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Hey all,
Giving thought to our focused playtest comments over the next few months, something that has bugged me in the Alpha/Beta are the choices of clerical domains. Rather than wait until December 29th, I thought I'd take a shot here and now, and see what people think.
My issue is there is very little flavor or variety to be had. Don’t get me wrong, I think the mechanic of getting domain powers unlocked at 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level is an excellent mechanic, the specific domain powers strike me as similar to each other, and lack non-combat flavor.
All the elemental domains (earth, air, fire, water, and weather) have the same 1st level power – a ranged attack.
There are 8 domains that grant touch attacks, and a further 7 domains that grant touch boost effects to allies for a very limited duration.
These abilities could be so much more innovative, and could be built with concepts that make them backwards compatable to the SRD, but avoid the trap of granting bonus feats (something that Pathfinder is clearly avoiding).
AIR – 1st Level – Servant of Air (Su): You gain a +2 bonus to all Acrobatics and Fly checks, and a +2 bonus to your DC of any spells with the air descriptor, or to your Channel Energy effects vs the earth subtype.
ANIMAL – 1st level – good ability as written!
ARTIFICE – 1st level – Artificer’s Touch (Su): You gain +4 to all Craft checks. Furthermore, you can use mending as a spell-like ability at will.
(Note: the Artifice domain as written in Pathfinder is way too powerful, as you can rot doors away, melt treasure chests, burn through castle walls, and the like).
CHAOS – 1st level – Child of Chaos (Su): You cast chaos spells at +1 caster level, and in addition anyone who remains within 10 feet of you cannot take 10 or 20 on skill checks.
CHARM – 1st level – Charming Visage (Su): You gain a +2 bonus to all Diplomacy checks, and can use daze as a spell-like ability at will.
COMMUNITY – 1st level – Bolstering Presence (Su): You gain a +2 bonus to all Knowledge (local) checks and are automatically succeed in any attempts to aid another with a permissible skill, or in combat.
DARKNESS – 1st level – Cloak of Darkness (Su): all foes within 30 feet suffering from concealment penalties add a further 5% to their miss chance. Furthermore, you can extinguish any non-magical light source as bright as a torch or lantern within 30 feet as a standard action.
DEATH – 1st level – Lifeleech Touch (Su): AS a melee touch attack, you can cause a living creature to take 1 point of damage per round. This effect persists for 1 minute per caster level or until stopped with a DC 15 Heal check or any spell or effect that heals damage. Touching a creature affected by this ability causes the duration to reset but does not stack. This is a bleed effect (see the Glossary chapter).
(Note: The Death domain as written is too powerful at low levels, coming in above power of a acid arrow. Effectively there is no cap on this, so touching a creature at 10th level means 10d6 damage will be done, should they not be able to make a Heal check or have access to healing magic. The changes above change the flavor slightly towards death, rather than spontaneous bleeding, and stretch the damage out over a longer period of time).
DESTRUCTION – 1st level – Destructive Smite (Su): As a full-round action, you can make a single melee attack against an opponent with a bonus on damage equal to ½ your caster level (minimum 1), and a bonus to hit equal to your Charisma modifier.
(Note: The Destruction domain as written is pretty darn powerful. Confirming a critical automatically on an attack that can be done at will is a little steep. As well, adding the Charisma bonus to hit brings this smite in line with other smite abilities elsewhere in the rules).
EARTH – 1st level – Child of Earth (Su): You add +2 to the DC to resist Trip, Bull Rush, and Overrun maneuvers. Further, you gain a +2 bonus to your DC of any spells with the earth descriptor, or to your Channel Energy effects vs the air subtype.
EVIL – 1st level – Mark of Evil (Su): You cast evil spells at +1 caster level, and in addition anyone you touch becomes treated as good-aligned for the purpose of spells with the evil descriptor, which lasts for 1d3 rounds.
(NOTE: Automatically sickening creatures for 1-3 rounds isn’t unbalancing, but players aren’t going to find it much fun, and they are the most likely target).
FIRE – 1st level – Hand of Fire (Su): You gain +2 to save against fire effects or to your Channel Energy effects vs the water subtype, and you can use produce flame as a spell-like ability at will.
(NOTE: This caps out at a slightly lower damage level than the Pathfinder ability as written, but is simpler rules-wise. As well, it’s a light effect and a burn I would suggest with this replacement ability, Burning Hands at 2nd level should be changed to Endure Elements or the like).
GLORY – 1st level – good as written
GOOD – 1st level – Aura of Good (Su): You cast good spells at +1 caster level, and in addition any allies who remain within 10 feet of you is considered under the effects of a bless spell
(NOTE: I’ve simplified some of the ally boosts so you don’t need to remember if you gave someone the Touch of Good that day, or whether 3 rounds have passed. Running it like a bless effect makes it slightly less powerful than the Pathfinder ability as written).
