Editing Cleric Domain (section)

==5th edition==
With [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] taking the approach of mandatory [[subclass]]es, turning Domains into the [[cleric]] subclasses was as natural as turning the iconic eight schools of magic into the [[wizard]] subclasses. As in 3rd edition, a 5e Cleric Domain grants a list of bonus spells for all of the spell levels. More importantly, it also grants a number of bonus class features, at levels 1, 2, 6, 8 and 17, which mechanically alter how the cleric plays and what it can do to a far greater extent than the oft-meager domain powers of 3e.

In addition to the domains sorted below, several Domains have appeared in [[Unearthed Arcana]], namely the [[d20 Modern]]-themed "City" Domain, the Protection Domain, and precursors to the Forge and Grave Domains.

===Core Domains===
The core Domains in 5e's Player's Handbook are Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery, and War.

'''Knowledge''' covers deities who value learning and understanding; although its observed that some gods hoard their knowledge while others coax their followers to seek forbidden secrets. At first level you gain the Blessings of Knowledge feat, which grants you two bonus languages and Expertise (apply double your proficiency bonus when making such checks) in two skills of your choice selected from a list of: Arcana, History, Nature or Religion. Its Channel Divinity is Knowledge of the Ages, which grants you 10 minutes of proficiency in a skill or tool of your choice. 6th level provides the Read Thoughts feat, letting you reach out and probe a victim's mind once per long rest; if they fail a Wisdom save, you can read their surface thoughts for the next minute and, when you break contact, can leave them under the effects of a Suggestion spell. At level 8 you gain the Potent Spellcasting feat, adding bonus damage to your Cleric cantrips equal to your Wisdom modifier. Lastly at level 17 you gain Visions of the Past, after a one minute long meditative ritual you may engage in post-cognition, divining the most recent history of either an object or your immediate vicinity.

'''Life''' is, of course, the healing and fertility gods' Domain of choice, and is all about making you a better healer. Aside from a bevvy of curative Domain Spells, this Domain gives you free proficiency with Heavy Armor and the 1st level feature Disciple of Life, which causes your healing spells to grant 2 + the spell's level bonus hit points to the total they heal. Your Channel Divinity is Preserve Life, which lets you use Channel Divinity to heal up to 5 times your cleric level in hit points in any number of non-construct, non-undead creatures within 30 feet of you. Level 6 grants the Blessed Healer, which causes you to be healed of 2 + spell's level hit points whenever you cast a healing spell. Divine Strike, a level 8 feature, lets you deal +1d8 (+2d8 at 14th level) radiant damage with a weapon attack once per turn. Finally, at 17th level, you gain the Supreme Healing feature, which causes your dice roll-based healing spells to always restore the maximum possible hitpoints (so a 2d6 healing spell cast by you will automatically heal 12 HP).

'''Light''' is a diverse domain mostly associated with deities of good, but whilst its fluff claims it can be metaphorical, its mechanics lean more towards the literal. If you liked the Laser Cleric build from 4e, this is the Domain that you want. Its Domain spells are all about making light and fire, and it grants Light as a bonus cantrip. Its level 1 feature is Warding Flare, where you can use a reaction in response to being attacked by a visible creature within 30 feet to impose Disadvantage on its attack roll, which you can do a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). As this is flavored as being due to a sudden flash of light, creatures immune to blindness are unaffected by this feature. Your Channel Divinity is Radiance of the Dawn, which lets you burn a Channel Divinity to dispel magical darkness within 30 feet and to inflict 2d10 + your cleric level radiant damage on all hostile creatures within 30 feet of you - a successful Constitution save halves the damage, and being behind total cover protects them from all damage. Improved Flare, your 6th level feature, now lets you use Warding Flare to protect allies within 30 feet. At level 8, you gain the Potent Spellcasting feature, which adds bonus damage to your Cleric cantrips equal to your Wisdom modifier. Finally, at level 17, Corona of Light lets you envelop yourself in an aura of divine light for a minute as an action. Whilst your aura is up, you emit bright light for 60 feet and dim light for 30 feet, but any enemies within that bright light have disadvantage on saving throws against any spell that inflicts fire or radiant damage.

