Alternate Take On: The Cleric

[KaiserKris]

Cleric: (Wisdom)
HD: d8
BtH: 3/4
Weapons: As PHB
Armour: As PHB

Alignment: See Class Description
EPP: As PHB
Class Abilities: Code of Conduct, Divine Spellcasting, Domains, Orisons, Turning, Capstone Power

Code of Conduct: Clerics are the representatives of either deities or extradimensional patrons with whom the cleric shares a philosophy and worldview. All clerics have a patron of some sort, and they must abide by the moral code preferred by that patron. They cannot be more than one step removed in alignment from their deity or patron, and severe infractions of their patron's code may be met with the loss of some or all of their powers. It is recommended that the CK and player draw up a brief list of ethical and moral demands of the deity or patron before play, and that its limitations be enforced.

Divine Spellcasting: Clerics cast spells in much the same manner as the PHB, though they always have the option of converting prepared spells spontaneously into an appropriate type of spell for their deity. For an 'average' cleric, this will be healing spells. High Wisdom scores grant bonus spells as per the PHB.

Domains: At 1st level, a Cleric can choose a domain that is appropriate to their deity or philosophy. This domain choice, several of which will be listed in a seperate post below, usually grants a number of worthwhile bonuses to the cleric, such as extra spell choices, powers or bonuses to checks or saves, but usually also imposes some limitations. For example, clerics who choose the healing domain cannot use any spells other than the 'holy' spells to inflict damage upon enemies. Clerics of the arcane domain gain useful arcane spells, but cannot wear heavy armour and have a somewhat lower BtH. The player and CK are also encouraged to use other domain systems if they prefer, or to abstain altogether.

Orisons: The Cleric's 0-level spells, called orisons, can each be cast 1+Wis modifier times per day.

Turning: Clerics have the ability to turn or destroy creatures that are anathema to their particular religion, while evil clerics often have the power to rebuke or mentally control such creatures. The 'standard' cleric (and most clerics of any type) have powers that effect the undead. This 'turn undead' ability functions exactly as described in the PHB. Clerics of certain domains might have expanded abilities in this regard- clerics of the good domain have the power to turn evil extraplanars, and clerics of the nature domain can turn aberrations.

Capstone Power: At 20th level, Clerics gain a permanent +1 bonus to their Wisdom score and gain the ability to commune with their deity at will, and the ability to summon a servant of the deity (with HD equal or lower than the cleric) once per week.

Clerical Spell List:
Spells in italics can be reversed

0-level Spells:
Create Water: Creates 1 gallon of pure water/level
Cure Minor Wounds: Heals 1 hp
Detect Good/Evil/Chaos/Law: Detects desired alignment within 60 feet
Detect Magic: Detects magic within 60 feet of caster
Detect Poison: Detects poison in one individual or object
Endure Elements: Exist comfortably in hot or cold regions
Guidance: Gain a +1 bonus on any one roll within 1d4 rounds
Light: Object shines like a torch
Mending: Repairs small object
Purify Food and Water: Purifies 1 cu foot/level of food or water
Stabilize: Stabilizes dying individual
Virtue: Gain one temporary hit point

1st-level:
Align Weapon: Gives weapon good, evil, lawful or chaotic alignment
Bless: Allies gain +1 to hit and +1 on saves against fear
Bless Water: Makes holy water.
Brand: Marks a character indelibly for 1 day/level
Call Upon Faith: Grants a +3 bonus to one check made within 1d6+1 rounds
Command: Subjects obey one-word command for one round
Cure Light Wounds: Cures 1d8+Wis modifier damage
Dancing Lantern: Animates lantern that follows you
Detect Secret Doors: Reveals hidden doors within 60 feet
Detect Undead: Detects undead within 60 feet
Divine Wrath: Grants +1/5 level bonus to attack, damage, and overcoming spell resistance
Doom: Subject takes -2 on attack rolls, damage rolls, saves and checks
Invisibility to Undead: Undead can't perceive subject
Protection from Evil/Good/Chaos/Law: Provides +2 bonus to saves and AC, other protections
Remove Fear: Protects from fear, grants new save vs. fear
Resist Elements: Grants +2 bonus to saves vs. particular element
Sanctuary: Opponents cannot attack the caster
Shield of Faith: Aura grants +2 bonus to AC and saves
Silver Tongue: Roll Charisma check for diplomacy or deception twice, take higher result
Sound Burst: A pulse of sound that causes 1d8 damage