HEALING – 1st level – Nemesis of Death (Su): You cast healing spells at +1 caster level, and your touch automatically stabilizes dying creatures and ends bleed effects.
KNOWLEDGE – good as written, but you should specify that you gain knowledge from a creature touched, living or dead.
LAW – 1st level – Mark of Law (Su): You cast law spells at +1 caster level, and in addition as a standard action you can touch a creature, giving it the ability to take 10 on a skill check if rushed or threatened, as long as taking 10 is normally allowed.
(NOTE: Again, simplified from the Pathfinder version. This is less likely to be abused for Spell Resistance checks, Attack rolls, saving throws, and the like).
LIBERATION – 1st level – Aura of Freedom (Su): You gain a +2 bonus to save against any enchantment spell or effect, and that bonus is also granted to any ally within 30 feet.
LUCK – 1st level – Lucky (Su): You gain the power of good fortune, which is usable once per day. This extraordinary ability allows you to reroll one roll that you have just made before the game master declares whether the roll results in success or failure. You must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll.
(NOTE: This is one case where I suggest the SRD rule is a better fit.)
MADNESS – good as written. Perhaps it is worth changing to at will and have no limit to the number of times it affects a target, but at the end of the duration, the target is automatically dazed for a round?
MAGIC – In the interests of backwards compatability, shouldn’t the ability to use scrolls and wands be looked at? It was a bit powerful – perhaps changing it to a bonus to Use Magic Device would solve that issue, but keep all those wand-wielding clerics out there more or less the same …
NOBILITY – 1st level – Noble Word (Su): You can inspire courage, as the bardic performance ability, using a standard action to grant all allies within hearing a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects, and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. This effect lasts for 3 rounds, and can be used at will.
PLANT – 1st level – Heart of the Forest (Su): You gain Knowledge (nature) as a class skill, and you gain a further +2 bonus to your natural armor class from barkskin spells.
(NOTE: I’m not sure what worshipping a nature deity has to do with beating people up. I think this is a good instance where non-combat effects might be better.)
PROTECTION – Good as written
REPOSE – 1st level – Touch of Rest (Su): You can use gentle repose as a spell-like ability at will. Undead creatures touched by you are slowed for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier.
(NOTE: I’m not sure what sleep effects have to do with Death. As well, if a Repose cleric wants to run around touching undead, I don’t see a need to have it only affect the undead once per day).
RUNE – 1st level – You gain a +2 bonus to Linquistics and cast any spell from a scroll at +1 caster level.
(NOTE: Again, another example of Pathfinder creating a combat spell for someone who might not need a combat effect. Rune deities don’t necessarily want to blow people up all the time).
STRENGTH – good as written, but you might want to specify that the cleric can use this ability on himself as well.
SUN – good as written
TRAVEL – 1st level – Travelling Soul (Su): You gain Survival as a class skill, and gain an extra 5 feet of base movement.
(NOTE: The SRD was a bit off with freedom of movement, but Teleportation is a bit much as a 1st level ability, especially with the ability to bring friends. This defeats trapped doors, walls, and opens up a world of abuse. I recommend toning it down significantly).
TRICKERY – 1st level – Deceptive Visage (Su): You gain Bluff and Stealth as class skills, and once per day you can force a chosen target within 30 feet to reroll one roll that has just been made, even if the roll is declared a success or failure. You must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s better than the original roll.
WAR – 1st level – Soul of War (Su): You gain a bonus to hit wielding your deity’s favored weapon equal to half your caster level (minimum +1).
(NOTE: Battle Smite is pretty much identical to Destruction, and there are a lot of deities with both the War and Destruction domains. Soul of War grants a bonus similar to Weapon Focus of the SRD’s War domain).
WATER – 1st level – Water Child (Su): You gain a +2 to Swim checks and to your DC of any spells with the water descriptor, or to your Channel Energy effects vs the fire subtype. As well, you can hold your breath for an extra number of rounds equal to your caster level.
(NOTE: I’m not sure what the water domain has to do with throwing icicles. What I’ve written above is still pretty wimpy, but it’s more water-oriented).
WEATHER – 1st level – Storm Eye (Su): You gain Survival as a class skill, and as a standard action you can unleash an arc of lightning, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The lightning arc deals 1d6 points of electricity damage +1 for every two caster levels you possess.
(NOTE: This is where I think the Pathfinder Air domain power belongs).
Sorry, I did read your post before and i'm reading again, but I really don't like the new domains, so I'll keep quiet...