Prophecy Domain
As the poison dart buried itself in Ayo’s throat, his vision snapped suddenly back to the present, hand reaching out for the door. He withdrew his hand and called back to his companion, “You might want to check this one for traps.”
Ayo, Cleric of the Prophecy Domain
As a cleric who follows the Prophecy Domain, you are able to see the future, whether for good or ill. Eventually, you might become an oracle renowned across the region. Your powers of foresight are limited though, and while you are able to alter the flow of time to avoid minor peril, you cannot forestall your own death. Knowledge of the future comes with great responsibility however, and you and others of your kind must bear that burden each and every day.
Building a Prophecy Domain Cleric
Prophecy Domain clerics can use their foresight to stay one step ahead of their foes, as well as reverse the tides of fates from time to time to save either themselves or their allies from certain harm. Keep the following traits and abilities in mind when building your character:
A Path Foretold - You gain proficiency in History and Insight. You also learn one exotic language of your choice, subject to GM approval.
Channel Divinity - You can use your Channel Divinity to either add 20 feet to your walking speed for a number of rounds equal to your cleric level OR to declare that an action or movement you just performed did not happen, allowing you to take a different action or make a different movement (so long as it didn’t result in your unconsciousness or death). You gain one level of exhaustion after using the latter ability.
Divine Strike - Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal extra damage.
It Was Foretold - You gain advantage on Dexterity saving throws, Perception checks, and Insight checks. You also gain resistance to fire, poison, and psychic damage. With the GM’s consent, you can issue a prophecy from your deity once per month.
Prophecy Domain clerics can use their powers to quickly get into position in combat, dealing divinely-empowered strikes against their enemies. Their ability to glimpse the future can come in handy both in and out of combat, reversing minor actions that could have major consequences. Their ability to reverse the flow of time however should not be used lightly, as the exhaustion it imposes on them can quickly come to overwhelm their ability to fight and otherwise survive dangerous encounters. Their capstone ability, It Was Foretold is a massive boon, significantly increasing their survivability against several types of attacks. Overall, these abilities can allow you to play your cleric in a bit more of a riskier fashion than other domains, supporting your frontline allies shoulder-to-shoulder.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to picking your race, especially if your gamemaster allows the optional rules variant to customize racial ability modifiers. However, some races may possess certain racial features that grant them an additional edge when it comes to particular classes.
Clerics are an incredibly versatile class that can work well with any race, from human to dwarf to half-orc. However, if you really want to lean into the prophetic nature of this subclass, consider playing as a Wyrd Gnome, whose Prescience trait allows you to replace a single attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by yourself or another creature with one you determine at the beginning of each day.
Roleplaying Tips
When roleplaying as a Prophecy Domain cleric, consider how your ability to glimpse the future might affect how you interact with others. Has it led to you adopting an absent or aloof nature, more focused on the future than the present? Do you avoid looking too much into the future of strangers, for fear of dabbling with their own fate? Another interesting idea to consider is whether or not your divine gift was something you sought, or instead something gifted to you without your choice. A cleric who willingly asked for this ability will likely respond differently than one who felt it was foisted upon them. This decision may also inform how you interact in roleplaying situations when others bring up your ability.
Your roleplaying may also be informed by the background that you choose. As with almost any cleric subclass, Acolyte and Healer both make safe options, especially if you want to be associated with a religious order of some sort. However, you could also go with Recluse if you like the idea of playing someone who has fled civilization as a result of their gift of foresight. Or perhaps you’ve decided to put that gift to ill use, taking the role of a Snake Oil Seller peddling in false prophecies. As always, whatever path you choose to follow, be sure to ask yourself why it is you’ve sought out the company of an adventuring party, and use that to guide your roleplaying in the future.
How to Access this Content
This subclass was created by our partners at Kobold Press, and it is one of the many available to subscribers, along with others like the Way of the Dragon Spirit or the Elementalist, as well as races such as the Shade or Spindrift Dwarf. Learn about these and others by checking out the rest of our Character Choices series.
Build your own Prophecy Domain cleric and tell us about it in the comments below or on any of our social channels. Join us on Discord, Reddit or Facebook to meet other members of the community and take your game to the next level, or follow us on Twitter @shardtabletop for regular updates.
