Death Domain
The Death Domain is an Archetype of the Cleric Class available to players during Character Creation. It is the third rarest type of Cleric in The Old World, as most mortals prefer not to dwell on their inevitable demise and acknowledge the gods of Death only out of fear or obligation. Death Clerics are highly aggressive in Combat, infusing their weapons with necrotic energy to steal away their foes' life force with every strike (see https://www.dndwiki.io/subclasses/death-domain, but note the variant rule detailed below).
In some ways, Death Clerics resemble Necromancers, and the two have a similarly fearsome reputation. But while the School of Necromancy focuses on reanimating and enslaving the dead, Death Clerics channel the raw power of entropy to strike down their gods' enemies, stopping their hearts and freezing the very breath in their lungs. They possess the same healing and support abilities as all Clerics, but these are secondary to their talent for destruction. Death Clerics are greatly feared by common folk and, indeed, many Death gods are callous or even actively hostile to the living. Others, however, are guides and caretakers to the dead, whose Clerics strive to ease their followers' fear of death and comfort the recently bereaved.
Despite the widespread distaste for Death worship among mortals, many Races have a patron deity of Death. For example, it is the primary domain of the Elven goddess, Sehanine Moonbow, and a secondary domain of Tiamat and Luthic, who are venerated by Dragonborn and Orcs, respectively. The Archdevil, Asmodeus, also embraces the Death domain, being the overlord of the Nine Hells, as does the Drow goddess, Lolth.
Death Clerics are subject to the following variant rule:
A Death Cleric may use their "Divine Strike" ability any time they hit a creature with a weapon attack. Once they have used Divine Strike, they may not use it again until the beginning of their next turn.
In some ways, Death Clerics resemble Necromancers, and the two have a similarly fearsome reputation. But while the School of Necromancy focuses on reanimating and enslaving the dead, Death Clerics channel the raw power of entropy to strike down their gods' enemies, stopping their hearts and freezing the very breath in their lungs. They possess the same healing and support abilities as all Clerics, but these are secondary to their talent for destruction. Death Clerics are greatly feared by common folk and, indeed, many Death gods are callous or even actively hostile to the living. Others, however, are guides and caretakers to the dead, whose Clerics strive to ease their followers' fear of death and comfort the recently bereaved.
Despite the widespread distaste for Death worship among mortals, many Races have a patron deity of Death. For example, it is the primary domain of the Elven goddess, Sehanine Moonbow, and a secondary domain of Tiamat and Luthic, who are venerated by Dragonborn and Orcs, respectively. The Archdevil, Asmodeus, also embraces the Death domain, being the overlord of the Nine Hells, as does the Drow goddess, Lolth.
Death Clerics are subject to the following variant rule:
A Death Cleric may use their "Divine Strike" ability any time they hit a creature with a weapon attack. Once they have used Divine Strike, they may not use it again until the beginning of their next turn.
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