5e Cleric Domain: Time (PEACH)

[Gr7mm Bobb]

So this was originally being brewed by me to be part of Ninja_Prawn's Chronomancy class ideas. Well about a little over a year later, I think I have a decent enough rough draft drawn up. Chronomancy thread can be found HERE. Fair warning, that thread is currently dead, but they were nice enough to include a link to where it is being continued.

Time Domain:
Fluffy fluff mcflufferson (not fully formed on what to say here, edits to come)

Cleric Level	Spells
1st Level	Expeditious Retreat, Shield
3rd Level	Ray of Enfeeblement, Hold Person
5th Level	Haste, Slow
7th Level	Confusion, Dimension Door
9th Level	Hold Monster, Wall of Force

Bonus Proficiency
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with either the History and Insight skill.

Clockspinner
Starting at 1st level you are able to exercise a small amount of control over time. You may add your Wisdom modifier to your initiative rolls. Additionally, once per turn, you may sacrifice any of your available actions to give any creature within 30 feet the use of those actions at that time. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses after completing a long rest.

Time Shift
Starting at 2nd level you may use your channel divinity to alter the time to be in your favor. When a creature within 60 feet makes a d20 roll, after the roll but before the results are known, you can expend a use of your channel divinity to roll two d20’s and choose which d20 is used, including the one(s) from the triggering roll.

Chronal Stretch
At 6th level you understand how to manipulate the flow of time for your own spells. When you cast a spell you may delay the effects for a up to number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1 round). Spells that require an attack roll have are rolled at this time and recorded. The delayed effects take place at the beginning of your turn after the set number of rounds pass. You may expend a use of your channel divinity to use your reaction to trigger any delayed spell at the end of any other creatures turn.
Also, when you cast a spell with a duration greater than instantaneous, you can extend choose to the duration of it by a number of additional rounds up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).

Potent Spellcasting
Starting at 8th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.

Temporal Mastery
At 17th level you have achieved a mastery of time that allows you to get the most out of the breaks life offers. You can choose a creature you touch that has finished a short rest in the last 10 minutes the benefits of a long rest instead. This feature cannot restore spell slots of 6th level or higher. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again, this feature does not recover the use of this itself. Additionally, the temporal magic you that you wield causes you to age more slowly. or every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year. You require only half the normal time to complete downtime activities.

As per my normal brews, this thing is most likely a very loaded unbalanced piece of work. Its apparently how I manage to makes stuff, just been getting better about sending these types through the chop shop better.
Dev Notes (mostly fears):

• The Wis mod to initiative isn't required, I just felt that it fit. But it may be an issue to have it show up so soon
• 2nd level ability feels mechanically ok, just looks clunky written out. Kinda worried that the only reason it makes sense to me is because I wrote it and therefore know what the intent is.
• Chronal Stretch (6th level) may be a bit much with both abilities, but they may both just be 2/3 of a feature so it feels empty with only one, but overdone with both. EDIT: what about moving the Wis to Initiative into 6th level and removing part of the existing feature?
• I'm leaning more towards potent spellcasting than divine strike honestly, just want to see what the community thinks.
• Time tether is a whole giant can of worms... That said, I am honestly considering just stealing "Visions of the Past" from the Knowledge Domain.

EDIT: Capstone changed and semi finalized. Wording cleanup on other abilities as well.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Well, it definitely needs some work, but I'm glad you remembered this! I'm a little busy at the moment, but I'll compose some thoughts when I get chance.

My vote is for potent spellcasting.

[JeenLeen]

For Time Tether:

I think you could make this require a reaction or bonus action to activate the 'go back in time' power. As is, it seems like you can declare it anytime. Making it a reaction is essentially the same, but seems to fit the rules better.

By "their status is also not reset", does that mean their HP/status ailments/expended spell slots/etc. doesn't change?
Does your status reset?
I guess I'm asking if you time shift back to when it happened, or you just send your mind back in time. The latter seems easier, and makes this more useful if you want to skip back for a reason such as suffering a bad crit.

But, all in all, this seems like a headache for combat that would annoy other players and DM. Even if very useful, it's not necessarily worth recording every aspect of each character when you tether (if tether in-combat) so you can warp back to that exact spot.
Maybe if it make it take a minute to tether? That way you can't realistically use it in combat, and it more becomes a crazy-useful scouting power. It could still impact combat if your party enters combat, then you use it warp back before combat started. (Though note that some won't like having to fight the same fight again. Perhaps offset that by giving advantage to some stuff, or suggest DMs let the players perfectly repeat actions if they desire?)
If you go with this 'not in combat' method, I can see making it last longer than a minute.

