Divine Classes - Paladin, Monk and Cleric¶
Rules system: mixed. The Paladin is written on the D&D Next (5e playtest) framework (November 2013); the Monk and the role sketch on the 2014 d20 homebrew (March and April 2014). Legacy design material, not canon for play.
Lore page: Divine Magic.
Three drafts for the divine casters of the 2014 archive: a one-page sketch of the roles of Clerics, Monks and Paladins, a Monk class built on Ki and feat trees, and a Paladin with god-specific spells, channel divinity and auras. All three draw on a deity's Astral Shard, as the 2014 spellcasting rules describe. No Cleric class was written.
Roles of the divine classes¶
The April 2014 sketch (S365) sets out what each class does with holy energy and the roles within it.
| Class | Holy energy becomes | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Cleric | primary spellcasting | Priest (Minister): no armor, few weapons, focused on people, conversion and ministry. Battle Cleric (Warrior): armored, battles for the god's interests. Inquisitor (Hunter): increases the master's shard's influence, rooting out places where it is "diminished due to interference, negligence or competing interests", and brings judgement to those working against or betraying the god. |
| Monk | hand-to-hand combat | Monastic (Soldier): lives in a monastery whose monks form a small army. Seeker (Wanderer): travels the world seeking the god's influence and inspiration. Conservator (Guard): a temple guardian. |
| Paladin | minor spellcasting for a warrior | Guardian: guards the god's interests, cities, temples, shrines and priesthood. Champion: "an attention seeker", raising the god's visibility through great deeds. Crusader: wanders looking for places where the god's interests may be served. |
Monks "are focused inwards unlike Clerics and Paladins. They seek their own salvation and their use of Divine Magic is focused inwards as well, expressing itself in their martial skills."
Monk¶
A monk draws power from the Spirit World (the document's "Outer Planes") and the connection with their deity. Monks are not channelers of Mithis energy, but channel through the deity's astral shard, which lets them interact with Mithis energy on the Material Plane. They seek their own perfection, believing it "will both radiate outwards to the world and empower them with the strength and the moral authority to assist others."
Roles and traditions¶
Roles are not subclasses; a monk's feat choices decide which it becomes.
- Scholar/Curator: preserves and acquires knowledge; more like a Cleric, with weaker martial and stronger divine skills.
- Soldier/Conservator: spends most of its time fighting or training.
- Craftsman: works at a craft, trading martial and divine skill for trade skills and feats.
Traditions:
- Monastic: lives in a monastery that "forms its own political entity which may align itself with particular causes".
- Seeker (Wanderer): travels seeking the god's influence; the tradition passes from monk to worthy followers.
- Disciple: integrated with the deity's priesthood as temple guardians, curators or adjuncts.
Ki and feats¶
A monk's energy resource is Ki, restored by rest, meditation and prayer; a monk has 1 maximum Ki per level.
| Feat type | Rate |
|---|---|
| General | 1 per 2 levels |
| Skill | 1 per level |
| Class | 2 per level (a Class feat may buy a Skill or General feat) |
| Bonus Martial | 1 per 2 levels |
Martial class feats (indented entries require the one above):
- Flurry of Blows (ability): an extra attack, all attacks at −2.
- Iron Fist (passive): unarmed attacks deal base 1d8 instead of 1d6.
- Improved Sunder (passive): +2 hit against medium and heavy armor.
- Sundering Strike (ability): no text.
- Improved Sunder (passive): +2 hit against medium and heavy armor.
- Acrobatic Strike (ability): bonus to hit and flank after tumbling past an enemy.
- Evasion (passive): no damage when a save would have halved it.
- Named without text: Improved Grapple (marked "??"), Fast Movement, Still Mind, Disarming Strike, "lots more ...".
