Priest
"At this time of year it's easy to forget the true meaning of divinity - the lies, the correcion, the abuse"
— Biskey, Priest of Linzer Church
Priests bring the teachings of their gods to the Common folk. They are the spiritual leaders of temples and shrines and often hold positions of influence in their communities. Evil Priests might work openly under a tyrant, or they might be the leaders of religious sects hidden in the shadows of good society, overseeing depraved rites.
A Priest typically has one or more acolytes to help with religious ceremonies and other sacred duties.
Creating a Priest
When creating a Priest, it's important to decide which god you worship. Why? How did your character become a Priest and decided to bring the teachings of your god to the people? How did they learn their magic, from where? And decided to settle on the world of adventure.
Quick Build
You can make a Priest quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Wisdom your highest ability score (for spellcasting). The second highest ability score should be Intelligence. Third, choose the Acolyte background.
Class Features
As a Priest, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d6 per priest level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per priest level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light armor, shields
- Weapons: Club, dagger, Light Hammer, Mace, Quarterstaff, Spear, Dart
- Tools: None
- Saving Throws: Wisdom, Intelligence
- Skills: Choose three from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Religion
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- dagger
- holy symbol
- any simple weapon
- Leather armor
- priest's pack
or
- 10d4 starting GP
Class Name
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Cantrips Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Spellcasting, Enhanced Healing | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Prayer | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Pious Domain | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Branching Life | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Domain Enhancement | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | ─ | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Priestly Persuasion, Fiery Smite | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | ─ | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | ─ | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Domain Enhancement, Bastion of Hope | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | ─ | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 14th | +5 | ─ | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 15th | +5 | Domain Enhancement | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 17th | +6 | ─ | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | ─ | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20th | +6 | Domain Enhancement | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Enhanced Healing
Due to your occupation as a priest, your healing capabilities are almost innate. All healing done by you, via skills or otherwise, restores an extra 1d4 of health. This increases to 1d6 at level 5, 1d8 at level 8, 1d10 at level 11, and 1d12 at level 14 .
Additionally, you can cast any healing spell that doesn't normally cure disease as one level higher than normal to cure the disease, provided you have a spell slot of that level.
Prayer
Your prayers have the power to invoke the god's strength through your word alone. During a long or short rest, you may bless either yourself or an ally with a pious boon. You may only have one activated, and it wears off after a day. If you or they fall unconscious, it also ends.
Boon of Expertise: You call upon your diety to grant proficiency to your target. They gain +1 to all ability checks.
Boon of Accuracy: You call upon your diety to assist the reflexes of your target. They gain +1 to all attack rolls.
Boon of Luck: You call upon your diety to provide an uncanny luck to your target. They gain +1 to all saving throws.
Pious Domain
At 3th level, when your service has caught the eyes of the deity. You have the choice to become one of the following 2 acolyte types. Choose one of the following options: Acolyte of The Light, Acolyte of Death. Your choice grants features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 11th, 15th level, and 20th level.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you cannot increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Branching Life
Your blessed powers allow greater lengths to be achieved as you spread your light to those around you. You can cast either Cure Wounds or Healing Word as a first level spell without expending a spell slot. You can do this equal to your Wisdom modifier. Additionally, the range of Cure Wounds is increased to 10ft.
Priestly Persuassion
Your position as a priest is well known, your goal of helping all those who need and smiting the evil is applauded in urban society. You gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill, and have advantage on persuasion checks made towards good aligned creatures when offering or asking for help.
Fiery Smite
Your diety grants you strength over their force, allowing you to destroy those that would oppose you. Once, on each of your turns, whenever you do damage, you can do an extra 1d8 radiant damage in the damage.
Bastion Of Hope
Your strength grants wonderous life to those around you, albeit this field is difficult for you to maintain. As an action, you can choose up to five creatures within 30 feet of you to give 20 temporary health points to. While they have temporary health points from this ability, they have advantage on all Wisdom and Death saving throws. You regain your use of this ability after a long rest.
Spellcasting
As a conduit for divine power, you can cast priest (Cleric) spells.
Cantrip
At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the priest spell list. You learn additional cleric cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Priest table.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Priest table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. You prepare the list of priest spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the priest spell list. When you do so, choose a number of priest spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your priest level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, if you are a 3rd-level priest, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells. You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of priest spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Spellcasting ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your priest spells. The power of your spells comes from your devotion to your deity. You use your Wisdom whenever a priest spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a priest spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC
= 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier
= your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Ritual Casting
You can cast a priest spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.