A potential abuse: if you mentally warp back in time, this isn't an issue. If you physically do ("status not reset"), I assume the 'you' includes your gear.
Scenario: find big treasure chest. Tether self. Open and grab treasure. Warp back in time, now with treasure. Get treasure a second time.

[Gr7mm Bobb]

For Time Tether:

I think you could make this require a reaction or bonus action to activate the 'go back in time' power. As is, it seems like you can declare it anytime. Making it a reaction is essentially the same, but seems to fit the rules better.

By "their status is also not reset", does that mean their HP/status ailments/expended spell slots/etc. doesn't change?
Does your status reset?
I guess I'm asking if you time shift back to when it happened, or you just send your mind back in time. The latter seems easier, and makes this more useful if you want to skip back for a reason such as suffering a bad crit.

But, all in all, this seems like a headache for combat that would annoy other players and DM. Even if very useful, it's not necessarily worth recording every aspect of each character when you tether (if tether in-combat) so you can warp back to that exact spot.
Maybe if it make it take a minute to tether? That way you can't realistically use it in combat, and it more becomes a crazy-useful scouting power. It could still impact combat if your party enters combat, then you use it warp back before combat started. (Though note that some won't like having to fight the same fight again. Perhaps offset that by giving advantage to some stuff, or suggest DMs let the players perfectly repeat actions if they desire?)
If you go with this 'not in combat' method, I can see making it last longer than a minute.

A potential abuse: if you mentally warp back in time, this isn't an issue. If you physically do ("status not reset"), I assume the 'you' includes your gear.
Scenario: find big treasure chest. Tether self. Open and grab treasure. Warp back in time, now with treasure. Get treasure a second time.

*deep sigh* I knew this would be an issue. The problem that i see with my own feature here is how easily it can muck up the table experience as a whole. It requires a lot of impromptu homework and quite frankly seems like something that should be associated with the clerics "divine intervention" class feature so the GM has far more control over it.

I was originally going with a past-present-future motif with this, but lost my original design notes and had to start from scratch.

As far as pre-looting the treasure goes, that is a another potential problem that my original intent didn't bring into scope. It was intented to be an ability that allows you have a do-over in an intense time critical matter while you still suffered the consequences. In theory it sounds like an awesome story telling piece. But when a player has to play through a DnD 'it-was-all-a-dream" business, it can be charming once or twice, but on the regular it'll pose as an annoyance more than anything.

IMO i need to go back to the drawing board with the capstone.

Old Capstone
Channel Divinity: Time Tether
At 17th level you gain the ability to anchor yourself to a specific point in time. As an action you can expend a use of your channel divinity and tether yourself to your current place in time. Within the next minute you may recall back in time to the point in which you tethered as a mental reaction that can be done after any d20 roll you can see, but before the results are known. When you recall, time is reset to the point in which you tethered, you appear in the same space you tethered from. You remember what occurred before the reset and your status does not reset.
You are the only one who knows of the reset, you may choose any number of creatures to be aware of the recall. If you select any creature to be aware of the reset, their status is also not reset. If you activate this channel divinity while you have a tether active, you can choose to extend the tether window by another minute, or replace the previous tether with the new one.

Man that was bad.

Any ideas for a capstone would be appreciated.

[Ninja_Prawn]

IMO i need to go back to the drawing board with the capstone.

Yeah, that Prince of Persia style rewind was never going to work on the tabletop. The closest practical thing I could imagine was the Reverse Time ability I wrote for my sorcerous origin, which goes back to the start of the current turn.

It's hard to think of useful, fun things that are actually workable. Maybe something that makes people forget the last minute of their lives? Or something that gives you perfect future-vision for a minute?

[JeenLeen]

Possible similar capstone, but almost the reverse of what you originally thought of:

You tether yourself, and up to Wisdom modifier other willing creatures, in time as a Channel Divinity action.
Anytime in the next X (probably minute), you can spend a bonus action or a reaction (triggers when you or another tethered creature are impacted by anything, so basically 'any time') to pull the past self forward in time.
You can spend a reaction in response to a status ailment that would generally preclude reactions. For example, you may activate this power in response to being Charmed. (I defer to you and others if it should be able to be used in response to being killed or knocked unconscious.)
When you pull the past self/selves forward in time, only the body and mind move. Equipment is not impacted (this precludes any abuse of double-looting. Downside: if a weapon is destroyed, can't restore it... but, well, sunder isn't really a thing in 5e.)
This has the following consequences:

• HP and temp HP is restored to the amount at the tethering. This can restore a creature from the dead and recreate a destroyed body.
• exhaustion is restored to the level at the tethering
• any status ailments incurred since the tethering are cancelled (including attunement to a cursed item; such characters can spend a reaction immediately after the untethering to remove a cursed item). Status ailments that wore off since the tethering are restored. (Basically, reset.)
• any aging that occurred in the last X time is undone (not really significant, but, hey, cool fluff)
• any abilities that refresh upon a short/long rest are refreshed. For example, a Fighter who uses Action Surge could use it again, as if he hadn't used it. An exception to this is that the cleric who uses this power cannot use it to refresh the Channel Divinity that powered it. (too powerful?)

