Divine Domain
Destruction
Many gods of the destruction domain revel and delight in oblivion, slaughter, war, and other such myriad horrors, utilizing their clerics as agents of such. However, others merely represent the creative destruction inherent to natural cycles, or impartial forces of entropy and decay that gradually claim all things. Gods of destruction - such as Barbatorum, The Devourer, Talos, Tharizdun, The Tower, and Shiva - are agents of ruin and dissolution. They seek a more permanent state of decline in the world; that the forces of destruction should always howl against the forces of creation.
Followers of these gods may wish for only devastatin of some object, idea, or system with no designs of creation.
Other wish for a future of growth and uplift, but know that their part is only to precipitate loss and defeat.
Destruction Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | burning hands, inflict wounds |
| 3rd | scorching ray, shatter |
| 5th | fireball, lightning bolt |
| 7th | ice storm, wall of fire |
| 9th | destructive wave, ruinBrew |
Initiate of Destruction
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain two cantrips of your choice that deal damage from the sorcerer spell list. For you, these cantrips count as cleric cantrips. Additionally, you gain proficiency with the Intimidation skill.
Sundering Invocation
At 1st level, you are able to extend the destructive potential of your deity to your allies, leaving weaknesses and cracks in the foundations of your foes. Whenever you deal damage with a cleric spell to a creature within 60 feet, you can expend a use of this feature to sunder their defences. The next attack roll made against the target before the end of your next turn has advantage, and deals an additional 1d6 force damage.
At higher levels, the additional damage increases: 1d8 at 6th level, 1d10 at 8th level, and 1d12 at 17th level.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), per long rest.
Channel Divinity:
Inevitable Devastation
At 2nd level as a bonus action, you can use your Channel Divinity to infuse your spells with the inevitable ruination of all things. For 1 minute, when a cleric spell you cast would deal no damage to a target as a result of a successful saving throw or a missed attack roll, it deals half damage instead. Damage dealt by a spell enhanced by this feature deals double damage to objects and structures.
Unstoppable Force
Starting at 6th level, whenever a creature has resistance or immunity to damage dealt by a cleric spell or feature you cast or activate, you can use your reaction and expend a use of this feature to cause the damage to ignore resistances and treat immunity as resistance.
You can use this feature twice and regain all spent uses on a short or long rest.
Additionally, instead of sundering a foe's defences against your allies' strikes, you can instead expend a use of your Sundering Invocation to expose them to magic. The target instead has disadvantage on the first saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn.
Potent Spellcasting
At 8th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.
Hand of Desolation
At 17th level, you can utterly destroy an enemy with a mere gesture. When you roll damage for a cleric spell, or an ally rolls damage against a target affected by your Sundering Invocation feature, you can choose to double the result. Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until the start of your next turn.
When you kill a creature or destroy an object, you can have it disintegrate. A disintegrated creature and everything it is wearing and carrying, except magic items, are reduced to a pile of fine gray dust. The creature can be restored to life only by means of a true resurrection or a wish spell.
Additionally, you add the disintegrate, fire storm, reality break, and storm of vengeance spells to your list of domain spells. Like your other domain spells, they are always prepared and count as cleric spells for you.
Ruin
5th-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
The words fallen from your lips resonate with a fell meaning that conveys the power of destruction, and ruin is left in their wake. Choose a target that you can see within range. The target can be a creature, an object, or a creation of magical force, such as the wall created by wall of force.
A creature targeted by this spell must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 8d12 force damage, taking half damage on a success. The target is disintegrated if this damage leaves it with 0 hit points.
A disintegrated creature and everything it is wearing and carrying, except magic items, are reduced to a pile of fine gray dust. The creature can be restored to life only by means of a true resurrection or a wish spell.
This spell automatically disintegrates a Large or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force. If the target is a Huge or larger object or creation of force, this spell disintegrates a 10-foot-cube portion of it. A magic item is unaffected by this spell.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d12 for each slot level above 5th.
Credits
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Written by absent#0797
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References: Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything
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Discord of Many Things for help with balancing, especially Izzy.
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/u/surrealistik for their Cleric subclass: Destruction Domain, which provided much of the inspiration, flavour text, and mechanics for this subclass, and Destruction Domain, v1.