to bring it back to just cleric level instead of caster level.
Don't shake hands with the guy wearing a skull as a necklace.
obnoxious
sig

[Scipio]

It may not be the best granted power, but it is far from useless. It is pretty much a finishing move type effect along the lines of Death Knell but with no save and it affects more than just dying folk.

Consider using it in conjunction with Deathwatch. Not great but pretty good.

Or even better use it with Combat Awareness (PH2), where you know the exact hit points of adjacent creatures.

[Starbuck_II]

I like the NWN version: basically it is Master of Shrouds ability (but 1/day at first + 1 every 5 lvs I think).

Really flavorful.

But if it wasn't used up as original: it would be much better.

[The Glyphstone]

Why not let it still do damage? Something along the lines of

"You may use a death touch once per day. Your death touch is a supernatural ability that produces a death effect. You must succeed on a melee touch attack against a living creature (using the rules for touch spells). When you touch, roll 1d6 per cleric level you possess. If the total at least equals the creature’s current hit points, it dies (no save). If the total is less than the creature's current hit points, it takes damage equal half the total rolled (no save)."

It at least makes it not worthless at high levels, though it's still nothing impressive.

[QuantumSteve]

Why not let it still do damage? Something along the lines of

"You may use a death touch once per day. Your death touch is a supernatural ability that produces a death effect. You must succeed on a melee touch attack against a living creature (using the rules for touch spells). When you touch, roll 1d6 per cleric level you possess. If the total at least equals the creature’s current hit points, it dies (no save). If the total is less than the creature's current hit points, it takes damage equal half the total rolled (no save)."

It at least makes it not worthless at high levels, though it's still nothing impressive.

+1.
Making reliable could work, too without over powering it. However, almost every Domain Power that is based off level is based off Cleric Level. That's just one of those things you give up when you prestige out, like familiar progression. Live with it.

[Quietus]

It may not be the best granted power, but it is far from useless. It is pretty much a finishing move type effect along the lines of Death Knell but with no save and it affects more than just dying folk.

Consider using it in conjunction with Deathwatch. Not great but pretty good.

Or even better use it with Combat Awareness (PH2), where you know the exact hit points of adjacent creatures.

I never considered Combat Awareness... that's fairly neat as well, though limited. Building a character around a 1/day weak ability isn't quite so useful. Although I suppose Combat Awareness does have other decent uses.

I'm thinking the "reliable" tag is probably my favorite solution; Both caster level and effective turning level are far too easy to boost. And in the case of a prestige class that requires access to the Death domain, I'd allow that to stack - most of those are rather uninspiring, like True Necromancer. I think the easiest way would be either give multiple uses - 1 extra use per 5 levels, perhaps? - or go with the Reliable idea. Which is better, do you think?