Cleric Subclass: Spirit Domain
You have long been gifted with an awareness of the spirits around you and found yourself contacted by a particular spirit that has since bound itself to you. This will generally be the spirit of an ancestor keen to watch over the family bloodline but may also be the spirit of someone who you were close to before they passed away.
Domain Spells
1st-level Spirit Domain feature
You gain domain spells at the cleric levels listed in the Spirit Domain Spells table. See the Divine Domain class feature in the Player’s Handbook for how domain spells work.
Ancestral Spirits Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | comprehend languages, dissonant whispers |
| 3rd | augury, healing spirit |
| 5th | clairvoyance, spirit guardians |
| 7th | divination, guardian of faith |
| 9th | commune, skill empowerment |
DESIGN NOTES: Tried for a mix of utility and combat spells relating to either summoning spirits or spiritual energy of some form, and divination spells that can be flavoured as "asking the spirits".
Spirit Guide
1st-level Spirit Domain feature
You are accompanied, or possibly haunted, by an ancestral spirit. The spirit exists on the ethereal plane, though you can see and hear it normally. It is not perceptible to other creatures unless they are on the ethereal plane themselves or have the ability to see into the ethereal plane. The spirit cannot ordinarily interact with the material plane except where noted below in your other subclass features..
The spirit has the statistics of a specter, but if destroyed on the ethereal plane it is merely banished temporarily. You may recall it with a ritual that takes one minute to perform, or else it will return after you complete a short or long rest. While banished you may not use your Spiritual Aid or Manifest Spirit features.
Spiritual Aid: When you or an ally you can see within 30 feet misses an attack roll or fails a saving throw, you may use your reaction to allow your spirit guide to briefly manifest and lend aid. Roll 1d4 and add the result to the failed attack roll or saving throw, potentially turning a failure into a success. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all uses on completing a long rest.
DESIGN NOTES: The existence of your bound spirit. This is mainly just setting the stage for your primary 6th level feature but adds a useful ability to request aid. I like the idea that this is some kind of ancestor spirit haunting you. Like Auntie Gertrude. She just appeared one day and won't go away.
The Ties that Bind
1st-level Spirit Domain feature
You may spend an action to examine an undead creature and make a Wisdom (Insight) check against a DC equal to 10 + the creature's CR. If successful you gain general knowledge of how and why the creature rose as an undead and what still binds it to the mortal realm. You do not gain information on specific people or places but would be able to determine, for example, that a revenant arose to take revenge on the one that murdered its siblings, or that a ghost cannot rest until its mortal remains have been given a proper burial.
You also have advantage on any Charisma-based skill checks and on Wisdom (Insight) checks against any creature that you successfully examined.
This feature may only be attempted once in a 24 hour period against a given undead creature.
DESIGN NOTES: More of a ribbon ability. Its pretty situational but I wanted to throw in something thematic
Channel Divinity: Ghost Step
2nd-level Spirit Domain feature
You can use your Channel Divinity to partially shift into the ethereal plane.
As a reaction, when you take damage, you may expend a use of your Channel Divinity and become partially ethereal. You gain resistance to all damage except force damage (including the damage from the triggering attack if applicable) and may then move up to half your speed. The damage resistance lasts until the end of your movement.
DESIGN NOTES: A channel divinity ability that allows you to exhibit some ghostly abilities yourself. Or maybe Auntie Gertrude is pulling you out of danger
Manifest Spirit
6th-level Spirit Domain feature
You may use an action to summon your spirit guide, causing it to manifest in the material plane.
You may use this feature once without expending a spell slot and regain the ability to so on completing a long rest. When used in this way the spirit is manifested with a "spirit level" equal to the highest level spell you can cast. You may also expend a spell slot of 2nd level or higher to manifest the spirit, in which case the spirit is summoned with a "spirit level" equal to the level of the expended spell slot.
This "spirit level" is a measure of the strength and power of the spirit once manifested. Anywhere below that says "spirit level", substitute in the value noted above (e.g. if you manifest your spirit with a 3rd level spell slot, the "spirit level" will be 3 anywhere that it says "spirit level" below).
The spirit lasts for as long as you maintain concentration (as though concentrating on a spell) up to 10 minutes, after which it returns to the ethereal plane.
The summoned spirit manifests in an unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet. It uses the statistics of a spectre but with the following changes and additions:
- When it manifests it gains temporary hit points equal to your cleric level plus twice its "spirit level".
- Its attack roll is equal to your spell attack roll
- Its damage rolls deal additional necrotic damage equal its "spirit level".
It acts on your initiative immediately after your turn. You may use a bonus action to command it, otherwise it will use only the dodge action and move to avoid danger. If destroyed while manifested, your spirit guide is temporarily banished and must be recalled before you can use this feature again (see the Spirit Guide feature for how your spirit guide can be recalled).
DESIGN NOTES: I see this as the Spirit Domain's "primary" power. Your spirit manifests as a Spectre. Not sure if a spectre is too strong? I see the concentration requirement as the balancing factor here (it would feel way too strong without it). But maybe would be better to add a stat block instead of using the spectre - and make it weaker so could drop the concentration requirement? This is where Auntie Gertrude shows up 'in person' and starts whacking your enemies with a frying pan shouting "leave my nephew alone!"
Divine Strike
8th-level Spirit Domain feature
You gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
DESIGN NOTES: This seems pretty standard, though wonder if it wouldn't be too unusual to do something different and more thematic (and less melee-oriented) for 8th level?
Channel Ancestral Spirits
17th-level Spirit Domain feature
When you gain this feature at 17th level, you may select the following:
- Any two spells of 6th level or lower from the Wizard spell list.
- Any fighting style available to the Fighter class.
- Any two skills or tools. The skills must come from the following list: Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth
Each time you gain a level you may change any or all of the above selections.
Channel Spirits of the Ancestors: Once per long rest you may, as an action, channel the spirits of renowned ancestors, who possess your body and lend their power and expertise. The effect lasts for one minute. When you use this feature, choose from Archmage, Renowned Warrior or Master Thief. You gain the following abilities depending on your choice:
Archmage: You may cast the spells chosen when you gained this feature, expending spell slots as normal. They count as cleric spells for you. When these spells are cast you gain a +1 to your spell attack roll and +1 to your spell save DC.
Renowned Warrior: When you use the Attack action on your turn you may make another attack as part of the same action. You also gain the benefits of the fighting style chosen when you gained this feature.
Master Thief: You gain proficiency in the skills or tools chosen when you gained this feature. If you already have proficiency in any of the skills or tools then you gain expertise instead. In addition, once per turn you deal an extra 3d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll or if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it and that enemy isn't incapacitated and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or ranged weapon.
For as long as this feature lasts you may use a bonus action to change the ancestral spirit that you are channelling.
*DESIGN NOTES: I like the idea of all these ancestral spirits hanging around you, fighting for their chance to slip in to your body and sow some mayhem *
