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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 7196993" data-attributes="member: 7006">This is something different entirely.  What what I'm understanding here, you don't so much want to use the Divine Intervention ability such as it is... you basically want a new story reason for the cleric to cause damage to enemies in-game without they themselves doing said damage.  In that regard... then sure, a "divine smiting" as it were, could certainly be a story-explanation as to why enemies are being damaged during the game-turn of the cleric, without the cleric themself causing said damage.  That seems fine to me.  Narratively speaking, the cleric stands in the midst of battle unarmed and taking no actions to harm any creatures, but their god has sent... whatever story-based item/creature/energy you choose-- to attack those enemies that would do the cleric and their allies harm.  That could be a "spiritual weapon" of the god (not a mechanical casting of said spell per se, but more of an "always on" version of the spell which is merely a representation of the attacks the cleric would have been doing themself had they had a weapon in hand).  Or it could be a pair of cherubim that fly around the enemies causing damage so that the cleric doesn't have to.  Or it could just be energy of the god itself that causes damage (again, doing the equivalent of what the cleric would be doing themself were they to cast a spell or wield a weapon).If this is your reason for "re-fluffing" your attacks, then go for it.  There's no reason why you couldn't do so.  The only thing you'd have to work out with your DM is that anything that would happen to the cleric as though they were actually in the combat must still be allowed to happen even if they aren't holding weapons or casting spells and such.  So in other words, if "Sacred Flames" or "Guiding Bolts" are hitting enemies but are being re-fluffed as cherubim doing it (and causing the same amount of damage and receiving the same bonuses as if those spells were being cast)... these cherubim attacks can also be Counterspelled (for example) and you as the cleric player can't argue "Well, no, it's not a spell, it's the cherubim! Counterspell shouldn't work on me!"  In other words, you can't use your re-fluffing to get out of the return actions that you'd ordinarily receiving were you to be actually acting normally.Concentration spells are still being concentrated on by you even if in your re-fluffing the cleric didn't "cast" the spells that are causing the damage (and thus said concentration can be broken.)  The cleric can still be disarmed by a BattleMaster maneuver, even if the cleric isn't "holding the weapon" as per the re-fluffing.  So on and so forth.  The only thing your cleric gains is the narrative story-telling aspect of being a pacifist... but all the other parts of combat (both positive and negative) are accomplished and actioned the same way as if you weren't.At least, that's what I'd be ruling if I were the DM and this is what the cleric player wanted to see done.</blockquote>

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