Spellcasting Focus
You can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus for your priest spells.
Pious Domain
At 3th level, when your service has caught the eyes of the deity. You have the choice to become one of the following 2 acolyte types. Choose one of the following options: Acolyte of The Light, Acolyte of Death. Your choice grants features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 11th, 15th level, and 20th level.
Acolyte of Light
Acolyte of Light is also known as a mortal angel, they received the pure power from good gods and goddesses and will use this power for good purpose.
Angel Form
Starting at level 3, you can transform into a minor diety, being granted the ability to restore allies and smite enemies.
Taking form requires two actions to complete, and lasts for 5 minutes, or until ended using an action. You can transform twice, both uses being restored by taking a long rest. You can transform three times at level 6, four times at level 11, and five times at level 17.
During this transformation, you cannot cast spells nor make unarmed attacks. Your equipment is replaced with that of your form.
When in angel form, you gain:
Maker's Trident: 1d6 radiant damage Has property: Thrown (100/400) When thrown, instead shoots out a lightning bolt at the target for 1d6 radiant damage.
Purify: As an action, heal up to three allies for 1d4 health.
Once per Transformation: Smite: As an action, release an evil defying aura, giving off blinding light for 100ft for severeal seconds. Enemies within 30ft of you and can see you must make a wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on all rolls next turn. Undead, fiends, and fey have disadvantage against this, and burn with an additional 3d6 radiant damage if they fail.
Shroud of Light: You coat an ally within 30ft of you with light, set to ward off any evil. For 1 minute, they have resistance to necrotic and radiant damage, and deal an extra 1d6 radiant damage with their attacks. If they would take damage enough to fall unconscious, they will immediately be stabilized, the light protecting their unconscious form.
As the angel, you glow with bright light for 30ft and dim light for another 30ft.
You also have resistance to radiant damage.
Angelic Aura
Starting at level 6, you radiate an aura of peace around yourself whenever you are in your Angel form. All allies within 10 feet of you are granted strength from your presence and bolstered by your will. Similarly, creatures entering your aura are repulsed by your strength. As an action, emit a field of righteousness. Creatures trying to move within the aura must roll a Constitution saving throw or they are unable to enter within 10 feet of you at that turn. They can still attack, or move around while inside, and are not moved if you move within 10 feet of them. This effect is concentrated, and lasts 1 minute. You may use this effect once per short or long rest.
Additionally, as an action, you can consecrate an area with holy light. Emit a 5 foot radius circle around a point you can see within 30 feet of you. The ground begins to glow with a holy light as it begins to bolster everything good within. Whenever a non-evil creature would finish their turn inside the circle, they regain 1d6 health. If an evil creature finishes their turn inside the circle, they instead take 1d6 radiant damage, are all attacks made against the creature while it is within the circle have advantage. The circle will disappear after 1 minute.
You can only have one consecrated area at a time.
Holy Spellcasting
At level 11, you've gained the ability to cast various spells, but your power is limited to those that your form is capable of. While you are in your form, you gain the ability to cast each of the spells only once for the duration of your transformation.
- Planar Ally
- Heal
- Word of Recall
Shielding Light
At level 15, your form gains the following abilities: Maker's Trident: 2d6 radiant damage
You may cast Resurrection once during your Transformation, with no material costs or expending a spell slot.
You can use Bastion of Hope while in your transformation.
As a reaction, you can shield yourself and up to four other allies within 10 feet of you from the effects of a spell. If it requires an attack roll, it is made at disadvantage. If it is a save, you take no damage on a successful save, and half damage on a fail. A creature protected by this effect cannot drop below 1 health during the turn this is activated. You can do this equal to your Wisdom modifier.
True Angel
At level 20, your strength grows tremendously in your form, as angelic wings sprout from your back, and your eyes gain the sight of the Maker himself. Your size becomes Large while you are in your form. You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed and Truesight. You also gain advantage on Insight checks to determine whether someone is lying, and on checks to attempt to determine one's true motives.
Your Trident now does 4d6 radiant damage, and you can also use purify after making an attack as a bonus action.
You can now consecrate up to two areas.
You can now use your Angelic Aura equal to your wisdom modifier, and the effect extends to 30 feet.
