| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
964 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Aug 2016 : 21:38:02
|
I know there are several other homebrew versions out there. Here are mine with a strong effort to take into account both the 2E and 3E powers of their respective clergy..... Comments welcome. Also, the part I'm most concerned about balance wise is the shooting stars ability. Too powerful, not powerful enough? Thoughts?
Darkness Domain
The gods of darkness and shadow, espeically Shar, Mask, Eshowdow, Shargaas and Ibrandul , but also sometimes Bhaal, Set, Lolth, Luthic, Vhaeraun, and Abbathor, are a secretive lot that teach their disciples that if only everyone would look deeply into the shadowy abyss of their hearts, they would see that fear and despair are the true to state of the world, and therefore, one must accept bliss in the oblivion of the darkness and it is just to victimize others before you are victimized. These gods are the patrons of nihilists and thieves, the pariah and the beggar. Their faithful either slink in the shadows ministering to thieves and the corrupt or plot the end of the world.
Darkness Domain Spells
Cleric Level Spells
1st Arms of Hadar, guiding bolt (deals necrotic damage, a.k.a. darkbolt)
3rd Darkness, misty step (a.k.a shadow step)
5th Fear, spirit guardians (a.k.a. shadow guardians)
7th Arcane eye (a.k.a. creeping shadow or watching shadow), phantasmal killer (a.k.a. shadow monster)
9th Creation, dream
Benedictions of the Night
Starting at 1st level, you gain the following benefits:
• You gain darkvision (“night eyes”) out to a range of 60 feet.
• You gain proficiency in Stealth.
• If you know the thaumaturgy cantrip, you add the power to snuff out a candle, torch, or small campfire to the list of magical effects you can create.
• Several cleric spells that normally cause radiant damage, cause necrotic damage when you cast them, including sacred flame (a.k.a. hungry shadows) and guiding bolt (a.k.a. darkbolt). With your DM’s approval, you may “reskin” other spells that cause radiant damage into necrotic damage. Other spells may also be “reskinned” to have a darkness or shadowy appearance. For example, when you cast arcane eye, you use some of your own shadow to create a new and imperceptible shadow that creeps along the floors, walls, and ceiling instead of a magical eye.
• You add chill touch (a.k.a. shadow touch), fog cloud (a.k.a. umbral fog), mirror image (a.k.a. shadow image), gaseous form (a.k.a. shadowform), nondetection, Evard’s black tentacles (a.k.a. striking shadows), modify memory (a.k.a. true lies), and weird to your cleric spell list.
Shadowcloak
Also at 1st level, you create a shroud of flickering shadows that envelops you. When you are attacked by a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll, causing shadows to envelop you before the attacker hits or misses. An attacker that can’t be blinded is immune to this feature.
Channel Divinity: Umbra of the Shadowfell
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to evoke the gloom of the Shadowfell, banishing light, and dealing necrotic damage to your foes.
As an action, you present your holy symbol, and any candles, torches, and small campfires are snuffed out and any magical light within 30 feet of you is dispelled. Additionally, each hostile creature within 30 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature feels filled with soul-wrenching despair and dread and takes necrotic damage equal to 2d10 + your cleric level on a failed saving throw, and half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that has total cover from you is not affected.
Nightlord
At 6th level, you gain the following benefits:
• Your darkvision extends an additional 60 feet and magical darkness doesn’t impede your darkvision.
• You can speak telepathically (“shadow talk” or “shadow whispers”) to any creature that has the Benedictions of the Night class feature within 30 feet of you.
• Your acceptance of the world’s despair as the true nature of things has dimmed the light of your soul to the point that your soul is shielded from others. You gain resistance to necrotic and radiant damage.
• Your spells can be cast without a verbal component when you are in dim light or darkness.
• You gain advantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks you make in dim light or darkness.
Potent Spellcasting
Starting at 8th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.
Seeping Shadows
At 17th level, you can use your action to activate an aura of darkness that lasts for 1 minute or until you dismiss it using another action. Darkness envelops a 60-foot radius and seeps into 30 feet beyond that creating dim light. Your enemies in the darkness are filled with a sense of apathy and gloom and have disadvantage on saving throws against any enchantment, illusion, or necromancy spell you cast or any spell that deals necrotic damage.
#8195;
Moon Domain
The gods of the moon—including Selûne, Sehanine Moonbow, and Eilistraee—teach that life is a journey filled with mysticism and unknowns. The power of the moon and stars bring clarity to the darkness and hope to the lost. Clerics of the gods of the moon are taught to assist those in need and seek counsel in their god.
