Cleric

## Overview

A cleric is a divine servant of one or more gods, similar to a battle trained priest, serving them with martial might and divine magic fueled by their own strength of faith. As agents of a divine authority, clerics were empowered both by ritual training and their god's particular favor. Relatively rare, clerics inspired both reverence and terror, depending on their aims and who they serve.

They are decidedly different from a Paladin who is more an independent enforcer acting on behave of their deity, while the cleric is a member of church hierarchy who usual acts in the interests of the church organizations

The Cleric's primary ability is *Wisdom*, followed by *Strength* or *Constitution*.

## Class Stats

**Hit/Hp Dice:** d8

**Saving Throws:** Wisdom, Charisma

### Proficiencies

**Armor:** Light, Medium and Shields

**Weapons:** Simple Weapons

**Tools:** None

**Skills:** 2 from History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion and Religion

## Key Abilities

The cleric can call upon the following abilities to aid in their divine mission.

* Channel Divinity, through which various effects can be achieved by manifesting divine power
* Destroy Undead, allowing the cleric to instantly kill undead creatures of lower power.
* Divine Intervention, where the God can be called upon to directly affect the world as needed

The cleric also gains may abilities according to their domain

## Domains (Subclasses)

The Cleric can specialize in one of the following domains, drawing powers from the areas their deity controls

### Knowledge Domain

Used commonly by worshipers of scholarly deities, the Knowledge domain attracted those who believed learning was an end unto itself. Some deities presiding over the Knowledge domain were secretive and jealously guarded what they and their followers knew, while others promoted the spread of knowledge through the construction of libraries and universities. Other gods were more interested in the practical application of knowledge, rather than its research and discovery.

Clerics adhering to the Knowledge domain gained a number of abilities from their training. Some of these new skills were relatively mundane, such as learning another language or two. Others were considerably more powerful though, such as the ability to mentally read thoughts of creatures, "read" an object - to discover the details of its recent past, and gain temporary skill in certain areas.

### Life Domain

The favorite of healers or those active in the fight against undeath, the Life domain was presided over by a number of diverse powers, from agricultural deities to deities of healing. The Life domain, which encompassed both healing and radiant-powered prayers, was fueled by the power of positive energy, found in the Positive Energy Plane. As a general rule, non-evil deities preferred this domain to evil ones.

The Life domain provided a number of unique abilities to its practitioners, encompassing both manifestations of positive energy and healing. In addition, experienced Life domain clerics obtained the ability to infuse their weapons with radiant energy drawn from the Positive Energy Plane.

### Light Domain

Gods of light presided over this domain, which represented ideals such as renewal, truth, vigilance, and beauty. Some Light domain gods were patrons of the arts, while others were stalwarts of duty, devoted to the expulsion of lies and the banishment of darkness. The Light domain was generally favored by non-evil deities.

The abilities of Light domain clerics were generally light or fire-flavored. Additionally, extremely experienced clerics specializing in the Light domain could generate an aura of bright light that lasted for up to a minute, shining into a space of up to 90 feet in radius as well as enhancing any spells cast in the area using fire or radiant power.

### Nature Domain

While many priests who served nature deities are druids, clerics were also numbered among their servants. Many clerics who did venerate the gods of the wilderness made use of the Nature domain, which granted them some semblance of control over wild animals and plants alike. Whereas their druid compatriots were secretive and reclusive by inclination, clerics in the service of nature took a more active role, championing the cause of their gods by hunting evil monsters, blessing harvests, or bringing a famine upon their enemies.

Clerics specializing in the Nature domain had a number of abilities to claim as their own. One such ability was their ability to calm animals or plants, reducing their hostility for a period of up to a minute or so. With additional training, Nature domain clerics could learn even to control such creatures, commanding them to do as they wish.

### Tempest Domain

The Tempest domain was the abode of a diverse array of gods, from storm gods to ocean gods. What all of these gods held in common was a violent temperament and a penchant for inspiring fear. Clerics who served these gods were much the same, wielding their powers to strike terror into the faithful, either to force the wicked back to righteousness or in order to compel ritual offerings in exchange for safety.
The abilities granted by Tempest domain deities to their clerics were destructive by their very nature. One such boon was the *destructive wrath* variation of Channel Divinity, which increased the deadliness of electrical or sonic attacks cast by the cleric. In addition to such deadly powers, the most experienced Tempest domain clerics were also capable of flying, so long as they were neither indoors or underground.

### Trickery Domain

Not all clerics were inclined to seriousness or self-righteous zeal. The clerics who served gods of the Trickery domain were mischievous troublemakers by their very nature, more akin to a rogue than a paladin by temperament. Clerics of this domain mocked the powerful and defied tradition, disrupting "polite society" wherever they went. Some were freedom-fighters, some were criminals, and others were just pranksters. Whatever their specific method, these clerics preferred to challenge, rather than accept, the conventional order of things.

Because Trickery domain clerics were more inclined to deception and misdirection than direct conflict, their abilities similarly diverged from some of the more martial characteristics of other priests. For example, many of the spells wielded by such clerics were illusions or enchantments, rather than direct attacks. Likewise, Trickery domain clerics could use a form of Channel Divinity known as *invoke duplicity*, which allowed them to create one or more phantasmal copies of themselves, for the purpose of distraction or remote spellcasting.

### War Domain

War was a common part of mortal life and so it should come as little surprise that there were many clerics who devoted themselves to the gods of war. The nature of such gods varied somewhat, from champions of honor to pillars of destruction, but they all held in common an interest in the act of fighting, watching over those in battle who offered them tribute. Clerics specializing in the War domain served these deities.

As might be expected, the abilities of War domain clerics enhanced such priests' ability to fight on the front-line. Early on, War domain clerics were trained in the use of heavy armor and martial weapons, giving them additional protection and making them deadlier foes. With more experience, War domain clerics could also use *guided strike*, a variant of Channel Divinity that allowed them to attack with foes with an uncanny degree of precision.

### Forge Domain

Clerics of the Forge domain follow the Gods of creation and smithing, and give their lives to the protection and reclamation of wondrous items or techniques. These clerics pour their passion into forging quality items and with a long time spent in the heat of forges, they gain resistances (even immunity) to fire as well as the ability to wield it as a weapon. They can also bless weapons to make them more powerful, or materialize metal items such as weapons or ammo out of thin are using only scrap and coin. They don elaborate sets of heavy armor which they can forge in battle to the perfect protection possible.

### Grave Domain

Clerics who follow the Gods of Death are capable of granting additional life, knowing that Death will get it's dues in good time. They are shepherds of souls and seek to help souls pass from one plane to the next, ease the sufferings of those at Death's door to wipe the curse of undeath from the face of the world. They can use their connection to the divine to heal the dying, sense the presence of undead, curse enemies so they take maximum damage, negate critical hits and even use the departing soul of the dead to heal their allies.

### Arcana Domain

Clerics that follow this path are most usually people of intellect and learning. They are similar to wizards who are guided by religious zeal rather than pure pursuit of knowledge. These clerics have the ability to banish creature from the material plan for a time, with enough training of course, and can use the power of their God to turn creatures away. They have heightened spell casting ability as well, with the ability to call upon spells usually reserved for wizard.

## Notable Clerics

* Sasa Visgard, a former acolyte of Sune who converted to become a Grave Domain Cleric of Kelemvor in desperate hope to cure her undeath.