|
I could see it being ok, so long as you followed the other rules for multi-casting casters. IE: Do not stack levels for spells and caster level.
In effect, each god is a different class for them. A person that was Cleric of Nethys 3 / Cleric of Pharasma 3 would prepare spells as two 3rd level clerics, have domain abilities as a 3rd level cleric of each type, etc.
I don't think it would be that overpowered, in fact it's usually agreed that multi-class casters are underpowered. I could see a prestige similar to the mystic theurge for this though, one that allowed a cleric to combine a few different faiths.
Something worth thinking about. :)
I'm considering allowing clerics to multi-class into various faiths (for example allow a cleric of the god of healing to take a level as a cleric of the god of war)--thus allowing them to gain additional domain abilities. The concept works with the setting I'm creating but I'm not sure if the end result will be unbalanced. Any thoughts?
In practice the super-weak spell casting would doom the character. Given that many of the domain abilities are predicated on cleric level, it gets worse for the character.
If you permit selection of Practiced Spellcaster and anything similar to keep the CL and "Domain CL" up with character level, that would help.
This would also heavily depend on how high level the character is expected to go.
In an alternative spin, you could instead of requiring multi-classing, permit the character to use feats to gain domains (1 per feat?) or even exchange one or two class features to gain domains (spontaneous casting and turn undead/channel energy).
I don't know all the details of your setting, but here are a few preliminary thoughts.
First: cleric is a class. Under normal rules, you can't multiclass cleric/cleric. But you're considering it. Hmm.
Well, do levels of spellcasting stack? If you're treating them as separate classes, I'd say no.
Energy channelling? Quick guess: no. Game-breaking to let it? Not really, I wouldn't think.
Domain powers wouldn't, in terms of efficacy, but you'd get more of them.
Hit dice, BAB, skill points all stack.
I think you might do better if you find another way to represent the ranking of a cleric with each god. The character might have done lots of things to make the sky god happy and have appropriate titles, but now find a need to get the help of the war god and so is now working within the hierarchy of the war god. This assumes that in addition to pantheistic priests you have clerics specifically devoted to one god.
More information would help answer the question properly.
Right, just take the Feat granting an extra Domain, way more effectivep...
The fact (s)he may be praying to two separate Gods is mostly just fluff up to the player and DM to roleplay...
(if ONE god gets mad at the cleric, but not 2nd god, Domains not also available from the remaining God would become inactive)
Incestous multi-classing?
Better create a feat for that. Gain access to extra domain abilities. Keep to the low-level stuff and it shouldn't be too hard.
I it could become a general feat: Lay Worshipper. Limit the number of uses and/or effective caster level and it is golden.
|
I'm considering allowing clerics to multi-class into various faiths (for example allow a cleric of the god of healing to take a level as a cleric of the god of war)--thus allowing them to gain additional domain abilities. The concept works with the setting I'm creating but I'm not sure if the end result will be unbalanced. Any thoughts?
As others have noted, if you allow spellcasting / channeling / domain advancement / BAB / saves to stack, then yeah, it's just basically a ton of free Domains. Something for nothing, and there's no reason why *every* Cleric wouldn't do this, to get two Domains a level!
If the spellcasting / channel energy / domain advancement / BAB / saves *don't* stack, then it's a complete hose (well, except for that through-the-roof Fort and Will save Captain Useless will have), and the character will suck. A 1st level Cleric of Erastil / 1st level Cleric of Abadar / 1st level Cleric of Iomedae may have *six* Domains and a Fort/Will save of +6, but he'll still have a BAB of +0, a Reflex save of +0, nine or so 1st level spells at Caster Level 1, and a half-dozen or more 1d6 Channel Energy uses.
The happy medium is just to allow a Feat so that the character can access a third Domain or something. If using the Beta Domains, which are very sexy in their own right, you might even want to reduce the character somewhere else for each Domain added. Note the changes that the Cloistered Cleric has to benefit from the added Knowledge Domain, being reduced to lighter armor, d6 HD and Poor BAB (but gaining a bunch of skills, and swapping Turn Undead for Bardic Knowledge). Following in that vein, you could make a Domain-heavy Cleric that has lesser HD, armor and BAB, *or* one that has 1 less spell / level of spells (sort of like the tradeoff that a Battle Sorcerer takes).
Gods & Magic describes pantheist priests of the elves, who can pick two Domains from any of the elven dieties (Ketephys, Yuelral and uh, the other one, as well as Desna, Calistria and Nethys, IIRC).
Dwarven Clerics, instead of being Pantheists, are expected to be able to temporarily shift focus to honor one of the other dwarven gods, and at the beginning of the day can pick one of the Domains of the four or five dwarven dieties.
Either sounds like an interesting option, allowing the cleric to choose any two Domains from the 'pantheon' of dieties he worships (for instance, one who follows an Aroden-splinter-church might worship collectively all of those who have passed the Test of the Starstone, and be able to pick any two Domains from those offered by Iomedae, Norgorber or Cayden Cailean), *or* allowing the Cleric to pick every morning a single Domain from his pantheon. The latter type will have less Domain abilities in any one day than another Cleric, but he'll be able to 'prepare' another Domain for a given situation at the beginning of the day, when he prepares his spells.
Incestous multi-classing?
Better create a feat for that.
You made me giggle. Thank you.
What it made me think:
Incestous multi-classing?
There's an App for that.
You made me giggle. Thank you.
De rien.
Well, if each domain power at any given level roughly equal, my suggestion is to allow the player to take a feat which would allow him to decide which power he wants from the two deities of choice.
