Divine Power Source

[eleventh]

I have been thinking a lot about what future divine classes will look like. In order to be more informed, I've been trying to pull out the common themes of the current divine classes. By looking at the Cleric and the Paladin, I'm hoping to get a better sense of what it means to be divine, mechanically.

Firstly, both classes are obligated to pick a deity. They each get access to Channel Divinity powers and have a minor action healing power as a class feature. Both classes also make use of holy symbol implements. Although radiant is the most common damage type for both classes, other keywords employed are fire, thunder, and fear. Healing, saving throws, and temporary hit points are often conferred by both classes. Both have ways to discourage enemies from (or punish enemies for) attacking the party. Status effects created by both classes include dazed, prone, immobilized, stunned, and blinded. Both classes have ways to force enemy movement and ways to make an enemy grant combat advantage. Divine paragon paths also allow players to reroll attacks, damage, saving throws, etc.

Each class also has a few divine-themed features/aspects that the other doesn't. Clerics have a number of powers that specifically target the undead and Paladins have a number of ways to make sacrifices (mostly via taking damage and losing surges) to help the party. Clerics have conjurations ranging from ghostly weapons to ghostly warriors, while Paladins are capable of providing allies teleportation, often pairing this with healing.

Divine Power Source
Channel Divinity Powers, Holy Symbol Implements
Healing, Saving Throws, Temporary Hit Points
Radiant, Fire, Thunder, and Fear Keywords
Dazed, Prone, Immobilized, Stunned, and Blinded
Discourage/Punish Enemies from/for Attacking
Force Enemy to Move and Grant Combat Advantage
Reroll Attacks, Damage, Saving Throws, and Skill Checks
Target the Undead and Make Sacrifices for the Party
Utilize Conjurations and Provide Allies Teleportation

If I missed something or you have ideas on how the power source could be expanded, I would very much like to hear it. As stated before, both the cleric and paladin bring something uniquely divine to the table (conjurations and teleportation come to mind). What might a future divine class add?

 

[Patlin]

How about a Divine Controller called the "Hellfire Priest?" Clerics allready offer a relatively high degree of area effects, and as you've pointed out they have some fear effects too. We have two divine classes in the PHB, but only one controller... what would make the Hellfire priest more controller like? What makes something a controller is at the moment an even bigger question than what makes something Divine.

 

[Goblyns Hoard]

One development I'd like to see would be a bit more differentiation of different types of priests. The Cleric as we have it is pretty much a Pelor/Bahamut type cleric, with the option of taking feats to get powers that are more in line with the actual deity they worship. I'd like to see something of a return of the 2E speciality priests that have very different powers depending on what god they worship. Priests of the Raven Queen should be more about darkness and ending, but most of the cleric at wills really don't work like that. OK it's easy enough to change the fluff, but I'd still like to see the different priests done so they had enough of a common core that they're all still clerics, but with sufficient difference that you feel like the deity you select matters.

Aside from that there's the more obvious option to do the cloistered cleric as a controller, maybe with some bonuses to ritual magic over the standard cleric. You could also throw in a bit of leader-like abilities in terms of recognising enemy weaknesses that allies can exploit.

 

[Rashak Mani]

More Feats necessary !

They list one feat per diety and think that Clerics/Paladins have a lot of feats ?

 

[Shroomy]

I actually think that the divine classes have four common traits: initial alignment restrictions (must match deity), channel divinity powers, implement powers, and a broad leader focus (similar to how arcane classes have a broad controller focus).

 

[eleventh]

a broad leader focus (similar to how arcane classes have a broad controller focus).

Interesting. How does this cash out mechanically?

 

[Shroomy]

Interesting. How does this cash out mechanically?

Well, what we have seen so far of the divine classes, leads me to believe that their is a broad, underlying focus on leader-type abilities, so divine classes will lean towards abilities that provide buffs and healing. Arcane classes have a broad underlying controller focus and have abilities that tend toward area attacks, status effects, and the movement of others on the battlefield. Finally, in my mind, Martial classes have a broad underlying striker focus and have abilities that tend towards damage output, even if indirectly (like the warlord granting extra attacks).

 

[Milambus]

Well, what we have seen so far of the divine classes, leads me to believe that their is a broad, underlying focus on leader-type abilities, so divine classes will lean towards abilities that provide buffs and healing. Arcane classes have a broad underlying controller focus and have abilities that tend toward area attacks, status effects, and the movement of others on the battlefield. Finally, in my mind, Martial classes have a broad underlying striker focus and have abilities that tend towards damage output, even if indirectly (like the warlord granting extra attacks).

Would that mean Primal would be defender focused? The Barbarian does seem to lean that way more than other Strikers do.

 

[Shroomy]

Would that mean Primal would be defender focused? The Barbarian does seem to lean that way more than other Strikers do.

Until a second Primal class is released, there's no way to see if there is a pattern.

 

[RefinedBean]

Fighters can get striker-like damage while maintaining the integrity of their defender role, and the Warlord does pretty good damage himself.

So perhaps Martial power source leans towards the Striker. With Primal leaning towards Defender, Divine leaning towards Leader, and Arcane leaning towards Controller (Swordmage and Artificer have significant AOE).

What'll be interesting, is if the other new power sources will also lean towards a particular role, or go half -n -half...hrm.