D&D 5E DMG Spoiler: Death Domain

[Remathilis]

So some people are various Con's have gotten rewarded with a cert called "Cleric if Kelemvor" which allows the Death Domain in OP. The Cert has the rules for the Death Domain (up to 6th level, it appears) and some nice guy on the D&D AL Facebook page gave us some info on it.

Grain of Salt and all that. These are his paraphrases copied from his posts.

REAPER: Know one necromantic cantrip from any spell list. If it normally targets a single creature, it can target 2 creatures.

CHANNEL DIVINITY: DEATH TOUCH. At 2nd level, when you hit with a melee attack, you can attempt to strike down that creature. If its hp is less than 3 times your cleric level, its hp drops to 0. Otherwise, it takes 3 times your cleric level.

INESCAPABLE DESTRUCTION: Necrotic damage by your cleric spells ignores resistance to necrotic damage.

Domain spells: 1st false life, Inflict wounds; 3rd blindness/deafness, ray of enfeeblement; 5th animate dead, speak with dead

That's all he posted. Take if for what you will. Hopefully, it will tide some of you over til November.

 

[Remathilis]

A Pic of the Cert

 

[Dausuul]

Cool stuff, thanks!

Interesting Death Touch ability. At first I was wondering, "Why not just deal three times your level in necrotic damage?" But there are some notable differences:

• Necrotic resistance or immunity will not protect you from being insta-killed by Death Touch, though it will reduce the damage if you have enough hit points to avoid the insta-kill. (Of course, necrotic resistance becomes moot after level 6. But immunity doesn't.)
• Other damage reduction effects also will not prevent the insta-kill. Likewise, it won't trigger anything that happens in response to taking damage.
• Death Touch can never cause death by massive damage. Victims are always left in the dying state (unless the DM rules that zero = dead for NPCs and monsters).

 

[Remathilis]

Cool stuff, thanks!

Interesting Death Touch ability. At first I was wondering, "Why not just deal three times your level in necrotic damage?" But there are some notable differences:

• Necrotic resistance or immunity will not protect you from being insta-killed by Death Touch, though it will reduce the damage if you have enough hit points to avoid the insta-kill. (Of course, necrotic resistance becomes moot after level 6. But immunity doesn't.)
• Other damage reduction effects also will not prevent the insta-kill. Likewise, it won't trigger anything that happens in response to taking damage.
• Death Touch can never cause death by massive damage. Victims are always left in the dying state (unless the DM rules that zero = dead for NPCs and monsters).

That way my thought; it appears to be very similar to the Death Touch from the 3.5 PHB. Its a fight-ender and good for minions and lackeys, like a sinister sleep spell. I like it.

 

[Paraxis]

I wish they would use clear writing or have an established order of operations like 4e sometimes.

Does the target of death touch compare it's h.p to 3x cleric level before or after the damage from the clerics weapon attack is applied?

I would say after, but the "on a hit" and "current h.p" parts could be read that you compare the hit points it has first and if that is less than 3x lvl it dies, if not do your normal damage.

 

[Savage Wombat]

So that's "Chill Touch" or "Spare the Dying" then. Meh.

I suppose the "two targets" is nice.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Death touch sucks. It's just 3xlevel damage in 90% of cases. Occasionally you might bypass resistance or something. I sincerely hope there's something better as you level up past 6th. I would have preferred an enfeeblement effect, or a vampiric effect, or something more interesting than just damage.

 

[GX.Sigma]

I'm disappointed that this isn't a heavy-armor-and-mace cleric. That's what I thought death clerics were in D&D.

 

[Falling Icicle]

I'm still scratching my head and wondering why this had to be put in the DMG.

 

[The Hitcher]

Thanks for this! I wanted to put a death cleric NPC into a module I'm writing. Now I don't have to make up my own version!