Rigon wrote:
Thanks for all the responses everyone and I usually tend to go with rolelaying differences, but I was fishing for some ideas on how to make the cleric less "vanilla". Funny thing is, as I'm typing this, I am thinking is that I don't have any plans to "mechanically" enhance fighters to make them different. So this thread may have become a moot point for me.
However, I do like what Moorcrys is doing.
R-
Here's my take on Cleric Domains. For spells that don't appear in the C&C PHB, you can use my conversions (see the AD&D 3rd Edition file) on my website. That file also lists what armors are light, medium or heavy and describes background skills and their use:
Agriculture: Priests of agricultural gods must take profession (farmer) as a background skill. They add the following spells to their repertoire:
Level 1: Goodberry
Level 2: Detect animals or plants
Level 3: Plant growth
Level 6: Move earth
Air, wind: Clerics of wind and air gods gain additional air spells but lose access to earth spells. They may not wear heavy armor.
Add the following spells to the clerics spell list:
Level 1: Feather fall
Level 2: Gust of wind
Level 3: Wall of wind
Level 5: Control winds
Level 7: Wind walk
Level 8: Whirlwind
Level 9: Elemental swarm
Remove the following spells from the clerics spell list:
Level 1: Magic stone
Level 3: Meld into stone
Level 7: Stone tell
Level 8: Earthquake
They may not conjure earth elementals, nor may they create clay golems. Air elementals conjured by these clerics gain 2 additional hit points per hit die.
Animals: Clerics of this domain add the following spells to their spell list: Level 1: Calm animals
Level 2: Charm person or mammal
Level 3: Dominate animal
Level 4: Animal summoning I
Level 5: Animal summoning II
Level 6: Animal summoning III
They must choose profession (animal handler) or knowledge (nature) skill as one of their background skills at 1st level. In place of raise dead, priests of this domain gain reincarnation. They are restricted to the use of light armor but may use any shield.
Arts: Clerics of this domain worship the gods of artistic inspiration and the performing arts. They must choose a performance skill as one of their background skills and gain an additional performance skill at levels 5, 10 and 15.
They add the following spells to their spell list:
Level 0: Prestidigitation
Level 1: Charm person
Level 2: Tashas hideous laughter
Level 3: Suggestion
Level 4: Charm monster
Level 7: Charm plants
Level 8: Ottos irresistible dance
Level 9: Mass charm
All clerics of this domain are limited to the use of light armor and small shields.
Blacksmith, the forge: These clerics must take a craft skill related to smithing as a background skill. At 18th level they may create iron golems using the same spells needed to make a clay golem but using the same materials (incurring the same expenses) for creating an iron golem.
The following spells are added to their spell list:
Level 1: Unseen servant
Level 6: Enchant an item
Level 7: Mordenkainens sword (favored melee weapon)
Level 8: Glassteel
Chaos: Priests of chaos are immune to insanity and confusion spells and spell effects. They add the following spells to their spell list:
Level 4: Confusion
Level 7: Insanity
They may never work to restore a creatures sanity by any means.
Darkness: Servants of darkness are skilled at blending into the shadows. They gain the hide and move silently abilities at 4th level, using these abilities as a thief of their cleric level 3. At 5th level they gain the ability to sneak attack for double damage. The damage dealt by their sneak attacks never increases. They may only wear light armor and use the weapons of thieves in place of those of clerics.
They may never cast light spells of any sort and suffer a 1 to all attack rolls in brightly list conditions.
Death: Death priests add the following spells to their spell list:
Level 6: Death spell
Level 8: Finger of death
At 3rd level and beyond they may feign death once per day in addition to their usual spell allotment. Both evil and neutral clerics of death gods command undead rather than turn them. They must take profession (embalmer) as a background skill.
Disease: Clerics of this mythos are immune to all diseases, regardless of their origin. At 3rd level they may cause disease once per week with their touch. This ability improves as the cleric rises in levels. At 9th level, the cleric can cause disease two times per week and, at 15th level, three times per week.
They may not cast cure disease or use the healing skills to treat those suffering from illness or disease.
Earth: Clerics of earth gods gain additional earth-based spells but lose access to air-based spells.