'''Nature''' is the "so, why are [[druid]]s and [[cleric]]s not the same thing again?" Domain, focusing on control over plants and animals. Its Domain Spells all manipulate plants and animals, whilst at first level it gainst the Acolyte of Nature, which gives the cleric a free druid cantrip and proficiency in either Animal Handling, Nature or Survival. It also gets free heavy armor proficiency, which really doesn't make a lot of sense. Its Channel Divinity is Charm Animals and Plants, which... well, you can probably take a wild guess what it does. Dampen Elements, its level 6 feature, lets them burn a reaction to apply Resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder damage delivered against either themselves or an ally within 30 feet. Their 8th level feature, Divine Strike, lets them add +1d8 (+2d8 at 14th level) bonus damage to a weapon attack once per turn, which can be cold, fire or lightning damage as they choose each time they use this feature. Finally, at 17th level they gain the Master of Nature feature, which lets them use a bonus action to verbally command animals & plants charmed by their Channel Divinity.

'''Tempest''' is the Domain of storm gods, making it all about the weather, the thunder and the lightning. Granting bonus proficiencies with martial weapons and heavy armor, its 1st level feature is Wrath of the Storm, which lets you blast a visible foe within 5 feet of you with 2d8 lightning or thunder damage as a reaction if that creature hits you with an attack, although they can halve the damage with a Dexterity save and you can only do this a number of times per long rest equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). This Domain's Channel Divinity is Destructive Wrath, which lets them burn a charge of Channel Divinity to max out the damage on a thunder or lightning attack. Level 6 grants Thunderbolt Strike, where dealing lightning damage to a Large or smaller creature lets the cleric push them up to 10 feet away. Another Domain with the Divine Strike 8th level feature, this one grants +1d8 (+2d8 at 14th level) Thunder damage on a weapon attack once per turn. Finally, at level 17, they gain the Stormborn feature, which grants them a Fly speed equal to their current walking speed whenever they're not underground or indoors.

'''Trickery''' is the Domain of holy rogues and divine tricksters, all about mischief and deception. With an assortment of enchantment and illusion spells, plus dispel magic, dimension door and polymorph, as its Domain Spells, its 1st level feature is Blessing of the Trickster, which lets you grant a creature other than yourself Advantage on all Stealth checks for the next hour or until you bless somebody else, whichever comes first. Its Channel Divinity is Invoke Duplicity, which lets you create an illusory double that can cast spells for you and grant you advantage on attack rolls by double-teaming the same target, but can't physically interact with the world. At level 6, you gain a second Channel Divinity in Cloak of Shadows, which lets you become invisible until the end of your next turn, you attack or you cast a spell. Another Domain with the Divine Strike 8th level feature, this one grants +1d8 (+2d8 at 14th level) Poison damage on a weapon attack once per turn. Finally, Improved Duplicity at 17th level lets your Invoke Duplicity create up to four illusory doubles instead of the normal 1.

'''War''' Domain Spells are all about bolstering attack or defense. It grants bonus proficiency with heavy armor and martial weapons. It's 1st level feat is War Priest, which lets you make a secondary weapon attack as a bonus action a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). Its Channel Divinity is Guided Strike, which grants you a +10 bonus to an attack roll when invoked, which is done after you see your roll but before the DM tells you if this was a hit or a miss. Another Domain with two Channel Divinities, its level 6 one is War God's Blessing, which is the same thing as Guided Strike, but applied to an ally's attack roll as a reaction. Another Domain with the Divine Strike 8th level feature, this one grants +1d8 (+2d8 at 14th level) damage on a weapon attack once per turn, with the bonus damage being the same type as the base damage. Finally, 17th level grants you Avatar of Battle, which is permanent resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage.

