Cleric domains - How should they be done?

[knightgf]

Some people speculate that Cleric Domains may make a appearence in this game. Even I wonder if that's true. If it is, well, I'd like to help Turbine by giving my suggestions on what domains should be for clerics. Most of my information will be taken from the d20srd.org website, but worded to try and fit to DDO's gameplay. Any new spells not currently in DDO will be explained with the spell listed in the domain.

In general, domains should be a chosen feat that is made at character creation. The feat can be swapped out at later levels, and basically gives a ability as well as spell-like abilities. You gain only one use of the spell-like ability upon leveling at the appropriate spell level, but gain an additional use of it for each cleric level you gain, with a base maximum of 3 uses per rest. Enhancements can increase the number of spells cast per rest to 5, and any items made in the future can also increase how many times these domain spells can be used per rest. These domain spells can be enhanced by various metamagic effects. Here are the following domains that should be added and what they should be like:

Air Domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: You can turn earth creatures as a cleric turns undead creatures. This uses a turn undead ability per rest. Air spells gain +1 to caster level.

Air Domain Spells:

Level 1: Gust of Wind
Level 2: Blur
Level 3: Displacement
Level 4: Lightning Shield (Shield that absorbs 50% of lightning damage, deals (1d3 + 3) + 1 per caster level of lightning damage, self only.)
Level 5: Cyclonic Blast
Level 6: Call Lightning Storm
Level 7: Eldar's Electric Surge
Level 8: Whirlwind (Centers a cyclonic whirlwind on yourself that pushes away creatures, knocks them down and deals 1d4 + 4 untyped damage per caster level. A successful reflex save halves the damage and merely slows the enemy movement speed for 6 seconds. Self only, 2 seconds duration.)
Level 9: Storm of Vengence


Animal Domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: You may use Improved Wild Empathy as if you were ranger three times per rest, but the ability is automatically successful as long as a animal is not red or purple-named. The animal will also follow you around for the duration of the empathy. In addition, gain listen, spot and swim as class skills, along with 8 skill points at level 1 and 2 more skill points on each level-up.

Animal Domain Spells:

Level 1: Calm animals (A AoE spell that pacifies animals, stopping them from attacking others. While your party members cannot attack the animals, other enemies can, breaking the spell but focusing the animal's aggression to the enemy that attacked it. A successful will save negates the effect.)
Level 2: Hold Animal
Level 3: Dominate Animal (As Dominate Person/Monster)
Level 4: Enveloping Swarm
Level 5: Commune with Nature (When in natural areas, enables you to detect enemies up to 100 ft. away with a purple aura, and allows you to automatically succeed on any spot checks made against secret doors or traps, even if you do not have the trapfinding feat. Does not work in areas with no nature, such as cities or most dungeons)
Level 6: Tenacious Pack
Level 7: Animal Shapes (Allows you to morph into a winter wolf or dire bear, as a druid, with preset abilities.)
Level 8: Summon Nature's Ally VIII
Level 9: Polymorph (Allows you to morph into a water, air, earth or fire elemental, with preset abilities)


Chaos Domain

Requirements: Chaotic Alignment

Abilities gained: You gain +1 to your caster level for chaotic spells, and once per rest, you may conjure a chaotic shield that blocks 12 * caster level of all forms of physical and magical damage from lawful enemies. This spell is ineffective against neutral or chaotic enemies, and lasts one minute per caster level.

Chaos domain spells:

Level 1: Detect Law (Any creatures that are lawful aligned show up as a blue hue, one minute per caster level, fails to work on neutral or lawful recipients)
Level 2: Otto's Resistable Dance
Level 3: Magic Circle Against Law (As protection from evil, but wards against lawful creatures)
Level 4: Chaos Hammer
Level 5: Dispel Law (Against a lawful creature, They either suffer a banishing effect or lose the ability to cast spells for 2d6 seconds on a failed will save, your choice upon casting. HD does not effect of banishing effect unlike other spells)
Level 6: Chaotic imbue (Imbues your weapons with chaotic blast, dealing 2d6 damage per hit plus additional damage on a critical hit and an additional 4d6 chaotic damage on a roll of a 20. This will override any lawful effects put on a weapon, so the two cannot mix. Lasts one minute per caster level.)
Level 7: Word of chaos (Any extraplanar lawful creature hit by this spell is subject to being banished unless they succeed on a will save, though at a -4 penalty. Furthermore, a lawful creature takes 2d6 per caster level of chaotic damage, goes deaf at 50% health, stunned for 6 seconds at 25% health and goes insane at 10% health.)
Level 8: Aura of chaos (+4 stacking AC, +4 Stacking resistance and SR equal to 15 + caster level against lawful spells)
Level 9: Chaotic deflection: (Lawful attacks of any kind have a chance equal to caster level) to be deflected away, dealing no damage or having any negative effects. Lasts 6 seconds per caster level, no effects against neutral or lawful recipients)