Acolyte of Death
This Domain is the opposite of the Acolyte of Light, this Domain is known as the Angel of Death or Demon. Acolyte of Death receives the chaos energy from gods and goddesses, many people use this power to harm others or reap souls. The Priests that chose this path possibly have no good intentions.
Reaper Form
At level 3, you can transform into a lesser entity of decay, being granted the ability to hasten the demise of his enemies, both directly and indirectly.
Taking form requires two actions to complete, and lasts for 5 minutes, or until ended using an action. You can transform twice, both uses being restored by taking a long rest. You can transform three times at level 6, four times at level 11, and five times at level 17.
During this transformation, you cannot cast spells nor make unarmed attacks. Your equipment is replaced with that of your form.
As a Reaper, you gain:
Reaper's Scythe: 1d8 necrotic damage Scales with Wis. Has property: Thrown (80/320) Upon throwing, instead shoots a beam of pure necrotic energy for 1d8 necrotic damage.
Doomed: As an action, you can sear into the Ethereal Plane to find a creature within 30 feet of you. You find and crush their spectral link, dealing 3d8 necrotic damage over the course of three turns and forcing a wisdom saving throw. If they fail, they are frightened of you. They can repeat this saving throw at the end of their turns. You cannot use this affect on a creature that has already been Doomed.
Once per Transformation: Descent into Madness: As an action, you can attempt to drag an enemy's soul into the void. The enemy makes a wisdom saving throw, or their soul is ripped from their bodies and taken away. Their soulless body will then use it's turn moving towards and attacking the closest creature for three turns as its soul finds it's way back.
Lifehunt: Choose two creatures, both within 30 feet of you, and 10 feet of each other. Designate one to be a receiver. For one minute a spectral chain links the two creatures, as their hearts begin to beat as one. All damage done to the one not designated as the receiver will restore the same amount of damage as life to the receiver.
You glow with an ominous darkness, dimming all bright light to dim light within 30 feet, and all dim light within 5 feet to near darkness.
You also have resistance to necrotic damage.
Deathly Aura
At level 6, you can radiate a sickly aura within 10 feet of you. Whenever a creature is within your aura, they must make a Constitution saving throw. If they fail, they must spend the rest of their turn vomitting. After saving, or after recovering from a failure, a creature is immune to this effect.
Additionally, as an action, you may desecrate an area within range. Emit a 5 foot radius circle around a point you can see within 30 feet. The ground begins to darken with a sinister glow as it begins to decay everything good within. Whenever a creature is inside the circle, it instantly begins to decay. Their life energies begin to seep into the air around them, damaging them for 1d6 every time a creature begins and ends it's turn inside. The amount of damage done to these creatures is converted to wisps of energy floating around, and you can direct these energies towards another creature within 30 feet who is not inside the circle, restoring health equal to the amount of damage dealt. The circle lasts for 1 minute.
You can only have one desecrated area at a time.
Deathly Spellcasting
At level 11, you've gained the ability to cast various spells, but your power is limited to those that your form is capable of. While you are in your form, you gain the ability to cast each of the spells only once for the duration of your transformation.
- Planar Ally
- Harm
- Contagion
Unholy Hex
At level 15, your form gains the following abilities: Reaper's Scythe: 2d8 necrotic damage
You may cast Divine Word once during your Transformation, without expending a spell slot.
You can use Bastion of Hope while in your transformation.
As an action, you can reveal the vulnerabilities in an enemy's true strengths. For one minute, you can remove all resistances a single creature has. You must remain concentrated the entire time, or else the effect will fail.
True Reaper
At level 20, your strength grows tremendously in your form, as eerie skeletal wings sprout from your back, and your eyes gain the sight of Death himself. Your size becomes Large while you are in your form. You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed and Truesight. You also gain a claw attack while in your transformation for 4d4 necrotic damage that you can use in addition to your main attack.
Your scythe's damage becomes 4d8 necrotic damage.
You can have up to two desecrated areas at once.
Your Deathly Aura now extends up to 30ft.
Practice
Safe
Homebrewing
Alright so thank you everyone, for passing by and take a look of my homebrew class, thank you really much. I hope you have fun in your D&D campaign!
Cover Art: Skiorh
More Credits
- Thank you Wizard of the Coast for creating D&D
- Thank you GM Binder for providing me the tool I need for creating this class
- Thank you Silver (my friend) for providing me the ideas
- All images are from Google P/S: Priest uses the same spell set as Cleric. And thank you for using my first project ever!