===Sourcebook Domains===
The very first sourcebook to feature a new Domain was the Dungeon Master's Guide, which featured the '''Death''' domain. Hilariously, the ''PHB itself'' acknowledges that death and its clerics aren't necessarily evil, and lists ''multiple'' non-evil death gods in its various appendices. But the discrepancy can be explained; trying to finally untangle the snarl of "why do Death Gods who hate the Undead have spells relating to creating the undead?", 5e split up the Death God archetype into its two main components; the Death Domain is for "Reaper" Gods, those Death Gods who embody the actual role of killing people, such as [[Nerull]], [[Loviatar]], [[Bhaal]], [[Talona]], and [[Morgion]]. In fact, it goes so far as to break up the three components of 3e's Death Domain - The Reaper God, the Underworld God and the [[Necromancer]]-God - that it actually completely forsakes the mastery of necromancy associated with "Death Priests" in editions past. This means that the [[necromancer]] [[wizard]] is '''finally''' the best character class at its actual role.

'''Death Domain Clerics''' gain access to a bevvy of spells based on offensive or debilitating necromancy, such as Rays of Sickness and Enfeeblement, False Life, Blight and Cloudkill. They get a bonus proficiency with martial weapons, and the 1st level feature "Reaper", which grants them a bonus necromancy cantrip from any class's spell list and the ability to target two adjacent (within 5ft of each other) creatures with the same necromantic cantrip. Their Channel Divinity is Touch of Death, which lets them inflict bonus necrotic damage (5 + 2 X Cleric Level) on a melee attack. 6th level grants them the Inescapable Destruction feature, which means their necrotic damage cleric spells, Channel Divinity and Divine Strike options all ignore necrotic resistance. 8th level gives them Divine Strike, which is the ability to inflict +1d8 Necrotic damage (+2d8 at 14th level onwards) with a weapon attack once per turn. Finally, at level 17, they get Improved Reaper, which applies Reaper's bonus to any single-targetting necromancy spell of 1st through to 5th level.

The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide adds the '''Arcane''' domain, for a little more of a [[Mystic Theurge]] feel to the cleric. As worshippers of the God of Magic, these clerics possess abilities that make them a lore more [[wizard]]ly. In addition to a bevvy of "basic arcane" and arcane magic-manipulating spells, like Detect Magic, Magic Missile, Dispel Magic and Teleportation Circle, their first level feature is Arcane Initiate, which grants them proficiency in the Arcana skill and two wizard cantrips of their choice, which function for them as Cleric cantrips. Their Channel Divinity is Arcane Abjuration, which is basically the ability to turn planar creatures ([[angel|celestials]], [[elemental]]s, [[fey]] and [[fiend]]s) as if they were undead, which upgrades to the ability to banish them from the material plane for a minute from 5th level onwards, if the creature is weak enough. At 6th level, they gain Spellbreaker, which lets their curative spells function as a Dispel Magic on whoever they are targeting. Potent Spellcasting, their 8th level feature, lets them add their Wisdom modifier to the damage rolls they make for their offensive cantrips. Finally, at level 17, they can pick one wizard spell from each of the 6th through 9th level lists and turn these into bonus Domain Spells.

Xanathar's Guide to Everything would add two more Domains; '''Forge''' and '''Grave''', based on an earlier Unearthed Arcana article. These would be reprinted in Mythic Odysseys of [[Theros]].

'''Forge Clerics''' worship smithing creator deities like [[Moradin]], [[Gond]], and [[Reorx]], and thusly have abilities aimed at filling the [[artificer]] role, with a dash of tankiness. Their Domain Spells all relate directly to their role, consisting of Identify, Searing Smite, Heat Metal, Magic Weapon, Elemental Weapon, Protection from Energy, Fabricate, Wall of Fire, Animate Objects and Creation. They receive a free proficiency with heavy armor and smith's tools, and their 1st level feature is the Blessing of the Forge, which lets them temporarily imbue a suit of armor or a single weapon with magic until their next long rest or they die, which makes that item function as a +1 item. Their Channel Divinity is Artisan's Blessing, which lets them spend a Channel Divinity use over the course of an hour to create one item from the following list: a simple or martial weapon, a suit of armor, ten pieces of ammunition, a set of tools, or any other metal-based object that costs no more than 100 gold pieces. It can be used to create duplicates of metal objects you already possess, such as an exact replica of a key. 6th level grants them the Soul of the Forge, which gives them Resistance to Fire, plus it also gives them a +1 bonus to AC when wearing heavy armor. 8th level grants them a Divine Strike that deals +1d8 (+2d8 at 14th level) fire damage with a weapon attack once per turn. Finally, 17th level's Saint of the Forge improves their Soul of the Forge to Immunity to Fire and means they gain Resistance to Nonmagical Bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing damage when wearing heavy armor.

