Forge Domain - Marcotix Mix PEACH

[Marcotix]

Hey all, I was looking over the recent cleric UA which I can't link to since this is my first post :) google cleric UA, and you'll likely find it.

And while many undoubtedly think that the Forge domain is perfect and shouldn't be changed, I wanted something that felt a bit more like a smith and a bit less like a holy warrior.

Please keep your comments critical of my home-brew and off of why I shouldn't modify the Forge domain.

Spoiler: Forge Domain - Marcotix mix

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Forge Domain Spells
Cleric Level Spells
1st identify, shield of faith
3rd heat metal, magic weapon
5th elemental weapon, protection from energy
7th fabricate, wall of fire
9th animate objects, creation

Bonus Proficiency
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with perception, and smith tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses smith’s tools.

Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the mending cantrip.

Artisan’s Blessing
At 1st level, at the beginning of a short rest, you conduct a ritual to your deity that grants you the ability to craft or repair a finished item that is at least part metal. The item is completed at the end of the rest.
The object can be worth no more than 100 gp per cleric level, and as part of this ritual you must expend metals, such as coins or other finished items, with a value equal to the item you want to make.
The item can be an exact duplicate of an item, such as a copy of a key, if you possess the original during your short rest, and any magical properties the original has will not be present in the duplicate.

Channel Divinity: Blessing of the Forge
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to imbue magic into a weapon or armor. Touch one nonmagical object that is a suit of armor or a simple or martial weapon. The object becomes a magic item, depending gaining additional properties based on cleric level. The item remains magical until you take a long or short rest or 8 hours passes, whichever comes first.
Level 01 - 10 +1 bonus to AC if armor or a +1 bonus to attack and damage if it’s a weapon.
Level 11 - 15 +2 bonus to AC if armor or a +1 bonus to attack and damage if it’s a weapon.
Level 16 - 20 +3 bonus to AC if armor or a +1 bonus to attack and damage if it’s a weapon.

Soul of the Forge
Starting at 6th level, your mastery of the forge grants you a number of special abilities:
• You gain resistance to fire and thunder damage.
• When you hit a construct with an attack, you deal additional force damage to it equal to your cleric level.
• Your character can use Artisans Blessing to craft or repair one item an hour as a part of a long rest. This activity counts as regular sleep, as long as your character would be able to sleep regularly otherwise. The din of the forge is magically reduced to the loudness of loud snoring for every one besides the cleric.
 

Divine Strike
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with the fiery power of the forge.
Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 fire damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.


Saint of Forge and Fire
At 17th level, your affinity for fire and metal becomes more powerful due to your deity’s blessing. You have immunity to fire and thunder damage.

All thanks to those who contributed to the Cleric UA thread, much of what was discussed finds its way in here!

[Kobard]

Perception may be the golden skill, but that does not mean it should be so freely given. Choice of Martial Weapons or Heavy Armor Proficiency seems more appropriate.

How does Thunder resistance/immunity make the Forge cleric seem more like a smith?

[Marcotix]

Perception may be the golden skill, but that does not mean it should be so freely given. Choice of Martial Weapons or Heavy Armor Proficiency seems more appropriate.

How does Thunder resistance/immunity make the Forge cleric seem more like a smith?

Perception - noticing problems with the crafted object, Thunder in 5th edition is sonic. Forges, divine forges at least, are pretty loud.

Why would Martial weapons/ heavy armor be more appropriate than 2 skills that directly apply to the craft?

What about investigation @ 2x proficiency instead of perception?

[Kobard]

Perception - noticing problems with the crafted object,

I would rule that this would be covered simply through having proficiency in the crafting tools.

Thunder in 5th edition is sonic. Forges, divine forges at least, are pretty loud.

True, but so are storms, and the Tempest cleric gains neither Lightning or Thunder resistance. I suspect that the creators imagined the Forge cleric in heavy armor crafted by Hephaestus or Moradin being immune to fire and nearly impervious to normal weapons.

Why would Martial weapons/ heavy armor be more appropriate than 2 skills that directly apply to the craft?

Every cleric gets something along those lines. If clerics do not get heavy armor or martial weapons, then they get Potent Spellcasting. The Forge cleric does not get Potent Spellcasting, suggesting that they will be in the frontlines and should subsequently have either heavy armor or martial weapons. Even the Nature cleric gets heavy armor.

What about investigation @ 2x proficiency instead of perception?

Why not 2x proficiency to Investigation or History under certain circumstances when it applies to crafted items, such as with Stonecunning?

[Marcotix]

I would rule that this would be covered simply through having proficiency in the crafting tools.

Fair enough, I figure though, its a good way to bring the eye of a master smith into the adventuring world and reinforces the concept.

True, but so are storms, and the Tempest cleric gains neither Lightning or Thunder resistance. I suspect that the creators imagined the Forge cleric in heavy armor crafted by Hephaestus or Moradin being immune to fire and nearly impervious to normal weapons.

Good point. I guess the main reason is that +1 armor on a modified medium armor class sends the wrong signal, and thunder resist is something both flavorful and useful.

