Cleric: The Madness Domain (5e 2024)

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https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a3/06/0f/a3060f1d3e0a6cc44d294d74c9f392c8.jpg EldritchArts
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# Cleric subclass:

## Madness domain

"*Oh, it started with laughter, you see, soft at first, like a kettle warming. Then the sky turned inside-out, and the laughter was everywhere. Out of it stepped this priest... no, a jester, no... the truth! They whispered things, lovely terrible things, and my thoughts... oh, my thoughts started dancing without me! I tried to stop listening, I really did, but the words had teeth. They’re still nibbling. Still... nibbling...*"

--A trembling pilgrim, recently ‘enlightened’

In the shadowed corners of the cosmos, where eldritch gods such as Cthulhu and Nyarlathotep and gods of chaos and madness like Loki and Dionysus reign, a unique breed of clerics exists. These devoted followers harness the very essence of their enlightened knowledge, and wield it as a power that bends minds. They walk the fine line between eldritch enlightenment and true madness, embracing the  whispers of their enigmatic deities. With each incantation, they spread chaos and discord, leaving shattered minds in their wake.

## Subclass Features

| Level | Feature |
|:----:|:-------------|
| 3rd  | Madness Domain spells, Shared Insanity |
| 3rd  | Channel divinity: Eldritch enlightenment |
| 6th  | Revelation |
| 17th | Mindshatter |

#### Level 3: Madness Domain Spells
Your connection to this divine domain ensures you always have certain spells ready. When you reach a Cleric level specified in the Madness Domain Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.

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### Madness Domain spells
| Cleric level | Spells |
|:----:|:-------------|
| 3  | Arms of Hadar, Dissonant Whispers, Crown of Madness, Phantasmal Force |
| 5  | Hunger of Hadar, Hypnotic Pattern |
| 7  | Confusion, Summon Aberration |
| 9  | Dominate Person, Synaptic Static |

#### Level 3: Shared Insanity
You have gained knowledge from your eldritch deity and can "bless" others with this power as well.

You can prepare a number of Enchantment or Illusion spells from any spell list (as long as they are of a level that you can cast) equal to your proficiency modifier. You can substitute any radiant damage you deal with psychic damage.

Additionally, choose or roll for an Indefinite Madness (see table at the end of this subclass). You gain this madness and as a bonus action can touch a willing creature with an intelligence of at least 4 to inflict them with the same madness. Those who are afflicted with the madness of your domain in this way also gain the following features:
- They learn the Mind Sliver cantrip and can choose either Wisdom, Intelligence or Charisma as the spellcasting ability for it (for you this counts as a Cleric cantrip and you use Wisdom).
- When a creature tries to read their thoughts they must make a Wisdom saving throw or take psychic damage equal to your Cleric level and the connection ends.

You can bless a number of creatures this way up to a number equal to your Cleric level. If you bless a new creature if you are at your maximum, the effect of the oldest fades.

For you this madness and its effects are indefinite but for other creatures it lasts until they finish a long rest, after which they can make an Intelligence saving throw to rid themselves of the madness, unless they willingly fail the save.

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#### Level 3: Eldritch enlightenment
You can unleash your god’s incomprehensible truth to those nearby.

As an action, you present your holy symbol and expend a use of Channel Divinity. Choose a number of creatures you can see within 60 feet (up to your Wisdom modifier). Each must have an Intelligence of 4 or higher and make an Intelligence saving throw against your spell save DC.

On a failure, they suffer a Short-Term Madness (roll once; all affected share the result). The effect lasts 1 minute, but targets may repeat the save at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success. After three failed saves, the effect becomes permanent for the duration and can't be ended early.

If a creature is already suffering Short-Term Madness, it makes the initial save at disadvantage. On a failure, the madness resets to 1 minute, and they cannot attempt further saves to end it early.

#### Level 6: Revelation
When others glimpse the madness you wield, their thoughts unravel.

Whenever a creature fails its save against a spell you cast of 1st level or higher that deals psychic damage, you can use your reaction to inflict a Short-term madness upon one target who failed their save and does not already suffer from Short-term madness. This madness lasts until the end of your next turn.

You can also trigger this effect whenever a creature fails its save against the Mind Sliver cantrip granted by your Shared Insanity feature even if its cast by an ally.

Additionally, those whose minds have been opened, are more susceptible to your magical influences. Creatures that are inflicted by madness from any of your class features have disadvantage on saves against any Enchantment or Illusion spell you cast.

#### Level 17: Mindshatter
You attain the ultimate mastery over the minds of your adversaries, enabling you to empty their mind to more easily receive your god's blessings.

There is no longer a limit to how many creatures you can affect with your Shared Insanity feature.

In addition, you may target a creature with a Wisdom of 4 or higher, forcing an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, its Intelligence and Charisma scores drop to 1. It can't cast spells, use magic items, understand language, or communicate meaningfully, though it can recognize, follow, and protect its allies. It also gains the effects of your Shared Insanity feature.