Add the following spells to the clerics spell list:
Level 2: Soften earth and stone
Level 3: Stone shape
Level 5: Transmute rock to mud, transmute mud to rock
Level 6: Wall of stone
Level 8: Animate rock
Remove the following spells from the clerics spell list:
Level 4: Air walk
Level 6: Aerial servant, wind walk
Level 7: Control weather
They may not conjure air elementals. All earth elementals summoned by these clerics gain 2 additional hit points per hit die.
Fire: Clerics of the fire domain gain access to fire-based spells but lose access to water-based spells.
Add the following spells to the clerics spell list:
Level 2: Flame blade (favored melee weapon)
Level 4: Produce fire
Level 5: Wall of fire
Level 7: Fire storm
Remove the following spells from the clerics spell list:
Level 3: Water breathing, water walk
Level 4: Control water
Level 7: Control weather
They may not conjure water elementals. All fire elementals summoned by these clerics gain 2 additional hit points per hit die.
Forests, wilderness: Clerics of this domain add survival as a class ability. They are restricted to the use of leather or hide armor and wooden shields. They add the following spells to their spell list:
Level 1: Detect animals or plants
Level 2: Tree
Level 3: Dominate animal
Level 4: Antiplant shell 10 radius
Level 5: Plant door
Level 6: Transport via plant
Level 7: Changestaff
At 5th level they add woodland stride as a class ability. They may never create golems of any sort and gain the turn undead ability at level 3 instead of at 1st level. Their effective cleric level, with regards to turning, is equal to their cleric level 2. In place of raise dead, priests of this domain gain reincarnation.
Healing: Clerics with this domain refrain from combat in all but the direst of circumstances, and use the BtH progression of magic-users due to their limited martial training. They are immune to all diseases, regardless of their origin.
At 3rd level they may cure disease once per week with their touch. This ability improves as the cleric rises in levels. At 9th level, the cleric can cure disease two times per week and, at 15th level, three times per week. When casting any cure spell, clerics of the healing domain may reroll all 1s and 2s rolled on each d8.
They may not cast cause disease, cause blindness/deafness, harm, wither or inflict wounds spells of any sort.
Hearth: Priests of the hearth typically stress the safety of home and their community to their flock. They are rarely adventurers. Clerics of this domain add the following spells to their spell list:
Level 1: Alarm, hold portal
Level 2: Wizard lock
Level 3: Leomunds tiny hut
Level 4: Leomunds secure shelter
Hunt: Clerics of the hunt gain the track class ability at 1st level and must take the profession (hunter) background skill. They are restricted to the use of light armor. In place of raise dead, priests of this domain gain reincarnation.
Industry: The clerics of this god worship the gods of item creation, whether that creation be of works of art, magical items or mundane items of any sort. They must choose a craft or profession skill tied to creative processes as one of their background skills.
They add the following spells to their spell list:
Level 0: Mending
Level 2: Obscure object
Level 4: Minor creation
Level 5: Major creation
Level 6: Enchant an item
Knowledge: Clerics of the knowledge domain are usually cloistered clerics (qv). If this new class is not used in your game, the following changes may be made to the standard cleric class.
Clerics of the knowledge domain may not wear armor but may use protective devices, such as rings of protection or bracers of defense. They gain the lore and decipher script class abilities at 1st level and begin play with 2 additional knowledge skills.
They use the BtH progression of magic-users due to their lack of combat training.
Law: Clerics of law, upon reaching 3rd level, may cast zone of truth once per day in addition to their usual spell allotment. At 7th level, they may also cast detect lie in addition to their daily spell allotment. They gain a +3 bonus to dispel chaos, confusion, insanity and symbol of insanity spells and may not cast these spells under any circumstance.
Light: Clerics of light gain a +2 bonus to all turn undead checks and may radiate a nimbus of light (as the light spell) for up to 1 turn per level per day.
They may never cast any darkness spell of any sort, nor may they animate dead.
Luck: Servants of the gods of luck are aware of fortunes fickle nature. Once per day they may add their level to any single ability check or attack roll they make. They must announce their intent to do so before making the roll. Should this roll fail, the cleric suffers a 1 penalty to all saving throws for 1 day.
Love, beauty: Clerics of this domain are usually not the sort to seek adventures or crusade in their faiths name. Adventuring clerics of this domain may not wear armor but may use protective devices such as rings of protection or bracers of defense.
They have a +2 bonus to resist all charm, dominate, enthrall, fascinate, or suggestion spells or spell-like abilities.
