Cleric Domain/Path Feedback Thread

[hugolino]

I'm looking for suggestions and feedback on what other "softer" or "domestic" domains we can introduce - like Music ... Since we might not have as much of a collection of non-mechanical RP spells, their emphasis should be on the domain power and what those powers could do for players.

MUSIC DOMAIN

A Cleric with the Music Domain knows the power of expressively arranging sound to impact the creatures around them.

Related link: Pied Piper of New York summons wild raccoons with his Native American flute
https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/27/pied-pip ... e-7983862/

Soothe the Savage
You gain a +3 skill bonus to Animal Empathy and Perform

The Pied Piper
Able to turn Vermin as if they were undead.

When Words Fail, Music Speaks (Hans Christian Anderson)
Your Cleric levels contribute towards understanding languages you do not speak.

(EDIT: Alternate idea - Consecrated Chorister: You can use a single use of Bard Song between rests for "Healing Hymn" as though you had 1 Bard level for every 3 Cleric levels and the required Perform ranks. Bard levels do not stack with this use, but you know the song Healing Hymn.)

1 - Balagarn's Iron Horn
2 - Charm Person or Animal
3 - Sound Lance
4 - Sound Burst
5 - Legend Lore or Awaken
6 - Dirge
7 - Dominate Animal
8 - Otto’s Irresistible Dance
9 - Silence or Wail of the Banshee

Sadly I do not have access to Monte Cook’s “Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power” or Mongoose's “Quintessential Elf,” both of which include a Music cleric domain.

[hugolino]

I'm looking for suggestions and feedback on what other "softer" or "domestic" domains we can introduce - like Music, Lust, Hedonism, or Feast,

The domain of the Feast was difficult to brainstorm, and I'm not quite happy with it. As always, I welcome comments and suggestions.

FEAST OR GLUTTONY DOMAIN
Meals can be simple or elaborate events that nourish bodies, hearts, and sometimes even souls, but you’re well aware of their potential dangers. A Cleric with the Feast (or Gluttony) Domain understands the instinctual craving of creatures for pleasure, experiences, and indulging every appetite -- as well as the dangers.

Well-fed Gourmand
You gain a +3 skill bonus to Appraise and Discipline.

Food Taster
You can cast Detect Poison and Ironguts at will.

Alternate idea - Oversized: May cast Enlarge Person on self only 1/15 min. (Gluttony domain spell-like ability)

1 - Grease
2 - Sustenance
3 - Blade Thirst
4 - Contagion or Infestation of Maggots
5 - Vampiric Touch (Gluttony domain spell)
6 - Monstrous Regeneration or Baleful Polymorph (Gluttony domain spell)
7 - Drown or Sleep
8 - Regenerate
9 - Aura of Vitality

Gluttony Domain
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Gluttony_domain

Forgotten Realms wiki: “The Gluttony domain was a suite of spells that were granted by deities whose portfolios concerned the selfish desire for pleasure, experiences, and indulging every appetite.”
+++
For reference: Official D&D Feast Domain (Eberron Campaign Setting 106)

Granted Power: You have immunity to ingested poisons and to diseases spread by ingestion.

Feast Domain Spells

1 - Goodberry: 2d4 berries each cure 1 hp (max 8 hp/24 hours).
2 - Delay Poison: Stops poison from harming subject for 1 hour/level.
3 - Create Food and Water: Feeds three humans (or one horse)/level.
4 - Neutralize Poison: Immunizes subject against poison, detoxifies venom in or on subject.
5 - Leomund's Secure Shelter: Creates sturdy cottage.
6 - Heroes' Feast: Food for one creature/level cures and grants combat bonuses.
7 - Mordenkainen's Magnificent MansionF: Door leads to extradimensional mansion.
8 - Detoxify: Neutralize poison in 30' radius.
9 - Feast of Champions: Food for one creature/level heals and grants comprehensive bonuses.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/cleric- ... tb.471545/

[L I C E]

Played a lot of seeker. Incredibly feat starved, relies on dual wielding but doesn't have enough feats to take it unless you dip ranger, but dipping ranger instead of vig ruins your AC at the cost of 9 feats. I'm suggesting possibly some kind of synergy where if you take ambidexterity and twf, at lvl 18 or something you can get ITWF for free. It's not super OP but it frees one feat and still means you've to commit at least 2 feats towards DW. It also doesn't ruin ranger dip entirely as it's still ambi, twf and itwf for free. Seeker would be better if it didn't rely so heavily on rogue dip for UMD for weaponry, which is solved by the introduction of some decent non umd weps for dexers of some kind. Str seeker isn't as badly affected as it isn't relying on weapon finesse weaponry so much. I feel the only correct way to play is 23/4/3 seeker rogue vigi which is barely functioning due to feat starvation, ranger/rogue dip that has no ac or monk/rogue which is only lawful (so only a fraction of characters, plus monk changes coming may kill this build).

There's no point using shield on a seeker so the only correct way to play is dw, which it struggles to get enough feats for. Thoughts?

[hugolino]

Played a lot of seeker. Incredibly feat starved, relies on dual wielding but doesn't have enough feats to take it unless you dip ranger, but dipping ranger instead of vig ruins your AC at the cost of 9 feats... (Strength seeker is an option)... There's no point using shield on a seeker so the only correct way to play is dw, which it struggles to get enough feats for. Thoughts?

