D&D 5E Death domain clerics CAN be LN. DMG suggests LN and Death Domain for Raven Queen

[Ralif Redhammer]

“DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING, said Death. JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.”

I'd say death is damn near the epitome of Lawful Neutral.

 

[cbwjm]

In the DMG they do list the death domain along with the oathbreaker paladin as villainous options which could be where people get the idea that they are for evil only.

 

[HERESY]

People get the idea that they are for evil only because the DMG says they are for evil, "The Death Domain is an additional option for evil clerics.."

A Death Domain cleric would never be a worshiper of Kelemvor, he and his followers are vehemently opposed to undead yet one of the Death Domain spells is animate dead.

 

[Jaelommiss]

A Death Domain cleric would never be a worshiper of Kelemvor, he and his followers are vehemently opposed to undead yet one of the Death Domain spells is animate dead.

My first Death cleric was a LG worshipper of Kelemvor. Using the powers of the grave, I hunted any undead that befouled the land. It worked pretty well until I lost an arm to an otyugh and the next day got mulched by an enormous construct of bone and shattered souls.

The Death domain is nothing more than a set of mechanics to support a character concept. With a bit of imagination (We're all playing a game of shared make believe so this should be easy enough) it can be used for a far greater range of possibilities than mindless adherence to the book allows.

 

[Ketser]

Let's be honest... there is a difference between animating corpses and actually creating undead. Animate dead doesn't trap souls to their corpses or twist them, it just uses the corpses. The RQ warlock in the UA pretty much says that the RQ doesnt care for normal animated skeletons and zombies, seeing them more as automations, than undead.

If anything animate dead is just disrespectful towards the dead.

 

[OniDaimyo]

There is actually the Grave Domain in UA for Kelevmor, Wee Jas and others. But so what if it has animate dead for Death Domain? Where does it say you HAVE to use it? And honestly it seems in 5e with some spells taht is is far more about how you use it than using it period. Animate dead certainly shouldn't be used lightly by a good or neutral aligned Death/Grave Cleric or Good/Neutral Necromancers. But then why are there some undead guardians of Tombs decicated to good or neutral gods or persons? AND what of the Undying Courts of Eberron? They are a new type of undead who are fueled by positive energy. NOT negative. So they aren't evil, can be healed by positive energy as well. Unsure if they can be turned or not.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

There is no rule that any race or class needs to be any particular alignment.

"A paladin must be evil and at least 3rd level to become an Oathbreaker," p. 97 of the DMG.

 

[cbwjm]

Yeah, but wouldn't it make a far more interesting story to have a classical lawful good who somehow falls and sees his powers from the oath of devotion warped into that of the oathbreaker?

 

[Mephista]

Remember, back in previous editions, we had "Good" clerics that used radient energy while "Evil" clerics used necrotic energy? That's what the Death Cleric is. The "evil" necrotic energy using cleric. The name is a misnomer, as this subclass generally has nothing to do with actual undead. Its the subclass for the stereotypical cleric of an evil god. Life is the stereotypical "good" cleric and Death (as the opposite of Life) is the stereotypical "evil" cleric.

Trying to say you can be a neutral Death Cleric is really just splitting hairs. The Death Cleric is the subclass for a cleric focusing on murder, disease, pain and destruction. There's some undead stuff in it, but that's generally the type of thing that neutral death gods like Kelemvor and the Raven Queen oppose. Now, a "god" that is happy with undeath, like Orcus (well, he's got clerics, so close enough) or Nerull, would be down with the subclass, but not the death gods favored by most adventurers. So, while technically you can be any Alignment, the themes and mechanics of the subclass really aren't neutral. I would sooner suggest a different domain if you wanted to do a Kelemvor/Raven Queen/Wee Jas cleric, as the Death Domain has little in common with those gods' doctrine outside a tiny nod to undeath. And a really unnecessary one - all clerics get access to the ability to raise undead from spells. You can just as easily play a psychopomp-themed cleric as any domain (Life, Arcane, whatever) on top of the undead theme with no problem at all.

Now, I have no problem with people playing evil characters (as long as its someone well thought out and not an excuse to be a disruptive jerk), but I would want the player to own up to what they're playing. I don't even care if they pick a LN alignment. But if you're playing a subclass that's filled with killing magic and necrotic energy, that should be acknowledged as part of the character.

Actually, why did WOTC tuck death domain in GM guide, because it's evil, but have warlocks making pacts with demons in player book?

Tradition would be my guess. Fiend Warlocks, Assassins, and Necromancers are traditionally PC material, despite the evil overtones, while evil-themed clerics are not.

 

[jaelis]

I saw a few people stating a Death Domain cleric couldn't be anything but evil stating because it was in the DMG and some of the flavor text seemed to say it was only for evil clerics.

Those people are right... for their table.

At your table, you can use the material however you want. That's what having it in the DMG means