Death Domain

Requirements: Must not be a lawful or good alignment

Abilities gained: Twice per rest, you may make a touch attack on a creature. Roll 1d2 for each level of cleric you possess. If it equals or exceed's a creatures HD level, it dies, with no save. Abilities that boost turn undead DC's improve this ability (Such as the hallowed enhancement)

Death Domain spells:

Level 1: Cause Fear
Level 2: Death Knell (Deals 1d3 + 3 negative energy per caster level. If target is killed by this spell, the caster gains +1 to their caster level and 1d8 stacking temporary hitpoints. Both the temporary caster level and stacking hitpoints last for six seconds per caster level, and while you can gain more temporary hitpoints equal to your maximum points, you can only have one temporary caster level.)
Level 3: Fear
Level 4: Death Ward
Level 5: Negative Energy Burst
Level 6: Necrotic Ray
Level 7: Destruction
Level 8: Symbol of Death
Level 9: Wail of the Banshee


Destruction domain

Requirements: None

Abilities Gained: Three times per rest, you gain the ability to channel the power of nothingness through a ray attack, dealing 1d4 + 8 damage per caster level, no save. This ability is effected by force enhancements as well as metamagics.

Destruction domain spells:

Level 1: Sunder (Reduces the armor class of an enemy by 2 and reduces enemy fortification by 4% for one minute, regardless of caster level. A successful reflex save negates this effect. Does stack with any destruction effect.)
Level 2: Shatter (Instantly destroys any non-magical glass or other brittle objects. Against magical glass objects, deals 1d5 + 5 damage per caster level, and against constructs, deals 1d3 + 3 damage per caster level and cripples them, slowing movement and attack speed. A will save halves the damage and negates any negative side effects.
Level 3: Contagion (But can be heightened)
Level 4: Harm
Level 5: Deconstruct
Level 6: Disintegrate
Level 7: Destruction
Level 8: Earthquake
Level 9: Implosion


Earth domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: You may turn air creatures as a cleric turns undead. Consumes one turn undead per attempt. Earth spells gain +1 to caster level.

Earth domain spells:

Level 1: Rock pelt (Conjures 3 pebble rocks that soar at the enemy, dealing 1d3 + 3 bludgeoning damage per 2 caster levels. Reflex halves damage)
Level 2: Soften Earth and Stone (Against a earth elemental, takes 1d10 damage per caster level and a -4 penalty to saves and armor class. Fortitude halves damage and negates penalties. Mudmen are unaffected. Enemies wearing armor made of earth or stone materials take a -4 penalty to armor class, fortitude negates. If underground, can also be used to cause rocks to fall in the enemy by softening the ceiling, dealing (1d4 + 4) bludgeoning damage and slowing the enemy for 2 seconds per caster level, reflex halves damage and negates slow)
Level 3: Magic boulder (Summons a moving boulder that rolls over your enemies, subjecting them to a death effect if they are run over. A fortitude or reflex save deals only 1d3 + 3 per two caster levels of damage. The boulder has DR 20/Adamantite, moves at 3/4 of a character's base speed, and has 12 hitpoints per caster level)
Level 4: Stoneskin
Level 5: Spike Stones (Creates a tangle of spiked stones that, if a enemy goes through them, is dealt 1d4 + 4 piercing damage per caster level and is slowed. Reflex save negates slow and halves damage)
Level 6: Flesh to stone
Level 7: Earthquake
Level 8: Iron skin (Dispels stoneskin if active. Gain DR/15 Adamantite, as well as the special immunities and vulnurabilites a iron golem has. Of particular note, fire and acid damage is halved, you are immune to positive energy but can repair yourself, you can take rust damage, you don't need to breathe, but you cannot drink potions or swim (Only walk underwater) while this is in effect for 6 seconds per caster level. You also gain +1W to your weapons, as well as a +6 construct bonus to strength.)
Level 9: Huge elemental swarm (Summons 4 huge earth elementals that fight for you. Has stats of a monster summoned by a level 9 spell)


Fire domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: You may turn water creatures as a cleric turns undead. Consumes one turn undead per attempt. Fire spells gain +1 to caster level.