I've played a half dozen seeker clerics since their introduction, and haven't played non-clerics since seekers appeared. Without monk or vigilante dips, the most obvious problem generally has been self defense (AC).

Only one of my seeker clerics reached epic levels (lower epics), and that is a ranger-seeker with high wisdom and a Zen-like knack for archery. Leveling him has been a slog since about level 8 onward (when pick-up parties became harder to form) and he couldn't handle on-level writs at all until I was able to change his domains from an illusion focus to the newer Law domain. The ability to dominate monsters has enabled him to barely handle writs at the highest possible level of the given range. (So barely not over-leveled.) If the writ requires tunnel or corridor travel, his ability to complete the writ drops as his dominated allies struggle in tight quarters.

The only seeker I have that has been able to handle on-level writs "normally" (like a non-cleric non-summoner class) is a strength-based seeker rogue-cleric who wears heavy armor (currently level 15).

[RedGiant]

I've been tinkering with clerics of late, which is long overdue. Mostly, I think the paths are pretty balanced with strengths and weakness, and, more importantly, each is uniquely flavored. On top of this, I only have a few brief comments.

Since Divine Favor and Divine Power are sort of the engine at the heart of most paths, could we get a NUI tracker as we already have for Divine Might and Divine Shield? The floaty messages are helpful, but I miss them many times in the heat of battle and the bar is sooooo much better. This would be amazing Cleric Path QoL.

The path I struggle with most, and perhaps the hardest to balance, is probably WarPriest. It performs generally well, but I almost feel it gives up too much? No summons, no epic spells, lower direct spellpower, and no foci is a rough trade...all for 'I smack you good'. I feel like either direct spell power or foci should be returned for the bargain, but not both. My gut leans to giving them back foci, since the non-summoning buffs here are mostly social. PvE, or flavor. This would give them option to teleport, dominate, ward, image, or scry. Is this too much to give up? Or are they fine as is?

[Svrtr]

I've been tinkering with clerics of late, which is long overdue. Mostly, I think the paths are pretty balanced with strengths and weakness, and, more importantly, each is uniquely flavored. On top of this, I only have a few brief comments.

Since Divine Favor and Divine Power are sort of the engine at the heart of most paths, could we get a NUI tracker as we already have for Divine Might and Divine Shield? The floaty messages are helpful, but I miss them many times in the heat of battle and the bar is sooooo much better. This would be amazing Cleric Path QoL.

The path I struggle with most, and perhaps the hardest to balance, is probably WarPriest. It performs generally well, but I almost feel it gives up too much? No summons, no epic spells, lower direct spellpower, and no foci is a rough trade...all for 'I smack you good'. I feel like either direct spell power or foci should be returned for the bargain, but not both. My gut leans to giving them back foci, since the non-summoning buffs here are mostly social. PvE, or flavor. This would give them option to teleport, dominate, ward, image, or scry. Is this too much to give up? Or are they fine as is?

Note that for the sake of clarity it's worth mentioning that you should specify ESF cookies, as at first it read like you meant spell foci in general

Likewise I've spoken with Kenji and warpriest will be allowed to take elemental avatar so keep this in mind too, as the view of warpriest might chance once it comes along (and I finish trying to fix some code issues)

[Morto]

Regarding Seeker

Intending to lean heavily on cleric levels and take advantage of its synergies with Ranger/Rogue a few things are apparent.

The synergies are great! And nicely spaced for options. The class level bonuses in the seeker path seem to very well cover the loss of caster class levels if they were not present.

Skills feel a bit underruned. The bonus 2 per level are helpful but don't seem to come close to fitting the skill demand what this sort of build may require. This coming from an inhuman, 14 int. I'm used to and comfortable with taking a couple desired skills to one half or one third of their full investment. But this rogue-ish caster is spread very thin. (Perhaps I'm overestimating the path's intent here)

Also I expect a bit of awkward Skill point placement as I near the final levels. As the cleric has very few class skills which share with its synergy multi classes.

Either of the above issues may be alleviated somewhat without much of a power creep if the seeker path opened up some skills as class skills instead of cross class skills. (Though simply more skills per level is always nice too!)

Otherwise am having a lot of fun in the middle levels.

Reinforcing what someone else said, a NUi bar would be very very helpful for Divine Power/Favor. I tried looking for one already thinking it would have been built in. I'm often clicking on the AB boost icon to check the time left, because that buff seems so important to the Seeker.

[Exordius]

Kenji wrote: So far what I have in mind:
Cloistered refund chance are tiered:

Level 1 to 3 spells have 80% refund chance
Level 4 to 6 spells have 50% refund chance
Level 7 spells have 20% refund chance
Level 8 spells have 10% refund chance
Level 9 spells have 5% refund chance
Epic spells have 5% refund chance (Div Fav doesn’t apply bonus refund to epic spells)
These chances are before Div Favor bonus chance (5% + 5% chance every 10th cleric levels)

This sounds good but maybe leave div favor as the normal 20% boost... if it goes 5% every 10 levels that means only pure clerics will have 100% refund for spell levels 1-3.