'''Grave Clerics''' are, as you'd expect, the "non-evil death clerics!" domain; whilst Death is mechanically aimed at gods of the undead, murder and other "death as an evil force to be feared" deities, the Grave Domain is aimed at gods of "death as a natural part of the cycle", like [[Kelemvor]], [[Pharasma]], the [[Raven Queen]], [[the Undying Court]] and [[Wee Jas]]. This means the two main traditional depictions of a Death Priest in D&D are now covered, although the "Necromancer Cleric" traditionally held by servitors of deities like [[Vecna]] or [[Chemosh]] is still yet to be covered. Domain Spells for the Grave Domain are a weird grab-bag of "gently offensive" necromancy spells (Bane, Ray of Enfeeblement, Blight) and benign necromancy spells (False Life, Gentle Repose, Raise Dead). At 1st level, they gain Circle of Mortality, which not only causes them to always count as rolling the maximum value for their dice-based healing spells, but also gives them a 30ft long, cast on a bonus action version of Spare the Dying as a bonus cantrip that doesn't count against their cantrip limits. 1st level also gives them Eyes of the Grave, which lets them sense the location of all non-protected (that is, neither in total cover nor warded against divination) undead within 60 feet as action, which they can do a number of times per day equal to their Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) before needing to take a long rest to recharge it. Their Channel Divinity is Path to the Grave, which lets them curse a creature within 30 feet so that it counts as having Vulnerability against the next attack to hit it. 6th level grants them the feature Sentinel at Death's Door, which lets them nullify a critical hit against themselves or an ally within 30 feet (downgrading it to a normal hit and cancelling any rider effects that trigger on a crit) as a reaction; again, they can do this a number of times per day equal to their Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). At level 8, they gain the same Potent Spellcasting feature as the Arcane Domain Cleric does. Finally, 17th level grants them the Keeper of Souls trait, which means that once per turn, when an enemy dies within 60 feet of them, the cleric can heal a creature of their choice that is also within 60 feet, giving the target hit points equal to the dead creature's Hit Dice.

The Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica added a new '''Order''' domain for clerics.

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything added two new domains, Peace and Twilight, as well as reprinting the Order domain from the Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica..

===Plane Shift Domains===
Since it's unclear where WoTC's "Plane Shift" articles, which convert [[Magic: The Gathering]] [[planes]] to D&D 5e worlds, fit on the canon scale, Domains introduced in such articles are given their own segment here. So far, only four new cleric Domains have arisen from the Plane Shift articles, in the form of the Ambition, Solidarity, Strength, and Zeal Domains associated with the gods of [[Amonkhet]].

The '''Ambition''' Domain is the most evil-flavored Domain, because of course wanting to push yourself to the top is most appealing to selfish jerkasses. Its bonus spells are all about cheating or manipulating; Bane, Ray of Enfeeblement, Vampiric Touch, Dominate Person, etc. At level 1, you get the Warding Flare ability, which you can use 1 or Wisdom modifier times per day, whichever is greater. This lets you impose Disadvantage on an assailant's attack roll against you as a reaction, provided that you can see them and they're within 30 feet - oh, and they're not immune to being blinded. Your level 2 Channel Divinity is "Invoke Duplicity", which lets you use your CD to create an illusionary double, which is sustained as per a Concentration spell. Aside from the obvious misleading effects, although it's only got a 120 range, you can cast spells through it, and you can tag-team with it to gain advantage on attack rolls. In comparison, your level 6 Channel Divinity, "Cloak of Shadows, is much simpler: you turn invisible, until your next turn ends, you attack somebody, or cast a spell. Level 8 gives you the Potent Spellcasting feature, where your offensive Cleric cantrips inflict +Wisdom modifier bonus damage. Finally, at level 17, Improved Duplicity lets you make up to 4 duplicates with Channel Divinity instead of 1. It is associated with the Amonkheti god Bontu the Glorified, but if your DM allows it could fit any evil god who encourages ambition, like [[Asmodeus]] or [[Lolth]].

