Debt Domain (5e Subclass)
Debt Domain[edit]
Clerics of the domain of debt are found most among the race known as soul merchants. Almost no members of any other race would ever become a member of the domain of debt, which is often seen as cynical and suspicious. In truth, it is nothing of the sort. Rather than worship a particular god or goddess, clerics of this domain revere and uphold a concept—one that the soul merchants know as Divitiae. This means, roughly, 'wealth'. The clerics of the debt domain defend commerce and business wherever they can. Good clerics of this domain celebrate the benefits trade and capitalism can bring: the way that they can transform lives for the better, as well as expanding and developing society and government. Evil clerics of this domain glorify greed and avarice and the way in which the rich hold power over the poor. Neutral clerics simply work to maintain trade all over the world.
One of the most important duties of the domain of debt is maintaining the soul standard. The soul standard is a system of currency often used by soul merchants, but also by extra-dimensional creatures and some deities. The soul standard bases the value of currency on the value of the soul. For clerics of the domain of debt, souls are a form of currency just as much as material possessions. They have a value that allow creatures to buy and sell them among one another. The value of a soul is derived from its finite nature—because the soul will eventually pass over thanks to the death of its owner, the soul is worth something. The existence of creatures like liches, ghouls and other forms of undead devalues the soul—because their spirits last beyond death they no longer have a finite duration. As such, clerics of the debt domain hunt down these forms of undead to stop them from depreciating currency.
The reason clerics of this domain are called clerics of debt rather than clerics of trade is their ability to mark creatures with debt. This they do to creatures that they perceive as enemies of trade and commerce. Placing a creature in debt to the universe allows a cleric to drain life from it in recompense for its misdeeds. Former debtors brought back from the dead harass those creatures which break the bargain with the cleric.
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | command, comprehend languages |
| 3rd | gentle repose, zone of truth |
| 5th | glyph of warding, spirit guardians |
| 7th | death ward, guardian of faith |
| 9th | dominate person, geas |
- Mark with Debt
Starting at 1st level, you learn the soul transfer cantrip if you don't know it already. In addition, whenever you cause a creature to regain one or more hit points with a spell you cast, you may mark that creature with a small, circular mark that resembles a tattoo of a coin—a representation of its spiritual debt to you. This coin cannot be removed until the creature marked with it dies, it is removed with a lesser restoration spell or similar magic, or until you cause it to disappear as a bonus action.
- Drain Debtor
Also at 1st level, you can rebuke a debtor that dares to wound you. Whenever a creature marked with a debt to you that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to cause the creature to make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 2d6 necrotic damage on a failed save and you regain hit points equal to the damage dealt this way. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
- Channel Divinity
- Spectral Collectors
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your channel divinity to bring forth spirits that haunt a creature in debt to you. As an action, you choose a creature currently marked with debt to you and summon a number of shadows equal to your cleric level divided by five, rounded up. They appear in spaces within 120 feet of you. The shadows are friendly to you and your companions. They have their own turns, and they roll their own initiative (acting as a group). They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you), but cannot attack creatures other than the creature chosen by this ability. The shadows disappear when they drops to 0 hit points, when the creature you chose drops to 0 hit points, or when you lose concentration (as though concentrating on a spell).
- Drag into Debt
Beginning at 6th level, whenever a creature fails a saving throw against a spell of 1st level or higher you cast, that creature is marked with a debt to you.
- Divine Weapon
At 8th level, you are able to create a magical item—an object of divine value. It is usually gaudy, decorated or bejeweled in some way to demonstrate this blessed worth. You acquire one of the following magical items: a golden guardian plate, mace of obligation, reliquary of unmatched wealth or rod of rulership. If you lose the item or it is destroyed, you may spend a long rest using magic to craft a new one. Doing so causes any previous items created this way to crumble into dust and be destroyed.
At 14th level, once on each of your turns while you are holding or wearing your gifted item, you can cause an attack you make that hits a creature to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the target.
- Greater Collectors
At 17th level, the creatures you summon with your Spectral Collectors ability are specters, not shadows.
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