Fire domain spells:

Level 1: Burning hands(Upgrades to Scorching ray at level 11)
Level 2: Resist fire and Resist Cold
Level 3: Fireball(Upgrades to Delayed Blast firewall at CL 13)
Level 4: Fire Shield
Level 5: Wall of Fire
Level 6: Protection from Elements: Fire and Cold
Level 7: Incindiary Cloud
Level 8: Fire Storm
Level 9: Meteor Swarm


Good domain

Requirements: Good alignment

Abilities gained: You gain +1 to your caster level for good spells, and three times per rest, you may generate a protect other effect against somebody that transfers all damage dealt on that target to you instead. Lasts 6 seconds per caster level.

Good domain spells:

Level 1: Detect evil (As detect chaos, but works on evil creatures instead)
Level 2: Divine Vengeance
Level 3: Magic circle against evil
Level 4: Holy smite
Level 5: Dispel evil (As dispel chaos, but works on evil creatures instead)
Level 6: Good imbue (Imbues your weapons with good blast, countering any evil effects on it for the duration of the spell)
Level 7: Holy word (As Word of Chaos, but works on evil creatures instead)
Level 8: Holy Aura
Level 9: Good reflection (Evil creatures that strike a good recipient of the spell have a chance equal to the cleric's casting level for that attack to deal damage to themselves instead.)


Knowledge domain

Requirements: INT 13

Abilities gained: All skills become class skills for a cleric. In addition, the cleric gains an additional 16 skill points at level 1, and 4 skill points at level up. The cleric also gains wilderness and arcane lore in addition to divine lore.

Knowledge domain spells:

Level 1: Detect secret doors
Level 2: Detect thoughts (When speaking to NPC's, you gain a +5 insight to any skill check made in dialogue based on their thoughts, possibly gaining additional dialogue options as well if any potent information is detected. In addition, you also gain a +5 insight bonus to haggle. NPC's that tend to hide their actual thoughts may negate or even give a -5 penalty to skill checks made in dialogue.
Level 3: Clairvoyance (Places a scrying ward at your location for one minute per caster level. You may use it to view the area for as long as the spell is in effect.)
Level 4: Sixth sense (When you are attacked, this spell activates, giving you a stacking +20 to your armor class and a stacking + 10 to saves for six seconds. You are rendered immune to sneak attack damage and being surprised in any sort of way when the spell is in effect.)
Level 5: True seeing
Level 6: Find the path (Shows you the shortest, most direct route to get to a location, be it a quest entrance, a objective to a quest or even a shop. This spell itself does not work with objects.)
Level 7: Legend lore: When used in a combat or dungeon area, it automatically clears the fog of war on your map for yourself, and shows any potental areas of interest (In dungeons, quest objectives, danger zones, which are the areas where a spot check would be made, bosses, exc.) Also has a seperate part of the spell that can be used to give a +10 sacred bonus to dialogue checks made in that area, such as for geography questions, locations of things, people, exc. In a public area, it can give you a pop-up dialogue describing that area. Has a long casting time.)
Level 8: Disern Location (If you are looking for a item or NPC in a quest, reveals the current location at the time the spell is cast.)
Level 9: Foresight (Gives you a +4 insight bonus to AC and Saves as well as a stacking 10% bonus to dodge, but is lost whenever you would lose your AC bonus to dexterity. You are never surprised, and are immune to sneak attack damage for the duration of the spell.)


Law domain

Requirements: Lawful alignment

Abilities gained: You gain +1 to your caster level for lawful spells, and once per rest, can conjure a shield that absorbs 12 points of any kind of chaotic damage per caster level, be it physical or magical.

Law domain spells:

Level 1: Detect chaos (As detect law, but detects chaotic creatures)
Level 2: Daze Monster
Level 3: Magic circle against chaos (As magic circle against evil, but works against chaotic creatures)
Level 4: Orders Wrath
Level 5: Dispel chaos (As dispel law, but works on chaotic creatures)
Level 6: Lawful imbue (Imbues your weapons with lawful blast, dealing 2d6 damage per hit plus additional damage on a critical hit and an additional 4d6 lawful damage on a roll of a 20. This will override any chaotic effects put on a weapon, so the two cannot mix. Lasts one minute per caster level.)
Level 7: Word of law (As word of chaos, but works on chaotic creatures)
Level 8: Aura of law (+4 stacking AC, +4 Stacking resistance and SR equal to 15 + caster level against chaotic spells)
Level 9: Shield of law: (Chaotic attacks of any kind have a chance equal to caster level to be deflected away, dealing no damage or having any negative effects. Lasts 6 seconds per caster level, no effects against neutral or chaotic recipients)


Luck domain

Requirements: Feat: Luck of Heroes

Abilities gained: You may apply your CHA bonus to your saves, if it is positive. In addition, once per rest, when you fail a save, you may reroll it for a different result, but that result will always be taken, even if it is worse. Also, once per rest, if you fail a skill check, that check can be rerolled for a different result, but that result will always be taken, even if that result is worse.