At the end of each long rest, the creature may repeat the save (Wisdom). On a success, the effect ends.

Once used, you can’t use this feature again until the affected creature succeeds on its saving throw and you finish a long rest. Only one creature can be affected by Mindshatter at a time.

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> ### Art credit
> **First page top:** Irina Nordsol Kuzmina
> ___
> **Second page right:** EldritchArts

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## Madness Tables

Please note, these tables are meant to reprisent symptoms of cosmic or divine phenomena that have taken root in a mind that has seen things that no mortal should ever see. These are not diagnoses and are not to be used as comparable to real world disorders and mental illness. I made these tables with the intention of respectable use and expect those that use it to do the same.

### Indefinite Madness

| d8  | Effect |
|----|--------------------|
| **1** | *Persistent Hallucination:* You experience a constant hallucinatory companion, an entity only you can perceive, who speaks to you and has a personality all their own. They offer cryptic guidance, warnings, or nonsensical ramblings. Strangely, nobody else can perceive them. |
| **2** | *Bipolar Mania:* Your mind oscillates between moments of divine euphoria and deep existential dread. At times, you are filled with inspiration, talking fast and acting on sudden whims; at others, you sink into bleak despair, questioning the futility of existence. |
| **3** | *Derealization:* The world often feels unreal, as though you are dreaming or watching through someone else’s eyes. At times you question whether you or those around you truly exist. |
| **4** | *Ego Fragmentation:* Your consciousness has splintered into several distinct personas, fragments of yourself, each with its own voice, priorities, and memories. You sometimes lose time or awaken to find another aspect has taken control. |
| **5** | *Corporeal Dysphoria:* You feel profoundly alien in your own body, as if it were the wrong shape or species. You might feel phantom limbs or sense organs that don’t exist. |
| **6** | *Delusional Paranoia:* You feel constantly watched by an unseen entity. Even when alone, you hesitate to act freely, fearing that your thoughts and actions are being judged, or recorded. |
| **7** | *Temporal Dysphoria:* You perceive time as broken — events seem out of order, or you feel as if you’ve already lived this moment. |
| **8** | *Visual Hallucination:* You occasionally perceive the world as alien and incomprehensible, colors that shouldn’t exist, geometry that bends impossibly, and creatures whose features blur when you look directly at them. You can function normally, but reality never feels quite right. |

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### Short-term Madness

| d20  | Effect |
|------|---------------|
| **1-2** | *Unseen Watchers:* The creature believes it is being watched by an unknown entity and cannot willingly turn its back on any creature. |
| **3-4** | *Lurking Echoes:* The creature hears distorted echoes of its own thoughts spoken aloud by an unknown presence. It has disadvantage on Intelligence and Wisdom checks and saving throws. |
| **5-6** | *Spatial Inversion:* The creature perceives the world as upside-down or reversed. It has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws and cannot jump or take the Dash action. |
| **7-8** | *Unraveling Mind:* The creature perceives itself as a writhing mass of thoughts barely holding together. It cannot cast spells or concentrate on abilities and is unwilling to move more than half their movement per turn for fear of "scattering." |
| **9-10** | *Time Fracture:* The creature perceives time as skipping and repeating itself. At the start of each of its turns it rolls a D4. If the result is even, it must repeat the actions it took on its last turn. |
| **11-12** | *Parasitic Thought:* A single, overwhelming thought dominates the creature’s mind (e.g., "The walls are listening" or "I must count every heartbeat"). They must spend their reaction each turn repeating the thought out loud. |
| **13-14** | *Reality Distortion:* The creature believes distances are warped. All attack rolls are made at disadvantage as they misjudge positioning.  |
| **15** | *Paranoia:* The creature is overwhelmed by whispers from unseen entities. It becomes Frightened of all creatures it can see, treating them as potential threats. |
| **16** | *Ravenous Void:* The creature feels an overwhelming, unnatural hunger but cannot determine what would satisfy it. Each turn, it uses its action to either eat a random nonmagical object or attempts to bite a creature within reach (unarmed attack). |
| **17** | *Fugue State:* The creature's mind splinters into various different personalities. At the start of each turn, roll a d4: (1) they take the attack action, targeting the nearest creature, (2) as an action, they drop their weapon, (3) they take the dash action to attempt to flee, (4) they act normally. |
| **18** | *Hyperfocus:* The creature becomes obsessed with the nearest other creature. It will either attack this creature (if it's an enemy) or protect it (if it's an ally). |
| **19** | *Endless Falling:* The creature constantly feels like it’s plummeting through an infinite abyss. It is prone and cannot stand up.  |
| **20** | *Shattered Will:* The creature becomes completely catatonic. Its speed becomes 0 and it cannot take actions or reactions. It is incapacitated and unaware of its surroundings, trapped in visions of alien landscapes beyond mortal comprehension. |