Hi all,
I have got a question regarding the granted power of the protection domain which states that "you receive a +1 resistance bonus on saving throws. This bonus increases by 1 for every 5 levels you possess."
Most of the other domains' granted powers and also the protection domain's own Aura of Protection power are explicitly based on cleric levels, so RAW this one seems to be an exception.
Is the resistance bonus on savings throws really based on character level, not cleric level?
Thanx in advance.
Common sense would say that the increase is based on cleric levels only.
In the absence of an official ruling, ask your DM.
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I don't have a direct dev quote on this, but I read somewhere that it will explicitly say character levels if that's what it means, and any reference to levels should be looked at in context. Since this is a feature granted by a particular class, you trace it to levels in that class (be it cleric, paladin, inquisitor, druid, or however else you can get domains these days.)
The text as written leaves room for interpretation IMHO, especially since most domain granted powers explicitly depend on cleric levels. From the fact that the word "cleric" was omitted, one might tend to think that in this particular case the power could be based on character level, not class level.
So I guess there is neither an official ruling on this nor has it been mentioned somewhere in the errata section?
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I mean no offense, but I think this is a case of wanting something to read a certain way. Obviously it would be a boon to most characters if they just took a one level dip into cleric and never had to worry about wearing a cloak of resistance again. I think if you mull it over, you will agree that this is not the intent of this class feature. It's a reward from the clerics deity for their faith and the investment of multiple levels of cleric.
Is the resistance bonus on savings throws really based on character level, not cleric level?
Multiclassing: "Note that there are a number of effects and prerequisites that rely on a character's level or Hit Dice. Such effects are always based on the total number of levels or Hit Dice a character possesses, not just those from one class. The exception to this is class abilities, most of which are based on the total number of class levels that a character possesses of that particular class."
Is the resistance bonus on savings throws really based on character level, not cleric level?Multiclassing: "Note that there are a number of effects and prerequisites that rely on a character's level or Hit Dice. Such effects are always based on the total number of levels or Hit Dice a character possesses, not just those from one class. The exception to this is class abilities, most of which are based on the total number of class levels that a character possesses of that particular class."
To play devil's advocate (I personally think it is supposed to be based on cleric level)... your quote does say "most of which" implying that there are exceptions to this generalization, and given that all the other level based domain abilities go out of the way to say cleric level and this one does not, it could be (rightly or wrongly) inferred that this case is one of those exceptions.
Thank you all for your answers. To be on the safe side, I will count only the cleric levels when determining the resistance bonus on saving throws. In any case, it will be only a minor difference (between + 1 and + 2) due to the fact that the NPC with this ability is only low to mid-level (joining the PC party at level 3 and leveling up with the party until level 7, at which point the mini-campaign will end).
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"Domains: A cleric's deity influences her alignment, what magic she can perform, her values, and how others see her. A cleric chooses two domains from among those belonging to her deity. A cleric can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if her alignment matches that domain. If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, she still selects two domains to represent her spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval). The restriction on alignment domains still applies.
Each domain grants a number of domain powers, dependent upon the level of the cleric, as well as a number of bonus spells..."
I would say that all domain powers are determined based on cleric levels only (or another class which grants a domain) based on the Domain class feature description, and most domains are just nice enough to include a little extra redundancy for convenience sake.
In review of the domains, none of the other powers directly tied to the Granted Powers header delineate Cleric level. Protection is unique in that it is the only domain in the CRB which gives a scaling power in that slot, as opposed to a static benefit.