Luck domain spells:

Level 1: Entropic shield (Ranged attacks against you have a 20% miss chance, does not stack with any other effect)
Level 2: Aid, mass
Level 3: Prayer
Level 4: Freedom of Movement
Level 5: Break Enchantment
Level 6: Mislead (Turns you invisible as greater invisibility and creates duplicate copy on your location. Against monsters that cannot see invisibility, they will drop all aggro towards you and go for the double. The double will take 5 hits of any kind before disappearing. Your greater invisibility will last for 20 seconds regardless of caster level. Monsters that can see invisibility are not fooled by the spell.)
Level 7: Spell absorbtion (Absorbs 1-4 harmful spells)
Level 8: Moment of prescience (Gives you a insight bonus equal to your caster level on a attack roll, skill check, or save for 10 seconds.)
Level 9: True luck of heroes (You bend the fates of destiny and the cosmos to imbue your character with luck heroes would die for. Your next attack roll, skill check, save, AC check, craft attempt or spell resistance check will always be successful, so long as the chance of doing so is at least 1%.)


Magic domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: You may use wands, scrolls and items as if you were a wizard equal to half your cleric level. In addition, you gain use magic device as a class skill, and can automatically use runes as long as any check placed upon them does not exceed 1.5 times your cleric level.

Magic domain spells:

Level 1: Enchant weapons
Level 2: Enchant armor
Level 3: Dispel Magic (Upgrades to Greater Dispel magic at level 11)
Level 4: Imbue with spell knowledge (Gives 15-40 SP to a ally.)
Level 5: Spell Resistance
Level 6: Antimagic guard (If a creatures within 10 ft strikes you with a spell or physical attack, they must make a fortitude save or lose the ability to cast spells for 3 seconds per 2 caster levels.)
Level 7: Spell absorbtion (Absorbs 1-4 harmful spells)
Level 8: Protection from spells (Confers a +8 warding bonus against spells of a particular school)
Level 9: Deadly Weapons


Plant domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: All spells of nature gain +1 to your caster level. In additon, you may command plant creatures using a turn undead attempt. You gain wilderness lore, as well as hide and move silently as class skills.

Plant domain spells:

Level 1: Entangle
Level 2: Barkskin
Level 3: Splinterskin
Level 4: Command plants (Like mass charm, but works on plant creatures only)
Level 5: Hedge of thorns (As spike growth, but deals 1-2 + 2 damage per caster level every two seconds that a enemy is inside, reflex save to avoid initial damage.
Level 6: Summon Dryad (Summons a dryad to fight for you.)
Level 7: Dominate plants (As dominate person, but works on plants only)
Level 8: Repel wood (Any enemies wielding wooden objects are pushed away, will save negates)
Level 9: Shambler swarm (Summons 1-4 shambling mounds to fight for you.)


Protection domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: You gain DR 1/- every two cleric levels. In addition, you may generate a protective ward on another person once per rest, allowing that person to either automatically succeed on their next save, dodge their next attack or survive an unavoidable attack that would put the person below 0 HP, including death effects.

Protection domain spells:

Level 1: Sanctuary (You cannot attack or cast any spells, but enemies cannot land any sort of attack on you. Lasts for 10 seconds.)
Level 2: Shield other (You take half of a friend's damage)
Level 3: Resist energy
Level 4: Stoneskin
Level 5: Spell resistance
Level 6: Protection from elements, mass
Level 7: Spell absorbtion (Absorbs 1-4 harmful spells)
Level 8: Mind blank (Subject is immune to any spells that effect the person's mind)
Level 9: Divine shield (Prevents a target from taking any sort of damage whatsoever or be subject to death effects for 10 seconds.)


Strength domain

Requirements: STR 13

Abilities gained: Once per rest, you may gain a stacking strength bonus equal to your cleric level for 6 seconds per cleric level. Add jump, swim and tumble to your class skills. Gain proficiency with all martial weapons.

