Forest Clerical Domain PEACH [3.5]

[The Witch-King]

Forest Domain

Granted Power: Gain Woodland Stride and Trackless Step when in Forest.

1st Obscuring Mist(PH p258)
<Conj(creat), VS, 1StdAct, 1min/lvl, no SR>
- Creates a 20’ radius Spread by 20’ high Cloud of fog centered around the caster. The cloud can be dispersed by Moderate Wind in 4 rounds & a Strong Wind in 1 round. Large amounts of fire, such as a Fireball, will also disperse the cloud.

- or -

Shillelagh
Transmutation
Level: Drd 1
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One touched nonmagical oak club or quarterstaff
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

Your own nonmagical club or quarterstaff becomes a weapon with a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls. (A quarterstaff gains this enhancement for both ends of the weapon.) It deals damage as if it were two size categories larger (a Small club or quarterstaff so transmuted deals 1d8 points of damage, a Medium 2d6, and a Large 3d6), +1 for its enhancement bonus. These effects only occur when the weapon is wielded by you. If you do not wield it, the weapon behaves as if unaffected by this spell.

2nd Bear’s Endurance(PH p203)
<Trans, VS/DF, 1StdAct, Touch, 1min/lvl>
- +4 Enhancement bonus to Constitution.

3rd Snare(PH p280)
<Trans, VS/DF, 3Rounds, Touch, until triggered, no
save, no SR>
- Creates a magical booby trap out of a rope, vine, etc. (Search vs. DC 23 for a Rogue to locate). Anyone who puts a limb into the snare’s loop is Entangled. If attached to a supple tree, the person is also lifted off the ground & takes 1d6 damage. To escape, make a Strength or Escape Artist check vs. DC 23 or do 5hp damage to the snare (AC 7).

4th Tree Stride(PH p296)
<Conj[teleport], VS/DF, 1StdAct, Personal, until depleted up to 1hr/lvl>
- The caster may enter a living tree large enough to fully contains his/her body. The caster then knows the location of all trees of the same type within range. As a Full-Round action, the caster has the option of teleporting to one of those trees, which counts as one ‘stride’. The spell is depleted when the caster has made 1 ‘stride’ per level.
Type of Tree Range Type of Tree Range
oak, ash, yew 3,000’
other Deciduous 1,500’
elm, linden 2,000’
any other Tree 500’
While the spell has duration remaining & has not been depleted, the caster may enter & leave trees at will.

5th Commune with Nature(PH p211)
<Div, VS, 10Minutes, Personal>
- By becoming “one with nature”, the caster can know up to 3 facts about the surrounding natural terrain (e.g., location of water, animal population, presence of powerful unnatural creatures). The caster can learn about an area of 1 mile/level radius above ground & 100’ /level below ground. Construction, including towns & dungeons, obstructs this spell.

6th Find the Path(PH p230)
<Div, VSF(rune stones), 3Rounds, 10min/lvl>
- The touched subject knows the shortest, most direct route to the specified location (not objects or people).
The subject also knows what actions to take to follow the path, such as the locations of trip wires & the password to a Glyph of Warding. It does not predict the actions of guardians. This spell will get a subject out of a Maze spell in 1 round.

7th Liveoak(PH p248)
<Trans, VS, 10Minutes, Touch, 1day/lvl(D)>
- The touched Huge oak tree becomes a Treant when triggered. The trigger condition can have up to 1 word per caster level. The trigger instruction also tell the Treant what to do (often attacking). The caster may only have one pending Liveoak spell at a time & can only cast it on a tree that is near his/her dwelling, a location sacred to the caster, or within 300’ of something the caster wants to guard.