Moon Domain Spells
Cleric Level Spells
1st Guiding bolt (a.k.a. moonbolt), sleep
3rd Augury, moonbeam
5th Blinding smite (a.k.a. full moon strike), daylight (a.k.a. starshine)
7th Dimension door (a.k.a moon door), divination
9th Commune, dream
Bonus Proficiency
At 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor.
By the Light of the Moon
Starting at 1st level, you gain the following benefits:
• You learn the dancing lights cantrip (which you know as moonfire, motes of moonlight, or tears of Selûne).
• You add faerie fire, see invisibility, sunbeam (a.k.a. starbeam), and sunburst (a.k.a. starburst) to your cleric spell list.
• You can tell if a creature is a lycanthrope with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check, unless the lycanthrope is actively using Charisma (Deception) or a disguise kit.
• You gain advantage on saving throws against curse of lycanthropy.
• You can imbue a single melee or ranged weapon that you wield with the silver radiance of the moon (your “moon hand”) as a bonus action. For 1 minute, that weapon is treated as silvered. This effect ends if you place the effect on another weapon or if you let go of the weapon.
• You always know which way is north and can’t become lost, except by magical means.
Channel Divinity: Repel Lycanthropes
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to harness moonlight, repelling lycanthropes. This effect works in all ways as the turn undead channel divinity class feature, except it only affects lycanthropes.
Starting at 5th level, when a creature cursed with lycanthropy—not a naturally born lycanthrope—fails its saving throw against your Repel Lycanthropes feature, the creature is instantly cured of its lycanthropy curse if its challenge rating is at or below a certain threshold, as shown in the Cure Lycanthrope table.
Cure Lycanthrope
Cleric Level Cure Lycanthropes of CR…
5th ½ or lower
8th 1 or lower
11th 2 or lower
14th 3 or lower
17th 4 or lower
Lunar Sight
At 2nd level, you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, you add 30 ft. to its radius. In addition, you can discern illusions with a successful passive Wisdom (Perception) check against the illusion’s spell save DC.
Moonshield
Starting at 6th level, when you or a creature within 30 feet of you is affected by an enchantment, illusion, or necromantic spell or effect, you can use your reaction to grant advantage to the creature’s saving throw. You can also use this feature to grant a creature advantage on a death saving throw instead. The affected creature sheds bright light in a 20 foot-radius and dim light for an additional 20-feet for 1 round, dispelling any 3rd level or lower spell or effect that created magical darkness.
Divine Strike: Moonweapon
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy (often known as a “moonmace,” “moonbow,” “moonblade,”and the like). Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increase to 2d8.
Shooting Stars
Starting at 17th level, you can use your action to activate an aura of moonlight that last for 1 minute or until you dismiss it using another action. You are surrounded by motes of moonlight that emit bright light in a 60-foot radius and dim light 30 feet beyond that. On each of your turns until the effect ends, you can use your action to launch one of the motes up to 120 feet whereupon it explodes into shower of radiant sparks. Each creature within a 20-foot radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw equal to your spell save DC. Targets takes 4d12 radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases by 2d12 if the creature is a lycanthrope, undead, or native to the Shadowfell.
|
|
|
LordofBones
Master of Realmslore
1503 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2016 : 03:52:22
|
| I dunno, necrotic damage is a bit too death-y for a domain that focuses on darkness and stealth. I don't know if psychic damage is still around in 4e, but the whole "primal darkness" thing seems to fit psychic damage more than necrotic damage. |
 |
|
|
sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11746 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2016 : 04:14:38
|
| I like how you are giving out these interesting but localized types of effects at 1st level. Like the fact that the darkness one isn't getting heavy armor but is getting an ability to make themselves temporarily harder to hit verus an attack if they use their reaction for said purpose. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
|
|
|
TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
964 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2016 : 12:20:59
|
Thanks for the comments.
I thought about psychic damage, but necrotic damage is often described as a soul sucking thing that can be as much emotional as physical, at least that's how I've always seen it, and this seems to tie in nicely with the Shadowfell's despair and link to the undead as well as Shar and others like her.
As for the lack of heavy armor, most of the deities only allowed up to chain mail, which is probably closer to a chain shirt in 5E, plus they seemed more spell oriented versus the moon domain, and finally, after trying several different options, I took a closer look at the light domain and cribbed it because it was very much like the effects of the shadowcloak spell and armor of darkness spell--so the credit, mechanically at least--isn't mine.
As for the localized 1st level effects, those were really my effort to try and capture some of the 2E and 3E prestige class abilities. Hopefully they are simple enough that they don't slow down play and are balanced (they generally boil down to a bonus cantrip and one other thing, plus a bunch of flavor-y abilities or reskinning).
Thanks. |
Edited by - TomCosta on 15 Aug 2016 14:09:12 |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
New 5E Domains: Darkness and Moon