Strength domain spells:

Level 1: Ram's might
Level 2: Bull's strength (Upgrades to divine power at cleric level 9)
Level 3: Rage
Level 4: Stoneskin
Level 5: Righteous Might (Gain a stacking +4 size bonus to strength and +2 to constitution, DR 3/evil, which increases to 6 at level 12 and 9 at level 15, as well as a +5 natural armor bonus, and your grow taller.)
Level 6: Stone fists (Increases your unarmed damage by 1w, or adds 4 damage to your weapons.)
Level 7: Grasping hand (A huge hand tries to pull your opponent through the ground, subjecting them to instant death unless they succeed on a reflex save, in which case they take no damage. You may apply 10% of your strength bonus to the DC of this spell.)
Level 8: Mighty Rage (You fly into a divine rage, gaining a stacking +8 bonus to strength, +4 to con, deal double base damage with two-handed weapons, but take a -5 penalty on attack rolls, 20% less positive healing, 20% more negative damage, and your spells have longer cooldowns)
Level 9: Crushing hand (A huge hand falls out of nowhere and crushes your opponent, subjecting them to instant death or dealing 4-6 damage bludgeoning damage on a successful fortitude save. You may apply 25% of your strength bonus to the DC of this spell)



Sun domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: You may use a turn undead attempt to perform a sunblast, which deals 1-4 + 4 light and 1-4 + 4 fire damage per caster level. A reflex save halves the damage. You also gain a stacking 10 spellpower to all light and fire spells.

Sun domain spells:

Level 1: Nimbus of light
Level 2: Resist energy: Light and Fire
Level 3: Searing light
Level 4: Fire shield
Level 5: Wall of fire
Level 6: Fire seeds
Level 7: Sunbeam
Level 8: Sunburst
Level 9: Meteor swarm


Travel domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: Once per rest, you may make yourself immune to most forms of control and complusion that would stop you equal to 6 seconds per caster level. It is similar to FoM but better. Your base run speed also increases by 10%, which stacks with other movement bonuses.

Travel domain spells:

Level 1: Longstrider (This version of the spell gives a stacking 10% bonus to movement speed.)
Level 2: Locate object (If there is a quest object you must locate, it shows the location of the object on your map)
Level 3: Haste
Level 4: Blink (You appear to 'blink' in and out of reality really fast, giving enemies a 50%(Or 20% if they can see invisibility, 0% if it is a force attack) miss chance at you for spells and attacks, while giving your own attacks and spell casts a 20% failure chance, as well as ghost touch. Falling damage is half, and all attacks except force attacks deal 20% less damage. You move at 80% of your speed while blinking, as while you are blinking, you are ethreal to some extent.)
Level 5: Dimension Door
Level 6: Teleport
Level 7: Greater teleport
Level 8: Phase door (Creates a point on your current location at the time of casting that you can teleport to later for the duration of the spell.)
Level 9: Time stop (All enemies stop in their tracks for 10-20 seconds, as does any quest timers for the period of the spell. You cannot harm them, but you can target them with spells that will proc on them when time is up. Creatures cannot detect you when time stop is active. You can use unattended objects, but not objects attended to by a creature.)


Trickery domain

Requirements: Must not be lawful

Abilities gained: Once per rest, you may vanish from plain sight, making you completely invisibile to things, even to creatures that can normally see invisibility, for 10 seconds. Loses all creature aggro upon doing so. Add bluff, move silently and hide to your class skills, and gain 4 skill points at level 1, as well as one additional point per level.

Trickery domain spells:

Level 1: Camoflauge
Level 2: Invisibility
Level 3: Wild instincts
Level 4: Phantasmal Killer
Level 5: Confusion (On a failed will save, the recipient of the spell has a 20% chance of attacking the caster of the spell, 10% chance of acting normally, 30% chance of standing in place and babbling, 20% chance of running away or a 20% chance of attacking the nearest enemy or friend.)
Level 6: Dominate Person
Level 7: Mind Fog
Level 8: Prismatic Spray
Level 9: Hold Monster, Mass


War domain

Requirements: CON 13

Abilities gained: Free weapon proficiency of any weapon you choose at level 2, as well as a weapon focus to go with it. In addition, gain a full attack bonus, and once per rest, gain rallying cry, which grants your allies a +4 stacking morale bonus to all saves and damage for six seconds per caster level.

War domain spells:

Level 1: Enchant weapons
Level 2: Ablative armor
Level 3: Positive energy infusion
Level 4: Elemental weapons
Level 5: Align Weapons
Level 6: Radiant Forcefield
Level 7: Deadly weapons
Level 8: Power word: Stun
Level 9: Power word: Kill


Water domain

Requirements: None

Abilities gained: Your water and ice spells gain +1 to their caster level, and you can turn fire elementals with a turn undead attempt.

Water domain spells:

Level 1: Merfolks Blessing
Level 2: Quench
Level 3: Frost Lance
Level 4: Ice Storm
Level 5: Cone of cold
Level 6: Greater creeping cold
Level 7: Oltuke's Freezing Sphere
Level 8: Polar ray
Level 9: Storm of vengence

[Vellrad]

Wee-Jas, goddes of death and magis is lawful neutral.
Various gods of death from different settings are lawful.

Only aligment requriement should be on (supprize) aligment domain.