2nd-level:
Admonish: Rays of non-lethal force inflict 2d6+Wis subdual damage, +1 ray/four levels (max 5 rays)
Aid: Bonus of 1 to hit, +1 on saves against fear, 1d8 temporary hit points
Augury: Learns whether action will be good or bad
Aura of Comfort: Creates a 20x20 sphere which blocks wind, snow, rain or hail and moderates the temperature
Consecrate: Makes location holy, turning and harming undead
Darkness: Creates 20 ft. radius supernatural shadow
Delay Poison: Stops poison from harming subject for 1 hour/level
Detect Traps: Reveals traps along a path 50 ft. long
Enhance Attribute: Enhances one attribute
Hold Person: Holds one person helpless 1 round/level
Lesser Restoration: Dispels attribute damage effects for one attribute
Make Whole: Repairs an object
Remove Paralysis: Frees one creature from paralyzing effects or slow spell
Resist Energy: Ignores 10 points/level damage from specified energy type
Share Language: Share common language with other being
Silence: Negates sound in 15 ft. radius
Speak With Dead: Corpse answers questions
Spiritual Weapon: Divine weapon attacks on telepathic command
Status: Gives location and condition of bonded creature
Turn Evil: Allows Cleric to turn non-undead evil creature.

3rd-level:
Animate Dead: Creates and controls undead skeletons and zombies
Caltrops: Sows area with caltrops, slowing movement to 50% and inflicting d4 damage per round
Continual Flame: Makes a permanent heatless flame
Create Food and Water: Feeds three humans (or one horse)/level
Cure Serious Wounds: Cures 3d8+Wis damage
Dispel Magic: Cancels magical spells and effects
Gentle Repose: Preserves body for number of days equal to Wisdom score, forbids raising as undead
Glyph of Warding: Inscription harms those who pass it
Holy Might: Increases Str, Con, Dex by 1d4+1 if prime, 2 if not for 1 round/level
Invisibility Purge: Makes all invisible creatures within 5 foot/level area visible
Locate Object: Senses direction towards object
Magic Circle Against Evil/Good/Chaos/Law: As 15 ft. radius protection spell
Magic Vestment: Grants +1/4 level bonus to any armour or shield (max +5)
Miscast Magic: Spellcaster casts spells randomly for 1d4 rounds
Prayer: Allies gain +1 on most rolls, and enemies suffer -1
Remove Blindness or Deafness: Cures subject
Remove Curse: Frees person or object from curses
Remove Disease: Cures all diseases
Searing Light: Rays of burning light inflict 3d6 damage, 1 ray/3 levels (up to 5 rays), double damage to undead
Spell Sacrifice: Sacrifices 3rd level spell slot to fuel spellcasting of other spellcaster

4th level:
Air/Water Walk: Subject treads on air or water
Control Water: Raises or lowers bodies of water
Denounce: Lowers bystander's opinion of one individual
Defensive Harmony: Grants AC bonus to several allies fighting in the same battle
Dimensional Lock: Prevents extradimensional travel
Discern Lies: Reveals deliberate falsehoods
Dismissal: Forces creature to return to its native plane
Divination: Provides useful advice for specific proposed actions
Emotion: Instills strong emotion in one subject
Enhance Healing: All healing spells work at maximum efficiency for 1 round/level
Exorcism: Banishes spirit from the body of an individual
Freedom of Movement: Moves normally despite impediments
Hallow: Designates location as holy with array of effects
Halo of Vigilance: Provides 360-degree vision
Healing Circle: Cures 2d8 damage in circle around caster
Holy Smite: Evil creatures suffer 1d8/2 levels damage, may be blinded
Neutralize Poison: Detoxifies venom in or on subject
Restoration: Restores drained level and attribute reducing effects
Sending: Delivers short message to reature anywhere, instantly
Spiritual Ally: Creates a divine ally to help you
Tongues Speak any language

5th level:
Atonement: Removes burden of misdeeds from subject
Break Enchantment: Frees subject from enchantments, transmutations and curses
Commune: Deity answers one yes-or-no question
Cure Critical Wounds: Cures 5d8+Wis damage
Death Ward: Grants immunity to death spells and effects
Dispel Good/Evil/Law/Chaos: Grants +4 AC and dispels one spell
Divine Mark: Prevents person from performing specific action, lest they trigger a curse
Ethereal Jaunt: The caster becomes ethereal for 1 round/level
Fast Healing: Gives fast healing 1+Con bonus to the Cleric or one of their allies
Flame Strike: Smites foes with column of flame (1d6/level)
Holy Feast: Regular meal becomes divine feast, healing and purifying
Insect Plague: Limits vision, prevents spellcasting, inflicts damage
Mass Status: As status, but all within 30x30 space
Plane Shift: Up to eight subjects travel to another plane
Raise Dead: Restores life to subject who died within the last 24 hours, unless under gentle repose.
Scrying: Spies on subject from a distance
Spell Resistance: Grants 6 + Wis modifier spell resistance for 1 minute/level
Staff to Snakes: Converts quarterstaff into 1d4+1 poisonous snakes
True Seeing: See all things as they really are
Undead Ward: Prevents undead from entering 10-ft/level area