You may take the feat several times. Taking this feat multiple times does not stack. Each time he takes the feat, he may choose a new domain power from a different deity he worships.
|
there are rules for a politeistic pantheon in Elves of Golarion where eevn if you follow one of the gods you can chose chose domains from other gods... you lose something, i think the unique spells or use of magic itmes for your god's following...
but it has its benefit
i myself as DM would prefer that than just add clases of cleric, it would be as mixing cleric and druid, their spell list and depend on the level of the class, not the character, oitherwise it would be used to abuse to get as much domains as they could... the same would apply to domains... a chatracter cleric of Iomedae 2 / cleric of healing 2 would have domain powers of 2nd level for all her domains...
besides... you have to take into account the requeriments of aligment for ach faith
Next up: bloodline sorcerer multiclassing. Your ancestors were the kind of people who ~really~ liked "consorting" with fiends, dragons, fey, and lord knows what else.
|
|
I really don't think this would work, flavorwise or rulewise. In most D&D and Pathfinder games I've played so far, the Gods are jealous of their followers. They don't like "sharing"...
Then again, there are some deities that allow multiclassing of cleric with druid.
Hmmmm.... gotta think about this one. :(
Next up: bloodline sorcerer multiclassing. Your ancestors were the kind of people who ~really~ liked "consorting" with fiends, dragons, fey, and lord knows what else.
"I'm just happy the kid doesn't bark."
I really don't think this would work, flavorwise or rulewise. In most D&D and Pathfinder games I've played so far, the Gods are jealous of their followers. They don't like "sharing"...
Depends on the setting and deities in question. If you have something similar to the Roman/Greek pentheon, there could totally be a pantheon priest. If you have a setting with several pantheons (like the Forgotten Realms) and/or some close-knit ones (again, like the Forgotten Realms), you could be the priest for a whole pantheon.
In Pathfinder Chronicles, there are some deities that don't mind sharing: Calistria, for example, isn't keen on monogamy, and that doesn't just include lovers: She wouldn't even think of making someone worship only her. She'd probably even call it dumb.
Many prestige classes that WotC produced in the 3.5 era offer an additional domain to clerics who take them. In fact, there is even a pantheistic cleric PrC in one of the Eberron supplements which grants the character a domain from each of the nine deities of the Sovereign Host. Depending on the size of the pantheon and how many domains you want a character to gain, a prestige class would certainly work for this concept.
Alternatively, the feat idea is not a bad one. My main concern is that a domain power is generally worth a feat, even without the additional spells gained. I've been running a game where the "priest" class acquires domains via feats, and while it isn't completely game-breaking, it is pretty clear that the domain feats are among the strongest available.
What I might suggest is to hybridize the approaches here. Let the cleric select one domain from each of two gods at first level, and then at higher levels, let him gain additional domains via feats or a PrC.
You might also look at the Shaman class preview from Tome of Secrets, since that class has an ability to switch out domains on a day-by-day basis. Perhaps instead of having access to more than two domains at all times, your cleric simply picks two each day like the shaman? It is something to consider, at least.
-C. Robert Brown
Eberron allowed a cleric to worship a pahtheon instead of a single deity. A cleric could pick any two domains that the pantheon in question offered. the pantheon's favored weapon was the favored weapon of the most warlike deity in the pantheon. This worked nicely then, it should work nicely now.
If the purpose is just to pick up more domains, I'd push the character toward a prestige class route. That would allow you to also impose some additional requirements in feats, etc, as well as determine when characters could achieve such abilities. It would also allow you to set up a spell level advancement scheme that wasn't horribly stunted like a regular multiclass.
If it were just a point of role-playing or in-campaign rights and responsibilities to the churches, then you could do it without even multiclassing the character or changing his powers. The priest of one god would advance with that clergy's domain powers but simply be authorized to act, in-character, as a member of the other church's clergy. No muss, no fuss.
Consider also treating it as a pantheon for which each day of the week is "owned" by a different deity. This would dictate which domain is prepared for the day, and if the player wanted to request a different domain he would need to prepare some kind of prayer or ritual to that day's deity to allow him permission.
|
|
Many prestige classes that WotC produced in the 3.5 era offer an additional domain to clerics who take them.
I have a chart, because I was making a 'Command Critter Cleric' who had as many Domains that granted uses of Turn/Rebuke as I could get a hold of.
A Cleric 7, Divine Disciple 4, Contemplative 6 could worship Obad-Hai, from Core, and be NE. He would have Rebuke Undead (from his alignment), and could choose the Earth and Fire Domains at 1st level, Air from the 4th level of Divine Disciple, Water from the 1st level of Contemplative, and Plant from the 6th level of Contemplative.
Of course the rules were borked for what level of Rebuking he'd have, since the only PrC in the game that explicitly advances Domain advancement is the Paragnostic Apostle, from Complete Champion, as nobody really ever thought about how PrCing into Master of Shrouds (which requires the Death Domain) would *halt* your Death Domain advancement cold. Duh.
A Cleric 5 / Sovereign Speaker 9 could have 11 Domains, but the restrictions on which Domains you take is mind-bogglingly onerous. One mistake could screw you out of tons of options, as you can't take two Domains from the same god (and note that *SIX* of those nine gods have the Good Domain, so if you take it, you might as well rip up the character sheet and start over)...
Ah, sweet, sweet Command Critter Cleric. How I'll miss playing Pokemon with Rebuked Mephits and Thoqqua (using my Earth/Fire Cleric of Gond, in the Realms) or 'poaching' the Artificers Homonculi with my Fire/Warforged Domain Cleric of Onatar in Ebberon. Probably for the best that the Pathfinder Domains won't include that kind of nonsense. :)