[GeneralDiomedes]

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but any solution that gives Clerics some of the more sought after Arcane spells in this game will not fly, and IMO should remain on the drawing board.

Turbine even went to great pains to NOT give Clerics Earthquake which is a standard Cleric spell. The spell was talked about probably 4 years ago as coming 'soon' but was then pulled and never materialized until Druids were implemented.

[letour]

I personnaly think stat requirement like str, con and int and alignement (exept for good, evil, chaos and law domain) should be remove. The domain should be tie the god or you can choose domain like in Pnp, I would like to see domain deathless only for a specific god. I really like the form, some new spell you creat may be rework. Overall, it is quite good.

[Flavilandile]

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but any solution that gives Clerics some of the more sought after Arcane spells in this game will not fly, and IMO should remain on the drawing board.

Turbine even went to great pains to NOT give Clerics Earthquake which is a standard Cleric spell. The spell was talked about probably 4 years ago as coming 'soon' but was then pulled and never materialized until Druids were implemented.

Well after a quick read of the OP post and a check in my PHB what is suggested there seems to be a direct copy of the PnP stuff. ( Travel domain gets DD and both Teleports for example )

Now the questions are will we see Clerics Domains one day and are they going to be more than fluff ?

I hope we will see them and that they are going to be along the line of what is at the head of the thread.

[Jay203]

more than likely it'll get implemented like the monk's light/dark path
IF it ever gets implemented

even then, the selection of the spell will probably be severely modified

[butcheredspirit]

In general, domains should be a chosen feat that is made at character creation.

Should it be a chosen feat, or receive 2 class bonus feats at level 1 for domains?
Would be cool to see the option of bonus domains added in when the prestige would do so in pnp, such as Radiant Servant and War Priest.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but any solution that gives Clerics some of the more sought after Arcane spells in this game will not fly

I would normally argue that you can't call them specifically arcane spells, when clerics can cast them aswell.
However like you said, divines don't even get their own base spells...will we get more spells?

[soulaeon]

What you are suggesting would require a significant overhaul of how alignments currently function in DDO. Divine casters and other classes have limitations based on their alignment, so this kind of change would affect many facets that are not just clerics.

[knightgf]

Should it be a chosen feat, or receive 2 class bonus feats at level 1 for domains?
Would be cool to see the option of bonus domains added in when the prestige would do so in pnp, such as Radiant Servant and War Priest.

I think one is good enough. Two would be pushing it over the edge a bit.

[fmalfeas]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...Realms_deities

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religions_of_Eberron

That's kinda important for something like this.

And the /only/ requirements that should exist, based upon the books, is if you want an alignment domain, you must match the alignment in question, and/or, if your deity can grant the domain or not.

For example, Torm can grant Good, Healing, Law, Protection, and Strength. So you'd pick 2 from that list, if you worshipped Torm.

There are also numerous Death gods in D&D that are Lawful Neutral, and Lawful Evil. (Death is implacable, it follows a set course, it is unchanging, unyielding, and eternal...a far more lawful concept than a chaotic one. Death also does not discriminate between good and evil. It is neutral, inherently.)

[HatsuharuZ]

I like what the OP has posted, however... Plant domain, I'm afraid, is so useless that it shouldn't be implemented without severe modifications.

@GeneralDiomedes: There is nothing wrong with clerics getting a few arcane spells, just so long as they do not get ALL of them.

I also think that one domain for each cleric would be sufficient. Any more would be OP.

[Kelendren]

LIKE the idea of Cleric domains, and think they should be implemented. However, DDO is based on 3.5 rules, where there WERE no cleric domains.

[aeroplanefly]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...Realms_deities

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religions_of_Eberron

That's kinda important for something like this.

And the /only/ requirements that should exist, based upon the books, is if you want an alignment domain, you must match the alignment in question, and/or, if your deity can grant the domain or not.

For example, Torm can grant Good, Healing, Law, Protection, and Strength. So you'd pick 2 from that list, if you worshipped Torm.

There are also numerous Death gods in D&D that are Lawful Neutral, and Lawful Evil. (Death is implacable, it follows a set course, it is unchanging, unyielding, and eternal...a far more lawful concept than a chaotic one. Death also does not discriminate between good and evil. It is neutral, inherently.)

I agree that it would be important to read up on the religions of Eberron and Forgotton Realms (myself included), as well as the many houses of Eberron. Perhaps a rework of the faith paths could be implemented.

------

This is my idea, leave clerics as they are, but give them a new PrE that gives them a selection of faiths, such as how wizards have archmage. There would be one Radiant Servant PrE which would stay the same no matter what- no restrictions, and one faith PrE that has three (maybe four) choices. Give all clerics an alignment change if they choose to switch.

