Hey everyone
I'm looking for advice on how to play/create a "Cleretic" or heretic cleric if even possible
I was planning on playing an Tiefling or human
Religion, ideal or philosophy that "gives power" hating institutions that are hypocritical. This is as far as I've gotten so far.
Heretic looks like a fun character concept.
Heh, my commentary is lengthy because the Cleric class is something I have thought much about. But here it is for the purpose of considering how to implement your heretic concept.
According to the UA, the Cleric actually gets the Divine power source from the Astral Plane itself, "where the gods dwell". Not the gods themselves.
"Clerics draw power from the realms of the gods."
"Blessed by a[n] immortal entity, a Cleric can reach out to the divine magic of the Outer Planes and channel that energy."
"Because their power is a divine gift, Clerics typically associate themselves with temples or shrines dedicated to whatever deity or other immortal force unlocked their magical ability."
"A Cleric might learn formulaic prayers and ancient rites that help focus on drawing power from the Outer Planes."
"Even a Cleric who declines to worship [their god or other force] might perform their benefactors rites if doing so helps the Cleric feel connected to the immortal realms."
Overall, I am happy with this Cleric class description. It feels intentionally ambiguous in places, still wanting to push polytheism, but ultimately allows the player able to choose the character concept of ones own Cleric.
Examples of wording that needs to be clearer:
• "or an other immortal entity" ... such as a cosmic principle or vision of an ideal world.
• "their power is a divine gift" ... from the Astral Plane to the Material Plane.
What is clear is, the Divine power source comes from the Astral Plane, not from the Material Plane. This magic is strictly supernatural, and must be unlocked in order to miraculously alter the natural world. The Cleric must maintain contact with the Astral Plane.
Note, the class description specifically refers to the "Outer Planes", in other words the planes of ethical alignments. The implication here might be, the Cleric must choose and conform to the specific alignment of an Outer Plane to maintain the Divine power. However, since the 5e Paladin lacks such an alignment conformity, it is probably reasonable to generalize the Divine power source comes from the Astral Plane generally, including any of the Dominions there, with or without any concerns about an alignment. The Astral Plane is a realm of any concepts, paradigms, symbols, and ideals, is immaterial, and is entirely made out of thought stuff. That said. An alignment itself is one of the ideals that can count as an "immortal entity", "immortal force", and "benefactor" that channels the Divine power source. Even so, in these contexts, the term "immortal" means any Astral force, entity, being, or person.
I like equating the Divine power source with the Astral Plane. At first glance, the existence of the Cleric class seems to prejudice the cosmology of the setting, by assuming the existence of an Astral Plane. This cosmology straightjacketing is a problem with all Cleric classes of earlier editions. However, because of what an Astral Plane actually is − a realm of ideals, concepts, paradigms, symbols, psychological archetypes, and semiotics − these ideals can exist in any setting, even a modern setting, whether there is literally an Astral Plane or not. The Astral Plane solves the problem with the class.
The most important flavor of the Cleric class is actually the "Temple", namely a specific sacred community, and as a member of its clergy, the player and the DM need to agree how the "cleric" formally fits in within this sacred community, and the official responsibilities that the community assigns to the Cleric. To deal with the members of ones own sacred community can be far more impactful during gameplay than any abstract concept or object of devotion.
Even if the Cleric is a "scientist" (mystic protoscientist, medieval scholastic, or ancient philosopher) who devotes to the ideal of truth (which I consider ethically Neutral Good), the Cleric player and the DM still need to figure out some "scientific community" that functions as the sacred community that the Cleric class requires to be a "clergy member" for it, sotospeak. Also the design to make the Divine power source itself impersonal helps avoid the implicit master/slave relationship inherent in a god/servant hierarchy. This caution minimizes any dysfunctional power imbalances among reallife players. The impersonal Astral Plane empowers the player to decide ones own character concept, and whatever ideal it is that matters to it. This solves an other difficulty with the Clerics of earlier editions.
Your character concept of a heretic works fine.
You will need to determine a specific sacred community that potentially will or already did declare you a heretic. Your original post wants your character to gain "power". Decide exactly what this implies, because this power is the "immortal entity" that makes possible your access to the miraculous power of the Astral realm of ideals. Power can be altruistic for the sake of sharing. One must be healthy oneself to visit the ill, have money enough to assist the poor, and so on. Thus Good. Or power can be fair and meritorious. Thus Neutral. Or power can be predatory, for the sake of oneself only and at the expense of others. Thus Evil. Power is a tool. Decide how the character concept plans to use this power.
Whatever the ethical purpose of this power is, choose a sacred community that is its exact opposite, as a foil, to heighten the dramatic tension, and make the game more fun. Your characters own Divine power comes from the ideal of power, and not from the sacred community that your character officiates for. The character can even participate in the rites of the community, but with an alternate intention.
You and your DM need to decide if the community has excommunicated your character already, or if your character is tolerable sincere reformer of the sacred traditions of the community, or a self-serving abuser of the sacred traditions.
Either way, Astral entities will tend to know what your character is up to. Being of a conflictive alignment might quickly expose itself. If the community is devoted to certain Astral creatures, these creatures may actively oppose your ambitions. There may be a clash in the heavens, with Astral entities who share the same ideal as you and who you ally with, struggling to overcome Astral entities that the sacred community allies with.
Generally, the DM should decide according to the tier, how these otherworldly forces impact your character. At a low tier, there may be factions within the sacred community, some inspired to support you and others inspired to oppose you. How this plays out probably depends on the specific ideal of power of your character.
If the concept is to work within the sacred community, at a high tier, your character may be able to censure or even excommunicate those factions that oppose your ideal, thus impact the development of the sacred traditions of the community.