8th Animate Plants(PH p199)
<Trans, V, 1StdAct, Close-range, 1rnd/lvl>
- One Large-sized plant per three levels is animated & can be directed to attack the caster’s opponents. As a Move Action, the caster can change which plants he/she animates. The caster may animate bigger plants in place of a number of Large plants.
1 Huge = 2 Large
1 Colossal = 8 Large
1 Gargantuan = 4 Large
-or-
<Trans, V, 1StdAct, Close-range, 1hr/lvl, no SR>
- All plants within Close-range Entangle & anchor everyone in the target area who fails a Reflex save. To become unentangled requires a Full-Round Strength or Escape Artist check vs. DC 20. Anyone not entangled may move ½ speed through the area of effect. On the caster’s action, anyone in the area of effect who is not entangled must make a new Reflex save to avoid being entangled again.

9th Summon Nature’s Ally IX(PH p289)
<Conj(sum)[variable alignment/element], VS/DF, 1Round, Close-range, 1rnd/lvl(D)>
- Summons one or more creatures to fight the caster’s enemies. The creatures can attack on the caster’s initiative starting their first round.
Table #
Summon Nature’s Ally IX 1
Summon Nature’s Ally VIII 1d3
Summon Nature’s Ally VII (or less) 1d4+1


* * *

The idea was to create a domain that wasn't just Plants but was representative of the animal and plant life of the forest and people's associations with the word forest. Please let me know what you think.

[Zeta Kai]

I like this domain; it has good, fitting spells, & a nice granted power. I didn't really need all the verbiage; page numbers & spell descriptions are nice, but I've got the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/spells.htm). :smallwink: Any thought into making original spells for this domain? I find that domains are a lot more popular when they have a couple of unique spells in them.

[Kuma Kode]

The WitchKing... blurring the line between Cleric and Druid, one domain at a time.

[Robert Blackletter]

Well i got a few ideas for Forest based spells mind if i put them here? I"ve not done much homebrew so cant say much for their quality but the would fit the theme.

[Set]

Shillelagh might be a better choice for a 1st level spell. (Obviously Entangle and Barkskin would be good choices, but just duplicate the Plant domain.)

Bear's Endurance makes more sense than Cat's Grace. Forests strike me as being enduring, not graceful...

[The Witch-King]

Any thought into making original spells for this domain? I find that domains are a lot more popular when they have a couple of unique spells in them.

I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks!


The WitchKing... blurring the line between Cleric and Druid, one domain at a time.

Guilty as charged. I've always wanted to extend Domains to both Druids and Paladins. I'm thinking of allowing Druids in my games to choose a domain from among the following: Animal, Cavern, Cold, Darkness, Fey, Moon, Ocean, Plant, Scalykind, Sky, Spider, Storm, Sun and Weather. Oh--and Forest, of course!


Well i got a few ideas for Forest based spells mind if i put them here?

Please do! :smile:


Shillelagh might be a better choice for a 1st level spell. (Obviously Entangle and Barkskin would be good choices, but just duplicate the Plant domain.)

Bear's Endurance makes more sense than Cat's Grace. Forests strike me as being enduring, not graceful...

I'll have to give that some thought.

EDIT:Okay--I've given that some thought. I'm removing Cat's Grace and adding Shillelagh as a second 1st level option. I really like the image of a priest raising a covering mist in the early morning forest but Shillelagh does make a lot of sense too. Thanks for suggesting it.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and suggestions! Anyone who wants to throw out some new forest-themed spells please do!

[The Neoclassic]

I like it. This is pretty much what some other folks have said, but I agree that homebrew spells might make it even more awesome. Specifically, an 8th level spell to replace Animate Plants, to eliminate any overlap with the Plant domain. Overall swell domain though. :smallsmile:

[Zaydos]

I like it. This is pretty much what some other folks have said, but I agree that homebrew spells might make it even more awesome. Specifically, an 8th level spell to replace Animate Plants, to eliminate any overlap with the Plant domain. Overall swell domain though. :smallsmile:

I like Animate Plants, though. I can understand trying to avoid overlap (I've made enough domains for my own campaigns where I've struggled for that), but the image of the forest priest just raising up his hands to animate the very forest around you is wonderful and this way you can take the forest domain and something else other than plant and still do it. Then again it is overlap, but how bad is one spell?