The Faith PrE would have some sort of alignment requirement, and each faith would have it's own spellbook or spellbook restrictions. Of the three dieties, there would be Lawful, Chaotic, and Good. Choosing Good, Lawful or Chaotic requires the corresponding alignment. I don't know how to implement evil or neutral but that may require neutral alignment.

The first enhancement line of the corresponding faith would lock out spells of it's opposite, the second rank of the enhancement line would lock out spells of both it's opposite and neutral counterparts. This would probably require new spells.

Here's the best example I can give with the current spells in game-

Let's say you roll a chaotic good cleric and choose the good faith. At the first tier enhancement level, when you select Summon Monster IX, you would be unable to summon evil monsters (no Hezrou for you). At the second tier enhancement level, you would be unable to summon both evil and neutral monsters (no Elder Fire Elementals or Hezrous for you either!). Your faith would also prevent you from using scrolls in the same way.

I'd also include some more higher level alignment spells. Chaos Hammer, Order's Wrath and Holy Smite are very nice, but it would be nice to see some level 6 and level 8 alignment spells to throw in for both Clerics and Favored Souls

Alternatively, you could lose access to certain spells in exchange for higher DCs of the chosen diety.

What do you think?

[azrael4h]

LIKE the idea of Cleric domains, and think they should be implemented. However, DDO is based on 3.5 rules, where there WERE no cleric domains.

Wrong. Domains were added to the Cleric's list of abilities specifically in 3E, and were maintained in 3.5e. The OP's post basically copies the domains from the D20 SRD (www.d20srd.org) directly, with mild modifications of some spells for DDO use.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm

In 3.5e, Clerics got a choice of two domains based on their deity and alignment. Eberron Campaign setting lessened their alignment restrictions, by allowing them to take any alignment regardless of how far it was from their deity's alignment. Normal 3.5e rules, they had to be within 1 step.

While in PnP Clerics chose two domains, they also only got 1 spell slot for those domain spells per level. So while a Cleric with War and Strength could, theoretically, cast Ram's Might and Enchant Weapons, they would only have one of those two at any given time.

However, you're more likely to see Osama bin Laden's rotted corpse come back to life and become a Christian civil rights leader. So you may as well close this thread down now, it ain't happening. The devs have proven their hatred of divines over and over again, and refuse to even give them the spell list they have in PnP. Domains will happen never.

[Flavilandile]

Wrong. Domains were added to the Cleric's list of abilities specifically in 3E, and were maintained in 3.5e. The OP's post basically copies the domains from the D20 SRD (www.d20srd.org) directly, with mild modifications of some spells for DDO use.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm

In 3.5e, Clerics got a choice of two domains based on their deity and alignment. Eberron Campaign setting lessened their alignment restrictions, by allowing them to take any alignment regardless of how far it was from their deity's alignment. Normal 3.5e rules, they had to be within 1 step.

While in PnP Clerics chose two domains, they also only got 1 spell slot for those domain spells per level. So while a Cleric with War and Strength could, theoretically, cast Ram's Might and Enchant Weapons, they would only have one of those two at any given time.

However, you're more likely to see Osama bin Laden's rotted corpse come back to life and become a Christian civil rights leader. So you may as well close this thread down now, it ain't happening. The devs have proven their hatred of divines over and over again, and refuse to even give them the spell list they have in PnP. Domains will happen never.

Specifically, Page 184/185 of the PHB 3.5 ( or near that number I'm giving that from memory, as I checked it for my previous post in that thread ). Oh, and the Descriptions are the same, with the same spell lists in the PHB too.

As for how they can be adapted to DDO, personally I consider that we should have the ability to choose one ( and only one ) domain at character creation ( or not choose one ), and the spells from that domain should just use yet another spell slot. ( like the healing spells )
Yeah I know it's hard on spell selection, but it gives some balance, you choose a domain and get the nice stuff from the chosen domain or you don't and you have more spell slots to fill up .

[Mastikator]

Some of these are much too strong, others very weak.

Other than a /signed to cleric domains, I think cleric domains should not be added because clerics need more dakka, it's because clerics need more personalization, so the domains should be on the weaker side IMO.

