Editing Cleric (section)

===[[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition|Fifth Edition]]===
[[File:Cleric PHB 5e.jpg|left|300px]]
[[File:Wololooooooooooooooooooooo.jpg|thumb|right|180px|It is the Cleric's lot to convert the heathen, red-wearing bandits to their faith.]]
In 5th edition, they realized that clerics were the primary divine spellcasters the way wizards were the primary arcane spellcasters and decided to throw the clerics some firepower at lower levels, even adding a domain called the Light domain that turns the cleric into a laser-beam-firing machine of death and radiant damage. So at this point, looking at the cleric and seeing nothing but a heal dispenser is like looking at a wizard and seeing nothing but a fireball dispenser. They also used a nerf bat to break the kneecaps of all the buff spells, making them much less OP (and therefore less aggravating) than they were in 3.5. The end result is clerics that can do whatever they want, thanks to Domains actually doing something now, from healing-focused to investigation-focused to I-wish-I-was-a-druid focused. Oh, and they can use a "channel divinity" class feature which has several functions: the first is shared by all subclasses, and is the "turn undead" feature of old. Each individual archetype also adds at least one additional function. 

Since there's literally no other mechanical support to a cleric outside of their domain, cleric players are perhaps the one 5e player type who would best be advised to look at older editions for character development ideas. AD&D and even 3e are both the premier source to look up symbols, vestments, ceremonies, beliefs and other details to flesh out what makes their Cleric specifically tied to a their chosen patron god. Even 4e's Divine Power is worth checking out because it actually has a pretty solid run-down of how Domains work as something separate to Alignments and how things like an Evil God of Freedom or a Good God of Destruction are possible.


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'''For a list and small description of the available domains, click to open.'''
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* ''Arcana Domain'' (SCAG) - This domain is kinda all over the place, doing lots of things that wizards are normally able to do. If you can tell us what role it's meant to play in the party, be our guest. Its additional channel divinity is a turn undead that works on extraplanar beings (celestials, fey, fiends and elementals) instead of undead. You also get to take some spells from the [[Wizard]] spell list, so you can do worse.
* '' Death Domain'' (DMG) - Pure DPS. No seriously, this subclass doesn't grant even ''one'' ability that does anything ''other'' than dish out necrotic damage. Its additional channel divinity function lets you slap 5+(Cleric level x 2) points of necrotic damage onto a successful weapon strike.<br>
::A note on roleplay: this domain was printed in the DMG because it was designed for BBEGs rather than players, and it really shows. However, a good aligned PC Death cleric could be justified quite easily if they worship a "holy slayer" type deity - basically, a god whose divine role is specifically to murder the fuck out of the forces of evil, chaos, corruption or whatever other insert bad shit exists in your cosmology, either specifically or in general. You might think this is odd, but there have been examples of gods just like this in real life, and the Hindu goddess [[Kali]] is one of the most widely acknowledged and recognized today. She's basically the panic button the other gods hit when up against some major shit (such as a [[Demon Prince]] whose every drop of spilt blood turns into another smaller version of him, as in her origin tale), and is more or less a ''hardcore'' version of batman. She doesn't really have a holy symbol, but "a fanged maw with a long coiling tongue lapping up drops of blood" should work fine. (If you're weirded out by the idea of using the gods of an *actual* religion in D&D, then please remember that a) you can create your own deity to fill the same archetype, and b) the Hindu gods were outright ''statted'' in the [[Deities & Demigods#1st Edition|1e Deities & Demigods]] book - D&D has a '''long''' history of taking real-world deities and using them as cleric options. Although we'll all agree, these days, that the Thugee-British consensus on Kali as murderous terrorist goddess was Bipartisanship in its truest definition: both Stupid and Evil.)
* '' Forge Domain'' (XGE) - Item-crafting and tankiness. You can imbue weapons and armour to make them temporarily magical, and you gain fire resistance (later immunity) and you become so tanky while wearing heavy armour that you may as well be wearing a forge. Its additional channel divinity function lets you create small metal objects.
* ''Grave Domain'' (XGE) - One of two domains for those who embrace the healbot stereotype. Unlike the life domain, the grave cleric heals by bringing the party back from the brink of death. You also get the ability to [[Awesome|NEGATE CRITICAL HITS]]. Its additional channel divinity function let's you designate one creature to take double damage from whatever next attack hits it, regardless of who the attack comes from.
* ''Knowledge Domain'' (PHB) - a [[Skill Monkey]] who isn't as stealthy or squishy as the [[Rogue]] or as big a horndog as the [[Bard]]. Bonus language and skills is meh, but later on you get the ability to read minds and see visions of past events. It's additional channel divinity functions gives you 10 minutes of proficiency with any single skill or tool.
* ''Life Domain'' (PHB) - One of two domains for those who embrace the healbot stereotype. Unlike the grave domain, the life cleric works in the traditional healbot method of keeping everyone's HP topped off. Its additional channel divinity function is a pool of HP you can spread out across as many creatures as you like, but which cannot take them over half their maximum.
* '' Light Domain'' (PHB) - Lots of flashlights, lasers, and flashbangs. Its additional channel divinity function lets you deal 2d10 plus cleric level in radiant damage to every creature of your choice within 30ft of you.
* ''Nature Domain'' (PHB) - Despite the intent of being a pseudo-Druid, in practice getting a Druid cantrip and heavy armor means it's a melee smasher that abuses the Shillelagh to use wisdom in place of strength for maximum single attribute dependence. It's additional channel divinity function lets you charm every animal or plant of your choice within 30ft.
* ''Order Domain'' (GGtR) - Command and Control. It's additional channel divinity function lets you charm each and every ''creature'' of your choice within 30ft of you, and you can make them drop their weapons. It was later reprinted in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.
* ''Peace Domain'' (TCoE) - Support. It lets you make a divine bond between multiple creatures that effectively gives them all the Bless spell, and later lets them teleport to each others' sides. Its additional channel divinity function lets you move up to your speed without provoking opportunity attacks, healing every ally you pass by.
* ''Tempest Domain'' (PHB) - You're a walking bug zapper, or you are Marvel's Thor. Martial weapons and heavy armour, lots of strong offensive spells, and its additional channel divinity function lets you, when you deal lightning or thunder damage, deal max possible damage instead of rolling. 
* ''Trickery Domain'' (PHB) -  Stealth expert/illusion expert hybrid. Its additional channel divinity function is a shadowclone jutsu. You also get the ability to make a weapon poisonous, turn invisible for a brief moment, and you get a pretty nice bonus spell list out of the deal too. Decent but overlooked.
* ''Twilight Domain'' (TCoE) - <s>being OP</s> Support. You can give your allies Darkvision and advantage on initiative, and also fly for some reason. Its additional channel divinity function lets you cast dim light in 30 feet that gives all allies in range 1d6 + Cleric Level temp HP ''per turn,'' which is rather overpowered at lower levels.
* ''War Domain'' (PHB) - Following in the footsteps of all those "My god is a war god so I'm actually just a fighter who can use cleric spells." clerics from 2e, the war cleric is [[Awesome| a barbarian who can cast cleric spells]]. Its additional channel divinity function lets you add a +10 to your attack roll, ''and you can do this after you know what you've rolled'', but before the DM tells you if it would've hit. A few levels later, you gain yet a third channel divinity function that's identical to the second function, save that you can use it on other people instead of yourself.
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