Animate Objects: Objects attack your foes
Banishment: Banishes 2 HD/level extraplanar creatures
Blade Barrier: Blades encircling the caster inflict 12d6 damage
Create Undead: Creates ghouls, shadows, ghasts, wights or wraiths
Find The Path: Shows most direct way to a location
Geas: Forces creature to fulfill a quest
Heal: Cures all damage and most everything else
Insanity: Creates permanent insanity in one creature
Mantle of Protection: Cleric makes all saves as primes for 1 round/level
Planar Adaptation (Mass): All allies within 30x30 space are protected from planar environment
Refraction: Mirrored surface repels projectiles and attack spells
Seize Initiative: Grants all allies within thirty feat Initiative bonus equal to Wis modifier
Slay Living: Kills one living creature instantly.
Water to Wine: Transforms water into other liquid, or other liquid into pure water
Wind Walk: The caster and caster's allies turn vaporous and travel quickly
Word of Recall: Teleports the caster back to designated place

7th level:
Animate Structure: One wall, ceiling or floor is animated
Control Weather: Changes weather in local area
Divine Inspiration: Cleric requests specific advice from their deity
Divine Shield: Grants subject immunity to weapons of lower than +3 enchantment, SR of 15
Disbelief: Caster disbelieves in the existence of 1d4 creatures, they cannot harm the caster
Greater Restoration: Restores all levels and attribute losses
Greater Scrying: As scrying, but faster and longer
Holy Speech: Allows a Cleric to charm 2 HD/level worth of individuals for divine purpose
Holy Word: Kills, paralyzes, blinds or deafens non-good subjects
Interdiction: Enforces -1 penalty to all rolls on all enemies within 1 mile of the caster, for 1 hour/level.
Refuge: Alters item to transport its possessor to the caster
Regenerate: Subjects severed limbs grow back
Repulsion: Creatures can't approach the caster
Resurrection: Fully restores dead subject
Retribution: Enemies who inflict weapon damage on cleric suffer the damage in turn

8th level:
Alter Age: Ages or preserves youth in target
Create Greater Undead: Mummies, spectres, vampires or ghosts
Dimensional Lock: Forbids extradimensional travel and teleportation for 1 day/subject
Discern Location: Learn exact location of creature or object
Divine Avatar: Become large divine creature
Earthquake: Intense tremor shakes, 50 ft. circular area
Fire Storm: Raging flame fills area for 1d6/level damage
Foresight: Grants Cleric a number of bonuses for precognitive abilities
Holy Aura: Bonus of 4 AC and saves, SR 16 against evil spells and more
Mass Heal: As heal, but with several subjects
Summon Planar Ally: Divinely calls allies up to 16 HD
Symbol: Triggered runes have array of effects

9th level:
Antipathy: Object or location attracts/repels certain creatures
Astral Projection: Projects the caster and companions into astral plane
Energy Drain: Subject loses 2d4 levels
Gate: Connects two planes for travel or summoning
Implosion: Implodes one subject/level
Mind Blank: Immunizes against mind-affecting magic and scrying
Miracle: Calls upon the direct assistance of the gods
Revelation: Grants vast divine insight, giving a number of benefits
Temporal Transport: Caster and allies are transported up to 48 hours into past or future.
Sunrise/Nightfall: Creates conditions of day or night in large area, with all associated bonuses or penalties
Trap the Soul: Imprisons subject within gem
True Resurrection: As resurrection, where the remains aren't needed

[Zudrak]

At first glance, I like this a lot. I'll have to dig deeper after work but this looks really cool.

[KaiserKris]

Just a few domains to begin with! Will add more!

