D&D5e:TheBloodDomain

IwrotetheSpiritandExorcismdomainsafewmonthsback,andtheygotmethinkingabout
domainsthatimplytotallydissimilarapproachestoreligionandspirituality.Hereisanother,
perhapsmoresuitedtosinistergods,suchastheBloodofVolinEberron,butgodsofbattle
suchasTempusinFRmightfinditappropriate.Admittedly,itsfeaturenamesaremore
derivedfromAriochandKhorne.Forme,though,itbuildsonanideaIhadyearsandyears
ago,whenIwashackingSIFRPtorunBirthright:giventheiremphasisontherighttorule
derivedfromdivinebloodlines,it'snotimpossibletoimagineeventhemostgoodlygodsof
Aebyrnisvaluingbloodsacrifice.

BloodDomain

Somedeities,especiallythoseofamoreprimalorcrueldemeanor,holdbloodasthe
essenceofholiness.Itisthesignofpain,valor,birth,andmartyrdom.Someclericsofthis
domainactivelyspreadviolencewherevertheygo,whileothersuseitspowertoassurethat
bloodshedisrareandswiftlyended.Evenmorethanmostclerics,thoseofthisdomainare
foreverweighedandtestedbytheirgods,astheychoosetheirownbalancebetweenmercy
andseverity.Inmanycultures,priesthoodsofthisdomainarepushedintotheshadowsand
theedgesofsociety,becomingmysterycults.

DomainSpells
1st:falselife,inflictwounds
2nd:enhanceability,protectionfrompoison
3rd:feigndeath,vampirictouch
4th:compulsion,divination
5th:contagion,greaterrestoration

BloodfortheGods
At1stlevelwhenyouchoosethisdomain,yougainproficiencyinallsimpleandmartial
weaponsthatdealpiercingorslashingdamage,andyougainproficiencyinheavyarmor.

TheBloodistheLife
Alsostartingat1stlevel,yougaintemporaryhitpointsequaltotwiceyourclericlevelwhen
yourcurrenthitpointsfallbelowhalfofyourmaximumhitpoints.Oncethisoccurs,itcannot
happenagainuntilyoucompleteashortrest.

Ifyourcurrenthitpointsarebeloworequaltohalfyourmaximumhitpointswhenyouroll
initiative,yougaintemporaryhitpointsequaltotwiceyourclericlevel.

ChannelDivinity:Bloodgift
Startingat2ndlevel,youcanuseyourChannelDivinitytoinvokedivinefavoruponthose
whobleedandsufferinbattle.Asanaction,youcallyourdeity'sname.Uptotwoallies
within60feetwithcurrenthitpointsatorbelowhalfoftheirmaximumhitpointsmayspend
theirreactionstomakeanattackwithapiercingorslashingweapon.Iftheseattackshit,
theyaddyourWisdombonustothedamagedealt.

At11thlevel,thispowercanaffectuptothreealliesinsteadoftwo.At17thlevel,thispower
canaffectuptofouralliesinsteadofthree.

MightyinVengeance
Startingat6thlevel,whenyourcurrenthitpointsareatorbelowhalfofyourmaximumhit
points,youmaytreatanyresultof1or2asa3ondicerolledtodeterminedamageor
healingeffectsfromweaponsorspells(notattackrollsorsavingthrows,buteffectvalues).

RedRuin
Startingat8thlevel,onceperturnwhenyoumakeaweaponattackwithapiercingor
slashingweapon,youdealanadditional1d8damageofthesametype.Whenyoureach
14thlevel,thedamageincreasesto2d8.

Further,youaddyourWisdommodifiertothedamageyoudealwithanyclericcantrip.

BloodandSouls
Startingat17thlevel,whenyoudealdamagethatreducesacreatureto0hitpoints,you
regainanexpendeduseofChannelDivinity,oryouregainanexpendedspellslot.Thespell
slot'slevelisequaltohalftheChallengeRatingofthecreatureyoudamaged,or5,
whicheverislower.Afteryouhaveusedthisabilitytwice,youmaynotdosoagainuntilyou
completealongrest.

DesignNotes

Firstoff,thedomainspells:comingupwith4thleveldomainspellswasespeciallyhard,
because4thlevelisweirdlythinforseveralclasses.Ichosetofavormoresinister
interpretationsofthedomaininalotofcasesifyou'replayingamoreGoodalignedclericof
thisdomain,thinkofitasyourdeity'sassurancesthatnoonewilleverwanttofuckwith
you.

Thiswillshockeveryonepresent,butIlove4e'sBloodiedcondition,andIthinkitwasa
mistakenottoportitaswritteninto5e.It'sadamnsightmoreconvenienttowriteandsay
than"whencurrenthitpointsarelessthanorequaltohalfyourmaximumhitpoints,"andit's
aconvenientwaytocommunicatewithplayers.