At 4th level they gain the bardic fascinate ability with an effective level equal to their cleric level minus 3.
Magic: Clerics of the gods of magic are usually cloistered clerics (qv.) but may use the following modifications if cloistered clerics are not used in your game.
Clerics of this domain may not wear armor but may use protective devices such as rings of protection or bracers of defense. They fight as magic-users, using the BtH progression for that class. They may use all wands, rods and staves that may be used by clerics or magic-users, and gain access to the following spells:
Level 0: Prestidigitation
Level 1: Armor
Level 3: Arcane sight
Level 5: Minor globe of invulnerability
Level 6: Antimagic shell
Level 7: Globe of invulnerability
Level 9: Mordernkainens disjunction
Mischief: Clerics of the mischief domain tend to be roguish pranksters. They are restricted to the use of light armor, may not use shields, and gain the move silently, hide and pick pockets abilities at level 4, with an effective level equal to their cleric level minus 3. They may also cast the following in addition to their usual spells:
Level 0: Prestidigitation
Level 1: Change self
Level 2: Tashas hideous laughter
Level 8: Ottos irresistible dance
Moon: Clerics of the ever-changing moon are often shapeshifters and may turn or control lycanthropes as a typical cleric turns or controls undead. They never destroy lycanthropes with this ability. The following spells are added to their spell list:
Level 2: Alter self
Level 4: Polymorph
Level 9: Shapechange
Clerics of this domain are restricted to the use of light armor, though they may use all shields.
Peace: Clerics of peace are almost always cloistered clerics (qv.) or non-adventuring clerics. They may not wear armor but may use protective devices such as rings of protection or bracers of defense. They may not cast cause disease, cause blindness/deafness, harm, wither or inflict wounds spells of any sort. To reflect their lack of martial training, clerics of this domain use the BtH progression of magic-users.
To balance this, priests of peace gods may cast sanctuary three times per day, in addition to their usual spell allotment. They may lay on hands, just as a paladin does and add 2 to each die rolled for any cure spell.
Strength: Clerics of this domain are quick to demonstrate their physical prowess through feats of strength. They receive a +1 bonus on all opposed strength checks, add 1 to all unarmed combat damage, and add the strength spell to their spell list. These bonuses replace the weapon training ability of clerics.
Storms: This domain affords its clerics with the ability to predict the weather with near certainty. At first level, clerics of storm gods may predict the weather for the next 8 hours with a wisdom check. At 3rd level, this check allows them to predict the weather for the next 24 hours. At 7th level the prediction covers the next 3 days weather and, at 11th level, they may accurately predict the weather for an entire week.
The following spells are added to their spell list:
Level 3: Call lightning
Level 7: Control weather
Level 9: Storm of vengeance
Sun: Clerics of sun gods must choose a performance skill as one of their background skills, as sun gods are commonly patrons of the arts. They add the following spells to their spell list:
Level 2: Flame blade
Level 7: Sunray
Level 8: Sunburst
Level 9: Chariot of Sustarre
Time: Priests of this domain are usually learned chroniclers of the ages and masters of astronomy. As such, clerics with this domain must have the knowledge (astronomy or history) or profession (clockmaker, embalmer, librarian or scribe) skill. This list can be expanded to include other skills connected with marking the passage of time.
They add the following spells to their spell list:
Level 0: Know direction
Level 3: Haste, slow
Level 8: Temporal stasis
Level 9: Time stop
Travel: Clerics of the travel domain move 15 (3) faster than is usual for a member of their race so long as they are not wearing heavy armor or carrying more than a light load.
They must take a profession related to traveling (teamster, guide, sailor, navigator) as a background skill and are restricted to the use of light armor. They may use any shield.
They add the following spells to their spell list:
Level 0: Know direction
Level 1: Run
Level 4: Dimension door
Level 5: Teleport
Level 7: Teleport without error
War: Priests of war gods gain a +1 bonus to hit with their deitys favored weapon, even if that weapon is not normally allowed by clerics.
Water, oceans: Clerics of this domain must chose a profession or craft skill tied to living off of a body of water as a background skill. They add the following spell to their spell list:
Level 5: Airy water
Remove the following spell from the clerics spell list:
Level 5: Flame strike
They may not conjure fire elementals. All water elementals summoned by these clerics gain 2 additional hit points per hit die.