Here's a few modifications I'd like.
1. Domain spells do NOT add spell slots, they compete with regular cleric spells for slots.
2. The following domains will be altered:
Animal domain does not grant extra skills, it instead adds half level as insight bonus to listen, spot, swim and jump.
Death, the ability has a fort save to negate, DC is 10+cleric level/2+charisma mod, spell focus necromancy and improved turning both add to DC, this costs a use of a turn and 20 sp, touch-range, this is blocked by death-ward but not by deathblock
Destruction has fort-half vs 10+cleric level/2+charisma mod, spell focus necromancy and improved turning both add to DC, this costs a use of a turn and 20 sp, touch-range , this is blocked by death-ward but not by deathblock
Knowledge, cleric is intelligence based instead of wisdom based for the purpose of spell points, spell DC and highest level spell (instead of extra skills)
Luck, if activated you may re-roll any failed save and failed skill check, consumes 1 turn attempt.
Magic, gain UMD as class skill, can't use magic as wizard.
Plant, add, can consume a turn attempt to add wisdom as a natural armor to AC (friend, self), lasts 1 minute/level (min 5)
Sun, all turn attempts also deal 1d6/cleric level light damage to undead, even if they resist the turn.

[SealedInSong]

Per Tiranblade's post regarding leaked enhancement feats, we've seen (and gotten confirmation from Eladrin) that these feats are works in progress:

Sovereign Host: Divine, Protection, Healing
Lord of Blades: Divine, War, Artificer
Undying Court: Divine, Protection, Deathless
Silver Flame: ?

They appear to open up those domains to the cleric when they choose that faith, as well as grant them auto-proficiency in the favored weapon (so perhaps no more Turn Undead-based weapon proficiencies, unless it exists solely to grant it to other players which seems silly).

Do you guys have any input from that perspective? Perhaps the OP can revise his post to target the leaked info we have.

It might help if we frame our ideas in terms of enhancement trees (similar to the destiny trees) since that is what the devs are using in the enhancement pass.

So excited!

[Jay203]

So excited!

i honestly just can't see the excitement over domains o-o
most likely people are still going to be using blade barrier and divine punishment as their go-to spells like they currently are anyway

oh wellz
i think they'll do the bonus "faith" feat for clerics and you unlock spell-like abilities via enhancements. we'll see how it goes though

[SealedInSong]

i honestly just can't see the excitement over domains o-o
most likely people are still going to be using blade barrier and divine punishment as their go-to spells like they currently are anyway

oh wellz
i think they'll do the bonus "faith" feat for clerics and you unlock spell-like abilities via enhancements. we'll see how it goes though

As you're clearing speaking from a more powergamer perspective than not (if you look at my character compendium most of my characters are 70% power oriented and 30% flavor), there's still a lot to be said about possible (and I have no idea what's probable in the implementation) stuff as or even more powerful in the Death, Destruction, War, and possibly Travel domains. Sun would be nothing to sneeze at either.

And that's all on top of what clerics can do already, which is considerable.

I would not underestimate the flavor and power conferred by well-implemented domains. This is one of those instances where, similar to PnP, the class can already solo very well and will only get stronger for getting one of their core abilities implemented in DDO.

[SealedInSong]

i honestly just can't see the excitement over domains o-o

Just to illustrate the point a bit further...

All clerics already have the ability to:
top-notch self-heal in bursts or over time
train a prestige that allows them to self heal-over-time all the time or burst heal in an AoE around them
wear heavy armor
wear shields (though not tower proficient)
use the standard powerful offensive divine spells: blade barrier, implosion, divine punishment, cometfall, destruction, slay living, symbol of persuasion/death, holy aura
same main casting stat and DC stat (wisdom)

We all know divines have all bases covered: self-preservation and enemy slaughtering.

Currently players can choose to add (at some expense of course):
evasion+wisdom to AC (monk splash)
martial weapon proficiency+tower shield proficiency (fighter splash)
among other things
UMD most if not all arcane stuff (splash UMD class or have sufficient destiny/charisma/gear/past life investment)

Then with upcoming racial prestiges, they can do even more crazy stuff like become stalwart defenders or assassins, what have you.

And with domains, they'll be able to start casting with full caster level and main casting stat, and depending on implementation, get a caster level bonus to the following possible spells:
Storm of Vengeance, Eladar's Electric Surge, Enveloping Swarm, Death Knell, Wail of the Banshee, Earthquake, Disintegrate, Meteor Swarm, Incendiary Cloud, Imbue Weapon (good/law/chaos/evil), Spell Absorption, Deadly Weapons, Entangle, Stoneskin, Haste, Dimension Door, Time Stop, Phantasmal Killer, Prismatic Spray, Hold Monster (mass), Power Word Kill, and Radiant Forcefield

I mean...if that's not one of the best, most-well-rounded character possibilities in DDO, I don't know what is.

Even being able to cast a heightened Entangle is pretty amazing, let alone things like Wail or Incendiary or Disintegrate or the "druid only" (but not really in PnP) Storm/Earthquake. And what about the spells they haven't even implemented in DDO at all yet? Time Stop, Spell Absorption... clerics could get a TREMENDOUS boost in power.

So yes, we should all be excited.