The '''Solidarity''' Domain is a sort of cross between the War and Life Domains, as it's all about fostering team-work and unity. Its bonus spells relate to group-targeting heals and buffs, such as Bless, Guiding Bolt, etc. It grants proficiency in Heavy Armor and several features. At level 1, Solidarity's Action lets you spend a bonus action when using Help to assist an ally's attack to make a weapon attack of your own, which you can do Wis bonus times (minimum once) per day. At level 2, you get the Channel Divinity feature "Preserve Life", which lets you heal others as a bonus action without expending a spell slot. At level 6, Channel Divinity "Oketra's Blessing" lets you spend a Channel Divinity use as a reaction to a creature within 30 feet of you make an attack roll; this grants them a +10 bonus to their roll. At 8th level, you get Divine Strike, which lets you bump up the damage on one weapon attack per turn by +1d8 (+2d8 after you hit level 14). Finally, at level 17, you get Supreme Healing, where you automatically heal the maximum possible amount when using a random roll-based healing effect. It's associated with the god Oketra the True, but it would work for any deity that encourages co-operation and fostering unity- which is a lot of the Good ones.

The '''Strength''' Domain is all about proving your strength, physically and mentally. As such, its bonus spells are an odd mix of physical boosters, protective buffs, and also includes the Dominate Beast and Insect Plague spells. At level 1, you gain Acolyte of Strength (1 Druid cantrip, Proficiency in 1 of Animal Handling, Athletics, Nature or Survival) and proficiency in Heavy Armor. At level 2, your first Channel Divinity, "Feat of Strength", allows you to use Channel Divinity to grant yourself a +10 bonus to any Strength based check. The level 6 version, "Rhonas's Blessing", is the same thing, but targeting somebody else within 30 feet instead. You get the same Divine Strike feature as the Solidarity Domain at level 8, and finally, level 17 gives you Avatar of Battle; permanent resistance to all physical damage that comes from non-magical sources. It's associated with Rhonas the Indomitable, but if you want to use it outside Amonkhet, any god who had the Strength domain in 3e and 4e could work.

The '''Zeal''' Domain is a weird mixture of the War and Tempest Domains, in practice. Its bonus spells are all offensive based, either directly (Destructive Wave) or indirectly (Searing Smite), and heavy on the thunder and fire damage. You get free proficiencies with martial weapons and heavy armor, and the Priest of Zeal feature at level 1. Usable 1 or Wisdom modifier (use the higher of the two) times per day, it lets you use a bonus action after making an attack to make an extra weapon attack. Your level 2 Channel Divinity, Consuming Fervor, lets you spend Channel Divinity uses to maximize fire and thunder damage. At level 6, you get Resounding Strike, which means your thunder attacks will knock any target that is Large or smaller back 10 feet when they hit. At level 8, you get Divine Strike, which functions the same as Solidarity and Strength's version. Finally, at level 17, you get Blaze of Glory: once per day, when reduced to 0 hit points by an attacker that you can see, you can use your reaction to move at full speed towards that bastard and make a melee weapon attack with Advantage that deals +5D10 (weapon damage type) damage and +5d10 fire damage if it hits. Whether it hits or not, you then collapse on the spot, either dead or dying, depending on how badly hurt you were beforehand. It is associated with Hazoret the Fervent, but works quite well for clerics of any god eager to get some righteous smiting done, like St. Cuthbert.

===Mearls' Creations===

Like with all the other [[subclass]]es, Mearls has admitted to homebrewing his own cleric domains, which he has sometimes shared through platforms such as Twitter. Currently, three such domains have been revealed; Beauty, Darkness and Destruction.

