I have a player who has rolled a cleric and though we've just begun she's a worshiper of the Raven Queen and wants to use the Death Domain but really dislikes that it's so 'evil' in its focus, with a lot of necromantic powers. Sure the Raven Queen isn't in the PHB by RAW but is a fan favorite and I figured if anyone has created a non-evil Death Domain, it'd be here. If someone hasn't already created a neutral Death Domain perhaps I can get some tips for doing so myself?
Non-evil/undead oriented Cleric Death Domain?
- Thread starter Fion
- Start date
steeldragons
Steeliest of the dragons
Aw shucks. You sweet-talker you.
Someone probably already has in the download files. But I can't pass up this kinda homebrew challenge. So I'll give it a whirl...
Death Domain [Neutral]
Clerics of the [Neutral] Death God are concerned with the security and protection of souls. They are responsible for the traffic flow of the underworlds of the multiverse and the gatekeepers of the line between life and death itself. They are not interested in "necromancy" magic, per se, but the responsible and balanced use of necrotic and radiant energies in the grander scheme and using same to enforce and defend the realms of the dead. Undead are as much an affront to them as to deities of life, as are such creatures as fiends (or "unsanctioned" celestials) who would steal souls from their "rightful" rest/place. Deities with this approach to death are more interested in the ultimate fates of mortal souls, the judgement of those souls, smooth and just transition into the higher or lower planes, and possibly the mysteries of prophecy.
Death Domain Spells
1 False Life, Protection from Good/Evil
3 Gentle Repose, Scorching Ray
5 Speak with Dead, Spirit Guardians
7 Death Ward, Banishment
9 Dispel Evil/Good, Raise Dead
Bonus Proficiency
When you select this domain at 1st level, you gain the Detect Evil/Good cantrip if you don't already know it.
@ 1st: Wrath of the Dead: works exactly the same as the Wrath of the Storm Tempest Domain ability, but the damage inflicted in Necrotic or Radiant (players choice).
@ 2nd: Channel Divinity: Improved Turning: When using the Turn Undead channeling, your range is doubled and undead in the area of effect have disadvantage on their Wis. roll. to resist.
@6th: Dead to Rest: Beginning at 6th level, when the Death cleric effects undead with the Destroy Undead ability, creatures are effected at the next highest CR on the chart. (a 6th level cleric destroys undead 1CR or lower, at 8th level the cleric destroys 2 or lower, etc...)
@8th: Divine Strike: as the Life/Tempest/Trickery/War [and Death] Domain ability.
@17th: Vision of the Past, as the Knowledge Domain ability.
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Thanks bunches Steeldragons, this looks awesome. I'll definitely pass it along to my player who I suspect will be very happy with it.
For the record, I checked the custom content section. There was a custom Death domain but I believe it may be pre-DMG or perhaps a slight alteration on the DMG Death Domain. But still revolved around evil and necromancy.
For the record, I checked the custom content section. There was a custom Death domain but I believe it may be pre-DMG or perhaps a slight alteration on the DMG Death Domain. But still revolved around evil and necromancy.
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steeldragons
Steeliest of the dragons
No sweat. Fion. Hope it works for you/your players.
My campaign setting has this kind of neutral death goddess. So, while I haven't gotten to a 5e game yet, I would have to transfer her over at some point. Thanks for forcing my hand. haha.
But this is basically how her clerics work (give or take), with enhanced turning ability and precognitive abilities...OO! That's what i forgot! Could add in the Diviner wizard Portent ability and add that in for a 2nd level power as well. You could just use it as is or tweak it so that the roll made with Portent must be used as a "lower" roll (contributing to one's heading toward death, seeing death coming in someone's future, etc...). I don't think/see giving them the Improved turning and Portent would be overpowered.
Have fun. Let us know how it goes!
My campaign setting has this kind of neutral death goddess. So, while I haven't gotten to a 5e game yet, I would have to transfer her over at some point. Thanks for forcing my hand. haha.
But this is basically how her clerics work (give or take), with enhanced turning ability and precognitive abilities...OO! That's what i forgot! Could add in the Diviner wizard Portent ability and add that in for a 2nd level power as well. You could just use it as is or tweak it so that the roll made with Portent must be used as a "lower" roll (contributing to one's heading toward death, seeing death coming in someone's future, etc...). I don't think/see giving them the Improved turning and Portent would be overpowered.
Have fun. Let us know how it goes!
Herobizkit
Adventurer
I do have one question, @steeldragons : Scorching Ray seems kind of wedged in with most other powers one might expect a Necromancer to have. Was that thrown in for personal preference, to give Necros some blasting power, both, or neither? 
steeldragons
Steeliest of the dragons
It was to give them an offensive power among everything else. I was thinking "Death by Fire" was a pretty common idea...and [in my mind, anyway] thematically would be particularly effective against undead (though D&D doesn't make any such distinction, per se. The type of damage in 5e seems relatively mutable). You could change the damage to Radiant, I guess, if you wanted to keep with the "Afterlife" energies theme and/or offset the necrotic stuff.
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