As noted, that last bullet might be too powerful. I think it should refresh given the fluff, but, well, that's a strong combo with the right party. And refreshing spell slots is way too powerful, I think. Maybe the mental strain of spellcasting is still too much, or you could allow up to Wisdom modifier of spell levels to be restored to each character pulled forward.
Or just scratch that and state that, despite what seems logical, this doesn't let you refresh limited use powers (rage, battlemaster dice, spell slots, etc.)

So it effectively becomes an at-will mass heal and restoration.

EDIT: I realized I forgot to explicitly say that memories are maintained. The "mind and body" pulled forward is to mean that mental status ailments like Charm are undone, as well as physical stuff.

[Gr7mm Bobb]

You could have minor pregonition to the extent that you have advantage on 1 thing once per turn and can never be surprised.

Or borrow from the light domain and make it a stance of perfect insight.

[Surrealistik]

The 6th level ability should definitely require an expenditure of your Channel Divinity.

8th level ability is boring, especially for something that far along.

[Gr7mm Bobb]

The 6th level ability should definitely require an expenditure of your Channel Divinity.

8th level ability is boring, especially for something that far along.

You might be right about the delayed spell part being a ChD thing. 8th level is actually stock out of the book for all 8th level clerics. They get either Divine strikes or Potent spellcasting.

[Gr7mm Bobb]

New proposed ability for 17th level.

Disclaimer: This could be potentially OP af, but sounded neat in my head (like most things i guess).

Anyway:

Temporal Mastery
At 17th level you have achieved a mastery of time that allows you to get the most out of the breaks life offers. You can choose to forgo all the benefits of a short rest for yourself to allow another creature who has recently* finished a short rest the benefits of a long rest instead. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

*The word recently should probably be changed out for a more definitive time frame. Hoping to crowd-source that.

Other add-ons:

• Additionally, the temporal magic you that you wield causes you to age more slowly. or every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.
• You require 1/2 the normal time to complete downtime activities.

[JeenLeen]

Is this supposed to explicitly preclude it from impacting the cleric using it?
I don't think this is necessary, since the biggest abuse of this power is likely to recharge a full caster--and if you could recharge the party wizard's spells, why not your own?
Though I guess it should be worded that use of that power does not itself recharge use of that ability, that is, you do truly have to take a long rest before using it again.

As to how powerful it is: this effectively doubles the spells per day of one full caster. It has other uses, but that seems the most powerful. A diviner wizard getting a recharge of all their spells and their class ability Potent (or whatever lets them pre-roll and use 2d20) seems very powerful.

Other add-ons:

• Additionally, the temporal magic you that you wield causes you to age more slowly. or every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.
• You require 1/2 the normal time to complete downtime activities.

First one sounds fine, since it's largely fluff and doesn't really matter.
I haven't played using downtime activities' mechanics, so I'm not sure about the second one.

Downtime activities exclude resting, right?

[Gr7mm Bobb]

Is this supposed to explicitly preclude it from impacting the cleric using it?
I don't think this is necessary, since the biggest abuse of this power is likely to recharge a full caster--and if you could recharge the party wizard's spells, why not your own?
Though I guess it should be worded that use of that power does not itself recharge use of that ability, that is, you do truly have to take a long rest before using it again.

Making the class independently powerful seems like the right direction to me.

As to how powerful it is: this effectively doubles the spells per day of one full caster. It has other uses, but that seems the most powerful. A diviner wizard getting a recharge of all their spells and their class ability Potent (or whatever lets them pre-roll and use 2d20) seems very powerful.

I agree and I'm thinking that I will add the stipulation that it cannot allow the recovery of spells slots and class features that give spells >5th level so it is kept in line with the design of warlock and sorcerer.

First one sounds fine, since it's largely fluff and doesn't really matter.
I haven't played using downtime activities' mechanics, so I'm not sure about the second one.

Downtime activities exclude resting, right?

Downtime activities includes training, money making endeavors, item creation, ect. Lots of stuff, but does not include resting periods. It is probably the most potent of the 3 in long term processes.

[Gr7mm Bobb]

More minor tweaks and twidgets, Spell list reworked to try and fit the theme better. Capstone overhauled, clipped to try and match other class balance.

[Gr7mm Bobb]

More changes to OP; Reaction ability at 6th level now uses channel divinity, removed down-time sentence at end of Capstone, it felt like it was just slapped on there.