Penance Domain
Clerics of penance are restrained and frigid with their mannerisms and words, but aggressive and unrelenting in their acts of repentance and unnerving worship. These lamenting acolytes devote themselves to absolving their past sins, becoming more extreme in their acts of repentance, and more cold and hardened in their mental and physical resilience with every gruesome prayer.
Penance Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1 | absorb elements, atone |
| 3 | branding smite, mirror image |
| 5 | fear, intellect fortress |
| 7 | phantasmal killer, stoneskin |
| 9 | rarys telepathic bond, synaptic static |
Acolyte of Atonement
When you choose this domain at first level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons.
Furthermore, your god grants you aid in battle for your penance. When you are below half your maximum hit points, once per turn when you deal damage to an enemy, they suffer an additional 1d8 radiant damage. This increases to 2d8 radiant damage at 10th level in this class.
They instead take necrotic damage if your alignment is evil.
Prayer of Penance
Also at 1st level, you can perform a prayer of penance to ask for your gods aid both in and out of battle. When you or an ally within 30ft must roll a Wisdom or Intelligence based check or saving throw, you can expend your reaction and suffer 1d4 radiant damage to add 1d4 to the rolls result.
If you are below half your maximum hit points when this occurs you do not need to expend your reaction.
You instead take necrotic damage if your alignment is evil.
Channel Divinity: Grim Procession
Starting at 2nd level, as an action you can begin a rite of atonement for 1 minute, as you flagellate yourself in penance. As part of this action, make one melee weapon attack against yourself. This attack automatically hits, and is dealt directly to your hit points, ignoring any temporary hit points, damage resistances, or immunities. All enemies within 20ft of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure they suffer an amount of psychic damage equal to the damage you self inflicted + your cleric level. On a successful save they suffer half damage. You can repeat this action on following turns during this minute.
In addition, if your current hit points are below half your maximum hit points when you use this action, enemies also become frightened of you until the beginning of your next turn on a failed saving throw, as your gruesome flagellations shake them more deeply.
Art Credit: Stepan Alekseev
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Unnerving Ardor
At 6th level, when an enemy you can see deals damage to you, you can expend your reaction to stare into their soul, unflinching. They must succeed a Charisma saving throw or become restrained until the end of your next turn, as they are frozen in fear. If they are afflicted by the frightened condition when this happens, they instead become stunned until the end of your next turn, as the fear grips them more intensely.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Divine Strike
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. 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 radiant damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Bottomless Faith
At 17th level, your penance has strengthened your faith to a bottomless degree, granting you the following benefits.
- You become immune to the frightened and charmed conditions.
- While your current hit points are below half your maximum hit points, you have resistance to all damage.
New Spells
Atone and shame are added to the cleric spell list.
Atone
1st-level Divination
- Casting Time: 1 bonus action
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S, M (a small whip or rope)
- Duration: concentration, up to 1 minute
You can enter into a state of atonement, beckoning others to join you. Enemies can add a d4 to attack rolls that target only you, but whenever they hit you, suffer 1d6 radiant damage, as they are lashed with a jolt of penance.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the radiant damage enemies suffer increases by 1d6 for each slot.
Shame
Divination cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self (5-foot radius)
- Components: S, M(a melee weapon worth at least 1 sp)
- Duration: instantaneous
You shame a creature for its actions, brandishing the weapon used in the spell’s casting and making a melee attack with it against one creature within 5ft of you. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack’s normal effects and if they have dealt any damage to you or your allies during the previous round, is knocked prone, as it repents for its actions.
At Higher Levels. At 5th level, the shame increases in intensity, causing the target to suffer 1d8 psychic damage if knocked prone. This damage increases by 1d8 at 11th and 17th level.