Domains:

Air Domain:
Powers:
* Cleric gains damage resistance of 5 to electricity
* Clerics can add the following spells to their spell list: alter winds (1st), call lightning (3rd level), control winds (5th level), chain lightning (6th level), whirlwind (8th level)

Restrictions:
* Cannot cast any other elemental spells (earth, fire, water)

Arcane Domain:
Powers:
* Cleric can specialize, as per a wizard, in a particular school
* Cleric can choose one spell from their chosen school per level (their bonus spell) from the wizard list

Restrictions:
* Cannot wear any armour heavier than studded leather or use a shield
* BtH is lowered to 1/2

Evil Domain:
Powers:
* Cleric may attempt to rebuke/control evil extraplanar beings as they would unique undead
* Cleric may detect good at will (as the blackguard ability)

Restrictions:
* Must be of evil alignment
* Deliberate commission of any good act will immediately result in permanent loss of domain benefits
* Can never prepare or use 'good' variants of spells (such as cure wounds)

Earth Domain
Powers:
* Cleric gains damage resistance of 5 to earth
* Cleric can add the following spells to their list of available spells: magic stones (1st), shape stone (3rd), transmute mud and rock (5th), move earth (6th), wall of stone (6th), earthwave (9th)

Restrictions:
* Cannot cast any other elemental spells (air, fire, water)

Fire Domain
Powers:
* Cleric gains damage resistance of 5 to fire
* Cleric can add the following spells to their list of available spells: burning hands (1st), pyrotechnics (2nd), fireball (3rd), wall of fire (4th), delayed blast fireball (7th), incindiary cloud (8th)

Restrictions:
* Cleric cannot cast any other elemental spells (earth, water, air)

Good Domain:
Powers:
* Cleric can attempt to turn/destroy evil extraplanar beings as they would unique undead
* Cleric may detect evil at will (as the paladin ability)

Restrictions:
* Must be of good alignment
* Deliberate commission of any evil act will immediately result in permanent loss of domain benefits
* Can never prepare or use 'evil' variants of spells (such as inflict wounds)

Healing Domain:
Powers:
* Healing spells heal 1 extra HP per spell level
* Can lay on hands, as the paladin ability 1/day

Restrictions:
* Must be of good or neutral alignment
* Cannot use any non-holy damage inflicting spell (such as sound burst or flame strike)

Knowledge Domain:
Powers:
* Has Decipher Script as per the Rogue ability
* Can add the following spells to their list: read magic (0-level), identify (1st level), knowledge (2nd level), arcane eye (4th level), legend lore (6th level), vision (7th level)

Restrictions:
* Must have Intelligence as a prime
* Cannot use spells that inflict temporary or permanent forgetfulness or insanity

Love Domain:

Powers:
* Can use silver tongue as a spell-like ability, 1+Wis modifier times per day
* Can add the following spells to their spell list: charm person (1st level), suggestion (3rd level), telepathic bond (5th level),
caster's charm (6th level), mass charm (8th level)

Restrictions:
* Cannot use spells (some forms of emotion, denounce) that incite hatred
* Must have Charisma as a prime

War Domain:
Powers:
* Can use smiting blow once per day, using cleric level for BtH and bonus damage.
* Add the following spells to available cleric spells, magic weapon (1st), strength of one (3rd), divine champion (5th) and awe (7th)

Restrictions:
* -2 to Charisma checks related to diplomacy, persuasion
* Cannot use charm spells (silver tongue, holy speech, etc)

Water Domain:
Powers:
* Cleric gains damage resistance of 5 to cold
* Add the following spells to available cleric spells: hydraulic blast (1st level), water breathing (3rd level), iceball (3rd level), sleet storm (4th level), riptide (6th level), tsunami (9th level)

Restrictions:
* Cannot use any other elemental spells (fire, earth, air)

[Zudrak]

Healing Domain:
Powers:
* Healing spells heal 1 extra HP per spell level
* Can lay on hands, as the paladin ability 1/day

Restrictions:
* Must be of good or neutral alignment
* Cannot use any non-holy damage inflicting spell (such as sound burst or flame strike)

I imagine this covers reversed cure spells, too, right? Or is this CK's discretion?

(I guess my presence in/obsession with this thread reveals my penchant to play clerics, eh?)

[KaiserKris]

Healing Domain:
Powers:
* Healing spells heal 1 extra HP per spell level
* Can lay on hands, as the paladin ability 1/day

Restrictions:
* Must be of good or neutral alignment
* Cannot use any non-holy damage inflicting spell (such as sound burst or flame strike)

I imagine this covers reversed cure spells, too, right? Or is this CK's discretion?

(I guess my presence in/obsession with this thread reveals my penchant to play clerics, eh?)

Yes, it would. The healing cleric is a bit of a specialist. That being said, holy smite and holy word are nothing to sneeze at, in terms of wrecking evil creatures. That being said, it's always up to the CK's discretion. And spells that do subdual damage (I'm looking at you, admonish) are not covered by it.

[Zudrak]

Cool, thanks for the quick reply. I think your "Alternate Take" and similar thread posts should end up in something similar to the Adventurer's Backpack.

That's my $.02, anyway. Nice work, Kris.