D&D 5E Death Clerics, Death Touch, and Vampiric Touch

[Kristivas]

To those of you that allow Death Clerics, do you allow the Death Touch ability to enhance the healing from the Vampiric Touch spell?

Of my D&D group, only two of us are regularly DMs. I like to read optimization guides and one such (found here: http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4168996) suggests that the two work together marvelously, and that when using the two together, one should get additional healing.

From Vampiric Touch: "On a hit, the target takes 3d6 necrotic damage, and you regain hit points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt."

From Death Touch: "When the cleric hits a creature with a melee attack, the cleric can use Channel Divinity to deal extra necrotic damage to the target."

Death Touch can be fired off on any successful hit. It's necrotic damage. Vampiric Touch is an attack that deals necrotic damage. Seems like they fit together like Peas and Carrots.

The other DM doesn't read it like that, that the Death Touch damage wouldn't count toward the healing. It's my game, so my decision. I just wanted to get some outside opinions to be sure I was being fair about it.

 

[trentonjoe]

Seems appropriate.

 

[Taronkov]

It's a melee spell attack so I'd allow it. It's basically a nova self heal also you can't pass it onto others so I'm not seeing a real issue.

 

[Kristivas]

Anyone see a strong reason against allowing it?

 

[Riley37]

Strong reason, no.
I read Vampiric Touch as having a healing power linked to the necrotic damage *from Vampiric Touch*.
If you play it the other way and everyone's having fun, then meh, rulings, whatever.

 

[PnPgamer]

Id think that healing would occur only from vampiric touch dice, by raw. But hey its not a big change so go wild. Evil clerics should have something unique to them.

Mmmmmh two vampire chicks casting vampiric touch to each other...

 

[Kristivas]

Mmmmmh two vampire chicks casting vampiric touch to each other...

Nice. Also, the Death Cleric is a PC (of the god Kelemvor), but I like where you're headed with this..

Strong reason, no.
I read Vampiric Touch as having a healing power linked to the necrotic damage *from Vampiric Touch*.
If you play it the other way and everyone's having fun, then meh, rulings, whatever.

I have to agree here. It's definitely not looking as though it'll outshine the rest of the party, especially since it's healing is self-only, and not even a massive amount of healing, as Vampiric Touch restores only half.

 

[TwoSix]

Discouraging a Death cleric from casting Vampiric Touch seems undesirable to me. The balance concerns would have to be major to trump the thematic coherence of that combo.

 

[Kristivas]

Discouraging a Death cleric from casting Vampiric Touch seems undesirable to me. The balance concerns would have to be major to trump the thematic coherence of that combo.

That's pretty much what I thought, which was strange when I was having this conversation with the other DM. He's generally a concept > crunch type of guy.

 

[Mephista]

Death Clerics are masters of using necrotic energy. Why shouldn't they be better with it? That's like saying that Life clerics shouldn't really be better with Healing Word. Kinda the point of the subclass.