Divine class feats:
| Feat | Max Ki | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Ki Mastery | +1 maximum Ki; may be taken any number of times | |
| Ki Pain Mastery | 1 | Free action: block pain and seal wounds, gaining temporary hp of level + Wisdom bonus for 10 + (level × 5) rounds; stacks |
| Power Strike | 3 | doubles one unarmed attack's damage, up to 5 × level |
| Flying Leap | 4 | jump level times farther than usual |
| Battle Leap (after Flying Leap) | 6 | a flying leap ending in an attack; counts as a charge |
| Concussive Hit | 5 | +1d4 damage and a chance of knockback and unconsciousness; a target is immune after the first attempt |
| Concussive Blast (after Concussive Hit) | 12 | damage in a radius, knockback and a chance of unconsciousness |
| Inner Will | 6 | a shield absorbing level × 3d4 environmental and psychic damage for level rounds or until used |
| Deflect Arrows | named only ("??") |
The Pyri fire tree¶
A third set of divine feats is filed under "Divine - Pyri", fire powers tied to Pyri.
| Feat | Max Ki | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Flaming Punch | 3 | a punch that explodes for an extra 1d6 + level fire damage |
| Flame Jet (after Flaming Punch) | 6 | a jet of flame 5 ft per level; the closest being takes 2d6 + 1d6 per 3 levels, each one after 1d6 less |
| Firewalking | 4 | level × 10 fire resistance for level rounds |
| Fire Resistance (after Firewalking, passive) | base fire resistance of level × 2 | |
| Fire and Ice (after Fire Resistance, passive) | cold resistance wherever the monk has fire resistance | |
| Fire Shield (marked "??") | 5 | blocks fire and possibly cold attacks up to level × 10 damage; may burn creatures in front |
| Flaming Brand | 6 | carried objects deal +level fire damage per strike for 4 + level rounds |
| Amplify Fire | 7 | adds 1 die per 5 levels to someone else's fire ability this turn and rerolls dice of half or less, or builds up the monk's next fire move |
| Purge Unholy Fire | 8 | extinguishes normal fires over 5×5 per 2 levels; magical fires save or go out; fire creatures take 1d6 per 2 levels (save for half) |
| Fire Starter (after Purge Unholy Fire) | 10 | starts fires in 5×5 per 2 levels on readily flammable items |
Paladin¶
The Paladin draft follows the D&D Next playtest's paladin, adapted with Terrun god titles, auras and a Crusader specialty.
| Option | Choices |
|---|---|
| Fighting Style | Chivalric, Dragon, Dwarven*, Martial, Slayer; one at 1st level, another at 15th |
| Specialties | Ardent, Crusader, Hospitaller |
| Heroic Specialties | Champion, Justiciar, Zealot |
| Paragon Specialties | Oathsworn, Templar, ?? |
Core features¶
- Divine Sense (level 1): as an action, until the end of the next turn, know the exact location of any celestial, fiend or undead within 25 feet, which cannot hide from you, and detect consecrated or desecrated places and objects in the same radius.
- Spellcasting (level 1): the playtest's prepared casting: Charisma is the magic ability; after a long rest the paladin regains all slots and prepares 2 + half paladin level spells, at one minute of prayer per spell level; any prepared spell may use a slot of its level or higher; save DC 10 + Charisma modifier + level spellcasting bonus. Terrun changes: "A spell requires a Minor Action to cast, unless it notes specifically otherwise. Paladin spells are not subject to interruption." The Paladin Spells per Day table it refers to is not in the document.
- Channel Divinity (level 1): 1 use per day, +1 every 4 levels. Which effects a paladin has depends on the god.
- Auras (level 2 onward): only one aura is active at a time (a Minor Action to enable), but the paladin personally gains the benefits of all available auras.
- Call Mount (level 8, ritual): a ceremony from dawn to sunset or sunset to dawn sends "a magical summons ... across the world—even across the planes—in search of a creature of great splendor"; it arrives voluntarily 24 hours later.
Spells, channel divinity and auras by god¶
The document lists eight god titles. Three have entries; The Arcanist, The Lifegiver, The Lightbringer, The Trickster and The Warbringer are titles only.
| God | Spells | Channel Divinity | Auras |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Protector | ?? | Divine Smite, Turn Undead, Lay on Hands | Grace, Courage, Protection |
| The Reaper | inflict wounds, darkness, dispel magic, blight, dominate person, speak with dead, death ward | Divine Smite, Rebuke Undead, Dreadful Aspect | Weakness, Courage, Revelation |
| The Stormcaller | ?? | Divine Smite, Nature's Wrath, Lay on Hands | Grace, Courage, Revelation |
Gap
The draft does not say which deities the eight titles belong to.