BloodfortheGodsis,ofcourse,allaboutdefiningaplaystyle.IthoughtaboutdoingDex+
WisforAC,butrealizedthatIreallywantedtheseguyswieldingheavier,moreintimidating
weapons,andthoseallrequireStrength.Idon'twanttogodowntheroadofasubclass
pushingclericstowardStrength,Dex,Con,andWisdom,soIgavethemheavyarmor
proficiencyinstead.It'sabitbogstandard,butmyotheroptionswereallmorecomplicated
thanseemedjustified.InearliereditionsofD&D,clericscouldonlyusebludgeoning
weaponsbecauseofstricturesagainstdrawingbloodsincethisdomainflipsthat
assumption,Ialsoflippedtheweaponpreference.

TheBloodistheLifeishereinpartsoIcanquoteRenfieldfromDracula,abloodcultistif
thereeverwereone,andalsotoprovidetheclericwithextrasurvivability,sincesomany
powerstellthemstaybloodied.OryoucanthinkofitasplayinglikeKyloRen.

ChannelDivinity:Bloodgiftiskindofheretomakeyouralliesfeelbetteraboutthefactthat
you'renotwastingpreciousbodilyfluidsspellslotshealingthem.Iseeitasbeingespecially
friendlyinconcepttoorcclerics,drivingtheirbloodiedalliesintoafrenzy,butalsoworking
forclericsofIlmater,whourgetheiralliestofightthroughthepain.Iknowit'snotcustomary
tohaveChannelDivinitypowersscalebylevel,butopportunityattackdamagedoesn'tscale
evenlyforallclasses,solet'sseehowthisdoes.(Technicallyit'snotanopportunityattack,
ofcourse,andWarCasterdoesn'tapplyhere.Suckit,AlmostEveryCaster's4thlevelFeat
Choice.)

MightyinVengeanceistheseriouspayoffforstayingbloodiedasmuchaspossible.I
wantedawaytoimproveallnumericaleffectvalues,andthisiswhatIcameupwith:afloor
oneverydamageorhealingdieyouroll,withoutalotoftimespentrerollingdicesinceit
iseveryeffectdieyouroll.

RedRuinisyourstandard8thleveldamagekicker.Ithoughtaboutmakingitanotherwhile
someoneisbloodiedconditional,butbythispointit'sgettingabitredundant.AsI'vedonein
otherclericdomains,yougetboththeCasterClericandtheWeaponsClericversionsofthis
feature,becauseitfeelsbettertomethatyoucanplayeitherway,orswitchbetweenthe
two.

BloodandSoulsisherebecauseIfinallyneededtoincludesomethematicelementof
sacrificeinthissubclass.Theproblemwithnothavingmorefeaturespacetoplaywithis
thatIdon'thavethatmanyplacestoputthings,butthere'salotofconceptualgroundto
coverinthethemeofbloodcultist.Anyway,thisistheleastgoodlyfeatureinthewhole
domain,asitpaysyoufordeliveringfinalblows.Iwantedthisonekindofclerictohave
somethingvaguelyresemblingArcane/NaturalRecovery,evenifthisonehasarequirement
andrestoresfewertotalspellslots.(Imightreworkthisto"totalspellslotsuptohalftheCR
ofthecreature,noneofwhichmaybehigherthan5thlevel,"orsomethingtothateffect.)

IhadanotherChannelDivinitythatIcouldn'tgetquiterightanddidn'thaveanywhereto
place:

ChannelDivinity:Bloodtheft

Startingat??level,youcanuseyourChannelDivinitytomake
bloodflowallthemorefreelyfromyourfoes'wounds,asacrifice
toyourdeity.

Asanaction,youcallyourdeity'sname,anduptofiveenemies
within30feet,withcurrenthitpointslessthanorequaltohalf
theirmaximumhitpoints,lose1d6hitpointsfrombleeding.They
sufferthisdamageagainatthebeginningoftheirturns.Atthe
endofeachofitsturns,anaffectedcreaturemaymakea
ConstitutionsavingthrowagainstyourspellsavingthrowDCon
asuccess,thebleedingeffectends.Thebleedingeffectalso
endsifthetargetreceivesanyeffectsufficienttostabilizea
dyingcharacter.

Thisfeaturehasnoeffectagainstbloodlesscreatures,suchas
mostundead.

Thisversionisn'tquitethereyet.Iliketheideaofableedeffect,butitdoesn'tscalewith
youasyouadvancewellatall.ProbablyIwouldbebetteroffwithashortdurationpoisoned
conditionratherthandamage.

Ithoughtseriouslyaboutwritinganewclericcantripjustforthisdomain,muchasIdidfor
theSpiritandExorcismdomains.Itwouldbecalledsomethinglikespasmorbloodtwist,
and...Idunno,maybeitwoulddobetterdamagetotargetsatfullhealth,becausefocusing
fireisusuallysotacticallypreferable?Itseemstogoagainstthemechanicalthroughlineof
thisdomain,soI'dneedtojustifyitcarefully.

UltimatelyI'dlovetoseethiscometoaplacewhereclericsseriouslyconsidermakinga
bloodsacrificeafteralongrest,sothattheystarttheiradventuringdaybloodiedandtryto
staythatwayallday.(Thisisonlyokaybecauseitisagame.Selfharmisnotafunor
awesomethinginreallife.)