I really like the domain, it looks good.

[Debihuman]

Forest Domain is a nice way to give clerics access to spells that they usually wouldn't get because spells like snare and liveoak aren't on cleric lists. This is good for campaigns that don't have rangers and druids in them.

I'm not crazy about your choice for 1st level spells. I don't get a "forest" feel from those spells. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing a spell that I really like to replace it with in the Spell Compendium. This might be a good time to see if I can find OGL material from another source. I'll see if I can find anything that is more appropriate.

[Edit] How about changing Obscuring Mist to Obscuring Leaves?
[Edit 2] You could also change Illusionary Wall to Illusionary Forest.
[Edit 3] Have you taken a look at the spells from the article "Spells of the Woodlands" on the WotC's website? You can find it here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20040710a. Acorn of Far Travel is a better 2nd level spell than Bear's Endurance.
[edit 4] Have you seen the Jungle Domain on WotC's site? You can see it here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/bs/20041126a.

Debby

[The Witch-King]

[Edit] How about changing Obscuring Mist to Obscuring Leaves?
[Edit 2] You could also change Illusionary Wall to Illusionary Forest.
[Edit 3] Have you taken a look at the spells from the article "Spells of the Woodlands" on the WotC's website? You can find it here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20040710a. Acorn of Far Travel is a better 2nd level spell than Bear's Endurance.
[edit 4] Have you seen the Jungle Domain on WotC's site? You can see it here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/bs/20041126a.

Debby

You sure are making my job a tough one! :smile: I don't know how to choose between all those spells. I'll really have to give this some thought.

In the mean time, I came up with some spells of my own. Please let me know what you think!

Verdant Translocation
Transmutation
Level: Cleric/Druid 3
Components: V, S, F/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 min. / level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

In any plant-dense terrain (such as marsh, jungle or forest), the subject is held aloft by vines, leaves and branches from the nearby plant life and passed along above the ground at a speed of 80 feet (or 60 feet if wearing medium or heavy armor, or if carrying a medium or heavy load). Using Verdant Translocation requires only as much concentration as walking, so the subject can attack or cast spells normally. The subject of a Verdant Translocation spell can charge but not run, and it cannot carry aloft more weight than its maximum load, plus any armor it wears. The subject cannot be borne any higher than six feet off the ground.

Should the spell duration expire while the subject is still held aloft, the magic fails slowly, causing the subject to gently be lowered to the ground. Since dispelling a spell effectively ends it, the subject also descends in this way if the Verdant Translocation spell is dispelled, but not if it is negated by an anti-magic field.

As the plant life itself is moving to provide transportation for the caster, there is no need to be concerned about striking trees or other such plants in one’s path. They simply either move out of the way or hand the caster safely around them or through gaps in their branches. The plant life which animates and provides propulsion for the caster returns to its original shape and position immediately after the caster has passed by. Even the ground is completely undisturbed and there are no traces that the caster ever even traveled through the area at all.

Arcane Focus: A wooden ring, torc, bracelet or anklet carved from a redwood tree.

Return to the Wood
Transmutation
Level: Cleric/Druid 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft. /2 levels)
Target: One undead creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell can only be used outdoors in a forest (or swamp, marsh or jungle). The moisture and temperature of the surrounding area rise, mold and mushrooms grow across the surface of the undead creature, worms rise up from the ground to devour its dead flesh from underneath, vines grow up and between its bones and joints and birds peck at it from above. Through such means, Return to the Wood causes the instant and irrevocable final destruction and return to the earth of any single undead creature. There is no saving throw but spell resistance does still apply.

DM’s discretion: If in the moment of its destruction, the undead creature truly and completely repents the evil it has caused (say, for example, a completely innocent person was forcibly transformed into a vampire), and the soul is willing, the undead creature may be instantly reincarnated as a dryad (if female) or a treant (if male) of Good alignment. This is not automatic and is entirely at the DM’s discretion.