Channel divinity effects¶
| Effect | Rule |
|---|---|
| Divine Smite | on a melee hit, 3d10 extra damage, radiant if you are not evil, necrotic if you are |
| Dreadful Aspect | on a melee hit with a proficient weapon, chosen creatures within 10 ft make a Wisdom save against your spell save DC or are frightened for 1 minute; each turn a frightened creature may use its action on a Wisdom check to end it |
| Rebuke Undead | action: one undead within 30 ft makes a Wisdom save or is charmed for 1 hour, even if normally immune, and obeys verbal commands; not undead with more Hit Dice than your paladin level |
| Lay on Hands | action: restore one third of your max hit points, divided among creatures within 5 ft; an extra use also removes one disease or poison |
| Nature's Wrath | on a melee hit with a proficient weapon, "plants and vines erupt from the ground to strangle your enemies": chosen creatures within 10 ft make a Constitution save or take 2d8 piercing (half on success); a 10-ft radius becomes difficult terrain for 1 minute |
| Turn Undead | action: undead within 30 ft with hit points up to twice your paladin level are destroyed; those up to five times are turned for 1 minute or until damaged, fleeing, unable to come within 30 ft, take reactions, or act except to hustle or escape |
Auras¶
All have a 10-ft radius.
| Aura | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Grace | 2 | reaction: a creature making a save gains a bonus equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum +1) |
| Weakness | 2 | enemies of half your level or less suffer a penalty to Attack Power equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum +1) |
| Courage | 4 | you cannot be frightened; designated creatures gain advantage on saves against fear, and each ally gains +1 to hit "due to confidence" |
| Revelation | 6 | invisible creatures are revealed; "Time almost appears to slow and your enemy's motions are highlighted by divine power"; everyone gains +2 Power against these enemies; the paladin knows the capabilities, stats and status of enemies of equal or lower level, and basic stats such as health for higher |
| Protection | 6 | +2 Armor to all allies |
Crusader¶
| Level | Feature | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crusading Oath (ritual, channel divinity) | A pilgrimage to a holy site and at least a day of prayer commits the paladin to a crusade against a specific organization (a town's thieves guild, a nation's army or nobility), a group with a common cause (demon hunters, wizard hunters) or a group with shared values (thieves, murderers, healers). Never a natural race, though "extraterrestrial races, elementals and outsiders are reasonable targets". The target must have recently done something serious to bring about the god's fury. +1 to hit and penetration against Crusade targets, +2 to saves against their attacks. |
| 3 | Crusader's Quarry (channel divinity) | Minor action: mark one Crusade enemy within 60 ft with an invisible mark, known at any distance until reassigned or killed. Rebuke Quarry: minor action, 5d8 + Cha damage at 60 ft (Cha vs Fort), slowed and losing footing (Cha vs Fort ends); unlimited against the Quarry. |
| 5 | Crusader's Sense | sense Crusade targets within 20 × level ft and recognize them on sight; +2 ranged attacks against visible ones; ignore invisibility and other obscurement, which only 3rd-level or higher non-detection can defeat |
| 7 | Crusader's Fury (channel divinity) | minor action: the weapon glows for level rounds or until used; on striking a Crusade target, deal double total damage, chosen after damage is calculated |
| 9 | Crusader's Presence | while sensing a Crusade enemy, the weapon glows and deals an extra [W] radiant or necrotic damage |
| 11 | Crusader's Interdiction (channel divinity) | Reflex: interrupt Crusade targets' attacks within 20 ft with a burst of divine energy; they save Cha vs Fort or lose their action if not yet finished, are blinded (save ends) and pushed 1 from the center; usable even after damage is calculated |
Other specialties¶
Notes only: Hospitaller, "more spells/magic use improved"; Ardent, auras, with a level 9 Aura of Blood ("you regain some health as you deal damage"); Champion, "buffs, tanking and group centered"; Justiciar, "charisma, convincing, leadership centered"; Zealot, "single combat centered".