Every cleric gets something along those lines. If clerics do not get heavy armor or martial weapons, then they get Potent Spellcasting. The Forge cleric does not get Potent Spellcasting, suggesting that they will be in the frontlines and should subsequently have either heavy armor or martial weapons. Even the Nature cleric gets heavy armor.

Good point, this version has the makings of a really good back line buffer. I may increase the range on "Blessing of the forge" so that they can stay 2nd row and make changes during combat.

Why not 2x proficiency to Investigation or History under certain circumstances when it applies to crafted items, such as with Stonecunning?

Though flavorful, it's somewhat narrow in scope, further I prefer to avoid that level of granularity for ease of use. Plus I am still trying to somewhat compensate for the loss of heavy armor, and investigate uses int, and knowledge domain doubles int profs it grants.

EDIT:
Thanks BTW for the input! This is exactly why I posted here!

[Marcotix]

Updating the Forge!

Spoiler: Forge Domain - Marcotix mix

Show

Forge Domain Spells
Cleric Level Spells
1st identify, shield of faith
3rd heat metal, magic weapon
5th elemental weapon, protection from energy
7th fabricate, wall of fire
9th animate objects, creation

Bonus Proficiency
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with investigate and smith tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for investigate and any ability check you make that uses smith’s tools.

Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the mending cantrip.

Artisan’s Blessing
At 1st level, at the beginning of a short rest, you conduct a ritual to your deity that grants you the ability to craft or repair a finished item that is at least part metal. The item is completed at the end of the rest.
The object can be worth no more than 100 gp per cleric level, and as part of this ritual you must expend metals, such as coins or other finished items, with a value equal to the item you want to make.
The item can be an exact duplicate of an item, such as a copy of a key, if you possess the original during your short rest, and any magical properties the original has will not be present in the duplicate.

Channel Divinity: Blessing of the Forge
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to imbue magic into a weapon or armor. As an action choose one nonmagical object that is a suit of armor or a simple or martial weapon within 30 feet that you can see. The object becomes a magic item, depending gaining additional properties based on cleric level. The item remains magical until you finish a long or short rest or 4 hours passes, whichever comes first.
Level 01 - 10 +1 bonus to AC if armor or a +1 bonus to attack and damage if it’s a weapon.
Level 11 - 15 +2 bonus to AC if armor or a +1 bonus to attack and damage if it’s a weapon.
Level 16 - 20 +3 bonus to AC if armor or a +1 bonus to attack and damage if it’s a weapon.

Soul of the Forge
Starting at 6th level, your mastery of the forge grants you a number of special abilities:
• You gain resistance to fire and thunder damage.
• When you hit a construct with an attack, you deal additional force damage to it equal to your cleric level.
• Your character can use Artisans Blessing to craft or repair one item an hour as a part of a long rest. This activity counts as regular sleep, as long as your character would be able to sleep regularly otherwise. The din of the forge is magically reduced to the loudness of loud snoring for every one besides the cleric.
 

Potent Spell casting
At 8th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.


Saint of Forge and Fire
At 17th level, your affinity for fire and metal becomes more powerful due to your deity’s blessing. You have immunity to fire and thunder damage.

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[Kobard]

I'll provide feedback later when I get more of a chance, but I just wanted to say that overall, I think that your Forge cleric attempts to move in the direction that a lot of the posted feedback around the Forge cleric.

[Kalyth]

I really like most of this except for two things. They are both based completely on my personal opinion.

1) The resistance/Immunity to thunder damage just seems odd.

2) When I envision a blacksmith I see more someone who is sturdy and tough. I envision them wading into battle and smacking someone with a hammer or weapon they forged themselves. I do not think of a back row buffer casting magical cantrips as their primary attacK option. He forges weapons and thus knows their weight and balance. I feel martial weapon proficiency would make more sense than Investigation. You could tag on giving them advantage on any roll related to determining an items quality or crafsmanship.
Potent Spellcasting is not needed to be a support buffer but martial weapons and/or armor are kind of needed to be a melee support/frontline fighter. Giving Martial weapons and/or heavy armor allows them to play either support or frontliner and doesn't force them only in one direction

[Marcotix]

I'll provide feedback later when I get more of a chance, but I just wanted to say that overall, I think that your Forge cleric attempts to move in the direction that a lot of the posted feedback around the Forge cleric.

Yes, and apologizes for not making it clear earlier, much of what I had come up with is based off of suggestions from that thread.

I figured better to start my own thread rather then jacking that one.

[Marcotix]

I really like most of this except for two things. They are both based completely on my personal opinion.

1) The resistance/Immunity to thunder damage just seems odd.

2) When I envision a blacksmith I see more someone who is sturdy and tough. I envision them wading into battle and smacking someone with a hammer or weapon they forged themselves. I do not think of a back row buffer casting magical cantrips as their primary attacK option. He forges weapons and thus knows their weight and balance. I feel martial weapon proficiency would make more sense than Investigation. You could tag on giving them advantage on any roll related to determining an items quality or crafsmanship.
Potent Spellcasting is not needed to be a support buffer but martial weapons and/or armor are kind of needed to be a melee support/frontline fighter. Giving Martial weapons and/or heavy armor allows them to play either support or frontliner and doesn't force them only in one direction

Fair enough, thanks for the feedback!