'''Beauty:''' The Gods of Beauty tend to be either all about inspiring joy and hope... or sinister mind-bending enthrallers, depending on who you ask. This is kind of the [[cleric]]al equivalent to the [[Enchanter]]; its bonus spells are almost entirely enchantment spells (Charm Person, Enthrall, Suggestion, Hypnotic Pattern, Charm Monster, Compulsion, Dominate Person, Hold Monster) - the only exceptions are Heroism and Beacon of Hope. Its first level features are ''Beauty's Refuge'' (up to 12 allies of your choice gain temporary HP equal to your [[Charisma]] modifier whenever you complete a rest) and ''Rebuke the Defiler'' (once per encounter, as a reaction, you can make a visible enemy within 30 feet that inflicts damage take an equal amount of psychic damage, or half that if they make a Wisdom save). Its Channel Divinity feature is ''Beauty's Truce'', which forces all creatures within 100 feet to make Charisma saves or else be Charmed for 1 hour, during which time they act as dear friends to everybody else charmed by this ability. At level 6, ''Superior Refuge'' boosts your Beauty's Refuge ability to grant 5 + your Cha Modifier temp HP. At level 8, you gain the ''Potent Cantrip'' feature, which adds your Wisdom modifier in bonus damage to your cleric cantrips. Finally, at 17th level, you gain the feature ''Soul of Beauty'', which allows you to impose a penalty equal to your [[Charisma]] modifier on a creature's attacks against you or its saves against your spells & abilities until the end of the current turn; you can do this as a reaction.

'''Darkness:''' Gods of Darkness can include everything from kindly patrons of the night to lords of thieves and assassins to sinister omnicidal maniacs. Obviously, their spells fall into the [[Shadow Magic]] archetype; Arms of Hadar, Hex, Blindness/Deafness, Darkness, Fear, Vampiric Touch, Blight, Evard's Black Tentacles, Contagion and Enervation. Their first level features are ''Child of Night'' (gain Chill Touch as a cantrip and Darkvision 30 feet), and ''Shield of Ineffable Darkness'' (once per encounter, blind a visible creature that damages you until the end of your next turn). Its Channel Divinity feature is ''Shadow Spawn'', which gives you Advantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks and causes your spells & attacks to deal maximum damage to targets that can't see you for 1 minute. At level 6, ''Hungry Darkness'' lets you use Shield of Ineffable Darkness on up to 3 bonus creatures within 30 feet at the same time. At level 8, you gain the ''Potent Cantrip'' feature, which adds your Wisdom modifier in bonus damage to your cleric cantrips. Finally, at 17th level, you gain the feature ''Soul of Darkness'', which lets you meld with shadows; this restores hit points equal to your cleric level, and for 1 minute you have Resistance to all damage and can use a bonus action to teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is in dim light or darkness.

'''Destruction:''' Whilst usually associated with gods that are evil, or at least insane, in a sufficiently [[grimdark]] setting, gods of destruction may actually be a benevolent force. Or at least they fulfil a vital role in the cosmology and it's just a job to them. Obviously, their spells are all about the [[Evoker]] archetype; Inflict Wounds, Wrathful Smite, Enlarge/Reduce, Shatter, Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Ice Storm, Staggering Smite, Cloudkill and Destructive Wave. Its first level features are ''Armed For Destruction'' (you're proficient with martial weapons) and ''Destructive Fury'' (once per encounter, you can enter a lesser berserker fury for 1 minute as a bonus action, gaining 5 temp HP and +1 to weapon damage rolls - or you can expend a spell slot to instead gain temp HP equal to 3 times the slot's level and a bonus to weapon damage rolls equal to half the slot's level, minimum 1). Its Channel Divinity feature is ''Sundering Invocation'', which lets you touch a creature and inflict 5 times your Cleric level in Thunder damage (half that if they pass a Constitution save). You can also touch an unattended object and automatically do the full Thunder damage. At level 6, you gain ''Appetite for Destruction'', which can be invoked as a reaction when you kill a creature or destroy an object with a weapon attack to immediately make an additional weapon attack - you can use this Wisdom modifier times per day. At level 8, you gain the ''Divine Strike'' feature, which lets you deal +1d8 (+2d8 after hitting level 14) bonus Thunder damage with a weapon attack once per turn. Finally, at 17th level, you gain the feature ''Hand of Devastation'', which lets you roll twice the normal amount of dice when rolling damage from the spell and select the ones whose results you like best, though you still can't apply more than the spell's normal cap of total damage dice.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Mechanics]][[Category: Game Mechanics]]