Domain Skill (5e Variant Rule)
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Domain Skill[edit]
Worshipping a deity may grant you benefits far subtler than the powers of clerics and paladins, or the gifts of epic boons. After all, not every follower is their deity's champion, but a deity appreciates all their followers.
If you worship a deity, you gain advantage on any skill checks associated with a specific area of that deity's domain. This bonus is not tied to any specific skill or ability, but is applied if you are attempting to achieve something within your deity's wishes. This can represent the bond you share with your deity, or knowledge you gleaned from a religious community you are a part of. You lose this bonus if you act against your deity's wishes or fail to properly worship them.
| Deity | Bonus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Beshaba, goddess of misfortune | You gain a bonus to skill checks made to bring misfortune upon others. | If you attempt to knock an inkwell over onto a wizard's spellbook, you may gain a bonus to your dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to do so without the wizard noticing. |
| Chauntea, goddess of agriculture | You gain a bonus to skill checks made to grow crops. | You may gain a bonus to your intelligence (Nature) check to plant wheat in the right time and place. |
| Eldath, goddess of peace | You gain a bonus to skill checks made to prevent violence. | You entreat a bandit captain to let your party leave, unharmed; you gain a bonus to your charisma (Persuasion) check. |
| Ioun, goddess of knowledge | You gain a bonus to skill checks made to seek out knowledge. | When searching for a tome of local history, you may gain a bonus to your intelligence (Investigation) check to find it. |
| Selune, goddess of the moon | You gain a bonus to skill checks made to reveal the truth at night. | At night, you are surrounded by trolls! However, you gain a bonus to your wisdom (Perception) check to see that they are an illusion. |
You and your DM should work together to establish how your Domain Skill applies, based on what your deity plans for you. For instance, you may decide that Selune grants you knowledge of heavenly bodies, or that Ioun grants you the ability to teach others. This benefit should be of limited scope—for example, in the table above, Selune helps you see through lies only at night, rather than all the time, and Ioun grants you a benefit to seeking knowledge, rather than granting you advantage on all intelligence checks.
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